In Sermon Illustrations: "Luke 9:511-62"

Stolen Billfold  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 21, 2002

Stolen Billfold John was driving home late one night when he picked up a hitchhiker. As they rode along, he began to be suspicious of his passenger. John checked to see if his wallet was safe in the pocket of his coat that was on the seat between them, but it wasn’t there! So he slammed on the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37, Matthew 7:1

Tags: Compassion, Grace

Denomination: Baptist

Everyone Loves A Parade  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2003

EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE It was October 29, 1927 when Charles Lindbergh was given a ticker-tape parade in New York City in honor of his solo flight of the Atlantic Ocean. 750,000 lbs. of ticker tape poured onto the streets. But the biggest ticker-tape parade was on March 1, 1962, for astronaut ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:28-44, Matthew 21:1-11

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

A Sunday School Teacher Had Just Finished Telling ...  PRO

Contributed by Ken Kersten on Jan 22, 2004

A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12

Tags: Easter Resurrection, Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Not Long Before She Died In 1988, In A Moment Of ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jun 28, 2004

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor in television, Marghanita Laski, one of our best-known secular humanists and novelists, said, “What I envy most about you Christians is your ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:36-47, Mark 14:3-9

Tags: God's Forgiveness, God's Provision

Denomination: Baptist

Persistent, Tenacious Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

PERSISTENT, TENACIOUS PRAYER Our praying should be like the story of Jacob wrestling the angel in Genesis 32. They wrestled all night and toward morning, Jacob had the angel in a full Nelson grip. The angel said, “Jacob, let me go.” Now, I think it was like WWF, it was a fixed fight. The mighty ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 10:1, Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Prayer Persistence, Parable Widow

Asking Everywhere  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

ASKING EVERYWHERE As hopeless as her situation must have seemed, she was persistent. The language of verse three (present tense verb) indicated that every day she begged him for help. “The language leaves open the possibility of confrontation everywhere, not just in the court. She pleaded with ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 139:1-10

Tags: Parable Widow

What Is This Mercy And Grace Exactly…  PRO

Contributed by Greg Buchner on May 5, 2005

What is this mercy and grace exactly… This past week I pulled my “Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms” (one of those books I bought in seminary but very rarely open today  ) off my library shelf. While I often quote that grace is the “unmerited favor of God,” it was interesting to ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:7, Luke 1:26-38

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Methodist

16 Year Old] Nathan Johnson Dreamed Of Starting ...  PRO

Contributed by John Shearhart on Sep 10, 2006

“[16 year old] Nathan Johnson dreamed of starting a revolution for Christ. [He wrote in his diary, “God’s] will for me is to radically impact my school for Him." But before he could see the revolution become a reality, Johnson’s life was cut short by an automobile accident [after] striking a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-13, Colossians 3:1-7

Tags: All Things

In The Fairy Tale, Alice In Wonderland I ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Willis on Jan 12, 2007

In the fairy tale, Alice in Wonderland I believe it was the Cheshire Cat who said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” It could be we’re just living a fairy tale ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:46-49, Proverbs 29:18

Denomination: Baptist

The Boss Of A Big Company Needed To Call One Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee’s home telephone number and was greeted with a child’s voice, "Hello?" It was a quiet little voice. Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32, Matthew 18:1-5

Tags: Obedient, Hearing, Parable Prodigal Son

I Used To Be Petrified Of Making ‘phone Calls; So ...  PRO

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Jul 28, 2007

I used to be petrified of making ‘phone calls; so it seems funny that I should later spend 5 years doing ‘phone based mortgage arrears collecting (91 to 96)! I can remember being 16 or 17, picking up the phone, knowing that I needed to dial, not knowing what I would say when the phone got answered ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:15, Acts 4:5-13

Tags: Ordinary

Denomination: Anglican

Corrie Ten Boom In The Book, Reflections Of God's ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 3, 2007

Corrie Ten Boom in the book, Reflections of god’s Glory (page 69), wrote, “In Africa a man came to a meeting with bandaged hands. I asked him how he had been injured. He said, “My neighbor’s straw roof was on fire; I helped him to put it out and that’s how my hands were burned. “Later I heard ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27, Matthew 5:43-44

Tags: Forgiveness

The Point: The Best Way To Work On A Marriage Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2007

[The Point: The best way to work on a marriage is to work on yourself.] On their first visit to a marriage counselor, a couple kept blaming the other person for the troubled relationship. So, to help them focus on their own flaws, the counselor asked each of them, "What have you personally done ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:3-5, Luke 6:41-42

Tags: Divorce, Marriage Struggle

The Monday After Thanksgiving, This Year, Still ...

Contributed by Keith Broyles on Oct 4, 2007

The Monday after Thanksgiving, this year, still very much in November, I met a group of preachers, as is my habit most Mondays for lunch. I was the first to arrive and while I was waiting, I noticed the music playing on the sound system. Song after song of Christmas music was coming out. If only ...read more

Scripture: Micah 7:1-20, Luke 17:11-18

Denomination: Methodist

The Family. We Were A Strange Little Band Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one anothers desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:10-17, Numbers 12:13-15

Tags: Family

Hospitality Is Commended To Be Exercised, Even ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Hospitality is commended to be exercised, even toward an enemy, when he cometh to thine house. The tree does not ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Love, Enemy, Beatitudes, Christian Values

Resentment: Swing At Everything  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

RESENTMENT: SWING AT EVERYTHING One year Dave Hagler was working as an umpire in a rec-baseball league in Boulder, Colorado. Unfortunately, Dave got pulled over for speeding one day. He tried to talk the officer out of giving him a ticket. Dave asked for leniency since it could make his insurance ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37-38, Colossians 2:16-18

Tags: Umpire, Forgiveness For Others

God Just Needs A Voice  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

GOD JUST NEEDS A VOICE John Stott, a well-known British pastor and theologian, was invited to preach at the University of Sydney in Australia; but after he got there, he lost his voice. He describes his experience as follows: "What can you do with a missionary who has no voice? We had come to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:14-15, Matthew 1:18-24

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Hanukkah Vs. Christmas  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 11, 2009

HANUKKAH VS. CHRISTMAS In his book The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey recounts an episode of the TV show Thirtysomething in which Hope, a Christian, argues with her husband Michael, a Jew, about the holidays. "Why do you even bother with Hanukkah?" she asks. "Do you really believe a handful of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:17-25, Luke 2:7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

The Authority Of The Believer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER In Santa Cruz there's a strip called Pacific Avenue, and there's a number of bars. And I remember walking down Pacific Avenue, and it was getting a little rowdy. And there was two or three very burly guys in kinda tight T-shirts that looked like they could kill you, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14, Luke 4:31-38

Tags: Authority