In Sermon Illustrations: "Sacrificial Giving"

Worship In The Thrill And The Agony

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Sep 25, 2012

WORSHIP IN THE THRILL AND THE AGONY The 2012 Olympics gave a great illustration of how Christians can trust God in the thrill of victory AND the agony of defeat. If you watched the Olympics, you probably saw Gabby Douglas's big smile. When she won the Individual Gold in gymnastics. She said, "I ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Francis Chan's Servant Witness

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

FRANCIS CHAN'S SERVANT WITNESS Francis Chan was flying to Africa and seated next to him was a man who happened to be a Muslim. So they were talking about what they believed and the man said "Ya, I know some Christians and I hear their message and it turns me off. I’m not interested." So the ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

Bumper Stickers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2014

BUMPER STICKER CONSCIENCE This is a true story. I have a pastor friend in Alabama named Bill who was driving to speak at a church in another county and he was running late. He was driving about 20 miles over the speed limit, when suddenly he remembered he had a Christian bumper sticker on his car. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7

Tags: Conscience, Obey Authorities

Godly Counsel

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 7, 2016

GODLY COUNSEL Proverbs 11:14 is a timely verse for the United States of America. It declares, “A nation falls through a lack of guidance, but victory comes through the counsel of many.” God has placed godly men and women around you in the Body of Christ. Use their wisdom, experience and ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 11:1-14

Tags: Wisdom, God's Will, Hearing God, Counselors

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Forgetting What Is Past And Straining Toward The Future

Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Oct 8, 2017

Commentator Gordon Fee recalls the famous “miracle mile,” the first time two milers ran under four minutes in the same race. Roger Bannister and John Landy competed in Vancouver, B.C. in 1954. Landy had led all the way, but coming off the final turn toward the finish line he looked over his ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14

Tags: Forgetting The Past, Heavenward Calling, Future Oriented

Denomination: Baptist

God's Sovereignty Is The Basis Of Our Prayers.

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 19, 2018

"In prayer, you ask for things and give thanks for things. Why? Because you recognize that God is the author and source of all the good that you have had already, and all the good that you hoped for in the future. This is the fundamental philosophy of Christian prayer. The prayer of a Christian is ...read more

Tags: Sovereignty Of God, Prayer

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Snake With A Flat Head

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Jul 25, 2018

Main Idea: Jesus defeated the devil and all the devil’s power is gone. Verse: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19 NKJV). Illustration: A snake came into my living room. ...read more

Tags: Power And Authority, Power Over Satan, Satan Defeated

Denomination: Charismatic

Woman Returns Stolen Money

Contributed by Matt Neace on Aug 7, 2018

An Arkansas woman's stolen cash was turned over to police with a letter of apology from the thief who took it from her wallet. Susan McNabb said she left her wallet, and the $160 cash it contained, behind at the Walmart store in Clinton, and when she returned a short time later, the wallet was ...read more

Tags: Remorse, Integrity, Guilt, Conscience

Denomination: Baptist

Romans 1:22

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Sep 23, 2019

Romans 1:22 Life is so much vanity. We live on the brink of insanity. This is so very, very odd For creation is in the image of God. We plod along in our sin Knowing that we cannot win. Our souls so easily we sell To that pawnbroker of Hell. Instead of singing, "How Great Thou ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:22

Tags: Sin, Vanity, Hypocrisy, Religion, Traditions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Denying The Flesh What It Wants

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 16, 2020

When you get saved later in life like I did (I was 36), your spirit gets recreated, you’re all in on this salvation deal, but your flesh is still out there in the world, and it don’t know yet the program has changed. It’s like when you go on a diet. You stop eating all the ice cream, and donuts ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24, Galatians 2:20, Luke 9:23

Tags: Sin, Flesh, Fleshly Desires, Denying The Flesh, Walking In The Spirit, Crucifying The Flesh, Dieting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

What Is Your Struggle

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Aug 25, 2021

As a group of frogs was traveling through the woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was no hope left for them. However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and they ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Faith, Believe In Yourself

Denomination: Independent/Bible

I Cannot Say The Lord's Prayer If...

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 8, 2022

An unknown author put together an interesting (convicting) summary of how we cannot pray the Lord's Prayer, which should be actually referred to as the Disciples’ Prayer, for Jesus had no sin to confess. I cannot say “our” if I live only for myself. I cannot say, “Father” if I do not endeavor ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God, Sermon On The Mount, Forgiveness, Prayer, Temptation, Holiness, Lord's Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Wonder What God Would Say To Us Today As He ...

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Apr 22, 2007

I wonder what God would say to us today as He sees all of our so-called Christian organizations in constant activity but with little action or movement. The huge building program proclaiming astronomical figures in cost and “people reached” is indeed impressive. The mushroom growth of both churches ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 6:16-19

Denomination: Baptist

If You Are A Marathon Runner You Are Encouraged ...

Contributed by John Foster on Jun 10, 2007

If you are a marathon runner you are encouraged to eat pasta the night before the race because pasta has lots of energy in and the speed of release of energy from Pasta is slow so that you get it during the race just when you need it. It’s actually a bit more complicated than that though. ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

When I Was A Boy, My Father, A Baker, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

“When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song,” tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. “He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

A Woman Took Her Husband To The Doctor's Office. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A woman took her husband to the doctor’s office. After his checkup, the doctor said, "Your husband is suffering from a very serious infection." The husband, who was hard of hearing said, "What did he say?" His wife said, "He says your sick". The doctor went on. "But there is hope. You just need ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

When The Infidel Robert G. Ingersoll Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

When the infidel Robert G. Ingersoll was delivering his lectures against Christ and the Bible, his speaking ability usually assured him of a large crowd. One night after an inflammatory speech in which he severely attacked man’s faith in the Savior, he dramatically took out his watch and said, ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

A Young Woman Named Florence Chadwick Attempted ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A young woman named Florence Chadwick attempted to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast in 1952 in an attempt to set a record for covering that distance. When she entered the water, a heavy fog had settled itself on the path before her. Blinded by fog, she became disoriented and ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

I Was Reading The Other Day About When The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I was reading the Other day about when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city. ...read more

Tags: Unity

Years Ago There Was A Well Known Speaker By The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Years ago there was a well known speaker by the name of Dr. Harry Ironside. One time he was visiting a sheep ranch in Texas and he saw the most peculiar animal. It looked like it had two heads, not one, four front feet instead of two and four back feet instead of two. Then the rancher explained, ...read more

Tags: Faith