In Sermon Illustrations: "The Imitation Of Christ"

Funny Prayers

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 2, 2025

I found this collection of funny prayers on-line: • Lord, I ask that you give me the superpower to eat as much pizza as I want without gaining any weight. It would truly be a miracle and make my life complete. Amen. • Lord, I ask that you make all the calories in donuts and ice cream disappear, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:5

Tags: Holy Spirit, Food, Prayer, Flesh

Denomination: Methodist

Silent Night (Stille Nacht)

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 3, 2025

It’s Christmas Eve in 1818, in the little village of Oberndorf near Salzburg. St. Nicholas Church will soon be full. Father Joseph Mohr has words for a new carol—but no melody. He walks through the snow to the nearby village of Arnsdorf and asks his friend, schoolteacher Franz Gruber, “Could you ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:10-14, Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2

Tags: Worship, Peace, Incarnation

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Sin With A Big S

Contributed by John Bright on Jul 12, 2026

• “If we say that we have no sin,” John is referring to what today we call Sin with a big ‘S’. This is what we call the sin nature within each person; it is a matter of the heart and desires. Paul put it like this in Romans 7:17: “But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:17, 1 Corinthians 15:3

Tags: Sin, Garden, Weeds, Sin Nature

Denomination: Methodist

I Am A Soldier  PRO

Contributed by Dr. C. David White on May 26, 2002

I am a soldier in the army of my God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct, Faith, prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit-- trained by experience, tried by adversity and tested by fire. I am a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, 2 Timothy 2:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

Tags: Disciplines General, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Baptist

A Recent Front-Page Story In The Wall Street ...  PRO

Contributed by Karl Eckhoff on Feb 12, 2004

A recent front-page story in the Wall Street Journal (January 6, 2004) reported U.S. Marines being trained for duty in Iraq are getting drilled in people skills as well as heavy weaponry. They are receiving instruction about staying respectful as well as about staying alive. Marines are still ...read more

Scripture: Philemon 1:8-14

Tags: Gifts Wisdom, Gifts General

Denomination: Lutheran

A. Linda Down Discovered Real Power And She ...  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 25, 2004

A. Linda Down discovered real power and she needed it. She had dealt with the limitations of cerebral palsy all her life. One day, she got this crazy idea of running the New York Marathon. But Linda walked with difficulty, so running seemed out of the question? She used canes with arm clamps to ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No Mundane Stuff Allowed! ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 8, 2005

No Mundane Stuff Allowed! (06.10.05--Family--Song. 4:1-7) It has been said that one of the major problems with families is that they start out wrong from the start. From the moment the marriage license is signed spouses are inclined to view the privilege as more of a hunting license than a ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 4:1-4

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Lutheran

The Cavalry Is Already Here! (08.25.05--Under ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 23, 2005

The Cavalry Is Already Here! (08.25.05--Under Pressure!--Judges 1:1) Working for a small, non-profit, I often find myself tackling projects on pretty much of a solo basis. The old adage, “If you want to get something done, you need to do it yourself!” is a prevalent attitude among those who work ...read more

Scripture: Judges 1:1

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Lutheran

There's A Guy By The Name Of Harley Whom A Bible ...

Contributed by Bruce Willis on Dec 20, 2006

There’s a guy by the name of Harley whom a Bible teacher had met in a Sunday School class. He realized that what the teacher was sharing was not real for him. He wasn’t experiencing Christ as his life. The reason he realized it was he was an unhappy camper when Lee met him. Harley’s married to ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Two Books About The Life Of John Lennon, One Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Apr 1, 2007

Two books about the life of John Lennon, one of the Beatles, have come out. One by Robert Rosen is titled Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon, and another is Lennon in America by Geoffrey Giuliano. Both talk about the famous singer’s conversion to Christ on Palm Sunday. He began watching ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

No Record

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

"NO RECORD" Several years ago Bob Sheffield of the Navigators told a moving story picturing the essence of what it means to receive God’s forgiveness. Before he became a Christian, Bob played professional hockey in Canada. He was tough, loved to fight and found himself in jail one night after a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-22

Tags: Atonement

The Secret Of Happiness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS Christopher Parkening is regarded as the world’s greatest classical guitarist, and he’s played guitar with orchestras the world over, even for several presidents in the White House. He’s also a world-class fly-fishing champion. By his own testimony, he writes, "By age 30, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31

Tags: Joy

Dr. Meier Refuses Materialism And God Blesses His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

Dr. Meier Refuses Materialism and God Blesses his Ministry In the mid – 1970’s, while Dr. Meier was a professor of pastoral counseling at Trinity Seminary near Chicago, he was offered a high-paying opportunity to leave his seminary position and become the administrator of a psychiatric clinic. “I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

Tags: Materialism

There Is Something Convenient About Being A ...

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Mar 9, 2010

There is something convenient about being a fence-straddler. We think we can have the best of both worlds. But in order to make a real commitment to Jesus Christ, we have to weigh our options. Anyone who has ever struggled with their faith will come out stronger. One of my biggest personal ...read more

Tags: Prayer Of Faith

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Does God Have The Say?

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 13, 2010

DOES GOD HAVE THE SAY? WE HAVE JUST MOVED TO SYDNEY NSW from the Whitsundays in Queensland, Australia. I didn't come seeking a better position, certainly not better scenery or more money. We don't even have our own house to live in at present. When we moved, we moved because we knew that God was ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

British Clergyman Repudiates The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

British Clergyman Repudiates the Church’s Traditional Understanding of the Cross The Very Reverend Dr. Jeffrey Philip Hywel John believes that the church’s traditional understanding of the cross of Christ is both “repulsive” and “insane.” His comments in the spring of 2007 about the cross ignited a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Tags: Cross, False Doctrine

This Baby Is For You

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011

THIS BABY IS FOR YOU Pastor and author Richard Foster writes about genuine, joyous giving. "Giving with a glad and generous heart has a way of rooting out the tough old miser within us. Just the very act of letting go of money or some other treasure does something great within us."1 Such genuine, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Augustine And The Four States Of Man  PRO

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Mar 5, 2012

AUGUSTINE AND THE FOUR STATES OF MAN In the 5th century AD, St. Augustine wrote about the "4 States of Man": * The first state of man (the haec sunt prima) is "living according to the flesh -- with reason making no resistance." This can be seen in so many ancient cultures and religions (and ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-15

Tags: Allegory

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Jesus Changes Life

Contributed by Rev. Dr. Andrew B Natarajan on May 16, 2017

The word of God is Alive Half a century ago, in one of the Indian villages, there was a family. the family size was five( Husband, wife and three children). The Husband was a drunkard and notorious man. His wife was a home maker and simple lady. The man had all kinds of bad habits such as ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:11

Tags: Changed Life, Jesus Is The Life, Useful Earthern Pot

Denomination: Methodist

I Am Not But I Shall Be

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Aug 22, 2021

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2) The one thing about getting older is that you get to look back on more things each year and have more to ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:2

Tags: Forgiveness, Change, Transformation, Failure

Denomination: Baptist