Sermon Illustrations

General Oglethorpe once said to John Wesley, "I never forgive and I never forget." To which Wesley responded, "Then Sir, I hope you never sin." Very apt, for when we reflect on how much God has forgiven us, it makes our own little grudges against others seem rather petty.  

The Great Depression hit Mr. J. C. Penney particularly hard, endangering his very health. Anxious and desperate because of huge financial losses, he felt he had nothing to live for. Even his family and friends shunned him. In the hospital one night, he grew so demoralized he expected to die before m

Steve Brown recently observed, "Church becomes the place where a nice, pleasant, bland person stands in front of other nice, pleasant, bland people urging them to be nicer, more pleasant and more bland. Jesus didn't die to create nice, pleasant, bland people. He died so that sinners would find grace

As frightening and foreboding as death may seem, it can neither hurt nor destroy the child of God. In his book Facing Death, Billy Graham relates an experience of Donald Grey Barnhouse, one of America's leading Bible teachers in the first half of the 20th century. Cancer took his first wife, leavin

In Anaheim, California is a piece of property that is nothing short of remarkable. Fifty years ago not a person alive would have ever dreamed that millions of folks from around the world would come and visit that piece of property. But one dreamer, way ahead of his time, shocked his board and a few

Spiritual Multiplication Unfortunately most Christians are sterile. That is to say they never reproduce themselves, when God has clearly commanded us to make disciples not just decisions. Consider this: The total offspring of a single pair of flies, if they survived to the end of summer, would

Some years ago a young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "Start Monday!" Monday, Tuesday, Wed

It is easy to misunderstand the counsel we receive from others, isn't it? Charlie Stink was constantly being advised by his friends and co-workers that he should have his name changed. Finally he agreed, and went to court to have the process completed. The next day back at work, his associates inq

Don't take a position of leadership in church unless you are prepared to be honest, pure, and loving in your lifestyle. Leadership is a privilege, and with privilege comes responsibility. God holds teachers of His truth doubly responsible because we who lead are in a position where we can either dra

On one occasion Michelangelo turned to his fellow artists and said with frustration in his voice, "Why do you keep filling gallery after gallery with endless pictures on the one theme of Christ in weakness, Christ on the cross, and most of all, Christ hanging dead?" he asked. "Why do you concent