In Sermon Illustrations: "Wrist Watch Created"

For The Love Of Work  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jan 18, 2006

The story goes that when the company founded by Andrew Carnegie was taken over by the U.S. Steel Corporation in 1901 it acquired as one of its obligations a contract to pay the top Carnegie executive, Charles M. Schwab, the then unheard of minimum sum of $1,000,000. J.P. Morgan of U.S. Steel was in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:21

Tags: Workplace

Denomination: Lutheran

Brown Is Right About One Thing (And Not Much ...

Contributed by Scott Weber on Mar 14, 2006

Brown is right about one thing (and not much more). In the course of Christian history, few events loom larger than the Council of Nicea in 325. When the newly converted Roman Emperor Constantine called bishops from around the world to present-day Turkey, the church had reached a theological ...read more

Tags: False Teaching

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

This Past January The Pastors Were At A Retreat ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Perryman on May 10, 2006

This past January the pastors were at a retreat in Duluth and the speaker told of a missionary friend who was trying to reach this group of people in Mexico. They had a difficult time because these villagers had what he phrased “a scarcity mentality.” The missionary said their belief affected ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

We Are All Saddened To Learn This Week Of The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 3, 2001

We are all saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our church’s most valuable members, Someone Else. Someone’s passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Today In The Word — Live In Present-Tense  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Aug 14, 2001

Jesus calls us to be people who Live in present-tense. An average person¡¦s anxiety is focused on : 40% -- things that will never happen 30% -- things about the past that can’t be changed 12% -- things about criticism by others, mostly untrue 10% -- about health, which gets worse with stress ...read more

Tags: Guilt, Anxiety

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Was A Pastor From A Small Rural ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2003

There was a pastor from a small rural congregation who visited an old farmer from time to time in an attempt to share the gospel with him. Each time the farmer would tell the pastor, "I believe in God. It is impossible not to when you look around at the beauty of this earth and the way in which ...read more

Tags: Humanity Of Christ, Jesus Teachings

Those Who Don't Understand The Food That God ...  PRO

Contributed by Eric Stefanski on Aug 3, 2003

Those who don’t understand the food that God gives, those who don’t see how deep their need is for it, also consider the Gospel and Sacrament as ’fleeting’, and they seek some new ’rush’ in worship, desiring an emotional high, no matter how lacking in nutrition such a meal is. It’s like the ...read more

Tags: Lord's Supper

Denomination: Lutheran

A Lot Of People In Our Society Spend A Lot Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A lot of people in our society spend a lot of time blaming others for their own lack of initiative, insight, ambition, and effort. The Southern Baptists one year had a slogan for church growth that would fit us individually: “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Zig Ziglar said, “If you’re looking ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 25:31-32

Tags: New Year's Day

But, In 1787, A Group Of Well-Known And Powerful ...

Contributed by Todd Pugh on Jan 14, 2008

But, in 1787, a group of well-known and powerful Philadelphians (called the Philadelphia Society) convened in the home of Benjamin Franklin. Dr. Benjamin Rush spoke on the Society’s goal, to see the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania set the international standard in prison design. He proposed a radical ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Rosemary's Rag Doll

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 7, 2009

ROSEMARY'S RAG DOLL There is a natural, logical kind of loving that loves lovely things and lovely people. That's logical. But there is another kind of loving that doesn't look for value in what it loves, but that CREATES value in what it loves. Like Rosemary's rag doll. When Rosemary, my ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Baptist

A Synergy Is Where Different Entities Cooperate ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 19, 2010

A synergy is where different entities cooperate advantageously for a final outcome. Simply defined, it means that the effect of the whole is greater than the sum of the effects of the individual parts. If used in a business application it means that teamwork will produce an overall better result ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gates Will Not Prevail

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 17, 2011

THE GATES WILL NOT PREVAIL Jesus said: "Upon this rock (of Peter's testimony that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" Matthew 16:18 Now the odd thing about Jesus' statement was this: Gates don't attack. ...read more

Tags: Hell

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Edison Couldn't Make Life

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 15, 2012

EDISON COULDN'T MAKE LIFE Are you extremely proud of your lifetime accomplishments? It was on November 21 of 1877 that Thomas Edison announced to the world that he had invented the phonograph. Edison's accomplishments are often forgotten. In his Menlo Park, New Jersey fix-it shop he designed the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 9:23-24

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Baptist

The Impacts Of Trust And Distrust

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2012

THE IMPACTS OF TRUST AND DISTRUST One of the serious problems of human nature is our natural tendency to be distrusting and suspicious. Barbara Misztal, in her book, Trust in Modern Societies: The Search for the Bases of Social Order, mentions three things that trust does in the life of a person. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 9:7-10

Tags: Trust

Trampled By Shoppers?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

TRAMPLED BY SHOPPERS? In November 2003, a sale on DVD players at a Florida Wal-Mart created a rush of shoppers that apparently resulted in one woman being trampled. Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. announcing the start to the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Tags: Greed

Where The Pharisees Went Wrong

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 9, 2013

WHERE THE PHARISEES WENT WRONG Robert Coleman talks about where the Pharisees went wrong: "The Pharisees had so much respect for the original set of scriptures and wanted to protect them so desperately that they started adding to them. Then, after a while, it not only seemed helpful to make ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23

Tags: Tradition, Man Made Rules, Pharisees, Fast

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Is It Death Or Really Life?

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

Robin Norwood in her book, “Why Me? Why This? Why Now?” writes, “A very wise old fried of mine who has just celebrated his 100th birthday said to me about a recent news broadcast he recently heard about 73 people losing their lives in a plan crash: “Don’t they know we can’t lose our lives? We can ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Tags: Death, Eternal Life

Denomination: Methodist

We Were Just One

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Nov 24, 2008

WE WERE JUST ONE During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, faced harsh persecution. In almost every ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Wesleyan

Hide And Seek With God  PRO

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Mar 7, 2009

HIDE AND SEEK WITH GOD This week I have been hammered by the immensity of what it means to "abandon," "forsake," or "leave alone" the omnipresent God, God who is everywhere. How is that possible? It is ONLY possible if God allows us to leave, allows us to turn our back upon God Himself. Yes, it ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience

Denomination: *other

Temple Of Greed

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Mar 12, 2009

TEMPLE OF GREED Stanford Kurland ran Countrywide Mortgage through 2006. Then after the mortgage crisis began (for which Kurland may be partially responsible) he opened up PennyMac, a company that says they will help bail out the mortgage industry by buying the troubled mortgages at a reduced rate ...read more

Tags: Greed

Denomination: United Methodist