In Sermon Illustrations: "Close At Hand"

Bought To Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

BOUGHT TO BE FREED A young girl was being sold at auction one day. She was a beautiful girl, tall and slender. The bidding was keen, and quickly mounted higher and higher until at last only two men were left bidding for her ownership: the one a low, uncouth foul-mouthed fellow who raised his bid ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-17

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Google: Thinking On A Grand ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

GOOGLE: THINKING ON A GRAND SCALE If I were to ask you to pick a number, any number, what number would you choose? (Pause) How many picked a number between 1 and 100? How about 100 and 1,000? Or maybe you picked an even higher number. Anyone pick a number over one million? If you didn’t, why ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 85:6

Tags: Revival

Perseverance

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Sep 21, 2009

PERSEVERANCE Are you ready for a baseball trivia question? Who is Clint Courtney? If you’re unsure, don’t bother requesting the answer from Cooperstown, N.Y. Clint never came close to making it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In fact, it’s very doubtful that his picture appeared on any bubble gum ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Pentecostal

Defense Lawyer's Final Trick Back ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 19, 2009

Defense Lawyer’s Final Trick Back Fires A defendant was on trial for murder in Oklahoma. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no body. In the defense’s closing statement the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick. "Ladies and gentlemen ...read more

Tags: Justice

A Story From The Book Upon Which The Old Movie ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Dec 24, 2009

A story from the book upon which the old movie “The Bridge on the River Quai” was based, is telling. The Irish Republican Army had a ‘buddy’ system called ‘The Mucker System.’ In this system soldiers agreed to ‘muck’ someone else. That meant the other person was more important than ones self – ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

There Was An Interesting Story Some Time Ago In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

There was an interesting story some time ago in an issue of Focus on the Family magazine about a man who bought one of those cars that had replaced warning lights with spoken instructions in a female voice. In a soft voice, his "little woman"—as he called her—would say, "Your door isn’t closed ...read more

Tags: Friendship New Friends

Jesus Is Better Than Santa!

Contributed by Gregg Rustulka on Dec 20, 2008

Jesus is Better than Santa! Santa lives at the North Pole. JESUS is everywhere. Santa rides in a sleigh. JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water. Santa comes but once a year. JESUS is an ever present help. Santa fills your stockings with goodies JESUS supplies all your needs. Santa ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Nazarene

A Nail Among The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

A NAIL AMONG THE COINS Emil Mettler was a restaurateur in London who was a close friend of Albert Schweitzer. Mettler would not allow a Christian worker to pay for a meal. He once opened his register in the presence of a Secretary of the London Missionary Society. The Secretary was astonished to ...read more

Tags: Stewardship

Countries Far And Wide Sought Out Solomon. He ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 19, 2009

Countries far and wide sought out Solomon. He gained influence and riches. Immediately after this passage, there is the story of two prostitutes who each had a baby. The mother of one child in her sleep rolled over and killed her child. She got up and switched her dead baby with the other women’s ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Church Of God

Grace Is God Drawing Sinners Closer And Closer To ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jul 7, 2010

Grace is God drawing sinners closer and closer to him. How does God in grace prosecute this purpose? Not by shielding us from assault by the world, the flesh, and the devil, nor by protecting us from burdensome and frustrating circumstance, not yet by shielding us from troubles created by our own ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

The Richest Man On The Island

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2011

THE RICHEST MAN ON THE ISLAND In his autobiography Just As I Am, Billy Graham recalls a story demonstrating that apart from God, we will not gain anything from living wisely. He said: Some years ago Ruth and I had a vivid illustration of this on an island in the Caribbean. One of the wealthiest ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Money

The Mother Of The Holiness Movement

Contributed by John Putty on Apr 5, 2011

THE MOTHER OF THE HOLINESS MOVEMENT From the book, "The Cure of All Ills", Revivalist record the impact of the prayer life of Phobe Palmer in the holiness movement. In this spiral of spiritual, social, moral and political degeneracy of the decade preceding 1857, God looked for a man, but he found ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

A Desire To Know Him More

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Aug 20, 2011

A DESIRE TO KNOW HIM MORE Just imagine how wonderful it would be if our greatest desire was to know God more! Dennis Wise really loved Elvis Presley--so much so that not long after Presley died, Dennis had his face lifted by a plastic surgeon and his hair contoured so that he took on an ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The First Thanksgiving

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Nov 19, 2011

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING Let's consider the first Thanksgiving in America. It was in the fall of 1621, one year after the Pilgrim’s landed. There was great affliction in their voyage. 102 Pilgrims the left Holland, stopped briefly in England before sailing to America. They were at sea for 66 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Looking At The Light

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2012

LOOKING AT THE LIGHT A pastor told a story of a man in his congregation who had lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. He owed everybody. One day the pastor asked him, "How in the world are you even surviving? How can you smile? How can you be enthusiastic about Jesus and about life when ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-21

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

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

Supreme Court Case Victory  PRO

Contributed by Paddick Van Zyl on Apr 9, 2014

In the Supreme Court case between Humanity and Satan, proceedings took on a surprising turn, in the court room when Judge God read out the charge against the defendant (humanity). Sin was the main charge with a list of violations being read out, some minor & seemingly insignificant while others ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:11-28

Tags: Blood Of Jesus, Court, Christ Redeems, Sin Sacrifice

Denomination: Pentecostal

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

If You Could Visit Hell For Just Ten Seconds

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 19, 2022

Charles Spurgeon, the famous evangelist and theologian, was teaching young men in seminary how to preach. He told them, “Gentlemen, when you speak of Heaven, let your face be all aglow and smiling and lifted up and brilliant and let it be unashamed when you speak of Heaven. But when you speak of ...read more

Tags: Hell, Death, Satan, Truth, Judgment, Lost, Unbelievers, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Are My Dear, Dear Child: I'm Delighted With You.

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 22, 2023

A famous movie-maker had a huge legal wrangle with his longtime mentor and guide. The younger man simply couldn't handle criticism and ended up rejecting the person who had helped him so much. When it was all over, a close friend summed up the real problem. "It was all about an ungenerous ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:9-13, Matthew 3:13-17

Tags: Loved By God, Jesus Baptism, God's Love, Loved

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed