In Sermon Illustrations: "Choice Is Yours"

Cleaning Is Hard Work

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jun 20, 2009

CLEANING IS HARD WORK When I was in Bible College. Fridays were not fun. Those were the nights we had "work sections." You heard me -- "work sections." We changed out of our holy threads to work-clothes and started cleaning the College, from scrubbing potatoes to scrubbing floors. And none of this ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Salvation Army

Other Gods  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

OTHER GODS J.I. Packer described the propensity to Other Gods: "What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:3

Tags: Idolatry

I Was Filling In As Pulpit Supply Years Ago, When ...

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Nov 9, 2009

I was filling in as pulpit supply years ago, when I was approached by a man after the service. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “That has to be worst sermon I’ve ever heard.” Then he turned and stormed out of the church. I felt crushed. I’d worked hard on that sermon; praying that it ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-24

Tags: Holy Spirit, Sin Exposed

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Kentucky Thunderstorm Wipes Out Historic Family ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 12, 2009

Kentucky Thunderstorm Wipes Out Historic Family Pear Tree John Claypool tells the story of a thunderstorm years ago that swept through Southern Kentucky at the farm where his ancestors had lived for 6 generations. There was an old pear tree that had been there for about as long as anyone could ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14

Tags: Hardship Of Life, Enduring Hardship

A Sunday School Teacher Asks Her Class What They ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 16, 2009

A Sunday School Teacher Asks Her Class What They Were Thankful For A Sunday School teacher asked her class what they were thankful for. A little girl said "I’m thankful for my bedroom. My younger brothers have to share a room. But I get to have a room all for myself! I thank God for my ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5

Tags: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Holiday

A Bus Carrying Only Ugly People That Crashed Into ...

Contributed by David Rumley on Dec 21, 2009

A bus carrying only ugly people that crashed into an oncoming truck, and everyone inside dies. As they stand at the Pearly Gates waiting to enter Paradise and meet their maker, God decides to grant each person one wish because of the grief they have experienced. They’re all lined up, and God asks ...read more

Tags: Materialism

Denomination: Pentecostal

Hillel: "What Is Painful To You, Do Not Do Un...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 4, 2010

Hillel: "What is painful to you, do not do unto others". (Talmud, tracate Shabbat 31a; Midrash Avot de Rabbi Natan). Akiva states "Whatever you hate to have done unto you, do not do to your neighbor; wherefore do not hurt him; do not speak ill of him; do not reveal his secrets to others; let his ...read more

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Watch Out For The Weeds  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Feb 23, 2010

WATCH OUT FOR THE WEEDS Watch out for the weeds in your life – the things that come between you and God; between you and serving God. I like the way Rick Warren illustrates weeds. • You don’t have to plan for weeds to grow; it just grows. • The difference between a plant and a weed is this. ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Have You Ever Been In A Parade? It’s A Fun ...

Contributed by Mark Pierce on May 26, 2010

Have you ever been in a parade? It’s a fun thing to do. When I was a boy scout I was in several parades. Today I want to talk about one of the most famous parades in history - Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A parade takes some preparation. Every year we love to watch the tournament of ...read more

Tags: Preparation, Parade

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Astor's Promise

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 18, 2010

ASTOR'S PROMISE One stormy night an elderly couple entered the lobby of a small hotel and asked for a room. The clerk said they were full and they would probably find so were all the hotels in town. "But I can’t send a fine couple like you out in the rain. Would you be willing to sleep in my ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

Denomination: Brethren

Two Kinds Of Giving

Contributed by T D on Dec 28, 2010

TWO KINDS OF GIVING I have witnessed in my years of ministry people come to church and when they do not like a decision of the leadership or the minister, they decide to stop giving as a protest or decide to shift their giving to missions in order to inflict pain on the ministry of the church. ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Joy In The Midst Of Rough Waters

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Feb 13, 2011

JOY IN THE MIDST OF ROUGH WATERS I’ve spent a fair bit of time in recent weeks doing funeral pre-planning for my parents. Making decisions about final disposition of the remains of people you have loved all your life is not any fun at all. It can be overwhelmingly sad. After spending hours with ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Disturb Us, O Lord  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 8, 2011

DISTURB US, O LORD Sir Frances Drake: "Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4

Tags: Christian Values

Not Encouraging

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2011

NOT ENCOURAGING A young couple, very much in love, were getting married in church. However, the bride was very nervous about the big occasion and so the preacher chose one verse that he felt would be a great encouragement to them. The verse was 1 John 4:18 which says: "There is no fear in love. ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Weddings

When Does God Settle Accounts?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2011

WHEN DOES GOD SETTLE ACCOUNTS? The story is told of a farmer in a Midwestern state who had a strong disdain for God. As he plowed his field on Sunday morning, he would shake his fist at the church people who passed by on their way to worship. October came and the farmer had his finest crop ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 75:1-10

Tags: God's Judgment

Keeping Up With Next Door  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

KEEPING UP WITH NEXT DOOR I heard about a chicken yard with a big hen house, where a rooster had all of his hens laying eggs. One day, two little boys were next door playing football, with a brand new white football. One of them accidentally kicked the football over the fence, and it rolled into ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:4

Tags: Envy, Successful

The World's Accent  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Mar 22, 2012

THE WORLD'S ACCENT When I was a boy, my Arkansas cousins moved to California for two years. When they moved back, they talked funny. Just living in California for two years influenced how they said "You guys" and how often they said it. I prefer "Y'all" to "You guys" any day. My cousins promised ...read more

Scripture: James 4:4, Romans 12:2

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Baptist

The Cup On Its Side  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Apr 16, 2012

THE CUP ON ITS SIDE A teacher set a cup on the table in front of his two disciples. He took a flask that had a little water in it and poured the water into the cups, evenly dividing all that was left. Trying to teach the students to be hungry for more knowledge, he said, "Your cup has water, but ...read more

Tags: Religion

Denomination: Baptist

Keep The Springs Pure  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

KEEP THE SPRINGS PURE The family’s water supply came from a spring just a few feet from the house. The pure, cold, sweet water bubbled up through a large pipe about the size of a barrel that had been sunk in the ground. One morning two huge frogs were found in the spring. No one wanted to drink ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Heart

No Faith In The Future, No Power For The Present

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2012

NO FAITH IN THE FUTURE, NO POWER FOR THE PRESENT Years ago, a small town in Maine was proposed for the site of a great hydroelectric plant. Since the dam would be built across the river, the entire town would be submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:10-14, 1 John 3:3

Tags: Future