In Sermon Illustrations: "Than Ksgiving"

On Profanity And Ungodly Language

Contributed by Bobby Mcdaniel on Apr 17, 2010

ON PROFANITY AND UNGODLY LANGUAGE Profanity and crude language are becoming more common on prime-time television programs. Many writers and producers seem to be intent on pushing the limits of how much immoral and offensive speech the public will allow. Profane and vulgar language is noise ...read more

Tags: Communication Speech

A Pastor Friend Was Telling Me About Two Men In ...

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jul 8, 2010

A pastor friend was telling me about two men in his church who are stricken with Alzheimer’s. One man is a retired pastor. He and his wife still attend church. Sometimes it takes this retired pastor longer than usual to say something. My friend spoke of being patient with him as they ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

The Definition Of A Saint  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 15, 2010

THE DEFINITION OF A SAINT A young boy went with his parents touring around Europe one summer. Part of their tour included visits to the great old cathedrals of the past. As he visited cathedral after cathedral, he was impressed the massive stained glass portraits of the disciples and of other ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Forgiveness Limits...?

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Jul 31, 2010

FORGIVENESS LIMITS...? I feel more comfortable when I can see the extent of my obligations. That brings light to the lesson of Peter in Matthew 18. Peter was concerned about how many times he should forgive his neighbor. Peter knew what the rabbis had to say on the topic. They had read the hook ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Hanging Onto The "Bomb"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 13, 2010

HANGING ONTO THE "BOMB" For four hours he held the cylinder, waiting for rescue or an immediate death. After digging up what appeared to be an unexploded WWI bomb, David Page held on to it, afraid that letting go would detonate the device. While holding the bomb, the terrified 40-year-old from ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Anxiety

Overcoming Evil With Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2010

OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist, tells this true story. A poor, Christian Chinese farmer had rice fields high in the mountain. Every day he spent hours pumping water into the rice paddies; but when he returned to the fields the next morning, he would find that his ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5

Tags: Christian Witness

Leave The Bones  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

LEAVE THE BONES A clergyman took a seat in a dining car on a train traveling along the Hudson River. Opposite him was an atheist who, seeing his clerical collar, started a discussion. "I see you are a clergyman." "Yes," came the reply. "I am a minister of the gospel." "I suppose you believe the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Bible Study

The Shepherd's Blood

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2011

THE SHEPHERD'S BLOOD In 1972, a shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled-off, enclosed area for the night, and he had just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion. He quickly rushed over to where the sound was coming from and to his horror he discovered that a wolf was in the process of ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:11-14

Tags: Blood Of Christ

Maclaren On Facing Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

MACLAREN ON FACING DEATH The great 1800s Scottish preacher Alexander MacLaren said: "Many of us cling to life with a desperate clutch, like some poor wretch pushed over a precipice and trying to dig his nails into the rock as he falls. Some of us cling to it because we dread what is beyond, and ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:20-23

Tags: Death Nearness

Which House Would You Rather Live In?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2011

WHICH HOUSE WOULD YOU RATHER LIVE IN? On October 19, 2010, a test was conducted at the Institute for Business and Home Safety in Richburg, South Carolina. Researchers constructed two 1,300-square-foot houses inside a $40 million laboratory and then observed how a simulated hurricane would impact ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-27

Thelma And Louise: Rethinking The Trip

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Aug 9, 2011

THELMA AND LOUISE: RETHINKING THE TRIP Thelma, married to Darryl (which the film portrays as a controlling husband) and Louise (a single waitress with a troubled past) decide to take a weekend road trip in Louise’s teal 1966 Thunderbird convertible. They stop at a bar where Thelma flirts with a ...read more

Tags: Self

Denomination: Baptist

J. C. Ryle On Zeal  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

J. C. RYLE ON ZEAL Recently I found a book by Bishop J.C. Ryle, the first bishop of Liverpool, England on the subject of zeal. He wrote: "Zeal is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. A zealous man is preeminently a man of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21, Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Zeal

Luther's Confessions

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Dec 8, 2011

LUTHER'S CONFESSIONS Before writing, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," before becoming a leader of the Reformation, before his 95 Theses, Martin Luther was a Catholic priest. One thing that did not change for him was a passionate conviction that Christians must repent and confess their sins. As a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9, Psalm 66:18

Tags: Confession, Repentance, Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

The Importance Of Focus

Contributed by Mark Tonkery on Feb 3, 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUS When the Alaskan Pipeline was being built, there were many Texans who went to Alaska and found work on the pipeline. The Texans could only work a few hours in the frigid weather, yet the Eskimos, the native Alaskans, could work indefinitely in the cold. They decided to ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:4-8

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Launching Into The Deep

Contributed by Tom Feola on Feb 6, 2012

LAUNCHING INTO THE DEEP Dr. Robert Schuller's hobbies include raising koi fish. Asked why some grow big while others stay small, he replied, "If a koi fish lives in a small tank it will never grow longer than two or three inches. In a larger pond they can grow up to ten inches long--in ponds the ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Mother's Arms

Contributed by Eugene Morell on Feb 24, 2012

MOTHER'S ARMS There was a teenager who didn’t want to be seen in public with her mother, because her mother’s arms were terribly disfigured. One day when her mother took her shopping and reached out her hand, a clerk looked horrified. Later, crying, the girl told her how embarrassed she was. ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Place Of Abundant Adventure

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 26, 2012

THE PLACE OF ABUNDANT ADVENTURE Mike Slaughter tells the story of going to Darfur, Africa to minister to the refugees. "It was the first time in my life I knew I was going into a situation with a probability I could die; a situation that was utterly dangerous. There were people with guns. We would ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Methodist

Open Table Ministry

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 26, 2012

OPEN TABLE MINISTRY Open Table started with a chance encounter with a homeless man named Ernie who simply asked a youth group serving him a meal if he could come worship at their church. The adult youth workers were moved to agree to come the very next day to bring Ernie to their church service. ...read more

Tags: Action

Denomination: Methodist

Do You Fear What You Need Not Fear?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2012

DO YOU FEAR WHAT YOU NEED NOT FEAR? A friend told me a story of some hunting dogs that he had. They were good hunting dogs that he used when he went to hunt pigs in the mountains. He shared however, that the dogs, as tough as they were, were deathly afraid of chickens. I couldn’t believe it, so I ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-18

Tags: Satan

Playing In The Dirt

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 15, 2012

PLAYING IN THE DIRT If you see a baby playing in the dirt, the baby may be dirty but you pretty much don’t make a big deal about it because it’s understood that babies play in dirt. Babies try to eat dirt. Babies scrub themselves in dirt. Dirt is a toy to a baby. But if you see a ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16

Tags: Growth In Christ