In Sermon Illustrations: "Clean"

After 25 Years Of An Arranged Marriage, Listen To ...

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jan 13, 2005

After 25 years of an arranged marriage, listen to Tevya’s question to Golde in the musical Fiddler on the Roof: (Tevye) “Golde, I have decided to give Perchik permission to become engaged to our daughter, Hodel.” (Golde) “What??? He’s poor! He has nothing, absolutely nothing!” (Tevye) “He’s a ...read more

Tags: Romantic Love

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In The City Of Philadelphia There Was A Little ...

Contributed by Scott Jensen on Jun 26, 2008

In the city of Philadelphia there was a little third-class hotel. Into it one night there came two tired elderly people. They went up to the night clerk and the husband pleadingly said, “Mister, please don’t tell us you don’t have a room. My wife and I have been all over the city looking for a ...read more

Tags: Kindness

Denomination: Lutheran

Near-Death Experiences And Feelings

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES AND FEELINGS Recently a television reporter followed up on the people who survived that air travel incident in which a huge section of the plane simply tore off, somewhere near Hawaii. You may remember that there was some kind of metal fatigue and a whole section of the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:9, Jeremiah 17:7-8

Tags: Emotions

Still Preparing When The Party Is Over

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 21, 2010

STILL PREPARING WHEN THE PARTY IS OVER My youngest grandson had his first birthday recently. My daughter wanted to make it special for him and she invited all her friends with young children to come. SHE SPENT WEEKS PLANNING THIS PARTY. We spent a good week just setting it up. We wanted it to be a ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Ram In The Bush

Contributed by Preacher Fo Real on May 14, 2011

THE RAM IN THE BUSH Jeffery is not an avid cook, but he can hold his own in any kitchen. As the youngest child in the Honiara extended dysfunctional family, he spent many hours reluctantly tied to his mother’s apron springs. Often, he would find himself assisting her in the daily chores around the ...read more

Scripture: Joel 2:28-32

Tags: Doing God's Will

Denomination: *other

Getting Your Hands Dirty: Grandma's Apron

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 12, 2011

GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY: GRANDMA'S APRON There are all sorts of "questionably clean" things that spread love and give meaning to our lives. Does anyone this morning remember a grandma or great-grandma swathed in a big all-enveloping apron? Not some perky little decorative thing worn on Christmas. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:25-28

Tags: Love, Servanthood

Impact Of Scripture Memorization: Psalm 119

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2012

IMPACT OF SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION: PSALM 119 Scripture memorization is a great challenge to a modern day saints. But in the old days, many of the saints of God would memorize large portions of Scripture because they were devoted to God. One such man was John Ruskin. He lived in the nineteenth ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:1-176

Tags: Bible Influence

On The Pharisees

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

Who are the Pharisees? In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East, bringing Greek culture and philosophy to Israel. By 200 BC, Greek philosophy and its worldview called Helenism were significantly impacting Jewish young men. More and more of them were abandoning the Hebrew faith and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-2

Tags: Pharisees

Denomination: Methodist

The Daily Needs Of Israel In The Wilderness  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 1, 2016

THE DAILY NEEDS OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS The 40-year wilderness wandering by Moses and the Israelites must be one of the biggest miracles in the Bible, yet we take it for granted. Think about the metrics of their dire situation: FOOD: God’s people had to be fed daily. Feeding 3 to 3 1/2 ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:14

Tags: Wilderness, Complaining, Unthankfulness, Griping, Faithfulness Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Broken

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 6, 2019

Broken Windows … (Little improvements can make a big difference) Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones. One ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13

Tags: Community, Hope

Denomination: Pentecostal

Something For Stevie  PRO

Contributed by Alan Braun on Mar 22, 2002

Titled: Something for Stevie I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn’t sure I wanted one. I wasn’t sure how my customers would react ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Name, Joy

Denomination: Baptist

My Son Died, Don't You Care  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jun 11, 2007

Illustration: My Son Died, Don’t You Care An Unknown author wrote this story: The day is over, you are driving home. You tune in your radio. You hear a little blurb about a little village in India where some villagers have died suddenly, strangely, of a flu that has never been seen before. It’s ...read more

Tags: Difference, Impact

Denomination: Other

Work With It!" Romans 12: 1-8: Key Verse(S): 6 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 10, 2004

“Work With It!” Romans 12: 1-8: Key verse(s): 6 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” “All things being equal!” Where that may be the rallying cry of today’s philosophical democratically-driven culture, it wasn’t the impetus for justice in the Brunner household as I was ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-8, Mark 1:21-28

Tags: Family, Parenting

Denomination: Lutheran

Robert Fulghum In It Was On Fire When I Lay Down ...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Sharpes on Dec 18, 2001

Robert Fulghum in It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, tells a story involving his daughter, Molly. One day, as Fulghum was ready to leave for work, Molly handed him two brown paper sacks. In one was his lunch. What was in the other was a mystery. When Fulghum asked Molly what was in the mystery ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Nazarene

Steward Of The Light  PRO

Contributed by Michael Elmore on Jan 17, 2002

STEWARD OF THE LIGHT In the nineteenth century, lighthouses on the U.S. coasts were tended by lighthouse keepers and their families. If a man who tended the light took ill or became disabled, often the work was picked up by his wife or children. Such was the case of Hosea Lewis. Having become, ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 2:19

Tags: Faith, Christian Disciplines, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Methodist

New Hope From Nothing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2002

NEW HOPE FROM NOTHING In Jim Cymbala’s book, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, there is the story of a woman named Roberta Langella. A story she tells in her own words. At the age of 16 she left a broken home to move to New York City where she began living with a man twice her age. A man that got her into ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:5

Tags: Faith, God Brings Hope

Batters Hustling To The Plate To Take Their ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2005

Batters hustling to the plate to take their swings? Questionable calls going uncontested. Umpires being thanked after the game? Fans returning foul balls? This is Major League Baseball? It was. For a few weeks during the spring of ’95, professional baseball was a different game. The ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 28:1-40

Being A Parent Changes Everything. But Being A ...

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Apr 15, 2005

Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with each baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is different from having your first. 1) Your Clothes 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy. 2nd ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Church Of God

When Mom Gets Sick  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2005

WHEN MOM GETS SICK Notes from a man TRYING to make Mom’s life easier while she is sick in bed... Monday A.M. Dearest: Sleep late. Everything under control. Lunches packed. Kids off to school. Menu for dinner planned. Your lunch is on a tray in refrigerator: fruit-cup, finger-sandwiches. Thermos ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:11-31

Tags: Mother's Day, Parenting

A Mother's Wardrobe  PRO

Contributed by Brian Bolton on May 11, 2006

A mother’s wardrobe • 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your doctor confirms your pregnancy. • 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible. • 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes. A mom preparing for the Birth • 1st baby: You practice ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ