In Sermon Illustrations: "Big Bang Theory"

Skeletons In Our Closets

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

SKELETONS IN OUR CLOSETS The Rockefeller family is considered to be one of the most philanthropic families in the world, helping humanity globally in issues like economics, religion, education and environmental affairs. Yet the Rockefeller family tree is filled with many skeletons. William Avery ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Methodist

Lottery's Biggest Losers

Contributed by Aaron Mishoe on Apr 3, 2012

LOTTERY'S BIGGEST LOSERS Winning the lottery isn’t a guaranteed ticket to the good life, as these previous winners can attest: --Jack Whittaker: This West Virginia businessman won $315 million in the Powerball lottery in 2002, the largest jackpot ever from a single ticket in American history at ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:11

Tags: Money

Denomination: Holiness

The Story Of George Beverly Shea

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 17, 2012

THE STORY OF GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA George Beverly Shea was a young man in the late 1920s aspiring to become a well-known singer. He entered Houghton College in New York in 1928 to get some good music training, but family financial problems caused him to leave after only one year. He found a job as a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17

Tags: Commitment To Christ

The Cost Of Trying To Fit In

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

THE COST OF TRYING TO FIT IN Kevin Miller of Wheaton, Illinois wrote the following: Right after I finished 6th grade, my family moved to a new town. As I started junior high that fall, I suddenly found myself in a school I didn’t know, in a town I didn’t know, with people I didn’t know. I felt ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:24

Tags: Friendship General

There's A Familiar Story About The New Bride Who ...

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Jan 11, 2014

There's a familiar story about the new bride who is cooking a big family dinner. As the ladies are gathered in the kitchen, the bride puts the roast in the pan and asks her mother why we always cut the end of the roast and put it in another pan? They ask grandma who says, "well honey, I cut the ...read more

Scripture: James 1:1-2

Tags: Newlywed, Tradition, Ritual, Misunderstandings

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Beholding The Night Sky

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jan 2, 2015

When our daughter was in Junior High School, she made friends with a group of girls from Olney, Texas, a community about forty minutes to the south of us. And they invited her to a function their school was having on a certain Friday night. So, I drove her over, and, when the time came, I went ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:18-23

Tags: Creation, Doctrine Of God

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Looking For Something

Contributed by Michael Parks on Mar 30, 2016

Looking for Something? Mat 6:33 When we need answers to life’s questions where do we look? There certainly isn’t any shortage of information on the internet these days. You can find almost any answer to any question or help with whatever you are struggling with. But, is it the right answer? This ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33

Tags: Searching, Searching For Jesus, Easter Egg Hunt, Looking For Answers

Denomination: Baptist

Coming Home

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

There was a young man who constantly quarreled with his father. Finally, he left home without saying goodbye. He continued to keep in touch with his mom but cut connections with his dad. After a few years, he wanted to come home for Christmas very badly. But he was afraid his dad would not allow ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Coming Home

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Grief

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 17, 2022

On Death and Loss… He was 50 years old. The cancer was aggressive and relentless. The pain was unmanageable and agonizing. In two months he was gone. I didn't have the opportunity to say good-bye and if I did, what would I say? Could I get the words out? Our last communication, me in Port ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25, Psalm 90:1-12, 2 Corinthians 1:1-7

Tags: Death, Grief, Sickness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

No More Sin!

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 8, 2023

David Brooks in his book “The Road to Character” says this about sin... Today the word sin has lost it's power and awesome intensity. It’s now used to refer to desserts... fattening desserts. Most people in daily conversation don’t talk much about individual sin. If they talk about human ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23, Romans 1:18-20, Ephesians 2:1-3

Tags: Sin, Salvation, Gospel, Depravity, The Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rebellion At The Heart Of Mankind (Funny Story)

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 20, 2025

When my granddaughter was about three years old, ... my wife Lee and I ... were babysitting our grandchildren in Morton Illinois. Anna wanted to go outside and play on our own. I thought this was a good teaching moment. So, ... I knelt down beside her ... so that we could look at each other ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 6:12-23, Romans 6:16-18, John 8:34, John 8:31-32  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Slave, Mortal, Freedom, Sin, Heart, Teach, Rebellion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Light Is Powerful (And Sometimes Annoying)

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 20, 2026

I had a teacher in high school who used to do an experiment with a light bulb. He had a static electricity machine and when you put a light bulb near the source of static electricity, the bulb would burn. The only problem was that he was also holding on to the electrical cord attached to the light ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16, Isaiah 49:6

Tags: All Nations, Mission, Sent, Evangelism, Light  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Want To Build A Bridge

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Mar 28, 2026

I WANT TO BUILD A BRIDGE! The parents had died and left the farm to their two sons. The farm was divided by a creek. There was deep, hard feelings between the two brothers. They had not spoken to each other in several years. They went to the same church but they would not talk or even look at each ...read more

Scripture: John 15:14, Matthew 1:23

Tags: Bridge, Build

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The One Question I Didn't Want To Hear

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

Before my second senior year at Texas Tech I interned as a graphic designer at a church in Las Vegas. A close family friend named Jud Wilhite was the senior pastor there, and he had offered me an internship during a family trip. Well, several years after that internship, I had kept in touch with ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:19, Luke 14:23

Tags: Evangelism, Calling

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How I Found Hope

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 7, 2023

HOW I FOUND HOPE By Danielle Strickland — I stole my first car when I was twelve years old. In family court, when my fate seemed to be incarceration, a leader from my church insisted I was going through a hard patch, but I could be sentenced to community service at a camp. The judge jumped at the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Tags: Jesus, Hope

Denomination: Methodist

A Christmas Story  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Dec 12, 2003

[A Christmas Story, unknown] I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" (Rejection!) My Grandma was not ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

All Of You Know That Anne Is A Stay At Home ...

Contributed by Mike Rexroat on Dec 14, 2007

All of you know that Anne is a stay at home mom...but did you also know that she has also held some pretty important positions here in Kentucky as well. I have to tell you she will probably accuse me of being a smart alec for saying this but I really mean it....she has taught an exercise class ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Just This Past Thursday We Learned The Results Of ...

Contributed by Mike Rexroat on Dec 16, 2007

Just this past Thursday we learned the results of what is being called the "Mitchell" report. For those of us who are baseball fans it was a pretty dark day. Former Senator George Mitchell concluded his almost two year investigation into the game and released his conclusions and one of those ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Good Name: The Case Of Butch O'hare

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2011

A GOOD NAME: THE CASE OF BUTCH O'HARE His name was Butch O'Hare, one of the heroes of World War II. He was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:1

Tags: Character

Rock Soup

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 31, 2020

CONCLUSION: DO YOU EVER FEEL SO ALONE AND EMPTY? We often say the words “I CAN’T.” Maybe the real truth is “I WON’T.” I read a story about a poor little village and the village was so poor and because there was a terrible drought. There was a very old man in the village. He was old and feeble. He ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 35:3-4, Amos 3:3

Tags: Victory, Encouragement, Share

Denomination: Assembly Of God