In Sermon Illustrations: "Boring Sermons"

A Sabbath Miracle  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

A SABBATH MIRACLE A Roman Catholic priest, a Pentecostal pastor and a Jewish rabbi were talking one day about their belief in miracles. The Roman Catholic said that he did believe in miracles and illustrated this by telling of a recent incident when he had flown to Durban. As the aircraft began ...read more

Tags: Commandments Sabbath

Not A Voice, But A Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

NOT A VOICE, BUT A LIFE The late great Presbyterian clergyman and hymnist, Rev. Maltbie Davenport Babcock (1858 - 1901) once wrote: "Christianity is not a voice in the wilderness but a life in the world. It is not an idea in the air but feet on the ground, going [Almighty] God's way. It is not an ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Sputtering  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

SPUTTERING A man in North Carolina bought a new car with a voice-warning system. ... At first he was amused to hear the soft female voice gently remind him that his seat belt wasn’t fastened. ... Edwin affectionately called this voice the "little woman." He soon discovered his little woman was ...read more

Scripture: John 14:26

Tags: Direction, Holy Spirit, Rebellion, Conscience

Keep Your Eyes On Me

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME One day, a man hired an experienced guide to lead him on a hike into the Swiss Alps. After many hours, they came to a high and remote mountain pass. To the man’s dismay, he saw the path had almost been washed out. What could he do? To the left was a sheer rock cliff, to his ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2

Tags: Disciplines General

The Passenger ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

THE PASSENGER PIGEON The Passenger Pigeon was a species of pigeon that was once the most common bird in North America. They lived in enormous flocks and during migration it was possible to see flocks of them a mile (1.6 km) wide and 300 miles (500 km) long, taking several days to pass and ...read more

Tags: Change

Who Is God The Father?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

WHO IS GOD THE FATHER? In 2006, a sociologist at Baylor University released a study done by the Gallup organization that identified four views people had of God. 31.4 percent believe in an "Authoritarian God," a God who is angry at humanity’s sins. 23 percent believe in a "Benevolent God" who is ...read more

Tags: God The Father

The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

THE SHEEP-CHASER A guide on a tour bus that traveled through Israel’s countryside had the crowd engaged as he explained the history, the scenery and the lifestyle. In his description, he included a heart-warming portrayal of the ancient shepherd/sheep relationship. He told of how the shepherd ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-15

Tags: Leadership General

The Wrong Kind Of Loyalty

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 12, 2009

THE WRONG KIND OF LOYALTY There is a story of a Japanese soldier, Lt. Hiroo Onada, left on the island Lubang in the Philippines on December 25, 1944, with the command to "carry on the mission, even if Japan surrenders." Onada continued his war alone. All efforts to convince him to surrender or to ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Buyer's Remorse And A Dead ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

BUYER’S REMORSE AND A DEAD DONKEY A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died." Kenny replied, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:10

Tags: Lies

One Mountain Too Many

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

ONE MOUNTAIN TOO MANY "No one has the right to an activity that can cause so much suffering and pain to others just so they can do something fun." Those are the words of Karl Purnell who lost his 28 year-old son Chris to an avalanche when Chris was ice-climbing in Canada. You can hear and maybe ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 12:29-31

Tags: Idolatry

One Minute After You Die

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 19, 2022

One day I received a call from a distraught family who wanted a minister to do a quick funeral. I say “quick” because they asked me to speak for only a few minutes. “We don’t want anything religious,” the son told me, “and nothing you do will be too short.” I asked him why it was so important for ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Hell, Death, Salvation, Gospel, Truth, Judgment, Repentance, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Preserved And Protected By The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

When my mother used to make jam, I would watch her pour wax over the top of the preserves until it was at the brim of the jar. She would then carefully wipe some wax around the rim itself and place the rubber-lined lid on tight. The wax and the vacuum caused by the cooling preserves would seal that ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:13

Tags: Protection, Holy Spirit, Preserve

Servanthood

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Aug 4, 2022

As Christians can find all kinds of ways to minister in the name of Jesus. For example, there are 21,800 patients per year who receive chemotherapy treatments in Louisville, Kentucky, and most lose their hair. When Lynette Le Gette discovered this, it brought her to tears. She ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10, Acts 9:32-43

Tags: Servanthood, Good Deeds

Denomination: Lutheran

I Give Up!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Many years ago, executives of the Time-Life publishing organization discovered that the company’s profit margin had shrunk to an alarmingly low level. To cut costs, they decided to eliminate hundreds of works to be replaced with machines. The name of each subscriber was put on a separate little ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Mothers - How We Relate Through The Years

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Feb 8, 2023

Moments with mothers ... and with grandmothers.... Often become the foundation ...of memories ... that in turn ... become stories ... that are shared within the family... for many years. And as Children ... I have found ... we relate....... to our mothers ...differently .... through the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20, John 19:25-27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Children, Mom, Mothers Day, Mothers, Memories, Motherhood  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Meekness: The Cutting Horse And The Mule

Contributed by Richard Tow on Mar 20, 2023

Meekness is strength under control. At one time in my life, I was heavily involved with horses. It is a beautiful thing to watch a well-trained cutting horse work. Just a gently touch of reign on his neck or a shift in the rider’s weight can ignite a quick turn in that powerful animal. He does ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:5, 1 Timothy 6:11, Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Submission, Meekness, Meek, Teachable, Submitted  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

The Calling - Story About Peter Marshall

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 7, 2023

In her book, ...A Man Called Peter, ...Catherine Marshall ...tells how her late preacher-husband ...felt a sense of destiny ... a sense of call ...in his life. (Pause) One dark night, ...Peter, ...then a young man, ...decided to take a Shortcut ...across the Scottish moors. Customize this ...read more

Scripture: John 1:43-51, 1 Samuel 3:1-20

Tags: Plan, Purpose, Master, Calling

Denomination: Anglican

Be Like The Llama And Face Your Enemy!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 8, 2024

Reports the DENVER POST: "Like many sheep ranchers in the West, Lexy Fowler has tried just about everything to stop crafty coyotes from killing her sheep. She has used odor sprays, electric fences, and 'scare-coyotes.' She has slept with her lambs during the summer and has placed ...read more

Scripture: James 1:10-15

Tags: Word, Battles, Temptation, Victory, Defeat, Stand, Running, Spiritual Armor, Fear, Lust, Satan, Spiritual Warfare  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What The Bible Says About The Resurrection Of Jesus

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 25, 2024

Well over three hundred verses are concerned with the subject of Jesus' resurrection in the New Testament. We are told that this event is a sign for unbelievers (Matthew 12:38-40); cf. John 20:24-29) as well as the answer for the believer's doubt (Luke 24:38-43). It serves as the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:38-43

Tags: Christ, Easter, Resurrection, Heaven, Gospel, Cross, Miracles, Empty Tomb  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Have You Ever Asked God To Wake You Up In The Morning?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 23, 2024

Be careful what you pray for. We all know the feeling of trying to wake up to a blaring alarm clock. I had been really tired from working late and had overslept several times in the past week. I was traveling at the time, not at home. It wasn’t an emergency since I work from wherever I am, but I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7, Mark 11:24, 1 John 5:14

Tags: Prayer, How To Pray, Answered Prayers, Faith

Denomination: Charismatic