In Sermon Illustrations: "Starting The Year"

There Was An Old Monastery That Had Fallen Upon ...

Contributed by Scott Jensen on Sep 10, 2008

There was an old monastery that had fallen upon hard times. It was once a great order, but as a result of waves of persecution in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the rise of secularism in the nineteenth century, all its branch houses were lost and it had become decimated to the extent ...read more

Tags: Love For God

Denomination: Lutheran

The Pitcairn Bible

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 25, 2008

The Pitcairn Bible The story of the Mutiny on the Bounty has been told many times and has been made glamourised by the 1962 film starring Trevor Howard and Marlon Brando in the lead roles. But the one part of the story that is not so well known is the transformation on Pitcairn Island of the ...read more

Scripture: John 3:14, Matthew 8:5-13

Tags: Born Again

Denomination: Anglican

My Ongoing Grudge With Santa

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 18, 2021

I’ve had sort of a grudge with old Mr. Santa Claus. I was introduced to Santa Claus by my parents, who informed me that he was the one that brought all of my Christmas presents on Christmas day. And I believe my parents. I remember on Christmas Eve we had to go to bed early to give Santa Claus ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-32

Tags: Christmas, Gifts

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Companies Lose 50% Of Their Employees Every 4 ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Companies lose 50% of their employees every 4 years. (Foster Letter ...read more

Tags: Church General

Global Trafficking Of Women And Girls For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

Global trafficking of women and girls for purposes of sexual exploitation rakes in $7 ...read more

Somehow Not Only For Christmas But All The Long ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Somehow not only for Christmas But all the long year through, The joy that you give to others ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Chains Do Not Hold A Marriage Together. It Is ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Success Is Full Of Promise Till Men Get It, And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Success is full of promise till men get it, and then it is a last year's nest, ...read more

Tags: Workplace Success

9 Million People Get Divorced In The U.s. Each ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2008

1.9 million people get divorced in the U.S. each ...read more

At The End Of Wwii The Japanese Government Faced ...  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on May 7, 2003

At the end of WWII the Japanese government faced a similar problem with thousands of soldiers who were hiding in the jungles and mountains in the South Pacific. Although the treaty with the U.S. had been signed and the war was over, thousands of Japanese soldiers living in the mountains and ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Playwright Maria Hedley Had Her Fill Of Terrible ...

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jun 23, 2010

Playwright Maria Hedley had her fill of terrible dates. Most of the dates she went on she thought the guys would be great candidates but they were totally unsatisfying. She got sick of her own taste and decided that fate couldn’t mess up her love life anymore than she could, and it might just do ...read more

Tags: Sexual Purity, Marriage Singleness

Denomination: Baptist

Making An Impact Through Genuine Giving

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

MAKING AN IMPACT THROUGH GENUINE GIVING I received this e-mail from my best friend who pastors in Oklahoma. He received it from a member of his congregation. Andrew, I just wanted to let you know how excited I am about the changes in Christmas plans. I would love to be at the pampering night for ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Brother Lawrence And Disciplines

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

BROTHER LAWRENCE AND DISCIPLINES Around 1610, a child was born in France by the name Nichols Herman. Later in life, he would become known as Brother Lawrence. As a young man, he fought in the Thirty Years War and sustained a near fatal His injury to his sciatic nerve. The injury left him quite ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 6:9

Tags: Discipleship, Recognition, Seeking Christ

Grace At Christmas

Contributed by Joel Arndt on Jan 9, 2020

Early on in my ministry, I was called to the home of one of the people in the congregation who said they had a Christmas gift for me. Shortly after getting out of my vehicle I heard shouting coming from the house that I was called to. I gently knocked on the door and the woman of the house opened ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23

Tags: Christmas, Grace, Forgiveness, Gift

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Would Like To Read You Something I Came Across ...  PRO

Contributed by Mary Lewis on Sep 24, 2001

I would like to read you something I came across this week. It was written by a man named Tamim Ansary– who is an Afghani-American writer [ taken from Salon.com ]. I don’t generally like to read something of this length, but I think it is important for us to hear. [start quote] I’ve been hearing a ...read more

Tags: Stand Fast, World Religions

Denomination: Baptist

God's Algebra!" Romans 8:9-17 Key Verse(S) ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on May 25, 2005

“God’s Algebra!” Romans 8:9-17 Key verse(s) 16:“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” One of the unchangeable and mysterious laws of mathematics is that whenever you multiply a positive number by a negative number you will always get a negative number. I ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:9-17

Tags: Wait, Promises Of God, God's Omniscience, God's Love, Patience, Perseverance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Praying For The Lost

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Mar 15, 2010

PRAYING FOR THE LOST Lee Thomas is a great teacher on praying for the lost. Here’s part of a testimony from his book: When we begin to pray for someone’s salvation, God seems to draw a circle around that individual and then gets in the circle with him. That is what happened to Ricky Gresham when ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Baptist

Leonard Slatkin, Music Director Of The National ...

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 20, 2007

Leonard Slatkin, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, was asked a hypothetical question: “What would happen if one of the world’s great violinists performed incognito before a traveling rush-hour audience of over 1,000 people?” “Let’s assume,” Slatkin said, “that he is not ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Gifted Does Not Equal "Successful"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 12, 2009

"GIFTED" DOES NOT EQUAL "SUCCESSFUL" This week, I’ve begun reading a new book by one of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell, titled "Outliers: The Story of Success." The premise of the book is simple: no successful person is a self-made man; everyone who gets to the top had a lot advantages, ...read more

Tags: Gifts General

I Find More Honesty In One Alcoholic’s ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Peck on Feb 1, 2001

"I find more honesty in one Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting than in an entire year going to ...read more

Tags: Faith, Truth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational