In Sermon Illustrations: "Spiritual Pride"

What Do People Want In Their Pastors? A New ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

What Do People Want In Their Pastors? A new study by Hartford Institute researcher Adair Lummis reveals that, first and foremost, lay leaders want a pastor with an authentic religious life. Most lay people define that as a person whose faith combines both head and heart; a person whose lifestyle ...read more

Tags: Church General

Charles Hard Townes, 89, And Columbia University ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Charles Hard Townes, 89, and Columbia University physicist, has been awarded this year’s Templeton Prize for progress or discoveries about spiritual reality. He notes, “I don’t think that science is complete at all. We don’t understand everything and one can see, within science itself, there are ...read more

Tags: Faith General

When Hugh Latimer Was Preaching One Day In The ...  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Dec 1, 2007

When Hugh Latimer was preaching one day in the presence of King Henry VIII, he reports that he said to himself, “Latimer! Latimer! Remember that the king is here; be careful what you say.” Then he said to himself, “Latimer! Latimer! Remember that the King of kings is here; be careful what you do ...read more

Denomination: Other

The New Face Of Christianity Will Be "The Black ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

The New Face of Christianity will be “the black woman,” claims Kwok Pui Lan of the William F. Cole Professor of Christian Theology and Spirituality at the Episcopal Divinity School. In mid ’07, Europe claimed the greatest number of Christians in the world: 532 million, followed by Latin America at ...read more

Tags: Religion

The Daughter's Statement Of Submission Is One Of ...

Contributed by Charles Jones on Aug 24, 2008

The daughter’s statement of submission is one of the most touching speeches in Scripture (Judg. 11:36). She shared her father’s extreme reverence for God, even if it cost her marriage, children, and life itself. No wonder the young women of Israel honored her ever after (11:40). What does this ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Pentecostal

Tech ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

TECH CHURCH People within the Christian community are just as immersed in digital technologies and social networks as those outside. Both evangelicals and born-agains emerged as statistically on-par with national norms when it comes to technological habits. The one exception is access to spiritual ...read more

Tags: Technology

Neglect Of Community

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jun 15, 2009

NEGLECT OF COMMUNITY "If God designed the Church to function like a body with every member ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit to other members, in regular interpersonal relationship, then would it be surprising to find that the neglect of this regular interpersonal, spiritual ministry ...read more

Tags: Church Small Groups

Denomination: Baptist

Walk In The Spirit Defined

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

"WALK IN THE SPIRIT" DEFINED For example, the students of Aristotle were known as the Peripatetics because of their habit of following the philosopher around from place to place as he dispensed his teachings. In Paul’s vocabulary, to "walk in the Spirit" or be "led by the Spirit" means to go where ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Jimmy Carter On Evidence Of Genuine ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2009

Jimmy Carter On Evidence of Genuine Faith In his book Living Faith Jimmy Carter writes: A group of Christian laymen involved in missionary work approached a small village near an Amish settlement. Seeking a possible convert, they confronted an Amish farmer and asked him, “Brother, are you a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 3:7-18

Tags: Repentance

Confession Is Good For You

Contributed by Jerry Blaxton on Mar 12, 2010

CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR YOU We’ve all heard the old saying, "Confession is good for the soul." Even in non-Christian and non-spiritual circles, people believe that to be true. Psychologists or psychiatrists would say that when we confess our wrong actions, words, and thoughts, it’s like a burden is ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

Closed For Alterations  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 16, 2011

CLOSED FOR ALTERATIONS Billy Graham tells a story--a simple illustration--that I want to borrow. A preacher once passed a shop which was no longer open for business. A sign hung in the window that said, "Closed for Alterations." The owner had closed shop for a while in order to remodel the store. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Tags: Rapture

What Is Doctrine?

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 25, 2025

What is doctrine? “The word translated “doctrine” means “instruction, especially as it applies to lifestyle application.” In other words, doctrine is teaching imparted by an authoritative source. In the Bible, the word always refers to spiritually related fields of study. The Bible says of itself ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Timothy 4:16

Tags: Instruction, Belief, Doctrine

Denomination: Methodist

Critical Thinking With Being Critical!" Matthew ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jul 12, 2004

“Critical Thinking With Being Critical!” Matthew 7: 1-5 Key verse(s): 1-2 “‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’” Chuck Swindoll tells a humorous but rather sobering tale of the other side of the coin, the flip side that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Parent Realizes The Parallel Between Training ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 14, 2009

Parent Realizes the Parallel Between Training Children Academically and Spiritually I’d like to invite Dean Ridder to come up and share what he wrote on his blog a couple months ago (see www.pontiacchristian.org/blog/index.php). Dean is a member of PBC, plays in the Praise Band, and is the ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:7-9

Tags: Parenting

Charles Swindoll In His Book "Three Steps ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard Jones on Nov 1, 2000

Charles Swindoll in his book “Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back” tells the 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 dog on earth could do---impossible ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:1-13

Tags: Faith General, Emotions

Denomination: Baptist

When I Was A Small Boy, I Attended Church Every ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

When I was a small boy, I attended church every Sunday at a big Gothic Presbyterian bastion in Chicago. The preaching was powerful and the music was great. But for me, the most awesome moment in the morning service was the offertory, when twelve solemn, frock-coated ushers marched in lock-step down ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:15-24

Tags: God's Provision

I Want To Begin This Morning By Talking About A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I want to begin this morning by talking about a feud that started towards the end of the civil War in West Virginia and Kentucky. It began in January of 1865 when Harmon McCoy, who had joined the Union army, was found murdered, presumably by a group of men led by William Anderson Hatfield. This ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Steinbeck And His Hell-Sermon Experience

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

STEINBECK AND HIS HELL-SERMON EXPERIENCE In a fascinating story of his journey across the United States, John Steinbeck tells of a Church service he attended during his travels in the State of Vermont. Tongue-in-cheek, he says, "The preacher spoke of Hell as an expert. Not the mush-mush Hell of ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Prayer Changes ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS A lady was out hitting all the local garage sales when she came across an old needlepoint picture that read, "Prayer Changes Lives." She bought it, took it home and began to look for just the right place to hang the new picture. Finally, she decided that it went well in the ...read more

Tags: Change

1950's Game,

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

1950’s Game, "Going To Jerusalem," Misrepresented the Christian Life Mark 8:33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter – same word. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (NIV) Peter’s attitude was not only ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:34-38

Tags: Discipleship, Playing Games