In Sermon Illustrations: "Slaves To Sin"

Killing Each Other Over Race

Contributed by Amiri Hooker on Mar 22, 2011

KILLING EACH OTHER OVER RACE Two million people have been killed during the civil war in the Sudan Region of Africa mostly over race, mostly over skin tone. The name Sudan comes from "bilad al sudan": Arabic for "the land of the blacks." So you might expect Sudanese to be comfortable with the ...read more

Tags: Racism

Denomination: United Methodist

Persecution Means Hope

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 25, 2011

PERSECUTION MEANS HOPE Genuinely persecuted Christians see judgment on their persecutors as a sign of hope. There is a story of Polish slave laborers working in munitions factories for Germany toward the end of WWII being bombed by allied planes. Some were killed, more were wounded. And yet ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Get Up Stronger

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 3, 2011

GET UP STRONGER By the beginning of the nineteenth century, about three million African slaves had been transported to the Americas on British ships. People being stolen from their homes, ripped from their families, robbed of their dignity, transported on ships 3 decks deep, squalid conditions, ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Baptist

I Remember Playing Basketball One Day With An ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Sep 7, 2001

I remember playing basketball one day with an African American boy. He was from Wilson High School in San Francisco. He was failing his biology class at Choate Rosemery. Although I was teaching biology and human anatomy at Choate, I didn’t offer to tutor him because he had no interest in study. ...read more

Tags: Faith, Endurance, Racism

Denomination: *other

Buddhism Has A Story Similar To The Story Jesus ...  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Jan 16, 2007

Buddhism has a story similar to the story Jesus told about the Prodigal Son. In the story Jesus told, the father sees his wayward son, and runs to greet him. The prodigal says he no longer deserves to be considered a son, but the loving father throws a party for him and freely restores him to ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Roman Short Whip

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 10, 2025

Roman short whip, also called a flagrum. It was made of two or three leather (ox-hide) thongs or ropes connected to a handle. The leather thongs were knotted with several small pieces of metal, usually zinc and iron, attached at various intervals. Scourging would quickly remove the skin. According ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-6, Mark 15:15, Matthew 27:26

Tags: Scourge, Stripes, Whipping, Flagrum, Short Whip  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

J. Vernon Mcgee Spoke This Story Many Years Ago ...  PRO

Contributed by Danny Rogers on Feb 6, 2007

J. Vernon McGee spoke this story many years ago on the radio to explain an undeniable Biblical truth. In your mind go back in time about 150 years or so to the days before the Civil War. Imagine you are visiting one of the great cities of the South like Savannah, Atlanta, Birmingham, Jackson or ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Story Of Redemption  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 18, 2002

The Story of Redemption I want to begin the study tonight by telling you a story. I first heard this story about 30 years ago. I was listening to J Vernon McGee on the radio explain a great Bible truth and he told the following story to illustrate the Biblical principle. In your mind go back ...read more

Tags: Grace, God's Forgiveness

An Outline Of Joseph's Life

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2022

The story of Joseph’s life can be outlined by several key events in Genesis:   1. REJECTION (37:1-36) – Jacob selected Joseph as the favored son and he was despised by his brothers. They threw him into a pit and left him for dead.   2. REFINEMENT (38:1 – 40:23) – Traders came by and ...read more

Tags: Faith, Temptation, Rejection, Joseph, Will Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thank God For The Delusion!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Someone told a reformed alcoholic that his experience wasn't valid; that his religion was a delusion. He said, "Thank God for the delusion; it has put clothes on my children and shoes on their feet and bread in their mouths. It has made a man of me and it has put joy and peace in my ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:1-7

Tags: Changed Life, Forgiveness, Salvation, Word Of God, New Life, New Birth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

St. Patrick: Stones Squashed In The Mud

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

ST. PATRICK: STONES SQUASHED IN THE MUD As a young boy Patrick lived a comfortable life near an English coastal city where his father was a deacon in their church. But at the age of 16, all that came to an end. Irish pirates attacked his village, abducting Patrick and many of the household ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Abraham Lincoln: Merit Your Freedom  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2013

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: MERIT YOUR FREEDOM In the last days of the Civil War, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union army. Abraham Lincoln insisted on visiting the city. Even though no one knew he was coming, slaves recognized him immediately and thronged around him. He had ...read more

Scripture: John 21:3-14, Romans 6:1-23, Galatians 5:13-15

Tags: Christian Liberty

A Surprise Visit From Abraham Lincoln

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2013

A SURPRISE VISIT FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN In the last days of the Civil War, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union army. Abraham Lincoln insisted on visiting the city. Even though no one knew he was coming, slaves recognized him immediately and thronged around him. He had ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-14

Tags: Freedom, Christian Liberty

High Cost Is Expected

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Mar 12, 2009

HIGH COST IS EXPECTED In the past missionaries boarded ship not expecting to ever see their homeland again. Some even sold themselves into slavery because that was the only way other slaves could have a chance to hear the gospel. High cost and sacrifice was something expected of the body of ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Man Has Yet To Conquer Himself  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2011

MAN HAS YET TO CONQUER HIMSELF Ravi Zacharias put it well when he said, "In an attempt to be reasonable, man has become irrational. In an attempt to deify himself, he has defaced himself. In an attempt to be free, he has made himself a slave. And like Alexander the Great, he has conquered the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:23

Tags: Pride

Which Basin?

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jan 3, 2013

WHICH BASIN? Remember there were TWO basins of water mentioned in the Bible. One, Herod used it to wash his hands -- "this has nothing to do with me". The other one, Jesus used it to wash His disciples' feet. It has nothing to do with Him too. It's the job of slaves but He did it. And He ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Coming Quietly

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 1, 2023

The Lord of all comes as a slave amidst poverty. Choosing for his birthplace an unknown village in a remote province, he is born of a poor maiden and accepts all that poverty implies. He chose surroundings that were poor and simple, so ordinary as to be almost unnoticed, so that people would know ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Tags: Christmas, Humility, Poverty, Incarnation

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Call Of Bishop Cowther

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The Call of Bishop Cowther That day, as the slaves were packed into the Portuguese slave ship, they probably did not know that they would be free within a few hours. Even as they were freed by the captain of the British frigate, I don’t think anyone knew the incredible long range results. One of ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Quaker John Woolman's Longstanding Anti-Slavery ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 12, 2010

Quaker John Woolman’s Longstanding Anti-slavery Campaign John Woolman was a Quaker who grew up in Pennsylvania in the early eighteenth century. He was a contemporary of George Washington. When he was a boy he was given to the things boys often do—in this case throwing rocks at a robin’s nest ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:5-9

Tags: Servanthood

That's Right – "Slavery" Is The Primary Word Used ...

Contributed by Todd Stiles on Nov 14, 2006

That’s right – “slavery” is the primary word used to talk about service or ministry in the Bible. In fact, let me bring you up to speed on our most biblical title: “doulos!” That’s right…you’re a doulos! Simply a slave. Feel better now, don’t you? • Paul calls himself this every time, along with ...read more

Denomination: Baptist