In Sermon Illustrations: "Cheerful Giving"

A True Story Of How My Close Relative's Urgent ...

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Dec 8, 2011

A true story of how my close relative's urgent financial need was met by God's Providence! Dear friends, Jesus is same yesterday, today & forever (Hebrews 13:8). Oh how many personal experiences I have had and oh how many true accounts I have heard from God’s servants of the Almighty using ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Denomination: *other

The Obedience Of Gladys Aylward

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Jan 23, 2013

THE OBEDIENCE OF GLADYS AYLWARD Gladys Aylward, missionary to China, during the 1930s as a young woman she left her home in England and sailed to China. Here she opened a home for orphaned children who'd been left to starve or wander the streets. When the Japanese invaded China, Gladys was forced ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Brethren

Selling Jesus For A Quarter

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Mar 8, 2013

SELLING JESUS FOR A QUARTER Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." 2 Corinthians 3:3 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:3

Tags: Dishonesty, Bible Truth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Recycled ...

Contributed by Ken Pell on Mar 23, 2013

THE RECYCLED ORCHESTRA In December of last year (2012) NPR told the story of a poor community in Paraguay has formed an amazing orchestra that plays instruments created from recycled trash. The young musicians in a slum that's built on a landfill. More than 1500 tons of trash gets dumped into the ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Nazarene

Light In The Darkness  PRO

Contributed by Steven Angus on May 20, 2013

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS Some of you may be familiar with the name Catherine Marshall. She was a wonderful Christian author who wrote such classics as Christy, which became a television series. There was an occasion in her life when she felt as if the flame of God’s love had gone out. It started ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4, Psalm 22:1-31

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: United Methodist

A Stone From The Old West

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2014

THE PRECIOUS STONE NO ONE SAW Back when the Old West was being settled, pioneers flocked across the country to California and Oregon. In one particular spot on the Eastern slopes of the Rockies there was a large, dirt covered rock protruding in the middle of the trail. Wagon wheels were broken on ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-46

Tags: Jesus Christ, Capstone, Rejecting Christ, Jesus Is Cornerstone

What Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes And Lilo And Stitch Tell Us

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Apr 10, 2015

Two films. The 2014 film “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and the earlier “Lilo and stitch”. In the Dawn of the Planet of the apes, small groups of human beings and intelligent apes have both survived a deadly plague. A group of humans trying to restart a hydro electric generator stumble across ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Fear, Overcoming Anxiety, Non-Anxious Presence, Ohana

Denomination: Anglican

Commitment

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Dave Hood tells the story of training to run a 5K run. Every time his wife and he would go running on their favorite trail, they’d walk a little faster, and with a little more gusto. One day, a half mile in and a young lady came at them sprinting towards them. They jumped out of the way so she ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Commitment, Spiritual Growth, Running The Race

Denomination: Methodist

Mtv Gave Us Our First Ever "Reality Show", A ...

Contributed by Jay Winters on May 30, 2015

MTV gave us our first ever "reality show", a thing called "The Real World" that came out in 1992. The first "Real World" cast sought to show us what happens when you put seven strangers in a house together, and quote, "people stop being polite, and start being real". And the world sat there, glued ...read more

Tags: Reality, Pop Culture

Denomination: Lutheran

Beauty

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

Pastor Randy Kanipe tells the story of a Sabbath time away from his church while he was struggling with failure. He happened to be walking by a cow pasture and stopped to gaze over the fence, pondering the ’green pastures’ that he imagined God leading him through - my attention was drawn down to a ...read more

Scripture: James 3:2, John 1:5

Tags: Failure, Failures, Poop

Denomination: Methodist

Buying The Stereo

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 11, 2017

BUYING THE STEREO Philippians 4:11 I had an interesting experience buying a stereo as a teenager. I dreamed of getting one for Christmas when I was 19. I knew it would make me happy. I could hear the music playing and see myself swaying. I really needed it. But, Christmas came and went and I ...read more

Tags: Happiness, Being Content

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Loaded Gun

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

LOADED GUN Let's start out with a story; there's a young man standing with his eyes glazing over with shock. His eyes slowly shift in utter disbelief from the still smoking gun in his hand to his best friend laying in the floor with an ever-growing red spot on his chest. His eyes fill with ...read more

Tags: Our Sins Hurt Others, Price For Sin

Denomination: Pentecostal

Why Bad Things Happen

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Jun 19, 2020

So, what should we say then when bad things happen? Some may say God is still all powerful and all knowing so it seems like it’s still God’s plan that this bad thing happened isn’t it? Kinda, sort of or maybe. There is a difference between what God allows and what God wants. I know that sounds ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:4-5

Tags: Dont Ignore Gods Instructions, Follow Gods Instructions

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Rms Titanic

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 9, 2021

HOW DO WE VALUE THINGS AND PEOPLE IN LIFE? ARE WE INVINCIBLE? THE RMS TITANIC… WE DON’T NEED LIFE BOATS WE ARE UNSINKABLE? Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? THE RMS TITANIC… WHAT? I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-34, Psalm 23:1-3

Tags: Titanic, Not Prepared, Unsinkable

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Bless Assurance: Fanny Crosby

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 16, 2021

ASSURANCE: free from doubt, a positive declaration intended to give confidence, a sure promise, in a religious sitting it means salvation by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit that we are justified. No harm will come, with great faith. FANNY JANE CROSBY was born in 1820 and died in 1915 at the ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, John 14:27, John 14:1-3

Tags: Assurance, God Can

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Understanding The Spirit Named Pan

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 31, 2022

THE SPIRIT NAMED PAN Many creatures, or demonic spirits, that have been called mythological gods are not mythological at all. They are real in the kingdom of darkness. Pan’s appearance in mythology is with horns, ears, and legs of a goat on a man’s body. His sudden appearance was supposed to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:11-18

Tags: Prayer, Demons, Panic, Fasting, Pandemic, Spirits, Satan, Spiritual Warfare  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Remember The Duck

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. As he practiced in his Grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse, he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile only to look up ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:25

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

The Incredible Value Of One Child

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 12, 2023

An elderly preacher was rebuked by one of his deacons one Sunday morning before the service. "Pastor," said the man, "something must be wrong with your preaching and your work. There's been only one person added to the church in a whole year, and he's just a boy." The ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Success, Spiritual Fruit, Flesh, Fruit Of The Spirit, Souls, Evangelism, Children, Holy Spirit, Faithfulness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Fishing With A Net

Contributed by John Bright on May 12, 2023

Dr. Daniel B. Wallace has taught Greek and New Testament courses on a graduate school level since 1979. He wrote about this idea based on Matthew 4 “19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” 20 They left their nets immediately and followed him.” “It’s strange ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:19

Tags: Fishing, Evangelism, Hell

Denomination: Methodist

Seven Ways To Test The Spirits

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 2, 2023

The late A. W. Tozer had some wise counsel on how to test the spirits” from I John 4:1. He posed seven tests to apply to any teaching: (1) How does the teaching affect my relationship with God? Is He magnified and glorified, or diminished? (2) How does the teaching affect my attitude toward ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:1, John 17:17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Holy Spirit, Spirits, Spirit Of Error, Teaching, Satan, Truth, False Teachers, Will Of God, Teachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational