In Sermon Illustrations: "Answering Honestly"

I Am Suffering At The Moment With A Cold, ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Apr 10, 2010

I am suffering at the moment with a cold, coughing and spluttering and my brain feels like it is packed tightly in sponge and being bounced down the slope of a mountain. A good friend said she is praying in Jesus Name for healing and believing for me to be well by Monday. I am believing for this ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Can't Stop Crying  PRO

Contributed by Charles Jones on Dec 16, 2010

CAN'T STOP CRYING Consider this there was a story about a little boy who would not stop crying. No matter what his mother did, he would always cry. So one day this lady next door after hearing the baby cry thought she knew the answer to the problem and assured the mother that she could stop her ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Prayer And The Chair

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 22, 2011

THE PRAYER AND THE CHAIR A woman called a pastor to come to the house to see her father. He goes to the house not knowing whether the man is Christian or not but he notices as he talks to him and the man answers back that he must be a Christian and there is a chair sitting close by. An empty ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15

Tags: Prayer How To

The Unexpected King

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2011

THE UNEXPECTED KING Just a year ago (on September 16, 2009), an article in The Washington Post began with these words: "The king folds her own laundry, chauffeurs herself around Washington in a 1992 Honda, and answers her own phone. Her boss's phone, too." The article was about Peggielene Bartels, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-8

Tags: Election

How Do You Know You're Saved?

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 15, 2011

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU'RE SAVED? When I ask some people if they're saved, they sometimes answer, "Well I think so" or "I hope so." What if someone came up to me and asked, "Pastor Sligh, are you married?" Suppose I say, "Well, I think so." You say, "Now wait a minute. You either are or you aren't. I ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Baptist

Relationships Matter Most In Happiness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2011

RELATIONSHIPS MATTER MOST IN HAPPINESS In 1937, a researcher at Harvard University began a study (originally named The Harvard Study of Adult Development) on what factors contribute to human well-being and happiness. The research team selected 268 male Harvard students who seemed healthy and well ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Tags: Happiness

The Rug: Making And Keeping Good Boys

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

THE RUG: MAKING AND KEEPING GOOD BOYS A preacher tells how he was once entertained by a teacher and his wife who had two boys in their middle teens. He writes, "Immediately on entering, I felt the home atmosphere. They were evidently a fine Christian family. However, I noticed that the carpet in ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:1-6

Tags: Mother's Day

I Was Waiting For You  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

I WAS WAITING FOR YOU A family was out vacationing at the lake one summer. Dad had been puttering out by the boat house. Two of his sons, a 12 year old and a 3 year old were down playing along the dock. The 12 year old was suppose to be watching his little brother, but he got distracted. The 3 ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:45

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

The Story Of The Nobel Prize

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Jan 10, 2012

THE STORY OF THE NOBEL PRIZE Quiz time, folks--who invented dynamite? Do I hear the answer: Alfred Nobel! In fact in 1867, Nobel received U.S. patent number 78317 for his dynamic invention. That this explosive instead of being used peacefully for blasting the rocks during mining operations (as was ...read more

Tags: Parable Talents

Denomination: *other

Under The Influence

Contributed by Greg Nance on Apr 13, 2012

UNDER THE INFLUENCE David Kupelian's book The Marketing of Evil, published in 2005, is an eye-opening study of what we face today. I wish every parent would read it. Does anyone here remember what happened to Robert Bauman in 1980? He was elected in 1973 as representative of the First ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Village Of The Book

Contributed by Perry Greene on Apr 17, 2012

THE VILLAGE OF THE BOOK It was early in 1945. As United States forces pushed deep into Okinawa they came across a village unlike any they had ever seen. Here at Shimabuku they were met and welcomed by two old men who invited the troops in as "fellow Christians." Correspondent Clarence W. Hall ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When Your Sin Finds You Out.  PRO

Contributed by Larry Turner on Sep 16, 2013

I was 18 years old when I stole my first and only item. I was a bagger at a local grocery store. The store had some small battery operated record players that played 45s. (For those too young to remember what 45s were, they looked like bid CDs with a hole in the middle.) A lot of the record players ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 32:23

Tags: Truth, Unconfessed Sin

Denomination: Foursquare

Human Ingenuity And The Genius Of God

Contributed by Jerry Stephens on Mar 26, 2016

Recently, I was watching a documentary about the top 101 inventions of all time. Pretty cool stuff. Human ingenuity is pretty amazing. We’ve figured out how to do all kinds of things. What are some of the best things human imagination has come up with? I have to tell you, they may not be very ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-29

Tags: Faith, Trusting God, Eternal Life, Human Wisdom

Denomination: Vineyard

Daddy, Tell Me About The Facts Of Life.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 18, 2017

Corrie Ten Boom’s father was being pursued by German authorities for housing Jews, which was a punishable crime under Hitler. He had to hurry away from the home one evening after packing his bag for a long, unknown trip to hide away. At the train station and in the middle of a highly tense ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Father In Heaven, Will Of God, Where Is God, Father God, Waiting On God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Where's The Bagel?

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 6, 2019

On one occasion during my college days in Peterborough I was invited to the Dean of Students residence for a social gathering. Hoping to find food aplenty I was disappointed to see the large dining room table containing a lonely plate of bagels. I quickly grabbed one, but my first bite was more of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22

Tags: Faith, Mistakes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Building Of Busch Stadium, Skirting Rules.

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Mar 16, 2022

In 1966 the St. Louis Cardinals built a new ballpark and named it Busch Memorial Stadium. There is a story that the owner of the Cardinals, August Busch, wanted to name it Budweiser Stadium, but the city officials would not allow him to name it after a beer. Frustrated by their answer, he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Human Nature, Ten Commandments

Denomination: Lutheran

The Night Before Cassie Bernal Was Murdered At Columbine

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 6, 2022

On Tuesday April 20, 1999, Cassie Bernal was in the Columbine Colorado high school library reading her Bible when the two students burst in carrying guns. According to one of the witnesses, her friend Josh, one of the killers pointed his gun at Cassie and asked, "Do you believe in ...read more

Tags: Faith, Death, Persecution, Heaven, Satan, Testimony, Terrorism, High School, Last Words, Martyrs, Columbine  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Humanity's Quest For Moral Understanding

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 19, 2024

I recently watched a video by Pastor David Wilkinson discussing the innate human understanding of good and evil, heaven and hell. Based on this, I believe that our inherent moral sense inevitably drives humanity to create various religions. Hinduism, with its openness to diverse divine forms, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 2:14-15

Tags: Religion, Good, Moral Compass, Innate Morality, Moral Understanding, Jesus' Impact, Hell, Evil, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Just Listen Please!

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

Could You Just Listen? When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not done what I asked. When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn’t feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings. When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do ...read more

Scripture: Job 2:11-13, James 1:19

Tags: Quietness, Listening, Grieving

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Bridge Operator

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 5, 2025

There was once a man whose job was to operate a drawbridge for passing trains. Most of the time the bridge stayed raised to allow ships to move freely along the busy waterway. But when a train was scheduled to cross, he would lower the bridge, lock it in place, and signal that the way was ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Grace, Atonement, Sacrifice, Redemption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist