In Sermon Illustrations: "To Live Is Christ"

Tweeners!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 12, 2019

"Too many Christians are “’tweeners”: they live between Egypt and Canaan, saved but never satisfied; they live between Good Friday and Easter, believing in the Cross but not entering into the power and glory of the Resurrection. It is clear, then, that the believer cannot deliberately be ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-8

Tags: Canaan, Crucified Life, Identification With Christ, Sin, Egypt  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jonah Jones - From Cocaine Trafficker To Christian Counselor

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Mar 27, 2009

*The closer we get to Jesus, the more we will see a change in our lives. *Jonah Jones had a terrible childhood. Jonah’s parents were drug traffickers who introduced him to cocaine when he was 8-years-old. Unbelievable! -- but true. Worse than that, Jonah’s stepfather raped him. His mother abused ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 16:20-25

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus, Testimonies, Changed By Christ

Denomination: Baptist

A Graduate's Call

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Graduate's Call (Powerful thirst and hunger for the Word of God) The first step to walking on the path to Biblical success is to find God's plan for you through a powerful thirst and hunger for the Word of God. The New American Standard Bible holds this truth for the Christian graduate, "And ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:13

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

: "Scarred Hands” (James S. ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 21, 2001

Illus.: “Scarred Hands” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 119-120) A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Disciplines, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Wesleyan

Character: Prototype Plus Pneumatic Force  PRO

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 14, 2009

CHARACTER: PROTOTYPE PLUS PNEUMATIC FORCE Jesus is the very imprint or prototype of God’s essential reality. The word used in the Greek here is pronounced "kah-rahk-TEER" (sometimes "kah-rahk-TAYR") and it is the word from which we get "character." In the original Greek usage, it meant an imprint ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-6

Tags: Jesus Christ, Potter, Fix, Who Is Jesus

Denomination: *other

Joni Eareckson Tada, A Quadriplegic Who Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 3, 2007

Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic who was paralyzed in a diving accident as a teenager, talks about her wedding day. She says, “I felt awkward as my girlfriends strained to shift my paralyzed body into a cumbersome wedding gown. No amount of corseting and binding my body gave me a perfect ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:2-5, Revelation 19:6-9

Tags: Atonement, Heaven, Wisdom, Cross, Bride Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

A Word About Bread And Stones:

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 18, 2024

Text: Luke 4:1-4, KJV: 1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:1-4

Tags: Bread, Jesus Christ, Temptations, Stones, The Devil  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Parallels Between Isaac And Jesus

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 19, 2014

PARALLELS BETWEEN ISAAC AND JESUS There is no clearer picture of the Cross and the sacrifice the Father made for us in Christ than Genesis chapter 22. Notice the powerful parallels between Isaac and Christ. Isaac is one of the clearest types of Christ in the Old Testament. 1.Both fulfilled ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21

Tags: Christ, Salvation, Gospel, Cross, Isaac, Typology  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is Possible When There Is Hope  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

WHAT IS POSSIBLE WHEN THERE IS HOPE Joyce Hollyday tells the story of a school teacher who was assigned to visit children in a large city hospital who received a routine call requesting that she visit a particular child. The teacher took the boy’s name and room number, and was told by the teacher ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 62:5-8, Colossians 1:27

Tags: Witness, Faith, Power, Life, Simple, Easter Resurrection, God's Faithfulness, Integrity, Difference, One, Brokenness, Live, Pathfinder  (view more)  (view less)

What Would He Say?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 14, 2021

WHAT WOULD HE SAY? If He should come today And find my hands so full Of future plans, however fair, In which my Savior has no share, What would He say? If He should come today And find my love so cold, My faith so very weak and dim I had not even looked for Him. What would He say? If He should ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Return Of Christ, Judgment Seat Of Christ, Rapture Of The Church, Evangelism, Second Coming, Last Days  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Most Important Part Of Christmas

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 8, 2023

What is the most important part of Christmas? What do we celebrate each year? Is it the change of heart we notice in people? Is it the spreading of Christmas cheer? Is it wishing for falling snow flakes? Is it picking out a Christmas tree? Is it the laughter of little children? Is it people singing ...read more

Tags: Christmas Poems, Poems, Poetry About Christ's Birth, Christmas, Birth Of Christ, Reason For The Season  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Day You Enlisted

Contributed by Andy Grossman on Jun 7, 2011

THE DAY YOU ENLISTED I remember when I enlisted in the U.S. Army. It was at the height of the Viet Nam War. The year was 1967. I had a draft number and was probably going to be drafted – so I went down to the army recruiter and enlisted for three years. I signed on the dotted line, and before ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Holiness

A Timely Testimony

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Feb 23, 2012

A TIMELY TESTIMONY Jim Cymbala tells an amazing story of one Sunday in his church: (Fresh Faith pp. 78-82) During the choir anthem, Pastor Jim was touched by the words of one of the young men who was featured as a soloist during the song. As the song concluded, Pastor Jim was strongly prompted ...read more

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Lutheran

Bertrund Russell's Thoughts On Life And Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2014

Many people fear death because they believe death is the end. Bertrand Russell was a 20th century philosopher and an atheist. As he approached his death in 1970, he wrote: "The life of Man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, towards a ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25-26

Tags: Death, Atheism, Worldly Wisdom, Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

I Remember An Old "Dragnet” ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Oct 6, 2002

I remember an old “Dragnet” television episode back in the mid ‘60s, when the arguments about the dangers or relative safeties of marijuana use were in full bloom. The main character, Sgt Joe Friday, was expounding to a young suspect the harmful effects and results of heroine sale and use, and how ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Church Body Of Christ, Apologetics General

Denomination: Orthodox

The Persuasion Of A Changed Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

THE PERSUASION OF A CHANGED LIFE The power of your changed life can be very persuasive even to those who refuse to be persuaded by the word itself. Just a few years ago, Decision magazine told the story of Rick and Shawna Pilat, a Winnipeg couple who had recently come to faith in Christ. For ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-2

Tags: Character

The Incredible Gift—communion Mediation  PRO

Contributed by Dawn Marie Turner on Apr 9, 2003

THE INCREDIBLE GIFT--COMMUNION MEDIATION Danny was born with no ears. He could hear all right, but he didn’t have ears like normal people. All his life, Danny endured ridicule and rejection because of his deformity. But he learned to live with it. Thankfully, he had loving parents and a strong ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Rejection, Promises Of God, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Bundle Of Rags

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Why does sometimes the change seem so slow? This happens more promptly in some folks than others. Because, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come Sometimes people ask, ‘why don’t we see a lot of change? Why don’t we see all these folks living but for ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Mary Had The Little Lamb

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 20, 2020

Mary Had The Little Lamb Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth; Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth. Micah 5:2 Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall- Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall. Isaiah 7:14 Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Mary, Messiah, Christmas, Jesus, Prophecy, Return Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

No Greater Love  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 18, 2002

NO GREATER LOVE It was February 1941, Auschwitz, Poland. Maximilian Kolbe was a Franciscan priest put in the infamous death camp for helping Jews escape Nazi terrorism. Months went by and in desperation an escape took place. The camp rule was enforced. Ten people would be rounded up ...read more

Tags: Peace, Lordship Of Christ, Christian Love, Easter Good Friday