In Sermon Illustrations: "Sense Of Humor"

Jack Hayford And His Wife Anna Were Vacationing ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Jack Hayford and his wife Anna were vacationing in Britain during the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. While there the Hayfords saw constant reminders of royalty. That, along with visits to several castles, caused Hayford to sense what it might be like to be "raised as a ...read more

Tags: Worship Benefits

C.s. Lewis Said This About Redemption, "It Is ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

C.S. Lewis said this about redemption, “It is not an abstraction called humanity that is to be saved. It is you, …your soul, and, in some sense yet to be understood, even your body, that was made for the high and holy place. All that you are…every fold and crease of your individuality was devised ...read more

Tags: Cross Agony

Two Men Were Walking Along Discussing God, ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Oct 15, 2007

Two men were walking along discussing God, eternity, and judgment. One of them stops and says, “You know, there is a question I’d like to ask God.” “What question?” his friend responds. “How could you let all the evil and despair and injustice occur in this world?” “Yeah, it doesn’t make sense!” ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

History Records A Remarkable Account Of The ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Oct 24, 2007

History records a remarkable account of the destruction of an ancient town. The watchmen on the walls would call out whenever they thought they saw a foe approaching. Sensing that the people had begun to resent them for giving these false alarms, they decided to remain quiet. Regrettably, not ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Paul Describes This Situation As "Death-Dealing ...

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 21, 2008

Paul describes this situation as “death-dealing sin.” He calls it “the dead-end abyss of separation from God.” The way they put in medieval times was to describe humanity -- listen to this: humanity was portrayed as a wingless bird, stuck in its alluring conditions, too heavy to fly. Does any ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Believers Happier

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

BELIEVERS HAPPIER People who believe in God are happier than agnostics or atheists, claim British researchers. They become even happier the more they pray and go to church. The report found religious people were better able to cope with disappointments such as unemployment or divorce than ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Tags: Happiness

We Must First Embrace Our Own Old Identity, As ...

Contributed by Bruce Willis on Dec 20, 2006

We must first embrace our own old identity, as Jesus said, “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself . . . “ We must embrace it and deny it, then by faith accept our spiritual identity in Jesus Christ. The analogy is given, for purposes of illustrating, of a fifteen year old, unmarried ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Denomination: Baptist

Faith To Hear The Silent ...

Contributed by Bradley Berglund on Feb 4, 2009

Faith to Hear the Silent Notes for Conversations in the Marketplace by Pastor Brad Berglund (First Baptist Church) Feb 6, 2009 At a recent prayer meeting, I was told of a young pianist who is working on a doctor’s degree in performance. According to his professor, the young man has abilities ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist

Faith To Play The Silent Notes  PRO

Contributed by Bradley Berglund on Feb 14, 2009

FAITH TO PLAY THE SILENT NOTES by Pastor Brad Berglund (First Baptist Church) Feb 6, 2009 At a recent prayer meeting, I was told of a young pianist who is working on a doctor’s degree in performance. According to his professor, the young man has abilities that leave his peers far behind. To the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Baptist

In Max Lucado's Book The Applause Of Heaven, He ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Jul 29, 2006

In Max Lucado’s book The Applause of Heaven, he gives an illustration, that cements Jesus’ point that the only way to change your life is to change your heart. At one time Max and his family lived in Rio De Janeiro, working as missionaries. Once, when they were leaving on a week long trip, Max ...read more

Tags: Betrayal

Denomination: Christian Church

: "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

Love Then Is The Giving Of Self, And As Long As ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

Love then is the giving of self, and as long as we have a body and are working out our salvation, it will always be synonymous with sacrifice, in the Christian sense of the word. Love sacrifices naturally just as the eye sees and the ear hears. That is why we speak of "arrows" and "darts" of ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Love

A Father's Role  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2002

A FATHER'S ROLE James Dobson and Gary Bauer in their book Children at Risk articulate the importance of the father’s leadership and his role in the children’s emotional development and moral education: “Fathers must be there to tame adolescent boys, to give a young son a sense of what I means to ...read more

Though This May Be An Oversimplification, There ...  PRO

Contributed by Greg Waddell on Nov 30, 2002

Though this may be an oversimplification, there are basically two fundamental worldviews with regard to the subject of TRUTH. These two views can be compared to playdough and a rock. They are two ways to view the world in which we live. The playdough worldview sees truth as flexible, changing, ...read more

Tags: Truth Absolute, Truth

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In The Summer Of 1986, Two Ships Collided In The ...

Contributed by Jeff Simms on Dec 7, 2003

In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn’t a technology problem like ...read more

Tags: Temptation Pride, Emotions

Denomination: Baptist

The Anthropic Principle States That In Our Own ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 15, 2004

The anthropic principle states that in our own universe, all these seemingly arbitrary and unrelated values in physics have one strange thing in common: They are precisely the values needed to get a universe capable of supporting life. …Physicist Freeman Dyson said: “I find that the universe in ...read more

It Is Precarious To Call Any One Chapter Of The ...

Contributed by John Shearhart on Aug 19, 2006

“It is precarious to call any one chapter of the Bible ‘the greatest chapter’ because the entire Bible is great. It is God’s Word. Nevertheless, there is a sense in which the eighth chapter of Romans is even superlatively great. These thirty-nine verses begin with ‘no condemnation’ and end with ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Pride Was Deadly In The Summer Of 1986, When Two ...

Contributed by Mary Lewis on May 7, 2009

Pride was deadly in the summer of 1986, when two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. The news became even more horrifying when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn’t a technology ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus Makes The Statement

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 10, 2010

Jesus makes the statement “I am the bread of life.” Disbelief sets in on the participants. Even though Jewish tradition and the Talmud had many teachings in Jewish schools on the phrases “eating and drinking” in a metaphorical sense.They criticize His choice of words, they get mad and angry and ...read more

Tags: Lord's Supper

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Now A Man Can Scarcely Arrive At The Needed ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 8, 2013

"Now a man can scarcely arrive at the needed sense of responsibility, unless his living conditions allow him to become conscious of his dignity, and to rise to his destiny by spending himself for God and for others. But human freedom is often crippled when a man encounters extreme poverty just as ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Catholic