In Sermon Illustrations: "Christmas Time"

Watch Where You're Going!

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

I had just flown back home from attending a class for my Doctorate in Pasadena, CA. The week was filled with long days and short nights. I had an early morning flight and then flew most of the day. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Yet I didn’t want to miss my workout so I headed to the gym. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Consequences, Watchful Servants, Direction Of Life

Denomination: Methodist

Freedom

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

In the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA, there’s a special display for a rickety, home-made aluminum kayak. This tiny, makeshift boat seems oddly out of place in the midst of displays for impressive Navy vessels and artifacts from significant battles on the sea. But a bronze plaque tells museum ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2

Tags: Freedom, Persecution

Denomination: Methodist

The Laws Of Spiritual Motion!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Aug 13, 2017

THE LAWS OF SPIRITUAL MOTION!!! The Fundamental Laws of motion designed by the all-wise God (discovered and revealed to us by Sir Issac Newton) says that we move forward whilst walking or running not just by exerting the force on earth with our feet by ourselves but by the propulsive force which ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2

Tags: Persecution, Action Reaction

Denomination: *other

That Sounds Like A Cross To Me  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Lee on Feb 13, 2018

That Sounds Like a Cross to Me “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34 A little boy was playing in the yard. He fell and scraped his elbow. It was bleeding a ...read more

Tags: Cross, Suffering, Follow Me

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Persecuted For Faithfulness

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Aug 6, 2018

Many of our sisters and brothers are persecuted even in our own time. Voice of the Martyrs reports, for example, the experience of a young man named Philip, who lives in Laos. Philip walked two hours to another village to hear the gospel. Just three weeks after he returned home as a new believer, ...read more

Scripture: John 15:18-20

Tags: Persecution, Faithfulness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Circuit Riders

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Jun 19, 2020

In the early years, Circuit riders were most often lay preachers without formal education. They were young, poor, and, for the most part, single. Traveling thousands of miles a year. Though circuit riders eventually represented many different denominations but none were more aggressive or ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35

Tags: Personal Sacrifice, Teaching And Preaching

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Your Cheatin' Heart

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Aug 12, 2020

Your Cheatin’ Heart is a song written and recorded in 1952 by country music singer and songwriter Hank Williams. However, the song was released after his death in 1953. Your Cheatin’ Heart is considered one of the greatest songs of country music. The song is a slow ballad, telling an ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Obedience, Compromise

Denomination: Baptist

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

The Lady In Charge Of The Chicken! Haha!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 14, 2021

Jesus wants us to live up to the responsibility that goes with our authority. We each have different levels of authority and responsibility, and he expects us to meet those levels. When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20

Tags: Commitment, Leadership, Identity, Authority

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Good Intentions

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 29, 2021

In our younger days, my husband and I sign up for a “boot camp” fitness class. This class costs $300 per person for ten classes. At the start of the first class, our instructor. Tara, does a quick roll-call. She frowns and comments: “Hmm, Susie isn’t here. That’s a shame; attending the first ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:14-33

Tags: Unrealized Intentions, Excuses, Discipline, Follow Through, Explanations  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

"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

Let Me Get A Fry?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2022

Once upon a time, last week, I picked up my son after football and he was hungry. So he and I stop at Burger King to pick up a snack. Well, I bought my son two of his basic food groups, Chicken Nuggets, and French Fries. After going through the drive-through, and tossing the bag of food in the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 24:1

Tags: Giving, Tithes, Offerings

Persecution

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Aug 4, 2022

John Stott has pointed out that “persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems.” That clash is what we are seeing now, and it is ultimately between those who believe, trust, and love the God of the Bible and those who do not. The changes afoot today represent a ...read more

Tags: Persecution Of Christians, Cultural Warfare

Denomination: Lutheran

What Is Truth?

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 17, 2022

I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but there is a deep divide in this sanctuary. No – it’s not what you think. It’s not political parties. It’s not hot-button social justice issues. Nope, it’s our view of “What is truth?” Here’s a way to view our divide from Os Guiness: “Three baseball ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:24-36

Tags: Baseball, Absolute Truth, Umpires

Denomination: Methodist

God Can Destroy Everything On Earth!

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Nov 12, 2022

Genesis 7:17-24 See Hebrews 11:7 – What can we learn from this? - faith includes God's instructions and obedience God gave Noah a huge task (almost an impossibility to load up all sorts of animals and necessities in 7 days!) We do not note God indicating to Noah that God was going to help, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 7:17-24

Tags: Judgement, Grace, God, Flood, Noah  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Hope Ain't Hoping

Contributed by John Bright on May 27, 2023

I want to give you a shorthand way of remembering the difference between the hope in our Bibles and the hope out in the world. Hope ain’t hoping. Today, folks plan outside events and say, “I sure hope it doesn’t rain.” Every Sunday, some folks may show up here and say, “I sure hope PJ doesn’t ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5

Tags: Faith, Hope, Hoping

Denomination: Methodist

Who's In Charge?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 3, 2023

One of the most disturbing movies ever produced is Francis Ford Coppola’s classic reflection on the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now. The film tracks an American officer who is sent upriver into the heart of the war-torn countryside in order to find and eventually assassinate a renegade commander who ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 6:1-17

Tags: Wrath, Apocalypse, Four Horsemen, God's Sovereignty

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Mimic The Owner

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 5, 2023

I read of a wealthy woman that owned a very rare and expensive MACAW. It was so beautiful. It was so smart it could talk unbelievable. Over a period of time the MACAW developed an extremely irritating and terrible hacking cough. The lady called the local vet and they discussed the problem and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:19, Romans 8:28

Tags: Pretender, Wounded

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Did Jesus Really Die On The Cross?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 25, 2024

One lady sent in a letter to a religious question and answer forum. "Dear Sirs, Our preacher said on Easter, that Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed Him back to health because he just fainted on Good Friday. He didn't really die and he wasn't really raised ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8, 1 John 2:1-2

Tags: Resurrection, Son Of Man, Cross, Son Of God, Empty Grave, Easter, Crucifixion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Stress Management

Contributed by David Parks on Nov 4, 2024

Stress Management A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Stress, Worry

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ