In Sermon Illustrations: "Busy"

I Want To Buy An Hour

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Jun 17, 2005

I WANT TO BUY AN HOUR A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated. He found his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" The dad replied: "Yeah, sure, what is it?" "Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?" The dad got mad and said, ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Church Of God

You Will Meet An Old Lady

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2010

YOU WILL MEET AN OLD LADY You are going to meet an old lady someday. Down the road ahead, 10, 20, 30 years; she’s waiting for you. You will be catching up with her. What kind of old lady are you going to meet? That is a rather significant question. She may be a seasoned, soft, and gracious lady. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:43-45

Tags: Character

Armor That Holds Up

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

ARMOR THAT HOLDS UP I came across what I thought was a rather interesting story this week as I was preparing for this message. It was a story detailing a class action law suit aimed at a company called Second Chance Body Armor. Second Chance manufactures bullet proof vests for police officers and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Security

Didn't You Get My Letters?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

DIDN'T YOU GET MY LETTERS? Let's play “Let's Pretend". Let's pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I'm the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until a ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Zorthian's Fear

Contributed by Terry Blankenship on Jan 26, 2009

ZORTHIAN'S FEAR A mural artist named J.H. Zorthian read about a tiny boy who had been killed in traffic. His stomach churned as he thought of that ever happening to one of his three children. His worry became an inescapable anxiety. The more he imagined such a tragedy, the more fearful he became. ...read more

Tags: Anxiety

Denomination: Baptist

Loving ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 12, 2009

LOVING HOLLAND I love what Emily Kingsley says about disappointment and handling disappointment. She’s talking about the disappointment when your kids don’t turn out the way you thought they ought to turn out -- particularly a handicapped child. She says, "I’m often asked to describe the ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

The Mark Of Jesus  PRO

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 17, 2012

THE MARK OF JESUS When I was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Levelland, there was a man in our church, the owner of a local business and a highly intentional Christian. The apostle Paul once said of himself that he bore "on [his] body the marks of Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). Well, this man bore ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-33

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Don't Give Up—the Case Of Mrs. Ruth Ertel

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

DON’T GIVE UP--THE CASE OF MRS. RUTH ERTEL In 1965 a divorced mother of two, found a classified ad offering a restaurant for sale. She mortgaged her house to purchase the restaurant, the original Chris’s steakhouse. In 1976 a fire forced her to relocate. Under the original purchase agreement, the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:3-5

Tags: Endurance

The Keeper Of The Springs By Peter Marshall  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

THE KEEPER OF THE SPRINGS by Peter Marshall Once upon a time, a certain town grew up at the foot of a mountain range. It was sheltered in the lee of the protecting heights, so that the wind that shuddered at the doors and flung handfuls of sleet against the window panes was a wind whose fury was ...read more

Scripture: John 4:4-42

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Who Saved Me?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

WHO SAVED ME? During a terrible storm at sea that threatened every moment to carry the ship to the bottom, one of the ship’s crew was doing something on the deck when a great sea struck the ship and went fairly over the deck, striking this man with great force, disabling him and carrying him into ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:10-14, John 10:10, John 10:11, Luke 7:38

Tags: Father, Salvation

Feel Free To Interject Your Own Experience Into ...

Contributed by Kelly Mitchell on Aug 22, 2012

(feel free to interject your own experience into this pattern) One Christmas on a road trip with the my wife and kids to my parent’s home I decided to take them on a "scenic loop" through the Mississippi Delta. Its where I was born and raised and my parents still live there. To me, it is the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 3:19-20

Tags: Repentance, Forgiveness In Jesus, Millenial

Denomination: Baptist

Using The Resources You Have  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 18, 2012

USING THE RESOURCES YOU HAVE At 12:55 pm the mayday call crackled through the speakers at the Flight Service Station on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The desperate pilot of a Piper A22, a small single-engine plane, was reporting that he had run out of fuel and was preparing to ditch the aircraft in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Ruth 1:1-5

Tags: Grace, Stewardship, Investment, Value, Give Back  (view more)  (view less)

Make Your Reservation

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jan 29, 2013

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION Is your name written in the book of life? Ruthanna Metzgar, a professional singer, tells a story that illustrates the importance of having our names written in the book of life. Several years ago, she was asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man. According to the ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Story Of Bertha Smith

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 27, 2013

Bertha Smith is a name that we are not familiar with. Bertha Smith was a missionary many years ago in China. There was an uprising throughout China at that time and the Christian missionaries were forced to leave their congregations and flee to coastal cities for safety. Many of them, while ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

He Told Me So

Contributed by C. Scott Ghan on Jun 3, 2013

"HE TOLD ME SO" If you have ever clung to a child near death you know the dramatic fork in the road. You either give in almost totally to despair, fear, hopelessness, knowing death is eminent, realizing no miracle cure is coming, you are fighting a losing battle. --Or...you believe there is a ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:11

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Keen Eye For Stray Coins

Contributed by Manny Salva Cruz on May 29, 2015

A KEEN EYE FOR STRAY COINS There was a story from the Week magazine regarding a 67 year man by the name of Roger Pasquier. He was a retired ornithologist who has a keen eye for spotting stray coins. In fact, he had found almost two thousand dollars’ worth of coins dropped onto New York City’s ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4:29

Tags: Seeker, Passion For God, God's Accessibility, Earnestly

Denomination: Nazarene

The Keeper Of The Springs

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 2, 2020

THE KEEPER OF THE SPRINGS by Peter Marshall Once upon a time, a certain town grew up at the foot of a mountain range. It was sheltered in the lee of the protecting heights, so that the wind that shuddered at the doors and flung handfuls of sleet against the window panes was a wind whose fury was ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-10

Tags: Sin, Purity, Righteousness, Holiness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Price Has Been Paid For You

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Aug 28, 2024

The story is told of a young man who left the old country and sailed to America to make a new life in the new world. Before he left, his father pressed some money in his hand. It wasn't much, but it was all he had. He hoped it would tide the boy over until he found a job. His mother handed him ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:13-14

Tags: Good News, Barriers, Intimacy With God, Missing Out

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Like Snow—like Scarlet?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 24, 2024

Introduction: Even a small yet honest mistake can have long-lasting effects! Text: Isaiah 1:18, KJV: 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. I used to wash my ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 1:18

Tags: Forgiveness, Sin, Clothes

Denomination: Baptist

We're Don't Always Know Who We're Talking To

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Mar 2, 2025

Proverbs 10:19 - 19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. Sometimes we are so busy talking that we aren’t even talking to who we think we are talking to. I have to tell yall a story about my sweet little Southern Mama who is now in heaven with ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 13:3, Ephesians 4:29

Tags: Words, Tongue

Denomination: Charismatic