In Sermon Illustrations: "Caring"

Beholden To Money

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2011

BEHOLDEN TO MONEY In his book How Much Is Enough? Hungering For God In An Affluent Culture author and Founder of Bread for the World: Arthur Simon writes about Bryce and Ellen, "a couple in their mid-thirties. They have two sons and a daughter, and on Sundays the family attends church more often ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34

Tags: Money

Walking On Water In Los Angeles  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

WALKING ON WATER IN LOS ANGELES [James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful Life (InterVarsity Press, 2010), pp. 131-132 | posted 7/05/2010] In the early 1990s, gang violence erupted in Boyle Heights, a section of East Los Angeles. Eight gangs were in conflict in the parish around the Dolores ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:9

Tags: Christian Witness

For The Life Of An Enemy  PRO

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Feb 14, 2012

FOR THE LIFE OF AN ENEMY A Baptist pastor named Peter Miller was from a small town in Pennsylvania who lived during the American Revolution. And there was another man who lived there named Michael Wittmann, an evil-minded sort who did all that he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. He made ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Kyle Idleman: I Cheapened The Gospel  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 15, 2012

KYLE IDLEMAN: I CHEAPENED THE GOSPEL "Many of the fans turn to go home. I was struck by the fact that Jesus doesn't chase after them. He doesn't soften his message to make it more appealing. He doesn't send the disciples chasing after them with a creative handout inviting them to come back for a ...read more

Scripture: John 6:60-69

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Please Come Home.

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 5, 2012

"PLEASE COME HOME." There was a girl named Christina, who lived in a dusty village of Brazil. In her late teens she was upset with her parents because she thought she was restricted. She had this dream of going to Rio De Janeiro, but her mother knew that she will not be able to take care of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:12-14

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: *other

Ten Dollars Is Ten Dollars  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2012

TEN DOLLARS IS TEN DOLLARS A man named Stumpy and his wife Martha went to the state fair every year and every year when Stumpy saw the antique bi-plane he would say, "Martha, I'd like to ride in that airplane." Martha always replied, "I know Stumpy, but that airplane ride costs 10 dollars, and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-7

Tags: Marriage Struggle

Abandoned At Seventeen

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Dec 8, 2014

One of the characters in Kent Haruf’s novel Plainsong, is Victoria, a seventeen-year-old girl who is four months pregnant. When her boyfriend finds out about her condition, he breaks up with her. And when her mother finds out, she kicks her out of the house and says to her, “You got yourself into ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 3:1-13

Tags: Support, Abandonment

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Stick With The Basics

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 25, 2017

When kids turn sixteen, they often take an in-car driving course to prepare them for their driver’s license test. I want you to imagine with me a driving instructor who meticulously teaches the student how to properly adjust the seat and put on the seat belt, how to adjust the mirrors so that the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16

Tags: Gospel, Essentials Of Faith

Denomination: Charismatic

Who Needs Twitter!

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Aug 20, 2019

We all want our lives to matter, and we believe they only matter if they are noticed by someone. I wonder if this desire for a witness isn't what fuels a lot of blogs, Facebook, and especially Twitter. We want someone, anyone, to take notice … to care about us … to watch us and by their ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-12

Tags: Communication, Self Esteem, Relationship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Eragon Vs. Galbatorix

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Sep 17, 2020

Years ago I read through a children’s series called Eragon. Eragon was going to face a strong and evil sorcerer named Galbatorix who had taken over the land through murder and violence. Finally, after battle upon battle to get to him, Eragon was able to confront Galbatorix deep within his lair. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:15

Tags: Sin, Confrontation

Denomination: Lutheran

The Answer To My Prayers

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 5, 2021

I don’t see as many vending machines around as I used to see. The ones I see now, you can pay with your phone or your smart watch. In the old days, all the vending machines had the food on metal coils that would rotate and move the food forward when you make your selection. Sometimes, that item ...read more

Scripture: John 14:13, Luke 4:38-44

Tags: God, Prayer, Vending Machine

Denomination: Methodist

Great Funeral Illustration

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 31, 2022

A certain nobleman had a garden which he left to the care of a faithful servant, whose delight it was to water the seeds, support the stalks of tender plants, and to do everything he could to make the estate a paradise of flowers. One morning the gardener rose expecting to find his favorite blooms ...read more

Tags: Dying, Funerals, Death, Heaven

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

"worst Day - Best Day - Begins And Ends With Me"

Contributed by Terry Miller on Mar 24, 2022

No note was written. There was no obvious clue to why I had reached the depths of a horrible pit of desperation. How could life for a forty-something get any worse than that? My Worst Day had brought me to contemplating suicide! A feeling of reaching life’s dead-end road had overpowered any ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 56:3

Tags: Motivational, Inspirational

Identifies With Our Suffering

Contributed by Bruce Montgomery on Apr 28, 2008

IDENTIFIES WITH OUR SUFFERING His name was Joseph Damien, and you’ve probably heard his story before, but it bears repeating. A Belgian priest, he was sent in 1873 to minister to lepers in Hawaii. As soon as he arrived on Molokai, he began trying to build friendships with the residents of the ...read more

Tags: Suffering, Submit, Why Suffering, Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Object Lesson: Wives As The Weaker Vessel

Contributed by Timothy Smith on May 3, 2008

OBJECT LESSON: WIVES AS THE WEAKER VESSEL 1 Peter 3:7- "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner.." (KJV "weaker vessel.") Now, does that sound sexist to you? She's to be treated like the weaker partner, the weaker ...read more

Tags: Marriage Obligations

Denomination: Christian Church

In The Hands Of Ordinary Christians, Small Social ...

Contributed by Stephen Evoy on May 11, 2008

In the hands of ordinary Christians, small social groups are a big spiritual deal. This is because "ordinary Christians" have more credibility than the ordained clergy. A guy named Herb Miller did some great research: * When first-time visitors to a local church receive a "glad you came" visit ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Denomination: Free Methodist

Jimmy's Ranch

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Jun 10, 2008

JIMMY'S RANCH When Jimmy was a little boy, he wanted to be a cowboy. He spent countless hours in front of the television, watching reruns of "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza." He just knew that someday he would live on a ranch, wear a big cowboy hat, and ride the range just like all his cowboy ...read more

Tags: Goals

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Am Hearing A New Phrase Repeated Throughout Our ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 3, 2008

I am hearing a new phrase repeated throughout our nation today, they are saying we are no longer “One Nation, Under God!” but “One Nation, Under Stress!” I talk to a lot of people on a regular basis and hear them say, “I am exhausted,” You can look at their eyes and see that they are overwhelmed. ...read more

Tags: Stress

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Father Forgive Them

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2008

FATHER FORGIVE THEM There was once a man who was born in a little town back east. He grew up and took on the family business. The only earthly father he had ever known died sometime in his teen years and as the oldest son he took on the responsibility of caring for his mother. He had a good ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

God Summons Us To Seek Our Best Creative Selves. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

"God summons us to seek our best creative selves. He calls us to become artists of life, seers of truth, creators of new possibilities, and innovative problem solvers. Perhaps by looking at Jesus' life and seeing His creative spirit at work, we can begin to awaken to the creative possibilities of ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian