In Sermon Illustrations: "Sons Of The Prophets"

The Tenacity Of Edison And Lincoln

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 23, 2011

THE TENACITY OF EDISON AND LINCOLN Look at the life of Thomas Edison. At 21, he patented his first major invention: the Electrical Vote Recorder (a device 100 years ahead of its time!). At 26, he invented the automatic telegraph and paraffin paper. At 30, the phonograph (earliest record player). ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:4

Tags: Endurance

Dying For Someone Like That

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Aug 12, 2011

DYING FOR SOMEONE LIKE THAT During the war in Vietnam, a young West Point graduate was sent over to lead a group of new recruits into battle. He did his job well, trying his best to keep his recruits from ambush and death. But one night, when they had been under attack, he was unable to get one of ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Amazing Forgiveness

Contributed by Bret Toman on Nov 26, 2011

AMAZING FORGIVENESS Philip Yancey in Rumours of Another World shares a story of the remarkable. The story of an atrocity that happened during the days of apartheid in South Africa and the reconciliation that followed in a court room many years later. A policeman named Van de Broek recounted an ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Baptist

Under The Influence

Contributed by Greg Nance on Apr 13, 2012

UNDER THE INFLUENCE David Kupelian's book The Marketing of Evil, published in 2005, is an eye-opening study of what we face today. I wish every parent would read it. Does anyone here remember what happened to Robert Bauman in 1980? He was elected in 1973 as representative of the First ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Worship: It Takes Time To Warm Up

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jul 1, 2012

WORSHIP: IT TAKES TIME TO WARM UP When I was a kid in Kansas City, we lived next door to a family who owned a publishing company. They had an old 4 door Mercedes that they would let their son drive to school. He was 3 years older than me and also named Tim. On those winter mornings when the ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Methodist

On Nimrod

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jul 16, 2012

ON NIMROD Josephus wrote: "Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe ...read more

Tags: Apostasy

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Worship At A Garbage Dump

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2012

WORSHIP AT A GARBAGE DUMP Imagine a town built atop an active landfill. That is "Garbage City" in Cairo, Egypt, longtime home to an impoverished, marginalized community of Coptic Christians for whom life is only going to get harder. The so-called Zabbaleen have been the trash collectors of Cairo ...read more

Scripture: John 4:24

Tags: Worship General

The Jim Twins. ...

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Dec 18, 2012

Maybe you’ve heard the story of the Jim twins. Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were twin sons of a fourteen-year-old Italian girl. She gave birth to them in a small town in Ohio and then disappeared. They were adopted into two separate loving families, but after 39 years of life had never seen one ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-9

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Baptist

From Shackles To Statue

Contributed by Lee Strawhun on Sep 17, 2014

It was 1985 when Tim Cole was picked out of a lineup for a rape he never committed but would be convicted of and sentenced to serve 25 years. He was near the Texas Tech campus when the rape occurred and as a result was sent to prison because the victim picked the wrong man and the courts sentenced ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:5-9

Tags: Hope Of Justice, Victim, Forgiveness For Others, Continue In Faith

Denomination: United Methodist

Impersonating A Christian

Contributed by Shawn Miller on Jan 16, 2015

In her recently published book “Dance with the Devil” Barbara Bentley shares her experience with former husband, John Perry, a mysterious man, whose father was supposedly portrayed by John Wayne in a World War II movie. She fell in love with him when He dazzled her and her friends with his heroic ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21-23

Tags: Hypocrisy, Day Of Judgment, False Believer, Imposter

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Loving Neighbour

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

A Little Pointer on Keeping a Balance Here’s a little bonus tip that I’ve found helpful to keep my wits about me as I live next to these wild Vikings we call sinners, pagans, and wacko unbelievers while keeping my vertical relationship with God strong. It’s called “whimsical holiness,” which is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:34

Tags: Witnessing Tools, Loving Neighbor

Denomination: Baptist

The Names Of Satan

Contributed by Leighton (Lee) Vary on Nov 7, 2016

1. In Isaiah 14:12, he is named Lucifer and called the son of the morning 2. In 2 Corinthians 11:14 & 15, it is said that he transforms himself into the likeness of an angel of light 3. The god of this world who blinds men’s minds (2 Corinthians 4:4) 4. The prince of this world (John 12:31) 5. The ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 12:6-17

Tags: Satan, Lucifer, Abaddon, Beelzebub

Denomination: Baptist

A Dog Like Me

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

A little boy in Texas wanted to buy a special dog. He went to the pet store to look at all the dogs. He held each one. “How much are your dogs?” asked the boy. “All those dogs are $10.00,” said the storeowner. The boy petted each dog again and then cuddled one of the dogs. He held him up to his ...read more

Tags: Christmas, One Of Us, Christ Came, Jesus Became Human

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Maybe It's Good News......maybe It's Bad News.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 15, 2019

Many times we really don’t know what we should specifically pray for. We are not omniscient. We don’t know everything, nor can we see into the future. So we don’t know whether the things we’re asking for will turn out good or bad for us. An old story illustrates: A Chinese gentleman lived on the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Prayer, Will Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Some Thoughts About The First Easter

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 25, 2019

Before the first Easter, the world was under a number of separations: --Political distinctions: various nations, but in that time, Roman Empire. Provinces, leaders --Geographical: some traveled far, others stayed near their home territory; Jewish males had to make three trips to Jerusalem ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:20, Daniel 12:1-3

Tags: Easter, The Afterlife

Denomination: Baptist

Failure Maybe Opportunity?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 12, 2020

REMEMBER FAILURE MAY BE BUT AN OPPORTUNITY---- GEORGE CAMPBELL MORGAN, 12/9/1863. He died May 16, 1945. He preached his first sermon at 13 years of age. In 1888 a young man named CAMPBELL MORGAN had made application to the WESLEYAN SCHOOL of ministry. Campbell was one of 150 men to apply ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14, Ecclesiastes 12:1

Tags: Remember, Opportunity

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Good Samaritan Is A Portrait Of Jesus

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 2, 2022

The Good Samaritan bears the features of the Lord Jesus Christ who comes to seek and save the lost. (1). "He came where he was." Christ comes to us right where we are. In our stripped and wounded condition we could do nothing for ourselves (Ro 5:6). (2). "He had compassion on ...read more

Tags: Neighbor, Kindness, Good Deeds, Good Samaritan, Types Of Christ, Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We’re Not Always Headed In The Direction We Think We Are

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on May 30, 2022

Once while living in Dallas, I witnessed to someone I worked with who proceeded to tell me they believed they just needed to be a good person to go to Heaven. Though I explained what the Bible says about being saved, they rejected my witness and went on with their life. It was clear to me they were ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 1:17, Proverbs 3:6

Tags: Deception, Truth, Right Path, Wrong Doctrine

Denomination: Charismatic

Fathers Who Talk To Themselves!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 26, 2023

There is a story about a man who stopped in the grocery store on the way home from work to pick up a couple of items for his wife. He wandered around aimlessly for a while searching out the needed groceries. As is often the case in the grocery store, he kept passing this same shopper in almost ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit, Dads, Children, Parents, Father's Day, Men, Anger, Patience  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Moved By Grace

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 20, 2023

The word itself... grace... has become trite and debased through misuse and overuse. It does not move us the way it moved our early Christian ancestors. In some European countries, certain high ecclesiastical officials are still called, Your Grace. Sportswriters spoke of Michael Jordan's easy ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:17

Tags: Grace, Lacking In Grace, Scandal Of Grace

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed