In Sermon Illustrations: "Ways To Live"

The Artist And The Gardener

Contributed by Matthew Carpenter on Apr 1, 2011

THE ARTIST AND THE GARDENER Both the artist and the gardener begin with contemplation, paying close attention to what is already there. The gardner looks carefully at the landscape; the existing plants, both flowers and weeds; the way the sun falls on the land, and so on. The artist regards their ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Baptist

How God Calls It  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2011

HOW GOD CALLS IT A major league baseball player hit the ball far out in left field. Bases were loaded. The one who was on 2nd base made it all the way to home plate and he collided with the catcher. Immediately, the one team yelled, "He's safe, he's safe, he's safe." The other team yelled, "He's ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:3-5

Tags: Abortion

God As My Guard  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Nicholas M. Muteti on Jun 24, 2011

GOD AS MY GUARD I remember one time driving on a completely unknown route. It was dark, early in the morning, just after midnight. I didn’t know the way and I thought I can drive ahead and somehow will find the town I was looking for. It was the time when all the routes in Kenya were very poor ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:1-8

Tags: God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Baptist

King Rat

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 2, 2011

KING RAT James Clavell, King Rat: about a Japanese POW camp in which one prisoner, a pathetic loser before the war, who became the most powerful man in the camp by trading with the enemy and exploiting the misery of his fellows. He used to try to pressure the other prisoners to join him, calling ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 18:9-15

Tags: Apocalypse

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

No Atheists Among Heathens

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

NO ATHEISTS AMONG HEATHENS Leith Samuel writes in HIS magazine, "Many missionaries point out that the heathen know more than we think. They know that there is a God. There are no atheists among heathen tribes. There has never been discovered upon earth a tribe of people, however small or depraved, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-32

Tags: Guilt

How Were The Old Testament Saints Saved?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

HOW WERE THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS SAVED? H. A. Ironside was traveling and dropped in on a Sunday school class. The unprepared teacher asked how Old Testament saints were saved and somebody answered, "By keeping the law." The teacher said, "Correct!" Ironside raised his hand and said, "Romans ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:6-9

Tags: Faith

Love's Old-Fashioned Notion

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Sep 4, 2011

LOVE'S OLD-FASHIONED NOTION Tina Turner once asked a powerful question, one that became a hit song of the early-eighties. She asked, "What does love have to do with it?" Her song is replete with two, rhetorical questions: "What's love but a second hand emotion" and "Who needs a heart, when a ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Lutheran

Take My Wife...please

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 30, 2011

TAKE MY WIFE...PLEASE A hooded robber burst into a Texas bank and forced the tellers to load a sack full of cash. On his way out the door, a brave Texas customer grabbed the hood and pulled it off revealing the robber’s face. The robber shot the customer without a moment’s hesitation. He then ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Rusted Out Car  PRO

Contributed by John Sears on Jan 18, 2012

THE RUSTED OUT CAR A few weeks ago, I was driving home on the interstate and saw a pickup truck pulling a trailer with the rusted out shell of an old car on it. All I know was that the car on that trailer was an antique. And it was covered in rust from bumper to bumper. I could tell from the ...read more

Tags: Stewardship

Denomination: Christian Church

Worship Warrior  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 17, 2012

WORSHIP WARRIOR I like the way songwriter and worship leader, Brian Doerksen, puts it. He says, "Becoming a worshipper means becoming a warrior... And by toning that down...we have sent men and women away from the church in droves. It's time to call them back," Doerksen says, "as worshiping ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Worship Definition

Get Acquainted With Heaven

Contributed by Francis Balla on Sep 24, 2012

GET ACQUAINTED WITH HEAVEN "The man who is about to sail for Australia or New Zealand as a settler, is naturally anxious to know something about his future home, its climate, its employments, its inhabitants, its ways, its customs. All these are subjects of deep interest to him. You are leaving ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Baptist

Blind Man Climbs Everest

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 3, 2012

Erik Weihenmeyer has led a remarkable life. He is the first blind person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest (2001). In 2008, he climbed his seventh summit highest peak on each continent). He has written books and produced a film of some of his accomplishments entitled, “Farther Than the Eye Can ...read more

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Destiny...?

Contributed by Perry Greene on May 6, 2013

DESTINY...? During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took ...read more

Tags: Goals

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Trusting Faith

Contributed by Kristen Wright Zeller on Aug 26, 2014

Those who share Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior begin to become as magnets to those who share the same intimate relationship. While humans range from "new" to "elder," there is still a feeling of familiarity in those who gather together to worship in spirit and in truth. A sense somewhat of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:7

Tags: Trust, Recognize God, Faith To Believe, Move Mountains

Denomination: Christian Church

Sacrifice Of Love

Contributed by Davon Huss on Dec 17, 2014

J. Vernon McGee- Many years ago down in Houston, Texas, when a boarding house caught on fire, a woman broke through the lines and went into that house. It collapsed, and she was burned to death. The headlines read: “Poor Wretch Dies: Suicide.” Later the newspaper printed an apology. Why? ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2

Tags: Willingness, Redeemer, Kinsman Redeemer, Christ's Love For Us

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Not Much Help

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

In his Peanuts strip, Charles Schulz had an amazing talent for communicating truths like this in humorous, memorable ways. In one strip Charlie Brown rests his head in his hands while leaning on the wall and looking miserable. His friend, Lucy, approaches. “Discouraged again, eh, Charlie Brown?” ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Criticism, Critical, Judging

Denomination: Charismatic

The Billionaire’s Happiness

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018

Jack Ma has a lot to be happy about. He is the founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, a tech company in China. Among the things going his way: - His company went public in September 2014 and its worth shot up to $25 billion. - He is the richest man in China. - His company is the ...read more

Tags: Money, Wealth, Contentment, China

Denomination: Baptist

Identifying With Christ

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 15, 2019

During the Civil War a man by the name of George Wyatt was drawn by lot to go to the front. He had a wife and six children. A young man named Richard Pratt offered to go in his stead. He was accepted and joined the ranks, bearing the name and number of George Wyatt. Before long Pratt was killed in ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-13

Tags: Christ Our Substitute, Identifying With Christ, The Exchanged Life, Crucifixion To Self

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Have You Burned Your Ships Yet?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 9, 2020

When the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez landed at Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1519 he was intent on conquest. To assure the devotion of his men, Cortez set fire to his fleet of eleven ships! With no means of retreat, Cortez’s army had only one direction to move, into the Mexican interior. Cortez ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, James 1:8

Tags: Commitment, Discipleship, Following Jesus, Counting The Cost

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bigger Hands

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Aug 9, 2020

A story is told of a little girl that would not take a handful of cherries when the general store owner told her to take one After several times of saying no, the owner told her to hold out her hands and he filled them with the cherries she loved. On the way home, Momma asked her why should would ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 132:15

Tags: God, Blessing, Hands, Source, Provision, Supply  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist