In Sermon Illustrations: "Roman Catholic"

A Winning Team  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2008

A WINNING TEAM Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. In the book Iacocca records Lombardi’s answer: "There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win the game. ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:9-10, John 13:34-35, Romans 12:10, Ephesians 4:2

Tags: Success, Church Body, Teamwork, Church Health, Church Body Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Look At Yourself As What You'll Be

Contributed by Rickey Bennett on Aug 19, 2009

LOOK AT YOURSELF AS WHAT YOU'LL BE The Puritan Richard Sibbes offers encouragement along those lines in his book The Bruised Reed. He said, "Let us not therefore be discouraged at the small beginnings of grace, but look on ourselves as elected to be 'holy and without blame' ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:30, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 1:4, Colossians 3:1-4

Tags: Gospel, Truth, Encouragement, Integrity

Denomination: *other

Free For The Taking: Grace

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

Joseph Cooke was a missionary to Thailand a generation ago. He illustrated grace this way. Picture a happily married couple in which both husband and wife are all that either could ever wish the other to be. The husband always respects his wife’s feelings, always treasures her individuality, is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:8

Tags: Grace, Love Of God

Denomination: Charismatic

Adoption: We Want This Child!

Contributed by Ron Freeman, Evangelist on Jan 11, 2018

A young couple visited a boarding care home which housed children for adoption. The care taker brought out all the children who were clean (recently bathed), well dressed, properly schooled in manners; for this couple’s inspection and selection. As they passed down the line and spoke to each child, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:15-17, Galatians 4:4-7, 1 Peter 1:3-5

Tags: Blessings Of God, Adoption, Eternal Life, Children Of God, Heirs In Christ, Love And Hope  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When A Man's World Is Right

Contributed by Barry O Johnson on Jul 1, 2018

One Saturday morning a minister was busily trying to prepare his sermon under the most difficult conditions. It was a rainy day, and his young son was restless and bored, with little to do. Finally, in desperation, the minister picked up an old magazine and thumbed through it until he came to a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:12-14, Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 2:15-17

Tags: Change, Born Again, Daughter, World, Father, Children, Son  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Baseball - The Curious Case Of Scooter Gennett

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Dec 31, 2018

Baseball And The Curious Case Of Scooter Gennett Baseball is known for its surprises. It's a beautiful game that lets grown men play a kids game. For more than a century of baseball and thousands of games, only 16 men have homered four times in one game. The last was Josh Hamilton, five years ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Romans 5:1-4

Tags: Perseverance, Hope, Good News

Denomination: Pentecostal

Where Will You Be?

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Sep 23, 2019

Where Will You Be? When the clouds burst open where will you be? Will there be joy in your heart when Jesus you see? Will you be running to hide from His face Or standing there with your head hanging in disgrace/ It surely is coming and the time is near at hand When Jesus comes to take his ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:12

Tags: Death, Rapture, Great White Throne, Bema

Denomination: Baptist

God Is Missing!!!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2020

Two young boys in a Christian school had been continually mis-behaving and were sent to the principal’s office on several occasions. The principal knew what they really needed was to have God in their lives, so she brought the first boy in and set him down. “I want to ask you a question. Where is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 46:10, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Humor, God's Love, Guilt, Unconfessed Sin, Confusion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Deceitfulness Of Sin

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 8, 2020

One of the largest freshwater turtles is the alligator snapping turtle. Found primarily in the southeastern United States, these massive turtles have been known to weigh close to 250 pounds. They are carnivorous, and while their diet is primarily fish, they have been known to eat almost anything ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-3, Luke 18:9-14, Romans 3:23

Tags: Sin, Deception, Temptation, Deceit

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Discipleship Is A Call To Suffer

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

John R. Scott gives a modern example of one who suffered for the gospel observing that… "Few men of this century have understood better the inevitability of suffering than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He seems never to have wavered in his Christian antagonism to the Nazi regime, although it meant for ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:12, Philippians 3:1-20, Romans 1:16

Tags: Church, Commitment, Discipleship, Suffering, Will Of God, Bonhoeffer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cost Of Redemption - Hosea Buys Back Gomer

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 27, 2022

One man started the bidding: “12 pieces of silver!” “13!” Said Hosea. “14 pieces of silver!” Hosea’s bid was “15!” The low bidders were beginning to drop out, but one man continued bidding: “15 pieces of silver and five bushels of barley!” Hosea said, “15 pieces of silver, 5 bushels of barley and a ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 3:1-5, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 8:38

Tags: Hosea, Redemption, Covenant Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God's Preservation Of His People Through Two Dreams

Contributed by Richard Tow on Aug 1, 2022

The amazing story is told by the historian Josephus.xxxviii When Alexander began his campaign against Phoenicia, he sent messengers to Juddua, the high priest in Jerusalem, “demanding aid from the Jews and the payment of the tribute which they used to pay to the King of Persia.”xxxix Not wanting to ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:1-8, Romans 8:28, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Faith, Protection, Jerusalem, Obedience, Favor, Deliverance, Dream, Alexander The Great  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Ancient Christian Fable - There Is No Other Plan

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 13, 2023

There is an ancient Christian fable ... that tells of Jesus encounter ...as he reentered ...Heaven. As the angels spoke with him, ...Gabriel, noticed ...that Jesus bore the marks of the cross, ...and being inquisitive, ...said to Jesus: Master, ...you must have suffered terribly for those people ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:19, Romans 10:14, Acts 8:4-7, Acts 1:8

Tags: Plan, Salvation, You, Fisher Of Men

Denomination: Anglican

The Love Of God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 12, 2023

Several years ago, John MacArthur had the opportunity to spend several days traveling with the well-known gospel musicians, Bill and Gloria Gaither. At one point, he asked Bill what, in his estimation, were the greatest Christian lyrics ever written, aside from the inspired Psalms. Without ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Jesus, Cross, God's Love, Hymns

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ten Things To Know About The Love Of God - Devotional

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 12, 2023

There are 10 key points about the Love of God in I John 4:7-21: 1. LOVE IS OF GOD (4:7) - not that God is love only. He is not limited or bound by anything. So, what is love? Study I Corinthians 13...... There are 3 Greek words (agape, phileo, eros). This love is agape, unconditional, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21, Romans 5:8, John 3:16

Tags: Agape, God's Love, Hate, Unforgiveness, False Prophets, Unbelievers, Evangelism, Love, Christ, Holy Spirit, Missions, Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Johnny Appleseed Gospel

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Feb 22, 2024

Demond Wilson was a TV actor in 1970's He starred along with Redd Foxx on the TV show, "Sanford and Son." Later in life Wilson became a gospel preacher. He made this beautiful statement: “I’m just a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17, John 14:6, 1 Timothy 1:15

Tags: Preaching, Witnessing, Jesus Christ, Evangelism, Salvation, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

[018] A Message From A Poem - America, America, How You Blaspheme!

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 21, 2024

[018] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - AMERICA, AMERICA, HOW YOU BLASPHEME! I find it so offensive to hear cursing and the Lord’s name taken in vain by someone trying to be assertive or big note himself. In fact so much of the relatively modern cinema is full of blasphemy. I hear speeches and listen to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:13-14, Colossians 4:6, Leviticus 18:21, Exodus 20:7

Tags: America, Speech, Blasphemy, Cursing, The Name Of The Lord In Vain  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Anti-Semitism Meets Its Match

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 1, 2024

It was a sweltering August day when all three Cohen brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices of Henry Ford, the car maker, "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that will revolutionize the automobile industry." ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 23:4-8, 1 Corinthians 5:7, Romans 11:11-32

Tags: Israel, Hatred, Anti Semitism, Israel's Future

Denomination: Independent/Bible

God's Mercy

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Nov 2, 2024

Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family from Paraguay. The father spoke out against the military regime and its human rights abuses. The police arrested his teenage son and tortured him to death. Enraged townsfolk wanted to turn the boy's funeral into a huge protest march, but the doctor ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-18, Romans 5:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-5

Tags: Mercy, Sin, Evil, Salvation, Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Gospel

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Dec 9, 2024

Pastor Martin Niemoeller confronted Hitler’s corruption of the German church and spent 8 years in prison. In 1945 he was freed by American forces. Remarkably he lived to the age of 92. A few days before his death he wrote - "when I was young I felt ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Galatians 1:1-5, Romans 1:1-5

Tags: Grace, Gospel, Discipleship, Devotion, Justification  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal