In Sermon Illustrations: "Trials Mature Us"

God And...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jul 6, 2010

"GOD AND..." The Heidelberg Catechism puts it succinctly (Q&A #95): Idolatry "…is TO IMAGINE, CLING TO, OR TRUST IN SOMETHING OTHER THAN OR IN ADDITION TO THE ONE TRUE GOD WHO HAS BEEN REVEALED IN GOD’S WORD." Notice that this definition strikes where most of us are – we like to worship 'God and…' ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Aristotle On Self-Discipline

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 12, 2010

ARISTOTLE ON SELF-DISCIPLINE We are the sum of our actions, Aristotle tells us, and therefore our habits make all the difference. And what is the best way to practice? Aristotle's answer lies in his explanation of "the mean." In his view, correct moral behavior in any given situation lies at the ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: *other

Changing Audiences

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 31, 2010

CHANGING AUDIENCES We have let the world define greatness for us. Our society has built itself on the philosophy of the devil instead of on the wisdom of God. As long as we believe Satan’s big lie that our lives are insignificant unless we are on top, we will live in constant state of ...read more

Tags: Love For God

Denomination: *other

Sharing The Cup With All

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 31, 2010

SHARING THE CUP WITH ALL One Sunday morning in 1865, a black man entered a fashionable church in Richmond, Virginia. When Communion was served, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of resentment swept the congregation. How dare he! After all, believers in that church used the ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: *other

Baseball Justice

Contributed by Brad Henry on Jul 25, 2011

BASEBALL JUSTICE When I was 8 years old my parents took me to see the Pittsburgh Pirates play in Forbes Field. As you know with me nothing is normal. Well a foul ball came and hit me in the leg. I went down to pick it up and a big guy cam over and wrestled the ball from me. OK, there wasn’t much ...read more

Tags: Justice

How Amazing Would It Be

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Dec 15, 2011

HOW AMAZING WOULD IT BE For 33 years God lived on earth as a man – Jesus, and walked amongst us. How amazing would it be if Queen Elizabeth II decided to come and live here in Billericay? How amazing would it be if the Queen decided to come and live next to your school? How amazing would it be if ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Anglican

The Artist Is Now Known

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Feb 9, 2012

THE ARTIST IS NOW KNOWN In 2002, a drawing was discovered in what used to be a maid's room in one of the museums. The chalk drawing of a candlestick was one of 5 drawings sold collectively to the museum in 1940 for $60. For decades, it sat in the storage until one day a visiting scholar ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Abusing One's Parents

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 8, 2012

ABUSING ONE'S PARENTS According to aabss.org, "Nine to 33% of parents report being abused by their children ranging in age from 10 to 23... Some studies report that whites are more likely to batter than blacks;... [some] Studies show... that middle and upper class families have higher rates ... ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Praying He Prayed  PRO

Contributed by Charles Jones on Mar 28, 2012

"PRAYING HE PRAYED" The Characteristic of the prayer of Elijah was his FERVENCY. He prayed fervently. He used that particular Hebrew idiom - "praying he prayed." In other words when he prayed he got down to business. Remember that the prayer of a righteous man is of great force when energized - ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Holy War By John ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

THE HOLY WAR BY JOHN BUNYAN John Bunyan wrote another classic besides Pilgrim’s Progress. It was a book called The Holy War. The focus of the story was the capture of a city called Mansoul. In it Diabolus (the devil) has taken it and the battle rages as the Prince Emmanuel works to recapture it. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

Tags: Satan

If He Gets Loose

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Apr 20, 2013

IF HE GETS LOOSE The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mic. Unlike todays wireless mics, this had a wire attached to it. He was an energetic preacher and as he preached, he swung his hands and he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mic cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Brethren

John The Baptist And The Mandaeans

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 6, 2013

JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE MANDAEANS One religion exists to this day that reveres John as their main prophet: The Mandaeans were originally native speakers of Mandaic, a Semitic language that evolved from Eastern Middle Aramaic, before switching to colloquial Iraqi Arabic and Modern Persian. ...read more

Tags: John The Baptist

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Silence And Solitude: Jesus Example

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 16, 2016

Jesus made a habit of withdrawing to "the Hills" or "a lonely place" or "the wilderness" or "a high mountain" or the Garden of Gethsemane. He went to these places before he chose his disciples, after he heard of his cousin John's beheading, after feeding the 5000, after healing a leper, for the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:12, Luke 9:28

Tags: Solitude, Silence

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Anger Where There Should Be Joy

Contributed by Christopher Sweeney on Feb 19, 2017

When I was five years old, my sister was born. My brother’s birthday was March 7 and mine was October 6th. The logic of a five-year-old was that the older person’s birthday came earlier in the year. So when my little sister was born on August 9th before my birthday, I was naturally upset. Instead ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Tags: Joy, Anger, Selfish, Jealousy, Jealously  (view more)  (view less)

Compassion, Lack Of

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 11, 2022

Reading a book called Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian life and the book said, “Compassion is neither our central concern nor our primary stance in life. What we really desire is to make it in life, to get ahead, to be first, to be different. We want to forge our identifies by carving ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-38

Tags: Competitive, Pain, Compassion, Suffering

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Let The Lion Out

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 23, 2023

Charles Spurgeon on preaching the Word: There seems to be to have been twice as much done in some ages in defending the Bible as in expounding it, but if the whole of our strength shall henceforth go to the exposition and spreading of it, we may leave it pretty much to defend itself. I do not ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 19:7-11, Deuteronomy 8:1-5

Tags: Bible, Gospel, Truth, Preaching

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Paul Confronts Sexual Immorality In Ancient Rome

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Oct 22, 2023

Paul’s prohibition of (to use the Greek term) porneia—that is, illicit sexual activity, including prostitution—upended an ethical system in which male access to the female body was unquestioned and unquestionable. Whereas the Romans regarded male chastity as profoundly unhealthy, Christians prized ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Romans 1:18-32

Tags: Marriage, Ethics, Sin, Sexuality, Sexual Immorality  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Is Comfortable The Goal?

Contributed by John Bright on Jun 22, 2026

Now, it’s tempting to think that you and I don’t have too many things. We only have what we need to live comfortably. That was the goal you and I were sold a long time ago. Is the goal of a Jesus Follower to have a comfortable life? Where do you find that in God’s Word? Last week, one of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:15, Matthew 16:24

Tags: Comfort, Take Up Your Cross

Denomination: Methodist

Six Major Heresies Confronting The Church Today

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 11, 2024

Since that very moment in the Garden of Eden when a single bite shattered the harmony of the world, man has tried to make his own way, be his own master, and set up his own kingdom. It's nothing new. Nevertheless, if we want to be faithful followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-4

Tags: Scripture, Discernment, Truth, Legalism, Word Of God, Last Days, New Age Movement, Hyper Grace, Emerging Church, Doctrine, Heresy, False Teachers, Pastors, Universalism, Prosperity Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unwanted Items—the Ark Of The Covenant

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 16, 2025

Unwanted Items—The Ark of the Covenant Introduction: To “frame” this illustration, we’d need to look at a couple of chapters in 1 Samuel. In chapter 4, the writer tells us of Israel’s decision, foolish as it was, to bring the Ark of the Covenant out of the Tabernacle and down to the battlefield. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 5:1-12

Tags: Philistines, Ark Of The Covenant, Unwanted Items

Denomination: Baptist