In Sermon Illustrations: "Call To Discipleship"

Extraordinary Gift Ideas

Contributed by Donny Granberry on Dec 8, 2008

EXTRAORDINARY GIFT IDEAS A while back, on "Good Morning, America," a co-host featured some gift ideas that might be called indescribable. They were extraordinary gifts that some of you might want to include on your Christmas gift list. One of them was a Jaguar automobile, the Jaguar 220. If you ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Long Ago, In A Kingdom Far, Far Away, A Rich King ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

Long ago, in a kingdom far, far away, a rich king hired a “fool” to entertain him and make him laugh when he was sad. He gave the fool a golden scepter and told him that when he met a greater fool than he, to pass the golden scepter to that person. Years passed and one day the king grew very ...read more

Tags: Money

Christmas Night 2002, Jack Whittaker Had Five Out ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 27, 2008

Christmas night 2002, Jack Whittaker had five out of five numbers in the West Virginia Power ball drawing. Jack Whittaker had just won $314 million, the largest undivided lottery jackpot in history. He took the one lump payment and received $113 million after taxes. Listen closely to this part. ...read more

Tags: Money

The Simple Story

Contributed by Christopher Kennedy on Jan 22, 2009

THE SIMPLE STORY Last week, I met in the worship center with the four-year-olds from the school and we talked about what pastors do. After I was done showing them my robe and stoles and my private Communion kit and talking about the different places a pastor stands in church to talk about Jesus, I ...read more

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Lutheran

We 'are' Preaching

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

WE ’ARE’ PREACHING One day St. Francis of Assisi invited a young monk to join him on a trip into town to preach. The young monk was so honored that he quickly accepted. All day long they walked through the streets, and rubbed shoulders and visited with hundreds of people. At the end of the day, ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Liberals Give Less Than ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

LIBERALS GIVE LESS THAN CONSERVATIVES A couple years ago, a Syracuse University professor named Arthur C. Brooks wrote a book called "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism". He was not particularly excited about the outcome of the study he’d done (he’d been raised ...read more

Tags: Poverty

Our Family Pet Dog, Avalon, Was A Beautiful ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Feb 17, 2009

Our family pet dog, Avalon, was a beautiful rottweiler and she was a good dog. She loved to follow me around. When I would come home from work she would get all excited – wagging her tail with glee. She would rush towards me while snorting with anticipation and celebration. Avalon loved to be ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Baptist

People Will Ask You

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 4, 2009

PEOPLE WILL ASK YOU If you commit yourself to taking advantage of opportunities that come your way, you will find that sharing your faith is going to happen naturally. For one thing, People WILL ask you about your connection to God. We had two examples of this just in the last few weeks from ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Study In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

A STUDY IN SERVICE As a student in seminary, my roommate had a job as a custodian with the school. After the first day on the job, he told he had been assigned to work on the first floor of a four-story building. "Basically there are four guys responsible for their own floors. I take care of the ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Surrounded By Idiots

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 10, 2021

Do you ever feel like you are surrounded by idiots? One web site collected stories… I was signing the receipt for my credit card purchase when the clerk noticed that I had never signed my name on the back of the credit card. She informed me that she could not complete the transaction ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:5-7

Tags: Stupid, Sense, Brains, Idiots, Dumb Things We Do, Halfwit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Don't End Your Life --- Start It All Over Again!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 7, 2022

A student at Penn State University went out on a ledge of a tall building on campus and threatened to take her life by jumping off. The campus chaplain was called in to bring calmness while awaiting the emergency team from nearby. When the chaplain found the young woman, her threats seemed very ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-7

Tags: Counseling, Crises, Chaplains, Emergencies, Evangelism, New Life, Born Again, New Birth, Witnessing, Suicide  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Light In The Dark

Contributed by Carl Allen on Jul 8, 2022

While leaving in Germany, I had the fortune of going camping in the black forest. I found out quickly why they call it the black forest. When the sun goes down it is pitch black and you can barely see your hand in front of your face. We had just finished setting up camp and I had to run back out ...read more

Scripture: John 9:5, Psalm 119:105

Tags: Found, Direction, Light, Darkness, Lost, Saved  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Preaching, Power And Persecution

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 20, 2022

John Hus: 1369-1415 John Hus of Prague was burned at the stake at age 46. His crime was an uncompromising preaching of the gospel and calling for church reform in pre-reformation Europe. His Sunday pulpit was the Bethlehem Chapel adjacent to the University of Prague. Czech nobles had built the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 2 Timothy 4:1-4, Romans 1:16-17, Galatians 1:1-10

Tags: Persecution, Gospel, Power, Preaching, Renewal, Culture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Legacy Of Haddon Robinson

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Oct 7, 2022

Haddon Robinson wrote the classic book on preaching called, “Biblical Preaching.” It has sold more copies than any other preaching textbook. He taught and practised expository preaching to thousands. I had the privilege of being one of his students from 1996-1999 in the Doctor of Ministry program ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:12, 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Tags: Death, Family, Remember, Legacy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If We Could Only See From God's Perspective

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 7, 2022

A man was walking along a railroad track on a very dark night when he came to a bridge.  He had gotten halfway across when he heard a train whistle up ahead.  He quickened his pace, but soon could see the light of the oncoming locomotive approaching.   With nowhere ...read more

Tags: Faith, Fear, Jesus, Obedience, Peter, Miracles, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Simple Confession, Profound Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

In 1818 one out of six women who had children died of something called “childbirth fever.” A doctor’s daily routine back then started in the dissecting room, where he performed autopsies, and from there he made his rounds to examine expectant mothers. No one even thought to wash his hands...at ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

The Angel Of Music

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jun 14, 2023

In Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical The Phantom of the Opera, a young chorus girl named Christine Daae receives voice training from a mysterious musician she calls the “Angel of Music.” Christine believes this is the angel her dying father had promised to send to complete her musical training. As ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:8, 1 John 4:4

Tags: Evil, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Armor Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bloopers In The Bulletin

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 11, 2023

The following are actual church bulletin board bloopers found in churches across the United States. The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church. The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:1-7

Tags: Church, Humor, Secretaries, Failure, Pastors, Unconditional Love, Love For Others, Bloopers, Bulletin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Worst Dad Joke Ever

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 17, 2023

I usually begin every one of my Sunday sermons with a funny story to get our congregation comfortable before I begin to dive in deeply to the Word of God. If you like dad jokes or puns (old name) and you want to make your congregation groan a little bit.........check this dad joke out! CHESS ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22, Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Happiness, Joy, Humor, Laughter, Medicine, Dad Jokes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Little Things Can Be Big Problems

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 6, 2024

Richard Conniff writes in National Geographic that on January 12, 1997, two Swiss men, Bertrand Piccard and Wim Verstraeten, set out to be the first to CIRCLE THE EARTH in a balloon. Their aircraft was called the Breitling Orbiter, and it was high-tech masterpiece, complete with solar power panels ...read more

Tags: Words, Tongue, Small Things, Mouth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational