In Sermon Illustrations: "Peace Of God"

The Girl And The Lions

Contributed by Jesse Bennett on Nov 9, 2008

THE GIRL AND THE LIONS A 12-year-old girl in rural Ethiopia was kidnapped from her family. Her captors yelled at her, beat her, and almost raped her during her seven-day ordeal. They wanted to force her into marriage by selling her to the highest bidder; who knows what kind of situation she would ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Baptist

A Death Blow To Self-Centered False Gospels  PRO

Contributed by Michael Wiley on Nov 12, 2008

John MacArthur writes: This passage...strikes a death blow to the self-centered false gospels that are so popular in contemporary Christianity. It leaves no room for the gospel of getting, in which God is considered a type of utilitarian genie who jumps to provide a believer's every whim. It ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

For Real Spiritual Victory, Your Will Must Be ...

Contributed by Andy Grossman on Dec 2, 2008

For real spiritual victory, your will must be broken. We are like that horse my son got when he first got out of the army. Ben got a wild mustang that wasn’t must good for anything. You couldn’t ride him. You couldn’t use him to pull a buggy. It was even risky to be around him. He might bite ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Holiness

Patchwork World

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

PATCHWORK WORLD Studdert Kennedy tells of an explorer who brought back a chameleon which his household affectionately named Billy the Lizard. The explorer left Billy in charge of his butler who showed him to his many friends and associates. When the explorer returned, he asked how Billy was. ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian

Previously In Bethlehem...

Contributed by Bob Gillchrest on Dec 29, 2008

PREVIOUSLY IN BETHLEHEM... In order to fix such a mess and to bring the presence of God back into the midst of His chosen people, you have to understand the back story. In the world of drama, every character in a play, or in a television show or movie, has a back story. This is what happened ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Forgiveness Is Freedom

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Dec 31, 2008

Forgiveness is Freedom Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt you for hurting me. Forgiveness does not pretend there was no offense; it does not dismiss wrongdoing. It does not say, "Oh, that's all right; forget it." True forgiveness is realistic. Lewis Smedes gave a great definition: ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Pentecostal

I Know How It Works. I Built It.

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Jan 12, 2009

"I KNOW HOW IT WORKS. I BUILT IT." Years ago, the early part of the last century, a man’s car broke down on the side of the road. He was out working on the car, unsuccessfully trying to get it started, when another man stopped to help. The second gentleman looked at the engine, worked on it for ...read more

Tags: Creation

Denomination: Baptist

Prison Doors Open From ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

PRISON DOORS OPEN FROM OUTSIDE Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned by Hitler during World War II, writes to his fiancé about one of the many lessons he learned from life in prison: “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, does various unessential things, and is completely dependent on the fact ...read more

Scripture: John 8:36

Tags: Christian Liberty

Only One Boy

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Feb 6, 2009

"Only One Boy" One missionary to China tells of a boy who "prepared the way" for Jesus in a certain village. The missionary had never visited this village before. "Are there any Christians in your village?" he asked a man. "Only one boy," was the answer. The missionary walked on, and stopping at ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Christian Church

Giving, Greed And Salvation

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Mar 12, 2009

GIVING, GREED AND SALVATION A very old rich skinflint in declining health finally gets serious about his eternal state. He goes to the local pastor and asks what he can do to account for the fact that he’s never given God much time or given the church a dime. The pastor just looks at him with that ...read more

Tags: Greed

Denomination: United Methodist

Alec ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2009

ALEC SHEAR Alec Shear has spent the last twenty-five years of his life collecting stuff. He has 6 stars and stripes lunch boxes, 400 transistor radios that look like name brand products, 10,000 match books, and countless other items of vintage Americana. When his wife divorced him over his ...read more

Tags: Materialism

Looks Can Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING Girolamo Savonarola was one of the great preachers of the fifteenth century. He preached in the great cathedral of Florence, Italy, which contained a magnificent marble statue of Mary. One day he noticed an elderly woman praying before this statue and then realized it was ...read more

Scripture: John 4:23-24

Tags: Worship, Worship Definition

When I Was A Senior In High School, I Took A Trip ...

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Jul 16, 2009

When I was a senior in high school, I took a trip with some friends over to Myrtle Beach South Carolina. We were headed east on the interstate, going up a long hill, when suddenly the cars started acting very strange on the other side. People were weaving, waving, yelling, flashing their lights and ...read more

Tags: Wisdom, Dangerous

Denomination: Baptist

I Can Do No ...

Contributed by Larry Moyer on Aug 5, 2009

I CAN DO NO LESS One day a man in the Army was reading his instructions from the General about what he was to do that day. Now the General of the Army was highly respected and loved. Someone happened to walk by and asked, "What are you reading?" The man answered, "I’m reading my instructions from ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Want To Close By Reading The Benediction From ...

Contributed by Rickey Bennett on Aug 17, 2009

I want to close by reading the benediction from Charles Spurgeon’s message on this passage, which serves as an invitation and an encouragement. Will you be there…? Will you behold His final triumph over sin, death and hell? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he your confidence and trust? ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: *other

Shock In Heaven

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 3, 2009

SHOCK IN HEAVEN I was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered Heaven’s door, Not by the beauty of it all, by the lights or its décor. But it was the folks in heaven who made me sputter and gasp; the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics, the trash. There stood the kid from 7th ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Little Things - Big Blessings  PRO

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Oct 5, 2009

LITTLE THINGS - BIG BLESSINGS When we lived in Houston, Texas, our oldest Spencer was born. Spencer was placed in one of the vast Texas-sized nurseries at this hospital. There in that nursery, I met a group of volunteers who were all from a nearby church. The job of these volunteers in the nursery ...read more

Tags: Sacrifice, Obedience, Security, Success

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Good Jealousy

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Oct 19, 2009

GOOD JEALOUSY Dennis De Haan illustrates: Shep, the newest member of our family, is a young Shetland sheepdog who openly displays his jealousy when I kiss my wife. He doesn’t snarl or bite, but in the language of barking he seems to be saying, "Hey, Master, you belong to me!" His jealousy gives ...read more

Tags: Jealousy

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Faithfulness In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

Faithfulness in Battle John Wesley once said: "Give me a hundred men who love nothing but God and hate nothing but sin, and I will shake the whole world for Christ." It doesn’t take many… but it does take someone who decides to be faithful. In December 1944, the German army launched an unexpected ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:12

Tags: War, Snow

In His Book I Surrender, Patrick Morley Writes ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Oct 22, 2009

In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church’s integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation, without repentance." ...read more

Tags: Repentance, Christian Values

Denomination: Pentecostal