In Sermon Illustrations: "Call To Discipleship"

God, Send Us Bigger Rattlesnakes  PRO

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 26, 2012

GOD, SEND US BIGGER RATTLESNAKES There was a farmer who had three sons: Jim, John, and Sam. No one in the family ever attended church or had time for God. The pastor and church members tried for years to interest the family in the things of God, but to no avail. Then one day, a rattlesnake bit ...read more

Tags: Prayer Supplication

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Labor Day And Our Divine Union

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2012

LABOR DAY AND OUR DIVINE UNION I’ve heard that Labor Day was first celebrated in Boston on Sept 5, 1882. It wasn’t until 1894 that it became a federal holiday. That was an effort encouraged by President Grover Cleveland to reconcile with the labor movement and prevent further violence. You see, ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Tags: Holidays Civic

Ornamentals

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on May 5, 2012

ORNAMENTALS Back in 1960, my family moved from Ohio to Arizona. The first time we went to the Phoenix Airport, I was impressed by the beautiful orange trees that lined the drive. It was the first time this Ohio boy had ever seen citrus trees. The oranges were big as grapefruits. They looked so ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

From Atheist And Skeptic To Believer--The Case Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

FROM ATHEIST AND SKEPTIC TO BELIEVER--THE CASE OF LEE STROBEL Lee Strobel was a Yale Law School graduate and a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. When he was a skeptic and an atheist, he undertook an investigation into the claims of so called "prophets." He set out to debunk the prophecies of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Tags: Apologetics The Bible

Trampled By Shoppers?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

TRAMPLED BY SHOPPERS? In November 2003, a sale on DVD players at a Florida Wal-Mart created a rush of shoppers that apparently resulted in one woman being trampled. Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. announcing the start to the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Tags: Greed

Do Not Slander. What Is Slandering? It Can Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 26, 2012

Do not slander. What is slandering? It can be called many things such as: backstabbing, mud-slinging, bad-mouthing, and it could also include condemning someone. Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good from the pages of scripture. ILL.- William Cowper (English poet) said, “He that slanders me paints ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:18

Tags: Words

Where Your Treasure Is...

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 31, 2012

I once read about in one of Richard Wurmbrand’s books. “An elder of a local free Church in Communist Romania was brought before the judge for embezzlement - a crime he had not committed. His defence lawyer started his defence plea by telling the Court of a well known story about the man that was ...read more

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Anglican

Hymn Story : "Holy God, Sinful Man"

Contributed by Lawrence Bradford on Sep 26, 2012

Hymn Story : "Holy God, Sinful Man" A story of God’s Ring of Love (eternal and everlasting)for humanity. "Holy God, Sinful Man" Chorus: Had it not been for Jesus to die on that cross. All mankind would surely be lost. Verse 1: There would be no forgiveness no ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Baptist

Self-Control Was Lacking

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Oct 8, 2012

In the book, The Three Edwards, Thomas Costain described the life of Raynald III, a 14th century duke in what is now Belgium. Grossly overweight, Raynald was commonly called by his Latin nickname, Crassus, which means "fat." After a violent quarrel, Raynald's younger brother Edward led a ...read more

Tags: Self, Self Control

Denomination: Independent/Bible

God's Taking My Picture  PRO

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Jan 23, 2013

GOD'S TAKING MY PICTURE I heard a story of a little girl who walked to and from school daily. The weather one morning was questionable and clouds were forming, yet she made her daily trek to the elementary school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with thunder and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:1-5

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Renewal And New Life

Contributed by Perry Greene on Apr 1, 2013

RENEWAL AND NEW LIFE Henry David Thoreau, in his classic book, Walden, told of a powerful custom of the Mucclasse Indians. Once each year, they had a village clean up called a "busk." First they would make new clothes for themselves as well as furniture and cooking utensils. They would keep all ...read more

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Filled  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 16, 2013

FILLED In his best selling book called, "Into Thin Air," Jon Krakauer relates the hazards that plagued some climbers as they attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Andy Harris, one of the expedition leaders stayed at the peak too long and on his descent, he became in dire need of oxygen. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18, Matthew 4:4, Zechariah 12:10

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Rent A Family…?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 14, 2013

RENT A FAMILY...? I read a recent article about how people in Japan are so busy that older people can now rent a family. Here’s the quote: "In Japan, you can rent a family. Elderly Japanese who are isolated from their children by the frantic pace of modern life can rent a 'family' for lunch and a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Is There Anyone Up There?

Contributed by Darrin Fish on May 15, 2013

IS THERE ANYONE UP THERE? There once was a tourist who came too close to the edge of the Grand Canyon, lost his footing and plunged over the side, clawing and scratching to save himself. After he disappeared out of sight; and, just before he fell into open space, he stumbled upon a scrubby bush ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 4:1-13

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Christian Church

The "Group-Think" Impulse  PRO

Contributed by Robert Joseph on Jun 1, 2013

THE "GROUP-THINK" IMPULSE Stand up for the truth. Romans 12:2 says, "...Do not be conformed to this world..." [NKJV] People today show a stong tendency to adjust their opinions to match those of the group. This goes a long way towards explaining why only a fraction of the educated population ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2

Tags: Homosexuality, Peer Pressure, Truth Absolute

Denomination: Pentecostal

Busyness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2013

BUSYNESS Busyness is no sign of spirituality or any kind of a full life. In fact, it’s more likely the sign of an empty life. Tim Kreider, in an article he wrote for The New York Times called The Busy Trap put it this way: “If you live in America in the 21st century, you’ve probably had to listen ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Complaining

Ivan The Terrible

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2014

THE BURIAL CLOTHES OF IVAN THE TERRIBLE In 1547 Ivan the IV became Grand Duke of Russia, and he proclaimed himself "Czar" which is a form of the word "Caesar." He actually claimed to be god on the earth. He later became known as Ivan the Terrible, because he was a cruel, vicious leader. He not ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14

Tags: Righteousness, Jesus Parables, Wedding Banquet

Daddy, Let's Go!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 1, 2016

DADDY LET’S GO! A little girl with shining eyes, Her little face aglow, Said, "Daddy, it is almost time For Church......let’s go!" They teach us there of Jesus’ love, Of how he died for all Those who on Him call.” Oh, no!” said Daddy, “Not today. I’ve worked hard all week; I’m going to the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Parenting, Church Attendance, Teenagers, Time Is Fleeting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus The Perfect Man  PRO

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 3, 2016

Harry Ironside, the Bible teacher, told of a visit to Palestine years ago by a man named Joseph Flax. He had an opportunity to address a gathering of Jews and Arabs and took for the subject of his address the first Psalm. He read it and then he asked the question: "Who is this blessed man of whom ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6

Tags: Wisdom, Perfection

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Save My Boot!

Contributed by James Dorman on May 11, 2017

As an elementary age kid I received a present which made my life complete. I finally had my very own set of cowboy boots! I was so proud of them, I would have slept in them if my mom would have allowed it. I have 2 cousins who were born the same year as me. When our families got together, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:6-7

Tags: Faith, Fear, Faith General, Humorous

Denomination: Baptist