In Sermon Illustrations: "Thinking"

New Jerusalem

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 25, 2011

NEW JERUSALEM One Stadia is equal to 600 feet. So the dimensions would be approximately 1363 miles high, 1363 miles wide and 1363 miles long. It doesn’t seems that long when you think that the length would be from approximately the East Coast to Colorado when you consider all believers from all ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Doing The Best You Can

Contributed by Scott Spencer on Sep 17, 2011

DOING THE BEST YOU CAN There is an old story from the Middle East about a little sparrow: "A man was traveling on his donkey when he came upon a small fuzzy object lying in the road. He dismounted to look more closely and found a sparrow lying on its back with its scrawny legs thrust upward. At ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Mind-Barriers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

MIND-BARRIERS Roger Bannister was an Olympian. Every four years we have the games. Four minutes was the fastest record to ever run the mile. Ever since statisticians kept records, they knew that no one would could ever beat that record. But Roger Bannister didn't listen to them--he went out and ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Only One Boy

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Feb 6, 2009

"Only One Boy" One missionary to China tells of a boy who "prepared the way" for Jesus in a certain village. The missionary had never visited this village before. "Are there any Christians in your village?" he asked a man. "Only one boy," was the answer. The missionary walked on, and stopping at ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Christian Church

Idolatry Is Like Poisoning

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Mar 2, 2009

IDOLATRY IS LIKE POISONING More than 25 years ago (1982), seven residents of the Greater Chicago area made an assumption that proved fatal. They all took a dose of Extra Strength Tylenol® that had been laced with potassium cyanide. What they thought was medicine proved to be poison. This crime, ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: *other

Two Young Boys In A Catholic School Had Been ...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 2, 2009

Two young boys in a Catholic school had been continually misbehaving and were sent to the principal’s office on several occasions. The principal knew what they really needed was to have God in their lives, so she brought the first boy in and set him down. “I want to ask you a question. Where is ...read more

Tags: Learning

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Pastors And Friends

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 4, 2009

PASTORS AND FRIENDS Years back, a minister friend of mine made this comment in a Preacher’s Meeting. He said, "I’m sure you all know by now that none of us can afford the luxury of having friends in the churches we serve. We must remain aloof in order to protect ourselves from all kinds of ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

It

Contributed by Brad Henry on Dec 9, 2011

IT Each of us has an "IT" that is keeping us from joy and being free from worry. It isn't until we let go of that "IT" that we will be free. We can talk about all the steps to get out of addictions, the steps to curtail anger, animosity, jealousy, fear of death and a host of other worries and ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Loss Of Joy = Incomplete Obedience

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2012

LOSS OF JOY = INCOMPLETE OBEDIENCE F. B. Meyer: Sometimes a soul comes to its spiritual adviser, speaking thus: "I have no conscious joy, and have had but little for years." "Did you once have it?" "Yes, for some time after my conversion to God." "Are you conscious of having refused obedience to ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15

Tags: Obedience

Drop That Baby!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

"DROP THAT BABY!" A pastor called on a lady from his church and found her very despondent and feeling that God had forsaken her. Looking at the baby in the woman’s arms, the pastor said to her, "Drop that baby on the floor." Startled by the suggestion, she looked at him in disbelief. "Well," he ...read more

Scripture: John 10:22-30

Tags: God In The Hardships

Overcomers

Contributed by Ronald Franklin on Jul 10, 2012

ILLUS: I watched Serena Williams win the Wimbledon tennis championship yesterday. She cruised through the first set. But in the second set, her opponent rallied and got hot, and won the set. Then, in the 3rd set, Serena got her game back on track and she just overwhelmed her opponent to win going ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

More From Technology, Less From One Another

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jul 18, 2012

MORE FROM TECHNOLOGY, LESS FROM ONE ANOTHER Sherry Turkle, a professor at M.I.T. and author of Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, has spent the last 15 years studying how our "plugged-in lives" have changed who we are. She claims that all of our ...read more

Tags: Communication General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Like A Child

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 17, 2012

LIKE A CHILD Yo-Yo Ma, one of the most famous cellists in our day, once said, "When people ask me how they should approach performance, I always tell them that the professional musician should aspire to the state of the beginner. In order to become a professional," he says, "you need to go through ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:4

Tags: Humility

Kyle Idleman On Going Where Jesus Goes

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 18, 2013

The most literal way to define a follower of Jesus is "Someone who goes where Jesus goes." I'm not sure how you can call yourself a follower of Jesus if you refuse to go where Jesus went. If you're following Jesus "wherever," he will take you towards a sinner that others wouldn't want to be seen ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:57-58

Tags: Surrender, Jesus Christ, Commitment To Christ, Call To Discipleship

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

No Atheists In The Water  PRO

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Mar 31, 2013

NO ATHEISTS IN THE WATER David Harrell wrote a book telling the story of his father, Edgar Harrell. Edgar was one of the 300 survivors of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the last US ship sunk by enemy contact in WW2. 600 of the 900 men who survived the ship's sinking were stranded in the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 2:15

Tags: Shipwreck, Death, Dying, Loneliness, Atheism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Transformed Versus Conformed -- The Case Of The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2013

TRANSFORMED VERSUS CONFORMED -- THE CASE OF THE JAPANESE WATERMELON Farmers in Zentsuji, Japan, are preparing full-grown watermelons for shipment -- only these are no ordinary melons: they're square! They were placed in tempered-glass cubes while they were still growing. Why would anyone want a ...read more

Scripture: James 12:1-2

Tags: Sanctification

The Trouble Telescope  PRO

Contributed by Perry Greene on May 8, 2013

THE TROUBLE TELESCOPE Most of you have seen the wonderful images from the Hubble Space Telescope. From the far reaches of space, we're able to see God's most breathtaking creations. Do you remember that in the beginning the Hubble Space Telescope was not the wonderful machine that it is today. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:12

Tags: Self

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bumper Stickers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2014

BUMPER STICKER CONSCIENCE This is a true story. I have a pastor friend in Alabama named Bill who was driving to speak at a church in another county and he was running late. He was driving about 20 miles over the speed limit, when suddenly he remembered he had a Christian bumper sticker on his car. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7

Tags: Conscience, Obey Authorities

Tearing Down The Name Of Jesus  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2014

TEARING DOWN THE NAME OF JESUS When I was in college at Dallas Baptist University, I drove through Dallas on the way to my classes. I would always see a huge sign of a dynamic church in the area that said, "Lifting Up the Name of Jesus!" It was very impressive. One day while I was driving to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Discipleship, Hypocrisy, Conviction, Name Of Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Too Wicked For Ministry

Contributed by Keith Foskey on Apr 16, 2014

Paul Washer is a powerful preacher and evangelist. He once had a seminary student send him a message. He was afraid that he was too bad to enter the ministry. He sent him a message that simply said, "I think I am too wicked to be in the ministry." And Paul Washer wrote him back and said, "You are ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:19-26

Tags: Assurance, Confidence, Reliance On God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational