In Sermon Illustrations: "Personal Story"

Researcher George Barna Notes Research Outcomes ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2008

Researcher George Barna notes research outcomes help to better understand the place of Christian belief in American society. He observes, “Many people seem to divide the Bible into two separate and unequal portions: the Old Testament, with what they perceive to be allegorical ...read more

Darwin's Start

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Mar 25, 2009

DARWIN'S START It was because of the death of his daughter that Charles Darwin couldn't make sense of a loving God. This seemed to put him on his path to finding a way to take God out of the creation story. (Source: ...read more

Tags: Evolution

Denomination: Wesleyan

Look Carefully  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Apr 16, 2002

LOOK CAREFULLY In the Greek original of the New Testament the word often translated sincere means `judged in the sunlight’; and the English word is derived from the Latin--- `sine cera’, which means `without wax’. In the days when art flourished in ancient Greece, it was the common ...read more

Scripture: James 1:13-17, James 1:13-17

Tags: Leadership General, Truth, Faith

Denomination: United Methodist

Who Is Leading People To Christ? Recent Barna ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2006

Who Is Leading People To Christ? Recent Barna research finds that among Christians who embraced Christ before their teen years, half were led to Christ by their parents, with another 20% by some other friend or relative. 7% accepted Jesus in response to a minister’s personal prompting and 12% cited ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Quality Of Life: Barna Research Group Has ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Quality Of Life: Barna Research Group has uncovered a strong relationship between a person’s comfort with his quality of life and either his religious faith or socioeconomic status. 88% of adults claim they are either very happy or somewhat happy with their quality of life. 92% also feel integrated ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Are You A Good Showcase?  PRO

Contributed by Ellis Wedel on Jan 4, 2007

Are You a Good Showcase? Gutav Dore, the famous artist, once lost his passport while traveling in Europe. When he came to the boundary post between two countries and was asked for his passport, he fumbled about and finally announced, "I have lost it, but it is all right. I’m Dore, the artist. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

New Rules Barna Research Group Has Identified The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

New Rules Barna Research Group has identified the following New Rules for the next generation. Some will encourage you, others will cause alarm. 1. Personal relationships count. Institutions don’t. 2. The process is more important than the product. 3. Aggressively pursue diversity among ...read more

Tags: What Is Evangelism?

Mega-Trends That Shape Future: The Brand Futures ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

Mega-Trends That Shape Future: The Brand Futures Group has identified 10 mega-trends that will define the next decade. (1.) Generation blur, new work and lifestyles for 30& 40 year olds. Life-stage, not demographics, will be the most important criterion for market segmentation. (2.) Evolution from ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

We Always Turn To Something

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Jan 30, 2010

We Always Turn to Something In Thessalonica, notice those who heard the gospel responded by 1Thes1:9 turning to God from idols to serve the true and living God. In our 21st century western society there has been a huge paradigm shift, a turning away from Judea/Christian God centred worldview, ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Baptist

Facing The Music

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 19, 2012

FACING THE MUSIC Many years ago a man wanted to play in the Imperial Orchestra, but could not play a note. Since he was, however, a person of great wealth and influence, he demanded to be allowed to join the orchestra so that he could perform in front of the king. The conductor agreed to let him ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Pioneers Are In A Class All Their Own. They Are ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Pioneers are in a class all their own. They are people who swim upstream against the ethical current of the day (like Noah). They are individuals who take on the Goliath of the day with no fear of defeat (such as David). As servants of God living grace filled values they accept injustice in a ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Stumbling Block Of Envy

Contributed by Jim Kane on Sep 4, 2008

Stumbling Block of Envy When I was a few months from graduation from seminary, the church I had attended during college had a position open and I was very interested in it. The pastor had become a spiritual mentor to me, and I was hopeful for the opportunity to work with him. When we met to ...read more

Tags: Envy

Denomination: Church Of God

Mind ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 7, 2009

Mind Reader? The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, reported on February 9, 2007 that a team of scientists has determined that reading brain waves can reveal a person’s intentions. Literally, if this report is true, science has determined a way to read the mind and determine what you intend to ...read more

Tags: Thought, Mind Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Pacific Fleet New Testament Stained With Blood Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 9, 2009

Pacific Fleet New Testament Stained with Blood of Son Christ gives salvation when we meet the terms of pardon listed in His will, just as those under Jewish law were purified when they obeyed the laws and institutions sealed by animal blood. Thus one receives the benefits of Christ’s blood when he ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:22-28

Tags: Blood Of Christ

The Church's Identity And Purpose

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2009

THE CHURCH'S IDENTITY AND PURPOSE In his book, The Family of God, Batsell Barrett Baxter says the following: "There are some who think of the church as an organization like other organizations. It is true that the church is an organization, but it is not primarily an organization. Rather, it is ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 1:21-23

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Cookies Vs Brownies - Truth Is Subjective

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 13, 2024

Cookies versus brownies Alisa’s Childers gave the following example in her book, “Live Your Truth and Other Lies”. What is the best dessert? Pie? Ice cream? Brownies? Cookies? Cake? If you choose cake with ice cream, you would be correct. Well, actually, it just means that you’re probably a really ...read more

Scripture: John 18:38, John 14:6

Tags: Objective Truth, Subjective Truth, Tolerance, Truth

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Thief And Parrot

Contributed by Rev. Duraimony Dickson on Aug 7, 2025

One night, a thief broke into a big, rich house. He wanted to steal expensive things. He looked around and started putting gold and jewelry into his bag. As he walked through the house, he suddenly heard a voice say: "Jesus is watching you." The thief stopped. He looked around but didn’t ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 5:21

Tags: Parrot, God, Thief, Watching

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sin Separates. Sin Divides. Sin Brings Death To ...  PRO

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Sep 23, 2004

Sin separates. Sin divides. Sin brings death to relationships and destroys fellowship. God unites. God brings oneness and unity. On the day of Pentecost, God reversed the Babel process, and with one language from heaven, He demonstrated that all in Him will be sharers of one divine ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:11

Tags: Gifts Tongues

Denomination: Orthodox

Honor Your Father And Mother

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 13, 2020

Father’s Day 2020 is just a few days away as I write this. My dad left this world in 2018 but I still remember so many things about him. Some of course are too personal to share but there a good number of good memories I’ll always cherish. Dad was about five feet, ten inches in height—the smallest ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:2

Tags: Memories About Dad, Father's Day, Fathers

Denomination: Baptist

Ben Hooper

Contributed by David Swanger on Jan 19, 2024

In Rising Above the Crowd, Brian Habour tells the story of Ben Hooper. When Ben was born in the foothills of East Tennessee, little boys and girls like Ben who were born to unwed mothers were ostracized and treated terribly. By the time he was three years old, the other children would scarcely play ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9

Tags: Christian, Encouragement