In Sermon Illustrations: "Self Worth"

Elijah Cadman

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2011

ELIJAH CADMAN Let me tell you about the six-year-old drunken chimney sweep who went on to become a great leader in our movement. Elijah Cadman was born in Coventry, the youngest of five children of a drunkard father who died when Cadman was three years old. Aged six, Cadman was unusually small ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Tags: Becoming A Christian

The "Regard For Others" Ethic

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Jan 24, 2012

THE "REGARD FOR OTHERS" ETHIC John Sommerville currently teaches history at the University of Florida. He has been carrying out an exercise with his students for years. He challenges his students with the following thought experiment. Imagine that you see a little old lady coming down the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Neighbor

Denomination: Baptist

John Macarthur On Knowing God's Will

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 27, 2012

JOHN MACARTHUR ON KNOWING GOD'S WILL God’s will is that you be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering. God’s Word makes all this clear. Do not read on until you have grasped these five principles. You say, "MacArthur, you were going to tell me what school I should go to. You ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Tags: God's Will, Knowing God's Will

Denomination: Baptist

Covetousness And The Emperor's New Grove

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2013

COVETOUSNESS AND THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROVE In Disney's thirty-ninth animated film, "The Emperor's New Groove," self-proclaimed "King of the World" Kuzco (COOS-coh), who had an evil female advisor named Yzma (EEZ-muh), made plans to demolish an entire village to build a new water park. At the highest ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:1-29

Tags: Greed

Good Gossip

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth; but rather by some means excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of everybody.” – Benjamin Franklin I knew a woman once who took a temporary job working for a large ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:28

Tags: Gossip, Evil Tongue, Encouraging Others, Power Of The Tongue

Denomination: Charismatic

Do You Have A "chip On The Shoulder"?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 15, 2020

Hebrew scholar Gensenius, says that the meaning of the Old Testament word for "meekness" involves "a lowly, pious, and modest mind, which prefers to bear injuries rather than return them." Meekness is not only the opposite of pride, but of stubbornness, fierceness, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Meekness, Beatitudes, Anger, Sensitivity, Sermon On The Mount, Chip On The Shoulder, Spirit Controlled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Solar Powered

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Apr 27, 2021

The other day I was sitting on my back porch. On my porch is a bird bath with a small solar-powered fountain. The fountain only works when the sun is directly on it and, since that day was a clear day, the fountain was operating at full steam. As I was sitting enjoying the day a brief passing ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12

Tags: Spirit, John, Light, Power, Life, Darkness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Distorted Christianity

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 7, 2023

Q: What does the Church think of God the Father? A: He is omnipotent and holy. He created the world and imposed on mankind conditions impossible to fulfill; he is very angry if these are not carried out. He sometimes interferes in an arbitrary way with judgments and miracles, distributed with a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:1-6, 2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-6

Tags: Distortion, Misconceptions, Ignorance, Slander, Dorothy Sayers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

True Faith - An Outline Of The Book Of James

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 21, 2023

A good outline of the Book of James and what true faith produces in our lives: 1. True faith responds with practical godliness under testing (Jas 1:2-27). A. True faith responds with joy when it faces testing (Jas 1:2, 3, 4). B. True faith seeks God for wisdom in times of testing (Jas 1:5, 6, 7, ...read more

Tags: Faith, Suffering, Difficulties, Works, Tests, Trials, Problems, Tribulations  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Dark Side

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 12, 2024

The Dark side we need to see into: Proverbs 4:19 “But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” Years ago, the movie Star Wars came out and my daughters and I made a pact to go see every Star Wars movie together. We have loved the series and one of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:9

Tags: Darth Vader, Evil, Dark Side

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Simeon The Pillar Hermit

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Aug 28, 2024

Simeon was probably like most boys his age in A.D. 403. The 13-year-old spent much of his time caring for his father's flocks on the hillside of Cilicia. But one day, while listening to a sermon on the beatitudes, stirred and changed he left his home and family and began a lifelong pursuit of ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

Tags: Separation, Holiness, Finding God, Monks, Intimacy With God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Be Careful What You Imitate

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Nov 17, 2024

In the late 1990s, aspiring actor and writer Johnny Knoxville had moved from Knoxville, Tennessee to Los Angeles, California, and landed work in commercials in order to support his wife and infant daughter. Among his ideas was one to produce an article that involved testing various self-defense ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:11, Ephesians 5:1-2

Tags: Imitate, Bad Examples, Good Examples, Johnny Knoxville

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Go With The Flow  PRO

Contributed by Hal Seed on Feb 12, 2008

6. YOU TRUST HIM WITH WHATEVER IS TROUBLING YOU. Anybody having anything trouble you these days? It’s probably part of God’s sense of humor that I went on a whale-watching trip this week, the week we start learning about Jonah. PICTURE OF WHALE TALE I’ve been on whale-watching tours only twice ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:18-19

Tags: Authority

Denomination: Baptist

Go With The Flow

Contributed by Hal Seed on Feb 12, 2008

6. YOU TRUST HIM WITH WHATEVER IS TROUBLING YOU. Anybody having anything trouble you these days? It’s probably part of God’s sense of humor that I went on a whale-watching trip this week, the week we start learning about Jonah. PICTURE OF WHALE TALE I’ve been on whale-watching tours only twice ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Baptist

Who Invented The Autocorrect?

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 15, 2023

The other day I recognized something that had been happening for quite a while. As I was texting, I noticed that there was AutoCorrect. So whenever I spelled a word, it would finish the spelling before I was done. And, if I was spelling it wrong, it corrected me. A few times, I am typing a word, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Correct, Errors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

From Roast Turkey To Reindeer

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 9, 2023

Nothing is more confusing than being in the middle of two holidays. I have just finished Thanksgiving, and now Christmas is before me. Each year, it gets more difficult to adjust to the next holiday. It’s hard for me to keep up. For months, the focus was on that roast turkey for Thanksgiving. And ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Turkey, Reindeer, Christmas, Thanksgiving

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Only A Risk Away! (08.26.05--Under ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 25, 2005

Only A Risk Away! (08.26.05--Under Pressure!--Judges 6:25-30) Is it worth Risking? It used to be that life was a matter of “this I will risk” but “this I will not.” Risk was something that was weighed on a daily basis. It was a part of life. You picked one thing over another because you had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Judges 6:25-30

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Lutheran

Way Cool! (09.26.05--Teach Me To Pray!--Ezra ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Sep 22, 2005

Way Cool! (09.26.05--Teach Me to Pray!--Ezra 8:23) What’s the one thing that we despise, but it is also the one thing we most dearly treasure? The answer? It is prayer. There isn’t one of us who really wants to do it; but, at the same time, there isn’t one of us who, once it is done, does not feel ...read more

Scripture: Ezra 8:23

Tags: Prayer How To, Prayer Answered

Denomination: Lutheran

Head-Up And Head-On! (11.10.05--Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 8, 2005

Head-Up and Head-On! (11.10.05--Christian Soldiers!--James4:7) When you are afraid to take an action, it’s the first step that’s the hardest one to take. Our little dachshund Webley is a living example of that. Webley has always been afraid of stairs. It doesn’t matter if he is going up or coming ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Lutheran

A Modern Parable Of The Unforgiving Slave  PRO

Contributed by John Shearhart on May 19, 2006

A Modern Parable of the Unforgiving Slave: A bank owner wanted to settle an overdo account with a farmer who owed him several million dollars, so he called him and asked him to come to his office. As the two discussed the situation it became apparent that the farmer couldn’t even meet the monthly ...read more

Tags: Character