In Sermon Illustrations: "Sinfulness"

A Few Minutes Ago, I Told You We Were Chosen By ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Aug 21, 2004

A few minutes ago, I told you we were chosen by God. That is wonderful, but being chosen by itself does not help us much. That is only the first step. After God chooses us, there is something that we must do. We must accept it. Let me explain about being chosen and then accepting that choice. ...read more

Tags: Repentance, Faith General, Confession Of Sin

Denomination: *other

A Middle School Teacher Asked Her Class To Write ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A middle school teacher asked her class to write imaginative definitions of a friend. One student said, “A friend is a pair of open arms in a society of armless people.” Another said, “A friend is a warm bedroll on a cold and frosty night.” Other said, “A friend is a lively polka in the midst of a ...read more

Tags: Faith, Call, Sin, Salvation, Struggles  (view more)  (view less)

Strength Won't Do It

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Jul 30, 2011

STRENGTH WON'T DO IT My Dad died in Dec 04. He was the strongest man I ever knew...he was the most honest man I ever knew….he was a good farmer...good mechanic ...good Dad...good husband...but he wasn't strong enough to defeat death. If I could write down the good deeds my Dad done in his life on ...read more

Tags: Sin, Work, Judgment, Saved, Forgive  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

We Live In A World Today That We Should Sift All ...

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Jul 31, 2011

We live in a world today that we should sift all our children’s activities and things that they are exposed to each day as though we were looking and inspecting the candy they get on Halloween night and throw out the things that look suspicious. I know it’s hard and most of the time just impossible ...read more

Tags: Children, Sin, Addiction, Temptation, Halloween  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Christian Man Displays Cross

Contributed by Matthew Oliver on Oct 20, 2012

Christian man Carl Behr of Baldwin, Pennsylvania received a notice on Monday ordering him to remove the 24-foot high illuminated cross he has installed in his front yard and kept lit day and night. But Behr plans to fight the order at a municipal meeting. “It’s all about my faith, and some people ...read more

Tags: Cross, Sin Deceptive, Obey God

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

You Follow What You're Tied To  PRO

Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Oct 31, 2012

YOU FOLLOW WHAT YOU'RE TIED TO Two hunters were out hunting and come upon what appeared at first as an abandoned farm. The barn was sagging, the house was in disrepair, and there were junk cars and car parts lying around. The only thing that made it a working farm were a few chickens pecking away ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-5, Luke 21:5-35, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Tags: Fear, Marriage, Sin Bondage To, Sidetracked

Denomination: Baptist

Fallen World

Contributed by Tim White on Feb 15, 2013

FALLEN WORLD Crime rate, growth in atrocities of crime, world tension, wars (and as the Bible predicted, rumors of wars), growth and mutation of illnesses, viruses and diseases. Our great grandparents had not concept of Aids. Our nation’s founders never heart of Ebola, the flesh eating disease. ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, Sin Fall Of Man

Denomination: Baptist

The Mirror Of The Fundamentals  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2013

THE MIRROR OF THE FUNDAMENTALS Ravi Zacharias tells the story of a man who went to School in Wheaton with Billy Graham and later entered into politics. He was a popular man and rose to become the Prime Minister of Canada. In the process of going down that way, to fame, to popularity and power, he ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 3:12-15

Tags: Fundamentals, Basics Of Christianity, Sin Bondage To

Second Chances

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

David Emory tells the story of baptizing a young father who had a 7 year old and 5 year old. They were close friends of his family and had never been a part of a church. But one Sunday, they came to worship, he gave his life to Christ and was baptized. At the end of the service, after everyone else ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8

Tags: Sin, Repentance, Woe, Second Chances

Denomination: Methodist

Truly Amazing Grace

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Timothy Paul Jones in his book, Proof writes about his middle daughter who had been previously adopted by another family. He was sure this couple had the best of intentions, but they never quite integrated the adopted child into their family of biological children. For one reason or another, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 6:1-8

Tags: Grace, Sin, Chosen, Rebellion, Adoption  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Jumping The Grand Canyon

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

Main Idea: No matter how good you are, you cannot make it to heaven through your own effort. Verse: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV). Illustration: Once, two men had ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Sin, Need For Christ, Need For Salvation

Denomination: Charismatic

Paid In Full, Finally

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 10, 2020

It’s always a happy day when you make the final payment on a car loan or any other kind of loan! The money you’ve been sending somewhere else you can now send to another bill—oops—or savings account or wherever you feel led to put it. I know, there are some folks who are greatly excited if you ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Salvation, Payment For Sin, Blood Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Cs Lewis On Repentance - The Hole We Find Ourselves In

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Sep 19, 2022

Now what was the sort of hole man had got himself into? He had tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged to himself. In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, saying you ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Romans 2:4, Mark 1:15, 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, Romans 6:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Sin, Salvation, Gospel, Repentance, The Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

God's View Of People

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Nov 16, 2022

Genesis 8:15-22 Devotional After the flood had dried up, God instructed Noah (v15) and Noah obeyed (v16). Isn’t it interesting that we note birds from the ark but not fish…. Noah, did you keep fish in the ark??? – either he kept fish in the ark or God kept fish in the clouds or God recreated ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 8:15-22

Tags: People, Love, Worship, Sin, God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Open Rebuke Is Better Than Secret Love.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 25, 2021

The Scripture tells us that "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:5-6).   Rebuke means sin is not only pointed out, it is condemned. The church really doesn’t do this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Sin, Preaching, Repentance, Rebuke, Pastors, The Word Of God, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Catch-22 Of Incompetence  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Oct 26, 2001

THE CATCH-22 OF INCOMPETENCE Most incompetent people don’t know they are incompetent. In fact, researcher Dr. David A. Dunning of Cornell University reports that people who are incompetent are more confident of their abilities than competent people. Dunning and his associate Justin Krueger ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost, Sin Separates From God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Blood Of Christ Stands Not Simply For The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 9, 2006

"The blood of Christ stands not simply for the sting of sin on God but the scourge of God on sin, not simply for God’s sorrow over ...read more

Tags: Cross Agony

Many People Have Trouble With The Concept Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Nov 22, 2004

Many people have trouble with the concept of total depravity. While not denying they are sinners, many people feel that their sin isn’t bad enough to condemn them. What they don’t understand is that any sin is wholly unacceptable to God. Let’s suppose I invite you over to my house this Saturday ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:6-9, Romans 3:9-20

Tags: Sin Separates From God, Basket, Fish And Loaves, Leftovers

Denomination: Baptist

Propitiation

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 30, 2019

The New Testament Greek word "hilasterion" (translated “propitiation” or “sacrifice of atonement”) suggests three related but nuanced concepts: (1) expiation – the legal removal of sin by means of the sacrifice; (2) propitiation – the removal of God's wrath toward the sinner (wrath ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-31

Tags: Atonement, Propitiation, Expiation, Forgiveness Of Sin, Penal Atonement  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Dual Citizenship In The Kingdom Of God And The Kingdom Of Darkness?

Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Feb 12, 2019

Try to imagine this. It is the year 1944 and Germany is at war with England. Now suppose you have dual citizenship in both Germany and England and you are living in Germany. How will you be treated? Conversely, suppose you have dual citizenship in both Germany and England and you are living in ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:4-10, Matthew 6:24, Romans 6:22-23, 1 John 1:6

Tags: Carnal Christian, Sinful Life, Holilness, Righteous Christian, Alive In Christ, Living In Sin, Living In Darkness, In Christ, Living In Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Nazarene