In Sermon Illustrations: "Take"

Prepared To ...

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Aug 6, 2010

Prepared to serve. Joshua died at 110 years old in 1380 B.C. He assumed leadership around 1406 B.C. Therefore, he was around 85 years old when he took command from Moses!Before Joshua ever took the reigns, he had been a servant, a soldier and a spy. Some feel that you can make a man by giving him ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

Consuming Fire

Contributed by Bruce Rzengota on Dec 4, 2010

CONSUMING FIRE Every year there is at least one story or a wildfire born of carelessness quickly spreads, consuming the thick, dried-out vegetation and almost everything else in its path. What was once a forest becomes a virtual powder keg of untapped fuel. In a seemingly instantaneous burst, the ...read more

Tags: Zeal

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Two Kinds Of Giving

Contributed by T D on Dec 28, 2010

TWO KINDS OF GIVING I have witnessed in my years of ministry people come to church and when they do not like a decision of the leadership or the minister, they decide to stop giving as a protest or decide to shift their giving to missions in order to inflict pain on the ministry of the church. ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Major Osipovich, An Air Force Pilot For The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2011

Major Osipovich, an Air Force pilot for the former USSR, planned to give a talk at his children's school about peace. That meant he would have to take some time off during the day to give his talk, so he volunteered for night duty. That’s how Major Osipovich found himself patrolling the skies over ...read more

Scripture: John 14:27

Tags: Peace

A Mother's Embrace

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on May 6, 2011

A MOTHER'S EMBRACE My own mother was a remarkable embodiment of both beauty and duty. She was lovely in appearance, and I think early in her life she turned many a head. But her real beauty was her embrace of duty. She worked hard from the time she was a child until, in her final years, she could ...read more

Tags: Mothers

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The World Is Without Hope

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 5, 2011

THE WORLD IS WITHOUT HOPE In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Cat’s Cradle, an important book comes to light. It is titled, "What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?" The chief character is anxious to read it. But when he does, he finds that it ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:12

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Nazarene

John Wesley: "It Is Impossible For Any That Have ...  PRO

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 7, 2011

John Wesley: "It is impossible for any that have it, to conceal the religion of Jesus Christ... As well may men think to hide a city, as to hide a Christian; yea, as well may they conceal a city set upon a hill, as a holy, zealous, active lover of God and man." He goes on to say that "it is ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

John Piper's Reading Plan

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 14, 2011

JOHN PIPER'S READING PLAN John Piper is a well-known Christian author and pastor. He tells about a plan that he says has changed his life. Suppose you read about 250 words a minute, and you resolved to devote just 15 minutes a day to some serious theological reading to deepen your understanding ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 17:18-20

Tags: Learning

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde: Our Irrevocable Acts  PRO

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jun 30, 2011

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE: OUR IRREVOCABLE ACTS Robert Louis Stevenson, in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," set forth the irrevocable nature of every act we perform. Mr. Jekyll discovered a drug that would transform him into a man devoid of any conscience and therefore able to enjoy any vice or sin. ...read more

Tags: Romans, Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Cleaning Up Our Mess

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

CLEANING UP OUR MESS There is a story about President Ronald Reagan when he "...was in the hospital healing from when he had been shot. One day his Vice President walked in the room to find him on his hands and knees wiping up water. The Vice President said, 'Mr. President, they’ll take care of ...read more

Scripture: John 13:12-17

Tags: Humility

Tying Off The Tap Root  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

TYING OFF THE TAP ROOT The Japanese introduced a tree to the world that is called a Bonsai tree. It is measured in inches instead of feet as other trees are measured. It is not allowed to reach anywhere near its full growth potential but instead grows in a stunted miniature form. The reason for ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:1-7

Tags: Prayer General

Getting To Know Man

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 18, 2011

GETTING TO KNOW MAN Julie and I have the wonderful privilege to raise Bryce and Chase. But that is a privilege given to us by God. God created our children and is allowing Julie and I to raise them. We get to keep them in our home for a time and then they are off into the world. But God created ...read more

Tags: Worldliness

That's My Country

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Mar 11, 2012

THAT'S MY COUNTRY George Shultz, when Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, kept a large globe in his office. When newly appointed ambassadors had an interview with him and when ambassadors returning from their posts for their first visit with him were leaving his office, Shultz ...read more

Tags: Missions

My Times Are In Your Hands

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 12, 2012

MY TIMES ARE IN YOUR HANDS This was told by a missionary who was active in China when the country was taken over by communists. The missionary was arrested and subjected to severe questioning and mental torture. Throughout the procedure he would continually utter a quotation from Psalm 31:15, ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Accident Already Occurred

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2012

THE ACCIDENT ALREADY OCCURRED There’s a phrase in military aviation which goes like this: "The accident already occurred, we're just waiting for the plane to arrive at the crash site." What does that mean? It means the accident occurred miles before the actual accident occurred, when the pilot or ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 11:1-43

Tags: Cause, Idolatry, Effect

Keep The Springs Pure  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

KEEP THE SPRINGS PURE The family’s water supply came from a spring just a few feet from the house. The pure, cold, sweet water bubbled up through a large pipe about the size of a barrel that had been sunk in the ground. One morning two huge frogs were found in the spring. No one wanted to drink ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Heart

Thomas Manton On God's Word And Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2012

THOMAS MANTON ON GOD'S WORD AND PRAYER Thomas Manton: Meditation on Scripture supplies us in prayer. Barrenness and leanness of soul is a very great defect, which God's children often complain of. One great reason is because the Word of God doth not dwell plenteously in them, so that in every ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:17-18

Tags: Prayer How To

Let Me Read One Of Aesop’s Greek Fables; In ...

Contributed by Francis Balla on Aug 24, 2012

Let me read one of Aesop’s Greek fables; In the forest, there lived four oxen. They were very good friends and always went together to graze in the fields. However, every time they went, a hungry lion tried to attack them. The lion longed for their meat. But they withstood his attack by fighting ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Baptist

The 10 Tests Of Abraham

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 6, 2012

THE 10 TESTS OF ABRAHAM Ten Tests of Abraham according to Maimonides: 1. God tells him to leave his homeland to be a stranger in the land of Canaan. (12.1) 2. Immediately after his arrival in the Promised Land, he encounters a famine. (12.10) 3. The Egyptians capture his beloved wife, Sarah, and ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Death Steals From Us

Contributed by Jeffrey Rowe on Dec 29, 2012

Death steals from us in this life by suddenly separating us from the people and things we’ve come to care about. It robs us. A little while back, our church office building was broken into by thieves who took some of our equipment. Personally I’ve had my car broken into a couple of times. I’m ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Holiness