In Sermon Illustrations: "Sharpening Your Ax"

Crucified With Christ

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Crucified With Christ "The Christian's Passion" Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). We have just passed Easter--celebrating what Christ did for us on Calvary and the victory He won over sin and death. The Bible ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Easter Good Friday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thy Great ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Thy Great Salvation “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” (Romans 1: 16) Christians, like the apostle Paul, are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has chosen to offer a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thy Great ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Thy Great Salvation Regeneration “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:5-6

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Father's Legacy  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Father's Legacy Jim Berg wrote about the state of the family: "The family, which should be the greatest refuge for the child, has become a domestic battlefield where a child is often caught in the crossfire of his parents' warfare. The time and energy that should be spent giving him the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:17-18

Tags: Father's Day

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

T ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Thanksgiving First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” On Thanksgiving Day, families gather around their televisions to watch football games ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Too Many Hypocrites

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

TOO MANY HYPOCRITES One of the most common excuses given for someone not surrendering to the Gospel of Christ is found in this statement, "There are too many hypocrites in the church." Many persons who are seen by outsiders to be "hypocrites" may be true, yet immature, Christians. Christians ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:25

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Thought You Loved Me  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2008

I Thought You Loved Me Girls, picture this. It is a warm summer day. The birds are singing happily. The wind is blowing gently. You and that special guy are sitting outside in the sun just thrilled to be together. You have been dating now for two whole weeks and you have never known a more ...read more

Scripture: John 21:15-17

Tags: Action

How To Get Kicked Out Of Church On Christmas Eve  PRO

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Dec 15, 2008

HOW TO GET KICKED OUT OF CHURCH ON CHRISTMAS EVE Christmas Eve 1990. I came this close to being physically thrown out of church. We were new to town and we heard that a certain church in town had a fantastic Christmas Eve service. So, we went with some friends, about ten of us total, to this ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Advent, Christmas Eve, Hymn, Hymnal, Hard To Believe, Way, Choir, New Jersey, Shut Up, Kicked Out, Go Away, Eject, Sing, Quiet, Song, Silent Night, Usher, Funny  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Story Of Isaac ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

THE STORY OF ISAAC WATTS A young boy complained to his father that most of the church hymns were boring and old-fashioned, with tiresome words that meant little to his generation. His father challenged him with these words: "If you think you can write better hymns, why don’t you?" The boy ...read more

Scripture: John 4:23-24

Tags: Worship General

He Can See Me Now  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Sickling on Jun 5, 2009

HE CAN SEE ME NOW I want to share a story with you in closing. It’s a story I heard several years ago about a high school football player. I don’t know his name, or what number he wore on his uniform or anything like that. All I know is that this kid wasn’t really that great of an athlete. He ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Baptist

A Little Parable For Mothers  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2012

A LITTLE PARABLE FOR MOTHERS The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is the way long?" she asked. And her guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning." But the young mother was happy, and she ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31

Tags: Mother's Day

The Substitute  PRO

Contributed by Paul Steen on Oct 8, 2016

The Moose was in the game to score. He took the handoff at the five-yard line from the quarterback and stunted to the right. The right guard and tackle had split the defenders and there was a slight hole in the line for him. Moose instantly was in the hole. He put his head down and fought through ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:3

Tags: Substitute, Substitute Sacrifice, Our Substitute

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Payment For The Parts

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 20, 2020

One of the worst things that could happen to anybody is a car accident. My oldest son had this happen recently. He was okay, just a few bruises, but the car was totaled. Not good. A day or so later, he and I went to the garage where the car had been towed. We took turns removing his personal ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Salvage, Accidents, Recycling

Denomination: Baptist

An Observation About Immanence

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 12, 2020

One of my favorite pastimes is playing some computer games, especially the ones where you make money—okay, run a business, simulation, or that kind of thing. In one of these you, as manager of a transportation company, have the opportunity to choose how best to serve the industries and communities ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Immanence, Return Of Christ, Rewards For Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Coming Soon !?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 13, 2020

Many of us, I'm sure, remember hearing the words "Coming soon to a (fill in the blank) near you . . ."m intended to grab your attention. Well, sometimes that did indeed happen, as a lot of us want to find something new, maybe the latest and greatest thing to come our way. There are a ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-3, Acts 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Immanence, Coming Soon, Return Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Failed Love

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Sep 15, 2020

Thomas Carlyle lived from 1795 to 1881. He was a Scot essayist and historian. During his lifetime, he became one of the world’s greatest writers. However, he was human, and humans make mistakes. On October 17, 1825, Carlyle married his secretary Jane Welsh. She was an intelligent, attractive, ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 7:1

Tags: Love, Marriage

Denomination: Baptist

The Difference Maker

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Sep 16, 2020

My pastor, Wana Archer, tells about a time when he was a teenager and worked at a restaurant for .25 cents/hour. In this restaurant, there was a gambling machine that looked like a pinball machine. A player would deposit a nickel and get one shot to hit the jackpot or win some money. He noticed ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-11

Tags: Holy Spirit, Obedience

Denomination: Baptist

"i Found Jesus There."

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 24, 2022

I heard a story about a little boy that was to have heart surgery. The surgeon sat beside the boy's bed and his parents sat across from him. The surgeon said to the little boy, "Tomorrow morning, I'll open up your heart." The little boy interrupted the surgeon and said; ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:40-56, Isaiah 43:1-2

Tags: Faith, Death, Jesus, Children, Heaven, Salvation, Crisis, Surgery  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ten Things To Know About The Love Of God - Devotional

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 12, 2023

There are 10 key points about the Love of God in I John 4:7-21: 1. LOVE IS OF GOD (4:7) - not that God is love only. He is not limited or bound by anything. So, what is love? Study I Corinthians 13...... There are 3 Greek words (agape, phileo, eros). This love is agape, unconditional, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-21, Romans 5:8, John 3:16

Tags: Evangelism, Love, Christ, Holy Spirit, Missions, Cross, Agape, God's Love, Hate, Unforgiveness, False Prophets, Unbelievers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Spit It Out!

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Mar 5, 2024

Spit It Out! Sharing the Sweet News We all know how unpredictable children can be—especially when it comes to what they decide to pop in their mouths! One unforgettable Sunday morning, right after church, I was shaking hands with a young dad when, out of nowhere, he went into full “parental ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17, 1 Peter 3:15, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 6:1-4, Matthew 28:16-20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: The Gospel, Ashamed, Sharing The Gospel, Soul Winning, Unpredictable, Children, Salvation, Obedience, Testimony, Witnessing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist