In Sermon Illustrations: "Spiritual Renewal"

John Macarthur On Knowing God's Will

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 27, 2012

JOHN MACARTHUR ON KNOWING GOD'S WILL God’s will is that you be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering. God’s Word makes all this clear. Do not read on until you have grasped these five principles. You say, "MacArthur, you were going to tell me what school I should go to. You ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Tags: God's Will, Knowing God's Will

Denomination: Baptist

The Scariest Road  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2012

THE SCARIEST ROAD Yahoo! Travel has released an article titled America’s Scariest Drives, and the results are frightening. Here is a brief list of some of the roads: Highway One that travels off the Big Sur Coast in California is both beautiful and breath-taking. This 122 mile stretch travels ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Sermon On The Mount

He Has My Best Interests At Heart

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

HE HAS MY BEST INTERESTS AT HEART A few years ago I had a scary encounter with a masked man wielding a knife. I remember him with gratitude, though, since he was an orthopedic surgeon to whom I paid thousands of dollars to correct some problems with my left foot... For 3 months the surgeon ...read more

Tags: Commandments General

Denomination: Baptist

Man In A Hurry  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 7, 2014

MAN IN A HURRY On the Andy Griffith Show episode "Man in a Hurry"- Malcolm tucker is a wealthy businessman from Charlotte. One Sunday he happens to have car trouble a couple of miles outside of Mayberry. Malcolm walks the rest of the way to town and meets Andy coming out of Sunday morning ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: Frustration, Trial, Unexpected, Hurry

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jesus Is The Answer

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

Krister Sairsingh, a former Hindu from Trinidad who is now the Chaplain to international students at Harvard. Let me read you some excerpts from his story. After making great progress in the Hindu spiritual disciplines something happened that unsettled him deeply. During my final year of high ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:1-32

Tags: Evangelism, Conversion, Jesus Is The Answer

Denomination: Methodist

War

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

WAR My life fell apart in the summer of ‘68. One minute I was the happiest man in the world then wham! It was all over. My countenance changed from a look of total contentment into one filled with agony and anguish. Here I was living in total rapture, married to the woman of my dreams. It’s hard ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

Tags: Battle, War

Denomination: Pentecostal

Do You Have A "chip On The Shoulder"?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2020

Hebrew scholar Gensenius, says that the meaning of the Old Testament word for "meekness" involves "a lowly, pious, and modest mind, which prefers to bear injuries rather than return them." Meekness is not only the opposite of pride, but of stubbornness, fierceness, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Meekness, Beatitudes, Anger, Sensitivity, Sermon On The Mount, Chip On The Shoulder, Spirit Controlled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Solar Powered

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Apr 27, 2021

The other day I was sitting on my back porch. On my porch is a bird bath with a small solar-powered fountain. The fountain only works when the sun is directly on it and, since that day was a clear day, the fountain was operating at full steam. As I was sitting enjoying the day a brief passing ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12

Tags: Spirit, John, Light, Power, Life, Darkness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

P-U-L-L Or Pray Until Lesson’s Learned!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 30, 2023

Introduction: A lot of us might remember the acronym P-U-S-H, standing for Pray Until Something Happens! The other day, something happened to me to give a bit of a humorous slant or angle on that idea. Text: Proverbs 3:13-14, KJV: 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:13-14

Tags: Wisdom, Learning

Denomination: Baptist

Where Did God Come From?

Contributed by William Akehurst on Jan 15, 2024

ILLUSTRATION: WHERE DOES GOD COME FROM? FROM A DEBATE WITH PASTOR KENT HOVIND Source: https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/resources/where_does_God_comes_from/index.htm A Student asked the question, Where does God come from? The following is the answer given by Pastor Kent Hovind [Transcription] ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:1

Tags: In The Beginning, Origin Of God, Genesis

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Like A Bird In The Hand!" Matthew 8:14-17 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 8, 2005

“Like A Bird in the Hand!” Matthew 8:14-17 Key verse(s): 16-17:“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:14-17

Tags: God's Provision, Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Lutheran

I Will, With God's Help

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 5, 2009

I WILL, WITH GOD'S HELP I read a marvelous story remembered by Reverend Mary Moore Roberson. She writes: "Some years ago, I served on the lay staff of my home parish under the supervision of the priest charged with pastoral care. Barbara took to appearing, first at the door to his office and ...read more

Tags: Mercy

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Temptation Is Oh So Tempting

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 7, 2021

At the beginning of the week, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage informed me that she and some of her friends would be going thrift store shopping on Thursday. I nodded my head and smiled, not knowing where she was going with this. “Now,” she said, “you will have to take care of your lunch. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13

Tags: Temptations, Yielding, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

When Is It Okay To Be Snarly?

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 6, 2022

Normally, whatever normal means, I don’t get agitated by many things. I can keep my cool under the most bizarre circumstances. Nothing gets under my skin, and I can take everything with a grin. I can’t remember the last time I lost my temper and got mad. I’ve been married for over 50 years, so I ...read more

Scripture: John 8:44

Tags: Humor, Telemarketers, Snarly, Aggitation

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Did My Body Warranty Just Expire?

Contributed by James Snyder on Jun 21, 2025

Just when I recover from the latest ache in my body within a few minutes, I will get a “Boo, I’m back.” I’m not quite sure why these Aches and Pains love my body so much. Why don’t they just get over it and move on to another circus. The problem is, after I’m through with one ache, the next ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: Pain, Blessing, Warranty

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[067]. A Message From A Poem – Eden’s Garden And Gardens Of Significence

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 27, 2025

[067]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – EDEN’S GARDEN AND GARDENS OF SIGNIFICENCE This poem is an examination of the Garden of Eden, mainly dealing with Satan’s temptation and man’s fall into sin. There are a lot of teachings that derive from this account in Genesis 3 and in the poem I try to bring ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47, Matthew 19:4-6, Revelation 21:1-2

Tags: Mary Magdalene, Poem, Gardens, Serpent, Gethsemane, Adam And Eve, Garden Of Eden, Poetry, The Fall, Eden, Satan, Temptation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A National Prayer Of Repentance  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 31, 2001

A NATIONAL PRAYER OF REPENTANCE Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State House in Topeka. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18-21

Tags: Walk, Controversial, Independence Day, National, Repentance, Prayer, Prayer Confession  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A National Prayer Of Repentance  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 30, 2002

A NATIONAL PRAYER OF REPENTANCE Joe Wright is the pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS. On January 23, 1996, He was asked to be the guest chaplain for the Kansas State House in Topeka. He prayed a prayer of repentance that was written by Bob Russell, pastor of Southeast Christian ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:34, Jonah 3:6-10, Jeremiah 18:7-14, Acts 2:1-13

Tags: Christian Liberty, Gambling, Prayer, Repentance, Men, Independence Day  (view more)  (view less)

Shortly After The Turn Of The Century, Japan ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Sep 22, 2004

Shortly after the turn of the century, Japan invaded, conquered, and occupied Korea. One group singled out for concentrated oppression was the Christians. When the Japanese army overpowered Korea one of the first things they did was board up evangelical churches and eject most foreign missionaries. ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Wesleyan

Bill Hybels Tells The Story Of A Man In His ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 1, 2005

Bill Hybels tells the story of a man in his church who came to him and said, “When I was a new believer, the thought of talking with the God of the universe, the thought of him listening to me, responding to my cares and concerns, was so overwhelming I could barely take it in. I prayed all the ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered, Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Methodist