In Sermon Illustrations: "Selfish Love"

Ordinary People For Christ

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

ORDINARY PEOPLE FOR CHRIST Bud Villers was a good man. Bud was my neighbor. I grew up beside him until he died when I was in college. Bud helped my dad put a roof on our house, he assisted my dad when they poured concrete sidewalks and porches. My dad helped him put a roof on his patio. When Bud ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:5-6

Tags: Evangelism How To

God Answers Persistent ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

God Answers Persistent Prayer Sharon Atwell tells the story of her daughter Kate in June of 2000 having a backache and diagnosed with leukemia. She went through chemo but by August she had a seizure and was unconscious. While getting treated at St. Jude an infection attacked her brain. Only six ...read more

Scripture: James 5:16

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Osceola Mccarty, African-American Philanthropist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 3, 2009

Osceola McCarty, African-American Philanthropist The late great African-American laundry woman, author, and philanthropist, Osceola McCarty (1908 - 1999), did one thing all of her life: laundry! For decades, Osceola, a frugal Christian woman who never bought a car - who never got married - who ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:6-13

Tags: Giving General

Richard Meyer On Reasons For Our Lack Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 1, 2009

Richard Meyer on Reasons for Our Lack of Prayer C. Richard Meyer gave three reasons for our lack of prayer in his chapter on praying for one another, in his book “One Anothering.” 1. First, he said that we don’t pray because we don’t know how to pray. a. And that certainly can be a reason. b. Many ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18-20

Tags: Prayer General

Two Sons And What They Did With Their ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2009

Two Sons and What They Did With Their Marbles Once upon a time, a mother gave each of her sons two dollars and took them to a toy store to buy the beautiful, shiny marbles they had been asking for. The older son quickly figured out how many marbles he could get with his two dollars, chose the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Stewardship

Alone On ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 28, 2009

ALONE ON CHRISTMAS George Mason’s life was centered in his business. He lived alone and refused all invitations to socialize. His brother’s family had urged him to visit but the children always made too much noise. Besides, he didn’t want to buy presents for his nephews and nieces. Instead he ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Man Who Missed ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2010

The Man Who Missed Christmas George Mason’s life was centered in his business. He lived alone and refused all invitations to socialize. His brother’s family had urged him to visit but the children always made too much noise. Besides, he didn’t want to buy presents for his nephews and nieces. ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7

Tags: Christmas

Little ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2010

Little Mirrors Robert Fulghum, in his book, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, tells how he found purpose in life. Fulghum, a former Episcopal priest, took a course on Greek culture at an Orthodox retreat center on the Island of Crete. A man named Alexander Papaderos built the center. After ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Kindness Trumps Riches

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Kindness Trumps Riches Like many American Christians, Keith Taylor has benefited from the generosity of other people in different times and different ways. For example, while Keith was attending graduate school in Tennessee, his car broke down, and the subsequent repair bill caused him to be short ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Tags: Giving General

There Are Many Who Say The Full Expression Of Our ...

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on May 10, 2010

There are many who say the full expression of our emotions remains the only safe way to ensure our own emotional and mental well-being. Take, for example, the following case: The situation: Mom and Dad had divorced. Their sixth grade daughter longed to see her Daddy. When she did, he was ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Francis Chan: Radical Christian Living

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2010

FRANCIS CHAN: RADICAL CHRISTIAN LIVING Pastor Francis Chan, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California wrote in his latest book entitled, "Crazy Love". He has already sold one million copies worldwide; a figure he says demonstrates the extent to which he is not alone in ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:34-38

Tags: Discipleship

The Compassion Of Jesus Makes A Funeral A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2010

The Compassion of Jesus Makes a Funeral a Celebration When I was in the 5th grade and we lived above the funeral home in Pawnee, there was no street celebration, no brass band or snare drum or festive umbrellas but the funeral for Rev Sonious’ wife was something to behold. Just months before she ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Funerals Christian

The Meaning Of The Colors In The Flag – Spoken By ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 7, 2010

THE MEANING OF THE COLORS IN THE FLAG – spoken by the flag. My red stands for the blood that was shed for the freedom I represent. Yet, my red originated from the blood of Jesus who died and rose again for those who believe in Him and for whom the Pilgrims came to this country for religious ...read more

Tags: Independence Day

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Barna On New Year's Resolutions

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 19, 2011

BARNA ON NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS When it comes to the types of resolutions people make, Americans not surprisingly focus on self-oriented changes. Among those planning to make resolutions, the top pledges for 2011 relate to weight, diet and health (30%); money, debt and finances (15%); personal ...read more

Tags: Future

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Statue That Lies

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

THE STATUE THAT LIES In the book, "The Day America Told the Truth," 91% of Americans admit to lying regularly. 86% of Americans routinely lie to their parents. 75% admit to lying to their friends. 73% admit lying to their siblings. And 75% admit lying to their spouse. None of this is new news to ...read more

Scripture: John 17:17

Tags: Lies, Legs

Cheering For The Other Team

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2011

CHEERING FOR THE OTHER TEAM I heard about an unusual high school football game played in Grapevine, Texas recently between Grapevine Faith Academy and the Gainesville State School. Faith Academy is a Christian school and Gainesville is located within a high-security youth correctional facility. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:27

Tags: Christian Witness

What The Captain Means  PRO

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Oct 3, 2011

WHAT THE CAPTAIN MEANS The storm came suddenly upon the boat loaded with sailors. In a matter of moments hulls were broken, decks were awash, and sailors were floundering. But as quickly came the storm, so came the captain, maneuvering his large vessel between the waves and rescuing one sailor ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Fruit Requires Effort And Dedication

Contributed by Robert Sickler on Jan 27, 2012

FRUIT REQUIRES EFFORT AND DEDICATION The young boy stood looking up at the naked ice-covered limbs of his favorite cherry tree. It was 4:30 in the morning and the full moon produced a silvery sheen in the ice, which almost seemed to originate within the branches themselves. The young man let out ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:33

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Denomination: Christian Church

God Steps In Where Our Fathers Fail

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 31, 2012

GOD STEPS IN WHERE OUR FATHERS FAIL John Eldredge, author of Wild At Heart and Fathered By God among others, writes of fishing with his dad as a boy. Spending hours together on a Saturday morning trying to catch fish. "But" he writes, "the fish were never the issue. What I longed for was his ...read more

Tags: Father's Day

Denomination: Baptist

Pray And Read Your Bible

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 29, 2012

PRAY AND READ YOUR BIBLE A man was in prison and was in need of some money. He wrote his mother and asked her to send five hundred dollars immediately. Soon after, he got a package in the mail. It was a Bible. On the top of the Bible, there was a letter that said, "Son, I love you. Pray and read ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

Tags: Men's Day

Denomination: Baptist