In Sermon Illustrations: "Romans 1:1-16:27"

When Someone Becomes Really Great At What They ...  PRO

Contributed by Justin Meek on Jun 6, 2001

When someone becomes really great at what they do, it almost always because they spent years dedicating themselves to it. Pete Rose didn’t just wake up one day as a great ball player, he dedicated his life to being a great ball player. Tori Murden didn’t just hop into a boat one day out of the blue ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Discipleship, Call Of The Disciples, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist

It’s Difficult To Find Beauty In Death. ...  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Jun 18, 2001

It’s difficult to find beauty in death. It’s even more difficult to find beauty in a death camp. Especially Auschwitz. Four million Jews died there in World War II. A half-ton of human hair is still preserved. The showers that sprayed poison gas still stand. But for all the ugly memories of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8

Tags: Joy, Christian Disciplines, Cross Agony

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christian Contradictions, Citation: Joseph Roy, ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jun 21, 2001

[Christian Contradictions, Citation: Joseph Roy, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 4.] A true Christian is a sign of contradiction--a living symbol of the Cross. He or she is a person who believes the unbelievable, bears the unbearable, forgives the unforgivable, loves the unlovable, is perfectly happy not ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:31-39

Tags: Character, Basics Of Christianity, Christian Values

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A.w. Tozer Attempted To Reconcile These ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Henes on Jun 21, 2001

A.W. Tozer attempted to reconcile these seemingly contradictory ideas of God choosing or calling us and our choosing God with this illustration: "An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by proper authorities. Nothing can change it. This is at least ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-10

Tags: Certainty, God's Omniscience, God's Sovereign Will, Sovereign

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Lessons From A Tavern, Citation: Charles ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jul 5, 2001

[Lessons from a Tavern, Citation: Charles Swindoll, Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1.] An old Marine Corps buddy of mine, to my pleasant surprise, came to know Christ after he was discharged. I say surprise because he cursed loudly, fought hard, chased women, drank heavily, loved war and weapons, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:1

Tags: Church Body Of Christ, Church Small Groups, Compassion, Fellowship, Friendship General, Understanding  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If A Man Is Filled With Anger, Than Anger ...  PRO

Contributed by Emile Wolfaardt on Jul 13, 2001

If a man is filled with anger, than anger controls his life. If a man is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life. If a man is filled with lust, then lust governs his life. If a man is filled with love, then love influences all he does. And if a man is filled with ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18, Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Tags: Dominate, Emotions, Anger, Control, Love Of The Disciples, Holy Spirit In Believers, Greed  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: *other

: "You Can’t Practice Burying ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 4, 2001

Illus.: “You Can’t Practice Burying Me” Shortly after a recent seminary graduate had assumed his first pastorate, he and his wife went to visit his family. His mother sensed that her daughter-in-law was unhappy, but not wishing to interfere, she pretended not to notice. As they were leaving, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:3-4, Romans 6:1-4, Luke 19:1-10

Tags: Joke, Baptism, Church Practices

Denomination: Wesleyan

In The Foreward Of His Book, Inside Out, Larry ...  PRO

Contributed by Jeffery Lindsay on Aug 11, 2001

In the foreward of his book, Inside Out, Larry Crabb writes this: “Modern Christianity, in dramatic reversal of its biblical form, promises to relieve the pain of living in a fallen world. The message, whether it’s from fundamentalists requiring us to live by a favored set of rules or from ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18-24, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Tags: Emotions, Blessed, Blessing, Hardship Of Life, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

: "Scarred Hands” (James S. ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 21, 2001

Illus.: “Scarred Hands” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 119-120) A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Wesleyan

Harry Houdini, The Famed Escape Artist Issued A ...  PRO

Contributed by Rita Sims on Aug 22, 2001

Harry Houdini, the famed escape artist issued a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free quickly and easily. Always he kep his promise, but one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:7-10, Daniel 3:4-6

Tags: Faith Vs. Works, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: United Methodist

Falling Out Of Bed  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Sep 7, 2001

Illus.: “Falling Out of Bed” A little boy constantly fell out of bed. No matter what his parents did, the boy couldn’t sleep without rolling out of bed. An uncle came to visit and in the middle of the night the usual thump and cry was heard. In the morning the uncle teased the boy and asked ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:12-23

Tags: Discipleship, Faith, Falling Out Of Bed, Holiness

Denomination: Wesleyan

In Her Book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Cassara on Sep 8, 2001

In her book, THE HIDING PLACE, Corrie Ten Boom relates an incident that taught her to be thankful for things we normally would not be thankful for. She and her sister, Betsy, prisoners of the Nazis, had just been transferred to the worst prison camp they had seen yet, Ravensbruck. Upon entering the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-5, Romans 8:28, Psalm 33:10-11, Job 42:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Captain, God In The Hardships, God's Omniscience, Joy, Peanuts, Ship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When I Look At History I Think Of Another Time ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 21, 2001

When I look at history I think of another time when America faced a crisis. The year was 1857. America was at both an economic and spiritual low. Attendance in churches had dwindled and there was a cynicism among many concerning religion. It was in the midst of this spiritual crisis that God gave a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18-27

Tags: Vision, God's Sovereign Will, God's Omniscience

The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 15, 2001

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could. To where it bent in the undergrowth, Then I took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:7

Tags: Growth In Christ, Becoming A Christian

Denomination: Anglican

How Righteous Are You?  PRO

Contributed by Richard Wilson on Nov 26, 2001

HOW RIGHTEOUS ARE YOU? Some folks think they are good really good people. Let’s suppose that a person on sins 3 times a day. A sin in the morning, a sin during the day and a sin at night. Sounds like a pretty good person! Let’s think for a moment. If that person is saved at 10 years old and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:22-23

Tags: Evangelism The Lost, Emotions, Sin Separates From God

Denomination: Baptist

Washington Bureau: Terry Mattingly's Religion ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

WASHINGTON BUREAU: Terry Mattingly’s religion column for 11/07/2001 It’s hard to miss the Big Idea when an artist puts it right on a painting in bold letters. "He That Believeth Not Shall Be Damned. Not A Crown But Hellfire And Brimstone," wrote Howard Finster, using his unorthodox spelling and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-14

Tags: Basics Of Christianity, Becoming A Christian

Etiquette Nowadays Often Demands Of A Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 4, 2002

“Etiquette nowadays often demands of a Christian that he should not ’intrude’ his religion on company. Out with such etiquette! It is the etiquette of hell! True courtesy to my fellow’s soul makes me speak to him, if I believe that his soul is in danger. How many, my dear friend, were you ever the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17, Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 20:1-16

Tags: Great Commission, Church Purpose Of, Evangelism Fear Of

When Rickey Shive Was A Kid Growing Up On The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002

When Rickey Shive was a kid growing up on the farm, one of the annual jobs he always looked forward to was the "chicken harvest." Apologies should be made in advance for the somewhat graphic nature of this illustration. Nonetheless, he looked forward to the chicken harvest. No, he wasn‘t some ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:12-14

Tags: Fulfillment, God Brings Purpose, Sin Deceptive

A Young Boy Was Explaining Basic Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 20, 2002

A young boy was explaining basic Christian Theology to his younger sister: “You see, it was Jesus’ job to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:8

Tags: Cross Agony, Humanity Of Christ, Sin General

Denomination: Church Of God

There Is No Situation So Chaotic That God Cannot ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

There is no situation so chaotic that God cannot from that situation, create something that is surpassingly good. He did it at the creation. He did it at the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: God In The Hardships, Descriptions Of God, Creation