In Sermon Illustrations: "Spiritual Pride"

The Cork And The Whale

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Jul 6, 2025

2 Corinthians 4:7-18 offers a portrait of spiritual buoyancy. Paul, in other places, invites us to follow him as he follows Christ (1 Cor 11:1). His spiritual practices caused him to float above the difficulties that he faced over and over again in his life and ministry. One of the greatest things ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

Tags: Poem, Buoyancy

Denomination: Pentecostal

How Can We Know That We Are Truly Saved

Contributed by Hylton Davidson on Aug 13, 2025

Having assurance that one is saved is linked to the process called regeneration. Regeneration is not something a person initiates; it is a sovereign act of God. A person is born again when the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual life, enabling them to repent and believe in the gospel. This transformation ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Assurance, Saved

Denomination: Christian Church

Duckswaddle?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 3, 2026

Hear a lesson: THERE WAS A GROUP OF DUCKS THAT LOVED THE LORD, THEY LOVED THEIR DUCK CHURCH AND THEY LOVED THEIR DUCK PASTOR. The ducks waddled to church three times a week. Their duck preacher had heard from the Lord and the duck preacher had a revelation. So the duck preacher preached ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 4:9, Galatians 6:9

Tags: Heavy, More, Fly High

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Alcoholics Anonymous

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 23, 2009

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS By 1934, alcoholic Bill Wilson had ruined a promising Wall Street career because of his constant drunkenness. He was introduced to the idea of a spiritual cure by an old drinking buddy Ebby Thacher. While in a hospital, Wilson underwent what he believed to be a spiritual ...read more

Tags: Alcohol

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Knack

Contributed by Jerry Blaxton on Aug 27, 2009

THE KNACK As most of you probably know, I like computers. When we were in South Dakota, our Director of Missions was always calling me for help with computer things. He would sometimes get a new program and install it on the office computer, and then, he couldn’t figure out how to use it. So, he’d ...read more

Tags: Gifts General

Denomination: Baptist

Two Choices: The Real God Or A False God, Richard ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 22, 2009

Two Choices: The real God or a false god, Richard Lovelace on How Some Churches Want Ministers To Protect Them from the Real God Richard Lovelace wrote: "The whole church was...avoiding the biblical portrait of the sovereign and holy God who was angry with the wicked every day and whose anger ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Tags: Idolatry

One Letter By James Armstrong Of Casselberry ...

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Aug 27, 2012

One letter by James Armstrong of Casselberry said: “Thomas is a fundamentalist Christian who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible. He used to work for the moral Majority. From his narrow, myopic vantage point, he self-righteously presumes to judge the human family. What about ...read more

Tags: Apostasy, Apologetics General

Denomination: Baptist

Over Your Head

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

OVER YOUR HEAD I remember struggling in the water and I remember going under. I also remember the distinct feeling that I was going to die. What I learned as a young child was that one should be careful about getting in over one's head. I would like to ask you a question. How many of you can ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 47:1-2

Tags: Fear, Commitment

Denomination: Pentecostal

We Look At What We Don't Have Instead Of Looking ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Vicente on Dec 27, 2003

WE LOOK AT WHAT WE DON’T HAVE INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT WHAT WE DO HAVE – IF WE HAVE GOD, WE HAVE ALL WE NEED --- A story of a farmer who wanted to impress his hunting buddies. To impress them, he bought the smartest, most expensive hunting dog he could find. He trained this dog to do things no other ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 1:3

Tags: Emotions, God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Baptist

John 14:6 – "Jesus Told Him, ‘i Am The Way, The ...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Weber on Mar 14, 2006

John 14:6 – “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” This is so hard for prideful people to accept. Elaine Pagels (author of The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ) says she had an epiphany while ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:8-14

Tags: False Teaching

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

As A Young Father, One Of The Great Delights I ...

Contributed by John Montgomery on Jun 9, 2007

As a young father, one of the great delights I had was putting the presents for my children under the Christmas tree each year. The bigger ones that required assembly would always make the night a little longer than it should have been, because I always prided myself in my ability to figure out ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Throwing In The Towel

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Dec 30, 2008

THROWING IN THE TOWEL I don't know whether you are a lover of boxing as a sport or not, but when a boxer has had enough, the trainer can 'throw in the towel." This signifies we just can't go on any further... We often use the turn of phrase to say were giving up. If were honest, there may be ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Baptist

Knowing Oneself Is Important For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

Knowing Oneself is Important for Leadership Mort Meyerson became the CEO of Perot Systems, a computer services company. Within six months, he realized that compared to other companies he had known as CEO, everything was different at this one. It wasn’t just the technology, market, and customers, ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 28:2

Tags: Leadership General

It Wasn't Long Ago In Australia We Saw Race ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 25, 2009

It wasn’t long ago in Australia we saw race horses being put down because of a disease that spread through the racing industry, threatening the lives of people also. Whatever the plague was in Egypt, it was severe, contagious and fatal. The only animals under the Lord’s quarantine were those in the ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Margaret: The Hard Soil

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jan 13, 2011

MARGARET: THE HARD SOIL Each week I give a devotion in each of the 8 dining areas of the Shalom Centre and Margaret (not her real name) is there, with ears which will not hear. Her heart is a fortress, cold, hard, defensive. The gates are huge, old and impenetrable, bolted with fear and pride that ...read more

Tags: Unbelief

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Japan's Sea Wall

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on May 31, 2011

JAPAN'S SEA WALL New York Times, April 16, 2011: So unshakable was this town's faith in its sea wall and its ability to save residents from any tsunami that some rushed toward it after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeast Japan on the afternoon of March 11. After all, the ...read more

Tags: Security

Denomination: Lutheran

Salvation Belongs To The Lord

Contributed by Michael Walther on Jun 6, 2011

SALVATION BELONGS TO THE LORD To say that we cooperate with God in any way in our salvation undermines the doctrine of salvation, robs our confidence in God, and tempts us to pride. It is like the man who collapses from a massive heart attack and is rushed to the hospital. The doctor doesn’t ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Lutheran

He's My Father!!!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2022

There is an old Roman story which tells how a Roman emperor was once enjoying a great victory. He had the privilege of marching his troops through the streets of Rome with all of his captured trophies, and his prisoners behind him. This emperor was marching with his troops; the streets were lined ...read more

Tags: Lord's Prayer, Heavenly Father, Father, Children, Worship, Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Born A Christian Nation

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 30, 2003

BORN A CHRISTIAN NATION "The Bible...is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God and spiritual nature and needs of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation. America was born a Christian nation. America ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, Political Freedom

C S Lewis Wrote, "God Whispers To Us In Our ...

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Dec 19, 2004

C S Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our health and prosperity, but, being hard of hearing, we fail to hear God’s voice in both. It’s then that God turns up the amplifier by means of suffering. Then his voice booms.” We mustn’t be surprised at the means that God uses to teach us the lessons ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience

Denomination: Baptist