In Sermon Illustrations: "Wise Generosity"

Born Losers

Contributed by Andy Grossman on Apr 28, 2009

BORN LOSERS Susan Boyle has taken the world by storm. Here is this middle aged homely spinster who has never been kissed--and she has won the hearts of not only Britain, but nearly everyone in the world. Why is that? Is it because she is such a fantastic singer? I don’t think so. There are ...read more

Tags: Born Again

Denomination: Holiness

Choice As A Discipline

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jun 16, 2009

CHOICE AS A DISCIPLINE Your will enables you to choose. Choose wisely. He who marries the spirit of the age will soon find himself a widower. God asks no one whether he will accept life. This is not the choice. The only choice you have as you go through life is how you will live it. God ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Pentecostal

God With Us

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

GOD WITH US Count Zinzendorf, the founder of the Moravians, was converted in an art gallery in Dusseldorf while contemplating a painting of Christ on the cross which had the inscription, "I did this for thee. What hast thou done for me?" This picture had been painted by an artist three hundred ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:23

Tags: Christmas Advent

Addicted To Unkind ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

Addicted to Unkind Words Joseph Telushkin, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, lectures throughout our country on the powerful and often negative impact of words. He often asks those in his audience if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about or to another person. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:29

Tags: Words

A Farmer Plants Sour Apples Near Edge Of Orchard ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 3, 2009

A Farmer Plants Sour Apples Near Edge of Orchard To Camouflage The Sweet Ones in the Middle A farmer repeatedly invited his neighbor to come over to his orchard and pick some apples and make fresh, sweet apple cider. The neighbor kept turning down the offer. Finally, the farmer asked why the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Years Ago In California There Was An Ag Minister ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Feb 23, 2010

Years ago in California there was an AG minister named Ralph Mahoney, who was the head of World Missionary Assistance Plan. Also, every summer he ran camp meetings in California and Oregon. A group of people would register for a week’s meetings, which were financed by receiving offerings each ...read more

Tags: Leadership Listening

Denomination: Pentecostal

Read The Word Any Way You Can  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2010

READ THE WORD ANY WAY YOU CAN A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim’s face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3

Tags: Disciplines Scripture

The Nobodies Of The Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

THE NOBODIES OF THE CHURCH Janet Reno, Attorney General of the United States during the Clinton administration, was interviewed on "60 Minutes" on June 26, 1999. She seems to hold this ancient opinion of Christians. Here is how she defined a cultist: "A cultist is one who has a strong belief in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

His Dangerous Condition

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Nov 20, 2010

HIS DANGEROUS CONDITION A drunkard husband, spending the evening with his jovial companions at a tavern, boasted that if he should take a group of his friends home with him at midnight and ask his Christian wife to get up and cook supper for them, she would do it without complaint. The crowd ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: *other

Vigilance, War, And The Price Of Freedom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 6, 2011

VIGILANCE, WAR, AND THE PRICE OF FREEDOM "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom" -- a familiar saying in our country. We remember from Pearl Harbor what it's like to get caught off guard. The enemy can be so deceptive: Japan's peace envoys were seated at the negotiating table at the very ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8-10

Tags: War

Who Will Do The Need-Meeting?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2011

WHO WILL DO THE NEED-MEETING? One preacher told of shopping at the supermarket when a lady came down the aisle heading straight for him. She screeched to a halt within a few feet of him, wagged her finger, and said, "I left your church. I left your church". So I said, "Well, if it’s my church, I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Spurgeon On Truth And The Spirit

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2011

SPURGEON ON TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT The great 19th century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, made a wonderful analogy about the Holy Spirit’s role in leading us into God’s truth: "Truth may be compared to a cave or grotto, with wondrous stalactites reaching from the roof, and others reaching from ...read more

Scripture: John 16:5-15

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Satan's Three-Fold Attack

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 9, 2020

Satan tempts us in three separate ways according to I John 2:15-16: "The lust of the flesh is the desire to DO something apart from the will of God. The lust of the eyes is the desire to HAVE something apart from the will of God. The pride of life is the desire to BE something apart from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, 1 John 2:15-16

Tags: Lust, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ephesians 5:15-16, "Be Very Careful, Then, How ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live— not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Jesus calls us to “make the most of every opportunity to fulfill His mission and ours. “D. L. Moody said that his ‘greatest mistake’ occurred ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Charles Allen Said Two People He Loved Most ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

CHARLES ALLEN said two people he loved most across the years were Bishop and Mrs. Arthur J. Moore. After Mrs. Moore’s death the Bishop wrote the following letter: "My dearly beloved Martha walked triumphantly into God’s house on Monday, August 17th. You can imagine how lonely the children and I ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Persian Legend — Pour Water Into Basket

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Aug 30, 2007

Persian Legend - Pour Water into Basket A certain king had a task to accomplish. He called two of his servants. They were given the same wages and told to fill a basket with water from a nearby well, saying that he would come in the evening to inspect their work. After dumping one or two ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Warren Wiersbe, Theologian And Writer, Tells A ...  PRO

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jan 21, 2008

Warren Wiersbe, theologian and writer, tells a story as taken from a source. “A miserable looking woman recognized F.B. Meyer (preacher and teacher) on the train and ventured to share her burden with him. For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10

Tags: Theologian

Denomination: Salvation Army

3 Temptations Satan Uses Against Us

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 27, 2023

Eve’s descent into depravity is an illustration of James 1:14-15: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” This is the Bible’s description of sin’s slippery ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15

Tags: Temptation, Sin, Satan, Eve, Garden Of Eden, Backsliding  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Where Is He?

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 8, 2023

Where is the Hope of our salvation? Where is the cause of the celebration? Where is the One sent from above? Where is He, the Divine Gift of love? Where is He, born the Jewish King? Where is He of whom angels sing? Where is the One that shepherds seek? Where is He of whom wise men speak? Where is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Tags: Christmas Poems, Christmas, Birth Of Christ, Advent, Presents, Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

As We Begin This New Series On The Bible I ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2001

As we begin this new series on the Bible I thought I’d share some Biblical Bloopers with you. These are s-lightly skewed scriptural insights from children of Christian and Jewish faiths: - In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-11, Joshua 2:1-21, Joshua 2:1-24