In Sermon Illustrations: "Two Coats"

The Body: The Image Of God

Contributed by Bret Toman on Oct 31, 2012

THE BODY: THE IMAGE OF GOD Paul Brand writing about what it means to be in the image of God in his book In His Image: "We will not explore the psychological and mental attributes in each one of us that might reflect the image of God. Instead, we will center on a community, that group of God’s ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Not ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 21, 2008

NOT IMPRESSED A story is told about Rabbi Joseph Schneerson, a Hasidic leader during the early days of Russian Communism. The rabbi spent much time in jail, persecuted for his faith. One morning in 1927, as he prayed in a Leningrad synagogue, secret police rushed in and arrested him. They took ...read more

Tags: Persecution

All Parts Are Important

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2008

ALL PARTS ARE IMPORTANT One day a young girl came home from school in tears because she had been given only a small part in the class play, and one of her friends had gotten a leading role. After her mother dried her tears, she wisely took off her watch and put it in the little girl’s hand. She ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Dedicated Recruits Only  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

DEDICATED RECRUITS ONLY Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian military leader called "The Hero of the Two Worlds" had an incredibly committed volunteer army. He would appeal for recruits in these terms: “I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor provisions; I offer hunger, thirst, forced marches, battles ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8

Tags: Discipleship

Robinson Crusoe

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Oct 22, 2008

Robinson Crusoe Could you, could I do as well as Robinson Crusoe? When Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on his lonely island, he drew up in two columns what he called the evil and the good. He was cast on a desolate island, but he was still alive--not drowned, as his ship's company was. He was ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Pentecostal

You've Heard The Term "On The Bubble." It Refers ...

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 18, 2008

You’ve heard the term “on the bubble.” It refers to a team that may or may not be eligible for a tournament. So many times we feel as if we’re on the bubble. We’re not. We’re in! A lot of controversy lately about College Football – the BCS. Now you Oklahoma fans have no problem with it. ...read more

Tags: Security

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Timothy Keller In His Marvelous Book:

Contributed by Wayne Presnell on Feb 10, 2009

Timothy Keller in his marvelous book: “The Reason for God,” answers the skeptic’s question: “Because Christians think there are consequences to sin… including judgment… does that make them narrow minded?” He uses this analogy: “Imagine two people arguing over the nature of a cookie. Jack thinks ...read more

Tags: Judgment, Sin General

Denomination: Baptist

What Would You ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? "Here’s the scenario," the instructor announced to his class of novice truck drivers. "You’re in an 18-wheeler with a heavy load, barreling down a mountainous two-lane highway. Ed, your co-driver, is asleep. There are six trucks behind you, and as you come over the top of a ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Little ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

LITTLE THINGS This leads us to a simple but important principle: Our faithfulness in the little things will determine how faithful we will be with bigger things. There is a story about a huge bank where one of the employees was up for a significant promotion. He lost that promotion one day in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Obedience

Stepping Out-Of-Bounds

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

STEPPING OUT-OF-BOUNDS I had missed a game winning free-throw. I swore that would never happen again. So I practiced until I became excellent at free-throws. In the next big tournament, I swished two free-throws. On the last one, I heard an ear-splitting whistle in my ear. I had stepped over the ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Another Thing That Bothers Most People Is That ...

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 5, 2009

Another thing that bothers most people is that when we pray, we seem to get distracted. That is especially true when we are trying to listen for God’s word. There is an old story about St. Bernard, who once had a friend who told him her never had any distractions. Bernard confessed to having ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

My Son's A Sports Repairman  PRO

Contributed by Lance Hostetter on Feb 24, 2013

MY SON'S A SPORTS REPAIRMAN Three ladies were sitting around and bragging about their children. The first one says, "You know my son, he graduated first in his class from Stanford, he’s now a doctor making $250,000 a year in Chicago." The second woman says, "You know my son, he graduated first in ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 23:25, Proverbs 10:1

Tags: Boasting

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Richard Eye On Divorce

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 16, 2013

RICHARD EYRE ON DIVORCE "We now have over 40 years worth of very conclusive statistics that show that children from two parent homes (a mother and a father) are at substantially less risk for drug abuse, teen pregnancy, school dropout, suicide, and a whole host of other problems. Statistically ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:6

Tags: Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Chapter 11

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 4, 2014

Two old friends met one day after many years. One graduated from a prestigious college and was very successful. The other had not attended college and was very poor. The poor friend said, "How has everything been going with you?" The successful friend said, "Well, one day I opened the Bible at ...read more

Scripture: James 4:1-11

Tags: Wealth, Riches, Success

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Is No Racial Distinction In The Kingdom Of God

Contributed by Howard Gunter on Mar 29, 2017

All human beings are equally created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to lay down His life for us (John 3:16). The “world” obviously includes all ethnic groups. I like to use the following illustration which works as well with ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27

Tags: Human Life, Jesus Died For All

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You Really Committed?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 17, 2017

Corrie Ten Boom, the Dutch survivor of Nazi gas chambers, once told a fascinating story. She said that a group of believers were meeting behind the Iron Curtain when the church door burst open and two Russian soldiers with guns stormed inside. They said they would give five minutes for anyone who ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Fear, Courage, Test Of Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Be Prepared

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

BE PREPARED A few minutes before 8 AM on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese carrier-based airplanes struck Pearl Harbor. In a raid lasting less than two hours, they sank or seriously damaged eight battleships and 13 other naval vessels. Almost 200 American aircraft were destroyed, and approximately ...read more

Scripture: Amos 4:12

Tags: Complacency, Be Prepared

Denomination: Pentecostal

Heaven Or Drake's Mansion

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Sep 14, 2020

Drake is a famous rapper from Toronto who lives is a mansion valued at $100,000,000. Measuring 50,000 square feet it includes a 3,200 foot square master bedroom; A basketball court and a "Great Room" with a 44-foot-high ceiling and containing a Bösendorfer concert grand ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22, Matthew 16:18, John 14:1-7

Tags: Church, Heaven, Materialism, Mansion, Possessions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Individually, We Are Weak

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2022

This story was written by Donald Grey Barnhouse. Several years ago, two students graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton and, when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:14-15

Tags: Fellowship, Community, Small Group

You Can Change

Contributed by Richard Tow on Mar 27, 2023

Colin Smith tells the story of a friend who had a severe heart attack. The man said it felt like an elephant on his chest. He survived, but the doctor told him he would have to change his diet. Colin asked the man what he ate before the heart attack. The man said he loved cheeseburgers, fries, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:6, 2 Timothy 2:22, Luke 6:21

Tags: Habits, Hunger, Addiction, Righteousness, Health, Eating  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic