In Sermon Illustrations: "Reflecting Jesus"

Please Notice That Paul Did Not Pray For These ...

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Nov 28, 2009

Please notice that Paul did not pray for these Christians to get the Lord’s resurrection power. They already had it! And Christian, so do you. So, how well do you know the power of His resurrection? Paul prayed for them to spiritually know and see the power they already had. *It actually reminds ...read more

Tags: Power, Riches

Denomination: Baptist

Elementary School Student Doubts President's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 1, 2009

Elementary School Student Doubts President’s Identity On March 11, 1991, eight-year-old Anthony Henderson upset the distinguished leader of our nation, President George Bush. President Bush was visiting Anthony’s school and had sat down beside Anthony to read him a book. Suddenly in the midst of ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Tags: Christian Witness

Loving The Outcasts  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

LOVING THE OUTCASTS One of the more remarkable movements of modern times is Alcoholics Anonymous or AA, a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they might solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Although it is ...read more

Scripture: John 4:9

Tags: Action, Thirst, Common Ground, Christian Love

Spiderman Pajamas Don't Attract Attention, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

Spiderman Pajamas Don’t Attract Attention, Disappointing a Little Boy Last January, Kristy and I took the boys up to Big Bear on a little vacation to play in the snow. We had lots of nice snow cloths for the boys, but no thermal underwear. So, we figured their pajamas resemble thermal underwear, ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Homeless Man Comes Home To His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 1, 2010

Homeless Man Comes Home to His Mother In 1988 there was a story in the LA Times entitled “A Mother’s Search for Russell Love.” It told of a woman in Houston named Beverly Elliott. She had not seen her son, Russell Love, for four years and had not heard from him in two years; but she knew he was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son

Cheap Grace

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 15, 2010

CHEAP GRACE (defined and adapted from Dietrich Bonhoeffer) a). Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. b). Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Former Convict And Judge Together At ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2010

Former Convict and Judge Together at Communion A large prosperous city church had three mission churches under its care that it had started. On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches came to the city church for a combined Communion service. In those mission ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Tags: Lord's Supper

Reason Why Helicopter Pilot Stopped A Massacre In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2010

Reason Why Helicopter Pilot Stopped a Massacre in Vietnam I would like to close with another quote from Thomas Long, who relates an illustration that many of us hear this morning can recall. Long writes, and I quote: “The school where I teach gave an honorary degree several years ago to a man named ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12

Tags: Christian Values

Music To Raise The Dead

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on May 10, 2010

"MUSIC TO RAISE THE DEAD", an album from a Christian Rock group called Resurrection startled the Christian world with it's intensity in the 1970's. They did this in a day when many conservative pastors and evangelists actively thundered their warnings from the pulpit against the evils of rock music ...read more

Tags: Gifts Healing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

James Von Moltke: For What A Mighty Task

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2011

JAMES VON MOLTKE: FOR WHAT A MIGHTY TASK James von Moltke came from a long line of German warriors and soldiers. For two centuries the name Moltke resounded proudly in the history of the Prussians and Germans. But James would serve a different fate. He was just as brave and just as devoted but his ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-13

Tags: Heroism

Salvation From The Rubble

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

SALVATION FROM THE RUBBLE The September 11, 2002 issues of TIME magazine has a touching article about 31-year old Genelle Guzman. Genelle was the last of just four people caught in the debris of the Twin Towers to be found alive. After the planes hit the World Trade Center, Genelle was ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Salvation

Grant And Custer  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Apr 21, 2011

GRANT AND CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point -- Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. ...read more

Tags: Humility, God's Humility

Denomination: *other

Faith Healing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2011

FAITH HEALING I’ve know people who questioned God’s love for them because God didn’t heal them. I’ve known others who questioned their own faith...they felt like if they’d just had more faith God would have healed them. In fact, I’ve known people who were TOLD by a faith-healer that the reason ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:20-22, Matthew 10:40-42

Tags: Miracles General

God Wants To Pull The Stickers Out  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Jun 6, 2011

GOD WANTS TO PULL THE STICKERS OUT The little girl hopped away screaming. Obviously, the fear of living forever with a sticker in her foot was not as terrifying as the thought of me pulling it out. But a five-year-old could not out-run the preacher. Not hopping on one foot, anyway. After I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:6

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

Unusual People, Unexpected Places

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2011

UNUSUAL PEOPLE, UNEXPECTED PLACES Akiane Kramarik is only 12 years old, but she has abilities far beyond her years. Her mother chose to give birth to her underwater at the family home on July 9, 1994 in Mount Morris, Illinois. The family now lives in Idaho. Akiane speaks four languages, writes ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Waiting 20 Years For The End Of The Story

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 28, 2011

WAITING 20 YEARS FOR THE END OF THE STORY In her book The God Who Hung on the Cross, journalist Ellen Vaughn retells a gripping story of how the Gospel came to a small village in Cambodia. In September 1999, Pastor Tuy Seng (not his real name) traveled to Kampong Thom Province in northern ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:46-48

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Soul Surfer: Fulfill God's Destiny

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 19, 2011

* SOUL SURFER: FULFILL GOD'S DESTINY Soul Surfer is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton. Bethany lost her left arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. Bethany ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rejoicing In Pain  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

REJOICING IN PAIN Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, visited a church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, nearly a year after the devastating earthquake. The church's building consisted of a tent made from white tarps and duct tape, pitched in the midst of a sprawling camp for thousands of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Gratitude

John Stott, A Humble Man

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

JOHN STOTT, A HUMBLE MAN I like the way Thomas Carlyle put it some time ago. He said, "One example is worth a thousand arguments." (Thomas Carlyle, quoted in Men of Integrity, July/August 2000; www.Preaching Today.com) In difficult times, we don't need dictators and arguments. We need leaders ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Tags: Humility

Wesley: A Heart Strangely Warmed  PRO

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Nov 28, 2011

WESLEY: A HEART STRANGELY WARMED At the first half of the 18th century, England was also in a mess. Gin and gambling were destroying the lives of poor and rich alike. This was the age of Dick Turpin - crime figures were so high, there was so much danger from highway men and footpads that Horace ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:34

Tags: Revival

Denomination: Anglican