In Sermon Illustrations: "Pure Heart"

A Bad ...

Contributed by Dwight L. Moody on Jun 11, 2009

A BAD BOY I once heard of a father who had a prodigal boy, and the boy had sent his mother down to the grave with a broken heart. One evening the boy started out as usual to spend the night in drinking and gambling, and his old father, as he was leaving, said, "My son, I want to ask a favor of you ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 7:1-27

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son

Denomination: *other

Revival Is The Visitation Of God, Which Brings To ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 30, 2009

Revival is the visitation of God, which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping and restores a deep sense of God’s near presence and holiness. Thence springs a vivid sense of sin and a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love, with an evangelistic outflow. Each revival ...read more

Tags: Revival

Denomination: Baptist

Beware Of Jealousy

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 11, 2009

BEWARE OF JEALOUSY Mrs. Wesley was extremely jealous of her husband. His work set him in the position of friend and counselor to many women. Among his helpers and in the institutions that were springing up under his care, women were employed, and each one was for his insanely jealous wife an ...read more

Tags: Jealousy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thanksgiving Poem: We Plow The Fields By Matthias ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

Thanksgiving Poem: We Plow The Fields by Matthias Claudius The poem entitled "We Plow The Fields," by Matthias Claudius, says things well: We plow the fields, and scatter The good seed on the land, But it is fed and watered By God’s Almighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, The warmth to swell ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Miraculous Protection Of Matt And Lora Higgens ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 17, 2009

Miraculous Protection of Matt and Lora Higgens during the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya in 1960 in Answer to Prayer In 1960, the Mau Mau uprising gripped Kenya. During that time, missionaries Matt and Lora Higgens had to drive through hostile territory on their way to Nairobi, well aware that many had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16

Tags: Prayer Answered

A Farmer Plants Sour Apples Near Edge Of Orchard ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 3, 2009

A Farmer Plants Sour Apples Near Edge of Orchard To Camouflage The Sweet Ones in the Middle A farmer repeatedly invited his neighbor to come over to his orchard and pick some apples and make fresh, sweet apple cider. The neighbor kept turning down the offer. Finally, the farmer asked why the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6

Tags: Commitment To Christ

In 1914; Sir Earnest Shackleton, And Explorer ...

Contributed by Ken Mckinley on Jan 19, 2010

In 1914; Sir Earnest Shackleton, and explorer from England attempted to cross Antarctica. His exploration didn’t go so well though as his ship, “The Endurance,” was caught in the ice pack and slowly crushed as the ice closed in around it. Luckily, Shackleton and his crew managed to make it off ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Independent/Bible

No Hate For Evil

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 10, 2010

NO HATE FOR EVIL Story taken from Dr. David Jeremiah: The Ortiz family ministers to a small congregation in Ariel, about 40 miles north of Jerusalem. On the Feast of Purim, gifts of food and drink are sent to friends. As if in celebration of the holiday, a gift basket was delivered to the Ortiz ...read more

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

On The Same Page

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Mar 28, 2010

ON THE SAME PAGE The man came in and sat down. I'd say he was in his mid-thirties; he looked a bit rough around the edges and hadn't shaved for a few days. We introduced ourselves and the question was asked, "How are you surviving?" "Well I can't get the benefit right now, so I'm doing a few ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Salvation Army

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 Dr. Larry Petton 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