In Sermon Illustrations: "Spiritual House"

Decision Without Determination

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 28, 2009

DECISION WITHOUT DETERMINATION Some choose and pray a prayer. This is the great heresy of the last hundred years. I made a choice when I was ten. But there is no determination. I have been convinced by the Lord that a decision without determination and effort is absolutely meaningless. In ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Church Of God

Reconciliation: Chancing One's Arm  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2009

RECONCILIATION: CHANCING ONE’S ARM A. The oldest Christian site in Ireland is said to be St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. (Slide Of St Patrick’s) 1. It is a beautiful edifice, but it also has a interesting piece of history involving one of its doors– it is known as the "Door of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Genesis 33:1-11

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Integrity And Faithfulness In Work Yields Peace ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

Integrity and Faithfulness in Work Yields Peace of Mind The late great American Methodist clergyman and author, Rev. Charles Livingstone Allen (1913 - 2005), told this story in his sermon entitled "How To Sleep Well On A Windy Night:" "A boy went to a farmer and asked to be given a job as a hired ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:22-24

Tags: Workplace Integrity

J.c. Penney Born Again

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

J.C. PENNEY BORN AGAIN The late great business man and entrepreneur, James Cash Penney (1875 - 1971), founder of the J.C. Penney stores, in his autobiography entitled "Fifty Years with the Golden Rule," tells of his being in the Battle Creek Sanitarium one night when he thought he was dying. He ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 10:12, Hosea 10:12-13

Tags: Born Again

Mr. And Mrs. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2009

"Mr. and Mrs. Thing" John MacArthur, in his book titled Overcoming Materialism, offers this analysis: Mr. and Mrs. Thing are a very pleasant and successful couple. At least, that’s the verdict of most people, who tend to measure success with a “thingometer.” And when the “thingometer” is put to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21

Tags: Materialism

Little Boy Sees The Parade But Misses The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2009

Little Boy Sees the Parade but Misses the Circus Lowell Ogden tells the story of a little boy who lived out in the country around the turn of the century. He had never seen a traveling circus, and one was coming to his town on Saturday. The lad asked his father for permission to go and his dad said ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:46-55

Tags: Worship Definition

Christmas Celebrations Around The World  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Rzengota on Dec 28, 2009

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD As Americans, we pride ourselves in "doing Christmas up right." Tons of gifts, big holiday feasts, huge trees, Lights on the houses. USA! Here are some of the other ways people prepare for the celebration of Christmas. * In Italy they have no Christmas ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Was Speaking To Someone About New Zealand A ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on May 15, 2010

I was speaking to someone about New Zealand a couple of days ago and how when we went there we had explored the colourful natural volcanic areas of Rotorua - bubbling mud, steaming ground and geysers, huge volcanic craters and weird and wonderful rock formations. Although it was beautiful the smell ...read more

Tags: Judgment, Eternal Hell

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Worry About...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 13, 2010

I WORRY ABOUT... Percentage of people who at least occasionally worry about: Having their car stolen or broken into: 42 Home burglarization when they are not at home: 45 Being the victim of terrorism: 38 Having a school-aged child physically harmed at school: 29 Your home being burglarized when ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Anxiety

Giving Because You Have To

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Oct 16, 2010

GIVING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO One Saturday I was working in the yard, and I came walking around the corner of my house. And there was a boy there, on a bicycle. He was wearing Scout uniform, and I’m guessing he must have been about ten or eleven years old. It didn’t take me long to figure out what he ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Can't Stop Crying  PRO

Contributed by Charles Jones on Dec 16, 2010

CAN'T STOP CRYING Consider this there was a story about a little boy who would not stop crying. No matter what his mother did, he would always cry. So one day this lady next door after hearing the baby cry thought she knew the answer to the problem and assured the mother that she could stop her ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Pentecostal

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

Radical Faith  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jan 24, 2011

RADICAL FAITH I want to read to you the opening story from David Platt's book "The Radical Question" (Multnomah Press). Imagine a scene that took place in Asia not so long ago: A room in an ordinary house, dimly lit, all the blinds on the windows closed. Twenty leaders from churches in the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 12:10-17

Tags: Persecution, Better Together

Denomination: Nazarene

A Confession Of Stealing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

A CONFESSION OF STEALING Jack removes the envelope from the small pile of mail and draws in a deep breath. It is from his former employer. He has lost sleep waiting for it. What he is about to read could lead to his exoneration or to imprisonment. He had written to this man two weeks ago, ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 28:13

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Declaration Of Dependence

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Sep 11, 2011

DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE The Declaration itself laid the groundwork for our freedom as a Nation: And that declaration was to be based upon the nation’s faith in God. It was quite literally a declaration of “Dependence upon God.” In the first two sentences of the Declaration of Independence - ...read more

Tags: Patriotism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

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

The Missing Gravy Ladle

Contributed by Fred Sigle on Jan 17, 2012

THE MISSING GRAVY LADLE Brian invited his mother over for DINNER. During the course of the meal, Brian's mother couldn't help but keep noticing how BEAUTIFUL Brian's roommate, Angie, was. Brian's Mom had long been SUSPICIOUS of a RELATIONSHIP between Brian and Angie. Before Angie moved in she ...read more

Tags: Temptation Sex

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The 40 Martyrs  PRO

Contributed by David Tack on Feb 25, 2012

THE 40 MARTYRS "History knows them as the forty martyrs of Sebaste. They were soldiers in the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome’s imperial army, around A.D. 320. One day the captain informed his troops that Emperor Licinius had sent down an edict commanding all soldiers to offer a sacrifice to his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10, Luke 12:4

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Baptist

The Decline Of Marriage And Children

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 9, 2012

THE DECLINE OF MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN Rutgers University Sociology Prof. David Popenoe, and Jean Bethke Elshtain, Professor of Social and Political Ethics at the University of Chicago divinity School. Concluded that the decline of marriage is mainly responsible for the deteriorating well-being of ...read more

Tags: Divorce

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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