In Sermon Illustrations: "Approved Workers"

Capture And Control  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 7, 2011

CAPTURE AND CONTROL Craig Larson talks about being at a lunch party on a warm, Chicago day in early September with a dozen of his fellow workers. The windows were left open, and soon a bee found its way in. After buzzing around for a while, it landed on some food on the table. Then someone took an ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:26, John 8:1-11

Tags: Satan

The Jesus Freaks Are Here

Contributed by Noel Atkinson on Mar 16, 2011

THE JESUS FREAKS ARE HERE I remember doing street ministry a few years ago. I was with an organisation called Drug Arm in the city. We would set up a van and give coffee and doughnuts to drug addicts along with contact phone numbers for the local drug rehabilitation centres. I remember one night ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

Hostile Heart

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

HOSTILE HEART Beware the hostile heart. That's the warning of Dr. Redford Williams from Duke University's Behavioral Medicine Research Center. He has been saying for years that having a hostile personalities can kill us--most often by heart disease but also by injuries and accidents. Anger speeds ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Heart

Beatitudes For Marriage

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 30, 2020

We all know and love the Beatitudes for what they mean to our own personal lives, but recently I sensed the Lord leading me to write down how these guidelines for Kingdom citizens affected the lives of married couples. The results were received very powerfully by our amazing church family: Poor ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Marriage, Prayer, Beatitudes, Couples

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: The "Bad Axe” Incident

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 3, 2024

Introduction: This is a follow up to the story of Elisha being asked, maybe as an afterthought?, to go with student prophets as they built a new facility. One of these men had borrowed an axe but something awful happened. By the way, this story has nothing whatsoever to do with the city of Bad ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 6:1-7

Tags: Elisha, Jordan River, Sons Of The Prophets, Axes

Denomination: Baptist

An Honest Day's Work  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2002

AN HONEST DAY'S WORK The USS Astoria (C-34) was the first U.S. cruiser to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island, a night action fought 8-9 August 1942. Although she scored two hits on the Imperial flagship Chokai, the Astoria was badly damaged and sank shortly after noon, 9 ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

The Uss Astoria (C-34) Was The First U.s. Cruiser ...  PRO

Contributed by Terry Dashner on Dec 22, 2001

The USS Astoria (C-34) was the first U.S. cruiser to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island, a night action fought 8-9 August 1942. Although she scored two hits on the Imperial flagship Chokai, the Astoria was badly damaged and sank shortly after noon, 9 August. About 0200 hours a ...read more

Tags: Leadership General, Workplace Integrity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is A Signet ...

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Dec 12, 2008

What is a Signet Ring? For us, in these days of DNA and fingerprints, signatures, endorsements and notaries, the idea of a signet ring is kind of odd. Different cultures have done different things to set official approval on documents. In China, today, they still use a chop. A chop is a rubber ...read more

Tags: Trust

Denomination: Mennonite

That's Just Denny.

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

"THAT'S JUST DENNY." John Ortberg tells of a man in a church he once pastored whom he called Denny. Denny was not a happy man. He had attended church his whole life, but he had never been happy. Even the expression on his face was perpetually negative - so much so that one day a deacon asked him, ...read more

Tags: Character

The Life Vest

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2011

THE LIFE VEST The USS Astoria (C-34) was the first U.S. cruiser to engage the Japanese during the Battle of Savo Island, a night action fought 8-9 August 1942. Although she scored two hits on the Imperial flagship Chokai, the Astoria was badly damaged and sank shortly after noon, 9 August. About ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:58

Tags: Action

Clarence Jordan Was A Man Of Unusual Abilities ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2001

Clarence Jordan was a man of unusual abilities and commitment. He had two Ph.D.s, one in agriculture and one in Greek and Hebrew. So gifted was he, he could have chosen to do anything he wanted. He chose to serve the poor. In the 1940’s, he founded a farm in Americus Georgia, and called it ...read more

A Man Got A Job As A Night Watchman At A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A man got a job as a night watchman at a factory. There had been a lot of thefts by the workers on the night shift and so every morning when the night shift workers passed through his gate it was his job to check their bags and pockets to make sure that nothing was being stolen. Things were going ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

I Recently Met A New Friend We'll Call Mike

Contributed by Brian Harvison on Apr 12, 2008

I recently met a new friend we’ll call Mike Mike told me his testimony Mike believed he was saved Was going through life as a saved man, but not really on fire for God Things that should have negatively affected him, his friends behavior, his environment , didn’t He just ignored those things and ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Take A Break: The World Health Organization ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 16, 2006

Take A Break: The World health Organization reports that by ’20 clinical depression is expected to outrank cancer and follow only heart disease in causes of death and disability worldwide. 28% of U.S. adults feel overworked or overwhelmed by work often or very often. These feelings take a toll on ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Elmer Towns Tells About A Member Of A Motorcycle ...  PRO

Contributed by Aaron Burgess on Mar 24, 2004

Elmer Towns tells about a member of a motorcycle gang who was converted to Jesus Christ dramatically and the first Sunday he did the only thing he knew he should do and so he went to church. Nobody in the church knew him and he walked down to the second aisle and sat in the seat. And the people ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Year Ago At This Time, I Was Preparing To Head ...

Contributed by Karl Kruse on Jul 31, 2004

A year ago at this time, I was preparing to head to Tanzania for a short-term mission trip. A few weeks before that I was back in Minnesota on a family vacation when my dad told me and my brother that he had prostate cancer, and was setting all of his affairs in order. He started giving away some ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: Lutheran

Is God Speaking?  PRO

Contributed by Mark Beaird on Nov 2, 2000

IS GOD SPEAKING? James Hamilton writes: Before refrigerators, people used ice houses to preserve their food. Ice houses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the ice houses, and covered ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit Attributes, Disciplines Meditation, Disciplines General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Kaboom!  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Chan on May 25, 2001

True story happened Friday in Montreal - A hospital patient who insisted on lighting a cigarette while hooked to an oxygen supply caused a small explosion, according to a hospital spokesperson. The 73-year-old, who suffered minor burns in the blast, had been told not to light up but she ignored ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:1, Galatians 5:13-15

Tags: God's Omniscience, Sin, Warning, Authority, Free Will, Freedom, Faith, Doing God's Will  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Once A Man Attended A Fair And Saw Another Man ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Once a man attended a fair and saw another man leading a fine, well-groomed horse. He inquired, "Is that a saddle horse?" The man replied, "No, sir. This horse will buck off a saddle. Nothing can stay on his back." So the man asked again, "Is he a driving horse?" The answer came back from the ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Do You Know This Man? His Name Is Thomas ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Do you know this man? His name is Thomas Jonathan Jackson. In 1851 he resigned from the army to teach at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. In the ensuing years tension arose between the Union states and the Southern states over slavery. In November 1859, Jackson was one of ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence