In Sermon Illustrations: "Pure Heart"

Earl S. Taylor Witnesses An Eclipse On Mission ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 15, 2010

Earl S. Taylor Witnesses an Eclipse On Mission Field in India There is an old saying that states, “It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” I think that is what Jesus was saying.” That it’s better to come to the light, to come to Him, than to sit in the darkness of our sinful hearts ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12

Tags: Missions

What Do You Mean "I Love You"?

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 4, 2011

WHAT DO YOU MEAN "I LOVE YOU"? Dennis Rainey interviewed a man who had been stung by his father’s filthy heart, his failure to love. As a boy his dad decided to leave his mom for another woman. The Dad kissed his son on the forehead, said “I love you,” and walked out the door. What could he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:6

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Baptist

D.l. Moody And The Shoes  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 25, 2011

D.L. MOODY AND THE SHOES A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-17

Tags: Servanthood

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices

The Maker

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

THE MAKER An old Model T Ford was pulled off to the side of the road with its hood up, and a young man was trying desperately to get it running. He had been working at it for a long time without any success when a beautiful, chauffeur-driven limousine stopped behind him, and a well-dressed man got ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Knowing God's Will

A Texas-Sized Sword

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 24, 2011

A TEXAS-SIZED SWORD In 2000, we drove across the country from Maryland to California and back. On our return, we blew past this Great Big Cross along the highway in Texas. By the time we saw the exit, we had passed it and continued our journey home. The image of that great big cross stuck in my ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Tags: Cross

A Story Of Revenge

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Aug 29, 2011

A STORY OF REVENGE The other day, a soldier was in my office. He had been exposed to radiation poisoning while deployed in Afghanistan and was brought home to prepare for death. But he told me his story and said he wasn't prepared to die and meet God on Judgment Day. This soldier said that his ...read more

Tags: Bitterness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The First Radio Broadcast  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

THE FIRST RADIO BROADCAST Allow me to start our time by reading you a nifty story. It is called, "The First Radio Broadcast." For their entire careers, wireless operators onboard US Navy and merchant ships had only heard Morse code coming through their headphones. However, a few days before ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas Eve, Peace, Eternal

Don't Blame The Judge

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

God has done everything He possibly can to keep you out of Hell and still leave you as a person with free will. Now some Christians argue otherwise that it is in fact God who sends people to hell. Peculiar Pilgrim blog writes, "No one would choose to go into hell ... Not one person would decide to ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:8-13

Tags: Hell, Judgement

Denomination: Methodist

I Was Talking To A Young Man Just A Few Days ...

Contributed by Fred Parker on Jan 27, 2015

I was talking to a young man just a few days ago about our greatest gift. He guessed several different things such as health, strength, possessions (Cars, houses, plenty of money) and each time he would give me an answer I would tell him, “No.” He said, “If I only had plenty of money everything ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:16

Tags: Gifts Of God, Greatest

Denomination: Pentecostal

Rescue The Perishing

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 23, 2016

RESCUE THE PERISHING Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, wrote so many hymns we love to sing. When she was up in years, she visited the Macaulay Rescue Mission in NYC. She stood before a crowd of homeless, drug-addicted, alcoholic men. She said, “is there a young man here who doesn’t have a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Evangelism, Witnessing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Kory Wilcoxon- Gary, Who Was In His 50s, Was ...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 25, 2016

Kory Wilcoxon- Gary, who was in his 50s, was mentally disabled, and had the mental capacity of a six- or seven-year-old. He also had one of the worst singing voices I’ve ever heard. His singing was slurred and never close to the right key. And he didn’t have the social development to recognize his ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 95:1-2

Tags: Singing, Make A Joyful Noise

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In This Society Of Today People Are Fearful O...

Contributed by Chinita Richardson on Jun 22, 2016

In this society of today people are fearful of a lot of things. We are afraid to shake each other’s hands. Our cars, homes and work places are filled with sanitizing lotions of all brands. We are afraid to eat certain foods at certain times of the year according to what the trend is at the time. We ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9

Tags: Moses, New Life

Denomination: Methodist

Who's Got The Power?

Contributed by Dr. David Hallum on Jul 10, 2017

The light switch in the main bathroom in our house has been sketchy and in need of replacement for some time. Last Friday night it finally gave up the ghost. Do you think it broke in the “on” position or the “off” position? Of course it broke in the off position. If you drop buttered bread it ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 8:6-8

Tags: Power, Life And Death

Denomination: Baptist

Dual Citizenship In The Kingdom Of God And The Kingdom Of Darkness?

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Feb 12, 2019

Try to imagine this. It is the year 1944 and Germany is at war with England. Now suppose you have dual citizenship in both Germany and England and you are living in Germany. How will you be treated? Conversely, suppose you have dual citizenship in both Germany and England and you are living in ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:4-10, Matthew 6:24, Romans 6:22-23, 1 John 1:6

Tags: In Christ, Living In Christ, Carnal Christian, Sinful Life, Holilness, Righteous Christian, Alive In Christ, Living In Sin, Living In Darkness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Nazarene

Why Did Jesus Really Weep?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 30, 2020

When Jesus went to call Lazarus back from the grave......HE WEPT. Some have wondered why he wept. The Jews must have thought it was from sorrow, because they said, "Behold how He loved him" (John 11:36). Yet we wonder why he wept, if he was going to call him back to life? Maybe ...read more

Scripture: John 11:35, John 14:1-6

Tags: Death, Heaven, Lazarus, Weeping, Funerals  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

As A Young Father, One Of The Great Delights I ...

Contributed by John Montgomery on Jun 9, 2007

As a young father, one of the great delights I had was putting the presents for my children under the Christmas tree each year. The bigger ones that required assembly would always make the night a little longer than it should have been, because I always prided myself in my ability to figure out ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

There's A Man Named George Raindrop, An ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

There’s a man named George Raindrop, an interesting name. He Wrote a book called "No Common Task." It’s got one interesting event in it that I want to relate it to you. In the book he tells about a nurse and how this nurse taught a man to pray and literally changed the man’s entire life. ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Charlene Cothran Is The Publisher Of Venus ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Charlene Cothran is the publisher of Venus Magazine, which is a periodical for lesbians of African descent. She recently announced on the magazine’s web site that she has become a Christian and has rejected the lesbian lifestyle she had been living. Cothran said that as a magazine publisher she ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:1-20, John 14:6, Matthew 10:37-39, Luke 16:1-13

Tags: Story, Commitment To Christ

I Could Barely See Her Face In The Dark. 'guess ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

"I could barely see her face in the dark. ’Guess I better head home,’ I whispered. There was a long pause. I leaned down. She was on tiptoes. I closed my eyes and concentrated on pursing my lips just right. Our faces sort of smooshed together. "There was one millisecond of awkwardness, and then ...read more

Tags: Worship Benefits