In Sermon Illustrations: "Trials Mature Us"

Susan Boyle: Beauty On The Inside  PRO

Contributed by Marianne Unger on May 22, 2009

SUSAN BOYLE: BEAUTY ON THE INSIDE When Susan Boyle stepped out on the stage of "Britain’s Got Talent," people laughed at her...like the scoffers in this Psalm. They made fun of her because her outward appearance wasn’t the glitz and glamour they’d come to expect. Members of the audience could be ...read more

Scripture: Acts 3:1-16

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: *other

Not "Why?" But "What?"

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 22, 2009

NOT "WHY?" BUT "WHAT?" I remember a particular counseling session years ago where three of us were trying to encourage a change of personality and a change of behavior in a spouse. Dr. Jay Adams, in his book on direct, biblical counseling, said the purpose is not to find out why a person sinned, ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Pentecostal

Are You A Big-Godder Or A Little ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 29, 2009

Are You a Big-Godder or a Little Godder? Many years ago, there was a learned Hebrew professor at Princeton Seminary named Robert Dick Wilson. He could read more than 30 Semitic languages! One time about twelve years after Donald Grey Barnhouse had graduated; he went back to the seminary to preach ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-26

Tags: Sanctification

David Livingstone,

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

David Livingstone, "I Never Made A Sacrifice" In the mid-seventeenth century, a somewhat well-known Englishman was captured by Algerian pirates and made a slave. While a slave, he founded a church. When his brother arranged his release, he refused freedom, having vowed to remain a slave until he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Servanthood

D.l. Moody's Thoughts Before His Death Illustrate ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2009

D.L. Moody’s Thoughts Before His Death Illustrate an Important Habit--Begin with the End in Mind Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, states that one of those habits is to “Begin with the end in mind”; for the final days and hours of a man are often some of the most ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:1-2

Tags: Death Nearness

You Have To Love Him Into It

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 1, 2010

"You Have To Love Him Into It"--A Stock Assistant Learns a Big Lesson A stock assistant was working at a grocery store on Christmas Eve. One of the things he was responsible for was the display in one of the aisles which was a pyramid of canned products. He had to rebuild this display many times ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Tags: Unconditional Love

Learning To Play One's Instrument To God's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 27, 2010

Learning to Play One’s Instrument to God’s Glory Does anyone here remember taking music class in grade school? When you first join a music class you are given an instrument to play. You really don’t have much of a choice in what you play. The instructor simply assigns you the instruments based on ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

Tags: Body Of Christ, Gifts General

Shirley Goodnest And Marcy  PRO

Contributed by Shawn Rose on Feb 27, 2011

SHIRLEY GOODNEST AND MARCY A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school and he didn't want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to know that he was safe, yet give him the feeling that he had independence. So she had an idea how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

Dating" Of A Calendar And "Dating" Of One's ...

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Nov 29, 2011

"Dating" of a calendar and "dating" of one's life... Universally all the Nations irrespective of their stand on religion adopt a calendar, which uses the Christ’s birth as a base. Yes, the World history is split into 2 not on the basis of the birth of great conquerors like Alexander the great or ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: *other

Architectural Design By Touch

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BY TOUCH Three years ago (2008), Chris Downey had just started a promising architectural job at a successful design firm. A few weeks after he took the job, he noticed that there was something wrong with his vision. The doctors told him he had a tumor wrapped around his optic ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: God In The Hardships

Eat, Drink And Be Merry...?

Contributed by Perry Greene on Sep 11, 2012

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY...? After the "Cold War" was over, a squadron of Russian pilots was invited to participate in tactical war games at a U.S. Air Force base. A gala dinner was planned by the Base Commander. Thinking to relax the guests, he offered a WW II toast to open the meal. Smiling, he ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

We're On The Same Team  PRO

Contributed by Gaylon Clark on Dec 9, 2013

Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin had every reason as teammates to be friends, but they were not. Incognito harassed and bullied Martin. He called him a racial slur in a voicemail played by every media outlet in the country. He threatened to kill him and his family. Incognito claimed all of this ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6, John 17:20-23, Colossians 3:12-17, Psalm 133:1-3

Tags: Teamwork, Christian Unity, Church Unity, Christian Friendship

Denomination: Baptist

He Will Never, Never, Never Leave Me!  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 7, 2014

HE WILL NEVER, NEVER, NEVER LEAVE ME! Written by Dr. Larry Petton Hebrews 13:5 is a rare verse. It has been simply translated by many as, "He will never leave you or forsake you." That is good English, but it is not good Greek in this instance. This verse contains an unusual triple negative. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:5

Tags: Fear, Trinity, Loneliness, Presence Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Stone From The Old West

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2014

THE PRECIOUS STONE NO ONE SAW Back when the Old West was being settled, pioneers flocked across the country to California and Oregon. In one particular spot on the Eastern slopes of the Rockies there was a large, dirt covered rock protruding in the middle of the trail. Wagon wheels were broken on ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-46

Tags: Jesus Christ, Capstone, Rejecting Christ, Jesus Is Cornerstone

Who's Flying The Plane?

Contributed by Roger Whipp on Dec 31, 2014

I guess many here including me have in the past and if honest still do sometimes ask this question “Why God?” or “How can there be a God with all this suffering” Sometimes life hands us some tricky situations. Former President Ronald Reagan likes to tell a story which he says is true about a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18-31

Tags: Hope, Suffering

Denomination: *other

On Sunday Evening, January 27, 2002, Olympic ...

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Apr 22, 2007

On Sunday evening, January 27, 2002, Olympic gymnasts Mary Lou Retton-Kelley, Kerri Strug, and Bart Conner appeared on the Celebrity version of the TV Reality-Game Show “The Weakest Link,” along with five other famous Olympic athletes. ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

A Young Man Enlisted, And Was Sent To His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him. So it ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

The Flame In The Marathon Tower In Each Olympic ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The flame in the Marathon Tower in each Olympic stadium is the most recognized symbol of the Olympics, dating back to the Games of ancient Greece, when athletes competed in a relay race, passing a torch from one to another until the last runner, in a long procession of runners, would sprint to the ...read more

Tags: Faith

You See Many People Want The Benefits Of Being ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

You see many people want the benefits of being in the Son without actually “being in the Son.” They want ‘heaven without the hassle’. So it is pretty common for people to believe in Christ and yet still walk in darkness. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no wonder For Satan himself masquerades as an ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:13-14

Tags: Satan

If You Have The Truth And It's A Matter Of Life ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

If you have the truth and it’s a matter of life or death, you had better be assertive. For example, I do a tremendous amount of flying. It has been my observation that pilots are some of the most arrogant people you would ever want to meet. First of all, in all my years of air travel they have ...read more

Tags: World Religions