In Sermon Illustrations: "Risk Taking"

Common Bitterness

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Mar 11, 2011

COMMON BITTERNESS When I was in college, I worked as a youth director at a little church out in the country about an hour’s drive away. There were two families in that congregation that didn’t get along. When they came to worship, they would take up their positions on opposite sides of the room ...read more

Tags: Bitterness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Use What Is There  PRO

Contributed by Amiri Hooker on Mar 22, 2011

USE WHAT IS THERE My son Omri is large, extremely smart and very active. He has not met a tree or roof that he has not at least mentally pondered climbing. Omri's teacher runs up to me the other day and says, "Your son almost made me lose my mind, my religion and my job." This is not unusual, so I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:8

Tags: Encouragement

Denomination: United Methodist

The Gospel Is Offensive

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jun 24, 2011

THE GOSPEL IS OFFENSIVE There is something about the gospel that is inherently offensive. I don’t like saying that, and you may not like hearing it. But it is incontestable. The gospel puts some people off. Take David and Roland, two high school friends of mine. David was what you might call a ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

An Attack Of Conscience

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

AN ATTACK OF CONSCIENCE This was the story in MYFOX Boston from Friday 15 April 2011 41 years after the murder of 15 year old John McCabe of Tewksbury, three suspects finally go before the judge. 60-year-old Walter Shelley, of Tewksbury, and 57-year-old Michael Ferreira of Salem. New Hampshire are ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 24:5-7

Tags: Conscience

It Won't Happen To Us

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2011

IT WON'T HAPPEN TO US We began the week with the story of the Chicago nightclub fire in which 21 people were killed as they rushed to the exit. The club had already been cited for overcrowding and other safety violations--like not enough doors and windows. What happened was that a bouncer used ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:1-12

Tags: Death, Life, Priorities, Choice, Death Nearness  (view more)  (view less)

Capitalism Without Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Sep 5, 2011

CAPITALISM WITHOUT CHRISTIANITY Pure Capitalism--that exists without a Christian influence--can become an empty shell. When Christianity is taken out of the picture of Capitalism...greed and selfishness take over. Capitalism without Christianity can result in all kinds or evils. You can end up ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Tags: Workplace

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Free Gas: God Knew

Contributed by Brad Henry on Sep 6, 2011

FREE GAS: GOD KNEW Yesterday we had an "event" at church. We were told to come with comfortable clothes and that was all the direction we received. When we got to church, the pastor said, "OK folks, today we are going to the gas station up the street. We are going to give $25.00 of gas to 150 cars ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

America's Spiritual Bankruptcy

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

AMERICA'S SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY America is incrementally and systematically rejecting God. America’s moral bankruptcy is symptomatic of its spiritual bankruptcy. For example: • In 1962 the Supreme Court ruled against prayer in our schools. In 1963, they outlawed Bible Readings. • In Alaska public ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:34

Tags: America

There Is Good In All

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

THERE IS GOOD IN ALL Norman Vincent Peale tells the story of one Christmas when he was 15 and his father, a physician turned minister, received a call from a brothel in the red light district. The madam had a girl who was dying and was calling for a minister. Quietly, his father explained to his ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

Inescapable Judgment

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 28, 2012

INESCAPABLE JUDGMENT During the winter of 1951, a Montana café owner named Clarence Pellett pulled over to pick up a hitchhiker who appeared cold and frozen while walking during a snowstorm. Once in the car, the hitchhiker Frank Dryman pulled out a gun and ordered Pellett to get out of his ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 16:4-7

Tags: Judgment

When To Pray For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 13, 2012

WHEN TO PRAY FOR DISCERNMENT I think about the pastor of the church that I went to couple of years in California, Pastor Chuck. A man came to him and said he wanted to make a large donation - one million dollar donation. The pastor said to that, “Wow – that is a lot of money. Let me go first and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Money

Sacrifice

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

I will never forget being at church one Sunday playing "king of the hill" with my buddies, before church started. But our play stopped when a car pulled up to the sidewalk and, with help, out came a soldier, who had returned from Vietnam a few weeks earlier. But he came on crutches and he ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13-18

Tags: Sacrifices, Wounded, Soldier Of The Cross

Denomination: Christian Church

Recently Reviewing The New Book By Dr. Tim Kimmel ...

Contributed by Rodney Bowen on Feb 7, 2013

Recently reviewing the new book by Dr. Tim Kimmel title, CONNECTING CHURCH & HOME, I found my mind and hear really pierced with the current state of our in-church parenting. Churches and families need each other. And no, I am not referring to our family’s use of the free child care that the ...read more

Tags: Family

Denomination: Baptist

Recently Reviewing The New Book By Dr. Tim Kimmel ...

Contributed by Rodney Bowen on Feb 7, 2013

Recently reviewing the new book by Dr. Tim Kimmel title, CONNECTING CHURCH & HOME, I found my mind and hear really pierced with the current state of our in-church parenting. Churches and families need each other. And no, I am not referring to our family’s use of the free child care that the ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Baptist

The Church's Role In Parenting

Contributed by Rodney Bowen on Feb 7, 2013

THE CHURCH'S ROLE IN PARENTING Recently reviewing the new book by Dr. Tim Kimmel title, CONNECTING CHURCH & HOME, I found my mind and heart really pierced with the current state of our in-church parenting. Churches and families need each other. And no, I am not referring to our family’s use of ...read more

Tags: Children, Family, Parenting, Christian Life, Family Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

What Does "All" Mean?

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 14, 2013

WHAT DOES "ALL" MEAN? I know people who are carrying around a load of guilt over the past and they're loaded down with this extra weight God doesn't want them to have. I remember a lady in my church in Wiesbaden I'll call Jill. Jill had rebelled against her parents, had been on drugs, had had ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Golfers Have A Change Of Heart

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 21, 2013

GOLFERS HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART When you willingly give Jesus all that you are and all that you have, you receive so much more in return. I heard a story once about a group of guys who were returning from playing golf in rural Georgia. As they drove down a two-lane road they came up on a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:16-20, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Tags: Compassion

The World Is Mine.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 23, 2016

THE WORLD IS MINE. God allowed the Children of Israel to wander in the wilderness because of a COMPLAINING SPIRIT that was never satisfied with anything from God. God demands that we cast off the complaining spirit in Philippians 2:14 -- "Do all things without murmuring or complaining. Nothing ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:14

Tags: Complaining, Whining, Unthankful, Griping

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Let's Go Fishing

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Nov 3, 2016

Let’s Go Fishing Luke 5: 1-11 As you all know I am a fisherman. It is in my blood. My father taught me and my two brothers to fish when we were very young. I remember one time we were fishing from a dock in the Little Sandy River. Dad had just bought a new rod and reel and my brother Mike being ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Tags: Jesus, Christ's Sufficiency, Obeying Jesus

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

From Refuge To Valedictorian

Contributed by Matt Neace on Jun 19, 2018

2 Chronicles 15:7 God tells King Asa, "But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded." It is like the following story from the Dallas Morning News: When Albana Gllareva met her high school counselor, the Dallas freshman said bluntly, “I want to be ...read more

Tags: Goals, Focus, Ambition, Determination, Tenacity, Overcoming, Perseverance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist