In Sermon Illustrations: "Caught Up"

God's Standard For Sin

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 30, 2010

GOD'S STANDARD FOR SIN At a former church, a youth leader came up to me one day and said, "I'm trying to figure out the way God judges sin. The best I can figure it, I assume he grades on the curve like they do at school. You know, 70% good is a passing grade." I had bad news for him. God has a ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

We Are Not Just Ants

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 20, 2011

WE ARE NOT JUST ANTS Broadway play: Spider Man Green Goblin has Spider Man in his grip as they fight atop the Chrysler Building in NYC. It is hundreds of feet to the ground. The Goblin says to Spider Man, "Look down there Spider Man. What do you see? Look at all those people. They look like ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Methodist

Because I'm A Gentleman  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 23, 2011

BECAUSE I'M A GENTLEMAN A middle-aged business executive once approached the front entrance of the office building in which he worked. A young feminist came up at the same moment, so he stepped back and held the door open for her to pass on through. She looked at him and said with annoyance, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7

Tags: Character

Don't Ever Trust Anyone...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 26, 2011

DON'T EVER TRUST ANYONE... "There is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch. He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged the little fellow to jump into his arms. 'I'll catch you,' the father said confidently. After a lot of ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

Tags: Father's Day

Be Careful What You Wish For  PRO

Contributed by Anonymous Contributor on Apr 22, 2011

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR There was this man and a woman who got married. But they shared the same birthday and they decided to get married on the same day. So they got married, had a few kids, and lived the lives they dreamed. But 20 years passed. They were celebrating their 40th anniversary ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Pentecostal

No Faith, No Power

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 5, 2011

NO FAITH, NO POWER When I was growing up in Oklahoma, there was a lake my family and I frequented a lot called Keystone Lake. Keystone was not a natural lake; prior to its creation in 1962, there were towns located there, one of which gives the lake its name. The town was to be flooded to make a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Nazarene

Harry Potter: Temptation

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jul 30, 2011

HARRY POTTER: TEMPTATION Every great story has great characters. And in truly great stories, the characters go through significant change. This change is called a character arc. For example, if you’re familiar with the Harry Potter series, you know that Harry starts off in the story as an ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Loyalty And The Promotional Bottleneck

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

LOYALTY AND THE PROMOTIONAL BOTTLENECK Peter Drucker gave this warning to those who would push back this principle, "Contrary to popular legend, subordinates do not, as a rule, rise to position and prominence over the prostrate bodies of incompetent bosses. If their boss is not promoted, they will ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:13-19

Tags: Leadership General

Americans: Flabby Faith  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 16, 2011

AMERICANS: FLABBY FAITH A dozen or so years ago, a Romanian pastor came to visit the church I belonged to. He had gotten to know my pastor, John Vawter, who had been involved in a Bible-smuggling ministry when the Iron Curtain was still up. John asked him what he thought of our country, and of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:11-16, Romans 12:1-6

Tags: Discipleship

Time To A Pig

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 7, 2011

TIME TO A PIG Reminds me of a man who was walking past a farm, and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most extraordinary manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another ...read more

Tags: Time

Denomination: Baptist

You Have Value

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jan 9, 2012

YOU HAVE VALUE I have a here a $20 bill -- how much is it worth? (WHO WANTS IT?) What if I tear it? What if I crumple it up? What if I throw it on the floor and stomp on it? Why? Because it's still a $20 bill. It has intrinsic value that makes it worth $20. But WHY is it worth $20? Is the ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Flotsam And Jetsam

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Jan 19, 2012

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Flotsam and jetsam are commonly used terms. They are used to describe the wreckage and debris that floats in the water after a shipwreck. What isn't so well known is that there is a difference between flotsam and jetsam. Flotsam is anything that ends up in the water resulting ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Brethren

Walking On Water

Contributed by Greg Carr on Feb 21, 2012

WALKING ON WATER There once was a young man named Jimmy who had heard a family rumor that his father, his grandfather and even his great-grandfather, all "walked on water" on their 21st birthday. When the day of his 21st birthday came, he believed that if they could do it, so could he. So, off he ...read more

Tags: Water, Growth In Christ

Denomination: Pentecostal

A.w. Tozer: The Position Of Christ In The Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

A.W. TOZER: THE POSITION OF CHRIST IN THE CHURCH The present position of Christ in the gospel churches may be likened to that of a king in a limited constitutional monarchy. The king is in such a country no more than a traditional rallying point, a pleasant symbol of unity and loyalty much like a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20, Matthew 6:10

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

There Was A Tv Documentary About The Food We Eat. ...

Contributed by Christian Cheong on May 5, 2012

There was a TV documentary about the food we eat. Someone decided to test the quality of food in one of America’s most famous fast-food restaurants. The 30-day plan was to eat nothing but fast food – morning, noon, and night. Tests were done prior to the experiment and would be done after ...read more

Tags: Food

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Eating The Wealth Of A Nation

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 12, 2012

EATING THE WEALTH OF A NATION Cleopatra made a bet with Mark Antony. She said, "I bet you, I can eat the wealth of an entire nation in one meal." And Mark Antony said, "Okay, I will take you up on the bet. Let me see you take the wealth of an entire nation in one meal." According to Plyne, he ...read more

Tags: Parable General

Denomination: *other

The Wonder Of The Human Heart  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2012

THE WONDER OF THE HUMAN HEART Consider the power of your heart. It averages beating about eighty times a minute and the average cardiac output is about six liters of blood every minute. The next time you are in Walmart, go to the aisle where all the two liter drinks are and consider that every ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:13-16

Tags: Heart

If Crumbs Of Joy Now, What Next?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2012

IF CRUMBS OF JOY NOW, WHAT NEXT? A widely respected man known as "Uncle Johnson" died in Michigan at the incredible age of 120. Perhaps his advanced years could be credited in part to the cheerful outlook that characterized his life. One day while at work in his garden, he was singing songs of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, 1 Corinthians 2:2

Tags: Joy

Ali Kissed 'em!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 16, 2012

"ALI KISSED 'EM!" Former boxing writer Harold Conrad visited a women's prison with heavyweight fighter Muhammad Ali. "All the inmates lined up," wrote Conrad. "They were ooh-ing and aah-ing as he went along. There were some good-looking ones. But he kissed only the ugly ones." After they left the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:7

Tags: Kindness

The Blue And Red Spigots

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Sep 13, 2012

THE BLUE AND RED SPIGOTS John Michael Cussick (Surfing for God, 104) took out two brass spigots. One has a red knob and the other has a blue knob. The red knob represents how we often look at the Christian life. The assumption is that the source from which the water flows is a cesspool and so we ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Lutheran