In Sermon Illustrations: "A Prodigal Returns"

De Dónde Viene El Carácter? — Where Character Comes From

Contributed by Major Gerardo Balmori on Mar 22, 2010

(English translation follows) ¿De dónde viene el carácter? ¿Cómo llega a nosotros? Recuerde la ilustración del hombre que comprando pollo rostizado, se dio cuenta que en vez del bote de pollo le dieron el bote de las ganancias del día. Su novia se quedó sorprendida cuando el decidió regresar el ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Salvation Army

A Few Nights Ago My 2 Year Old Son Ephram Was ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Apr 22, 2010

A few nights ago my 2 year old son Ephram was very sleepy and ready for bed. Though his bed is the bottom bunk he decided that he was going to climb up the latter to Sebastian’s top bunk. Normally he is very able to climb to the top but in his half awake state he got his foot tangled in the ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Christian Church

A Good Example Of A Bad Example  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A BAD EXAMPLE In 1989 the unthinkable happened. After seventy years of communism and forty years of the Cold War, the Iron Curtain fell and the brutal, sadistic power of the U.S.S.R. began to disintegrate. Russia for seven decades had been repressed, murdered, and brutalized by ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 50:1-23

Tags: America

Poor Man's Philanthropist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

POOR MAN'S PHILANTHROPIST In 2005, when Thomas Cannon died of colon cancer in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, he was 79. Thomas described himself a "poor man's philanthropist." When Thomas was three years old, his father died. Once Thomas' mother remarried, the family of six lived in a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:15

Tags: Giving General

Glory To God First

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jun 25, 2012

GLORY TO GOD FIRST A man came to Pastor Chuck, the church that I went to for several years while in California, and he said to the pastor that he wanted to make a large donation - about one million dollar donation. The pastor said to that, "Wow -- that is a lot of money. Let me go first and pray ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:21-39

Tags: Principles

Denomination: *other

Henri Dunant, Founder Of The Red Cross  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 20, 2012

HENRI DUNANT, FOUNDER OF THE RED CROSS Henri Dunant was a wealthy 19th century Swiss banker when the Swiss government sent him to Paris to work on a business deal with Napoleon. When he got to Paris, they told him that Napoleon was off fighting a war against the Austrians in Solferino, Italy. So ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:13-14

Tags: Compassion

Prayer And The Motorcycle  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Nov 13, 2012

PRAYER AND THE MOTORCYCLE There was a woman at work when she received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication for her daughter. She returned to her car to find that she had locked the keys inside the car when ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28, John 13:31-38, Proverbs 28:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Tags: Renewal, Alive, Rededication, Prayer Hardship

Denomination: *other

The Day Mom Turned Blue

Contributed by Paul Barreca on May 20, 2014

Just after Thanksgiving last year, the family was gathered for a dinner at my house. Mom had just returned from visiting my sisters in New York. She was having trouble with her asthma and was tired and short of breath. While in NY, she felt poor enough to see the Doctor, so naturally, we were ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31

Tags: Mothers Day, Mothers, Motherhood, Celebrate Moms

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Free For The Taking: Grace

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

Joseph Cooke was a missionary to Thailand a generation ago. He illustrated grace this way. Picture a happily married couple in which both husband and wife are all that either could ever wish the other to be. The husband always respects his wife’s feelings, always treasures her individuality, is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:8-9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:8

Tags: Grace, Love Of God

Denomination: Charismatic

Satanic Duplications

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jul 29, 2020

A cartoon when I was a kid showed a group of aliens called Meeks who came to earth and said they only existed to serve others and wanted to give everyone the desires of their heart. The world voted to allow them to do it and everyone only had to ask and it was done. With no work to do humans ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 16:25, 1 Peter 5:8

Tags: Lion, Deception, Satan, Lies

Denomination: Baptist

Open Rebuke Is Better Than Secret Love.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 25, 2021

The Scripture tells us that "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:5-6).   Rebuke means sin is not only pointed out, it is condemned. The church really doesn’t do this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Sin, Preaching, Repentance, Rebuke, Pastors, The Word Of God, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Can You Imagine What The World Will Be Like 100 ...

Contributed by Daniel Owens on Jan 6, 2008

Can you imagine what the world will be like 100 years from now if the Lord tarries His return? All you have to do is to have some idea what the world will be like is to just look back 100 years and consider what the world was like then… and consider the incredible rate of change that we’ve ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Colver's Ministry  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

COLVER'S MINISTRY Nathaniel Colver was born on May 10, 1874 and lived in Champlain, New York; his family was one of thirteen families to reside there at the time. He was born into a Christian home and spent the vast majority of his youth learning to read from three books: The Bible, a Psalm book, ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

This Is Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

THIS IS GOOD The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!" One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:1-7

Tags: Hunger, Trusting God, Past, Fire, Memory, Attitude General  (view more)  (view less)

Living Without Power  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

LIVING WITHOUT POWER The story is told of an elderly woman named Norena, who lived in southern Florida. When a hurricane hit that area, her home was one of many that was severely damaged. Norena received an insurance settlement, and the repair work began. However, when the money ran out, so did ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Holy Spirit, Gift, Power, Truth, Living Without, Holy Spirit In Believers  (view more)  (view less)

The Persistence In Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

The Persistence in Forgiveness After sixteen years as a missionary on the continent of Africa. David Livingstone returned Scotland to address the students at Glasgow University. His body had been ravaged by some 27 fevers that had overtaken him during his years of service. One arm hung useless at ...read more

Tags: Endurance

The Church At This Point Has A Few Options At Its ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 25, 2009

The church at this point has a few options at its disposal to confront this injustice (Idea here pulled from Jim Cymbala’s book “Fresh Power “ pg. 88,89). a. They could start a demonstration – they could march on Washington and protest because there are 5,000plus in the church at this point in ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gold Standard

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Feb 10, 2009

THE GOLD STANDARD Leland was able to standardize Cadillac parts to precision standards. The development of these standards had such a profound impact that a member of the British Parliament, a wealthy lord named Sir Thomas Dewar, gave the company an award for standardization of parts. Having ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: *other

Missionary Gregory Fisher Writes: "What Will He ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

MISSIONARY Gregory Fisher writes: "What will he say when he shouts?" The question took me by surprise. I had already found that West African Bible College students can ask some of the most penetrating questions about minute details of Scripture. "Reverend, I Thess. 4:16 says that Christ will ...read more

Scripture: John 11:1-10, Numbers 9:1-14, 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Some Time Ago Thomas A. Harris Wrote A Book Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Some time ago Thomas A. Harris wrote a book of pop psychology called I’m O. K.—You’re O. K. About that time the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology was holding its annual meeting on the depravity of man. One of the speakers was theologian Dr. John Gerstner, at that time a professor at ...read more

Tags: Salvation