In Sermon Illustrations: "24 Hours"

There's A Popular Email That's Gone Around Most ...

Contributed by Austin Mansfield on Jul 31, 2007

There’s a popular email that’s gone around most businesses concerning time off. It says: So you want a day off. Let’s take a look at what you are asking for. There are 365 days per year available for work. There are 52 weeks per year in which you already have 2 days off per week, leaving 261 ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Finish The Race

Contributed by John Bright on Jul 11, 2025

“John Stephen Akhwari is an Olympic legend. Representing his country, Tanzania, he was a favorite to win the marathon at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Well-rested. Ready. His expectations were high. The Olympic marathon began in the afternoon of October 20, 1968. John Stephen Akhwari ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 2:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Tags: Integrity, Finish Well, Cloud Of Witnesses, Run The Race

Denomination: Methodist

Over 25,000 Americans Commit Suicide Each Year. ...  PRO

Contributed by Aaron Jones on Mar 5, 2001

Over 25,000 Americans commit suicide each year. Over one million will try but only one out of fifteen will succeed. It is the tenth highest killer in the U.S. More will die by suicide than by murder. The model age for attempting suicide is 32 for men and 27 for women. The model age of succeeding ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30

Tags: Faith, Freedom, Funerals Non-Christian, God Brings Hope

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Mel Gibson's Stock High: Two Months After The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2006

Mel Gibson’s Stock High: Two months after the phenomenal success of his film The Passion of the Christ Mel Gibson is being courted by many in Hollywood for his ‘connection to middle America,’ but is still held at arm’s length by others who found his film divisive. In the film world, meanwhile, ...read more

Tags: Television And Movies

Unknown Inheritances  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2009

UNKNOWN INHERITANCES A Michigan factory worker, earning less than ten thousand dollars a year, was an unknowing heir to a half-million dollars. When located by an investigator some years after his benefactor’s death, the worker explained that he had neither returned home nor kept in touch with his ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:16-17

Tags: God The Father

Civil War General Desires Baptism After Being ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2009

Civil War General Desires Baptism After being Mortally Wounded Gen. William Nelson, a Union general in the Civil War, was consumed with the battles in Kentucky when a brawl ended up in his being shot, mortally, in the chest. He had faced many battles, but the fatal blow came while he was relaxing ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:38

Tags: Baptism

Atheist Thankful For A Beautiful ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2009

Atheist Thankful for a Beautiful Morning One morning a woman who was a known atheist stepped out of her home on the hillside and was taken back by what a beautiful morning it was. The Cook Inlet sparkled, the air was fresh and crisp, the sky was a blue as she had ever seen it and Denali loomed over ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:17-19

Tags: Thanks, Thanksgiving Holiday

Brezhnev's Wife Defies Atheism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2010

BREZHNEV'S WIFE DEFIES ATHEISM As Vice President, George Bush represented the U.S. at the funeral of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev’s widow. She stood motionless by the coffin until seconds before it was closed. Then, just ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 53:1

Tags: Atheism

Ignorance Of One's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 27, 2010

Ignorance of One’s Inheritance A Michigan factory worker, earning less than ten thousand dollars a year, was an unknowing heir to a half-million dollars. When located by an investigator some years after his benefactor’s death, the worker explained that he had neither returned home nor kept in touch ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-13

Tags: Inheritance, Ignorance

Elephant Fights In Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 28, 2010

ELEPHANT FIGHTS IN CHURCH An African proverb says, "When elephants fight, grass gets trampled." Elephants do not throw their weight around for nothing. The average African elephant weighs 16,534 lbs. The largest elephant on record weighed about 24,000 pounds and was 13 feet tall! Wild elephants ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Tags: Power, Divisions

Philip Caught A Gold Mine

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

PHILIP CAUGHT A GOLD MINE On Sept. 27, 1998, Philip Ozersky went to a baseball game and saw his life changed in a big time way. All it took was one swing of the bat, and Philip caught not just a baseball, but a gold mine. Lots of fans have caught home runs, but this was no ordinary home run. Lots ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 19:1-14

Tags: Money

Knowledge By Revelation

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 15, 2012

KNOWLEDGE BY REVELATION Dr. Nichols states, "There must be a difference between the knowledge that comes from the gathering of information, and that which comes by revelation. The Pharisees and Sadducees had the best information anyone could have in their day. If you asked them, they would tell ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Parents Are Taking A More Active Role In The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008

Parents are taking a more active role in the lives of their children than they did 10 years ago, reports the Census Bureau. In '04, 47% of teens had restrictions on TV viewing, up from 40% in '94. 68% of 3-5-year-olds had TV viewing limits in '04 vs. 54% in '94. Kids' 6-11 viewing restrictions grew ...read more

Tags: Parenting

A Lutheran Youth Fellowship '07 Poll Finds 28% ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2008

A Lutheran Youth Fellowship '07 poll finds 28% cite their personal faith as their top concern while 23.8% say the future; 23.3% family relationships; 23.1% college and 16.3% unbelievers. Others included terrorism 9.4% and war 7.9%. 58.4% of respondents said pre-marital sex is always wrong, down ...read more

Tags: Youth

I Was Visiting My Home Town In Romania When One ...

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Jul 29, 2008

I was visiting my home town in Romania when one of my neighbors died. I was attending the visitation. Usually the family and relatives are taking care of the funeral – the body stays in the living room of the house for three days, until the burial. But if they live in a condo or blockhouse, they ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Elevator Magic  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 24, 2008

ELEVATOR MAGIC An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and back together again. The boy asked his father, "What is this, Father?" The father [never having seen an elevator] ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Tags: Aging

Denomination: Independent/Bible

1 Corinthians ...

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Feb 12, 2009

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Paul said run to win as if winning is everything. It is, but not in the sense that you find in the sports arena. Running to win only makes sense if you’re chasing the right prize. My daughter, Jen, has a fur-ball with whiskers named Fred. Fred will chase anything that ...read more

Tags: Materialism

Denomination: United Methodist

Unchurched Don't Visit In Person

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

UNCHURCHED DON’T VISIT IN PERSON Unchurched adults interested in finding a church home aren’t nearly as likely to visit one in person as a church member who is shopping for a new congregation, claims LifeWay Research. Only 49% of unchurched adults would visit in-person if they were looking for a ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

The May 1984 National Geographic Showed Through ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The May 1984 National Geographic showed through color photos and drawings the swift and terrible destruction that wiped out the Roman Cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A.D. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden that the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Arthur Pink, A Theologian From Another ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Aug 24, 2007

Arthur Pink, a theologian from another generation, talks against those who preach about Jesus as a savior from hell rather than a savior from sin. He explained that there are many who are dangerously deceived by this, because there are many who desire to escape the flames of hell, but have no ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan