In Sermon Illustrations: "World Religions"

The Right Use Of The Eyes  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

THE RIGHT USE OF THE EYES A bishop of the early church, who was a remarkable example of the virtue of contentment, was asked his secret. The venerable old man replied: "It consists in nothing more than making a right use of my eyes. In whatever state I am, I first of all look up to heaven and ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:10-13

Tags: Gratitude

Aristides On Christians

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2012

ARISTIDES ON CHRISTIANS Writing in about 125 AD, a Christian philosopher by the name of Aristides looked at Christianity and said this: "They walk in all humility and kindness, and falsehood is not found among them, and they love one another. They despise not the widow, and grieve not the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:11-20

Tags: Christian Witness

A Story For Peace-Lovers  PRO

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Jan 21, 2013

A STORY FOR PEACE-LOVERS (Narrated by Dorothy S. Mclaren) One morning a little girl, dressed in spotless white, with a lovely bouquet of flowers in her hands, passed by a boy who was playing in the dusty street. The sight of this pretty girl stirred the spirit of mischief in the boy’s heart and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:18

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rocky Balboa: Don't Give Up

Contributed by Ted Robinson on Feb 25, 2013

ROCKY BALBOA: DON'T GIVE UP These are the words Rocky Balboa said to his son when he was ready to give up and lead a life of mediocrity: "Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and ...read more

Tags: Apostasy

Denomination: Pentecostal

Prayer-Spiritual Defiance

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 19, 2018

Richard Foster in his book "Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home" describes an aspect of radical prayer as spiritual defiance. He states, "We are subversives in a world of injustice, oppression, and violence. Like Amos of old, we demand that "Justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Radical Prayer

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Does He Show?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

DOES HE SHOW? One Sunday as they drove home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, there’s something about the preacher’s message this morning that I don’t understand." The mother said, "Oh? What is it?" The little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Tags: Christian Witness

Prayer And Spiritual ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE "Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is ...read more

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, War

How Will You Ever Learn?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2009

HOW WILL YOU EVER LEARN? I heard the story of a nine-year-old girl who returned from Sunday School and as her father was sitting down with his newspaper after a delicious Sunday lunch, she asked him some questions. "Daddy, why did God make all the leaves green?" He thought a moment and replied, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Tags: Growth In Christ

The Need Of A Clarion ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

THE NEED OF A CLARION VOICE Sanders wrote in his epic book Spiritual leadership, "The church has always prospered most when it has been blessed with strong and spiritual leaders who expected and experienced the touch of God in their service. The lack of such men is a symptom of the malaise that ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 85:6

Tags: Revival

I Am Free In Christ To Drink Any Coffee That I ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 6, 2009

I am free in Christ to drink any coffee that I want. But if I know that certain brands of coffee or tea have not be grown and bought in a responsible fashion then in my opinion I am abusing my freedom and am hindering my witness to those who have suffered from the injustice. I had a Starbuck’s ...read more

Tags: Christian Liberty

Denomination: Church Of God

Why The Dead ...

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Jul 11, 2009

“Why the Dead Sea?” We have heard of dead people, dead beasts, dead trees and dead flowers, but is there such a thing as a dead sea? There is and they call it dead because it receives all and gives nothing. This body of water – the most remarkable in the world – is at the southern end of the ...read more

Tags: Sin, Dead To Sin

Denomination: Christian Church

M ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

MINDLESSNESS In 2009, we celebrated the 500th birthday of John Calvin, who was born on July 10, 1509, in Noyon, France. Calvin went into self-exile in Geneva because France was opposed to the Reformation. The reason I mention this is because of the remarkable work that Calvin did in Geneva. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Worldliness

Casual Christians  PRO

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Jul 27, 2009

CASUAL CHRISTIANS Barna defines these folks as those who perceive their Christianity as "faith in moderation. It allows them to feel religious without having to prioritize their faith. Christianity is a low-risk, predictable proposition..., providing a faith perspective that is not demanding. A ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Claiming That Suitable Behavior Towards Christ's ...

Contributed by Rickey Bennett on Aug 16, 2009

Claiming that suitable behavior towards Christ’s ontological significance, according to Joseph Parker a 19th century English preacher, is paramount, and he wrote, "There are other men who do not come to worship Christ; who simply come to speculate upon Him…such patronage they offer the Son of God! ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: *other

Prayer For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

Prayer for Compassion Then we can pray a prayer like David Mains prayed years ago. He was once pastor of the Circle Urban Church, an inner city church in Chicago, and one day, in the course of his ministry among such great need, he prayed, “Lord, let me see the world as you see it, and break my ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:36-38

Tags: Compassion

Salt Enhances The Flavor Of African ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 8, 2009

Salt Enhances the Flavor of African Food Two thousand years ago salt was used primarily for two reasons, to preserve and to season. And while preservation was the most critical in a practical sense the flavouring benefits of NaCl or sodium chloride can never be underestimated. A number years ago ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Tags: Christian Witness

American Dream: Double What You Have

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Nov 30, 2009

AMERICAN DREAM: DOUBLE WHAT YOU HAVE Don Jaques notes from his sermon "The Secret of Contentment" on sermoncentral.com the following: About 10 years ago, there was a story in U.S. News and World Report. Some of the information in this story is probably just as relevant today, ten years later, as ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Cost Of The American ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

Cost of the American Dream About 10 years ago, there was a story in U.S. News and World Report. Some of the information in this story is probably just as relevant today, ten years later, as it was then. The story was about the so-called “American Dream.” I guess that would include owning your own ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

Tags: Money

Martin Moore-Ede, In His Book Twenty-Four Hour ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 7, 2007

Martin Moore-Ede, in his book Twenty-Four Hour Society: Understanding Human Limits in a World That Never Stops, says, “Our most notorious industrial accidents in recent years — Exxon Valdez, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, the fatal navigational error of Korean Air Lines 007 — all occurred in the ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Joseph Stowell Spouted Off To His Teacher At ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Joseph Stowell spouted off to his teacher at school and told her to shut up and then he stood up and walked out of the class room. As he walked down the block to his house he noticed that his mother was working in the yard. He stopped dead in his tracks. He thought “What am I going to tell her?” He ...read more

Tags: Faith