In Sermon Illustrations: "Control"

Coffee Doesn't Trust Me  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 25, 2014

My pet finch Coffee runs into a serious problem once in a while. Her claws grow so long she loses the ability to control them. They get stuck in the nest and she can’t get them out. Once we found her nearly dead, hanging for hours upside down with one claw ensnared in her wicker home. Carol rescued ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Surrender, Trust In God, Rest In God, Pruning, God's Care  (view more)  (view less)

Silly ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

SILLY LAWSUITS Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago motor home. On his first trip home, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the drivers seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 6:16-19

Tags: Christian Values

Mutual Respect

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 16, 2025

When we got married there were already 2 children. We each had a child from our first marriages. Those relationships ended and it was by God’s grace that we found each other. My wife and I decided we needed to be on the same page when it came to decisions about the kids. I had read about a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-7

Tags: Husband, Wife, Submission

Denomination: Methodist

Thomas Norris, A Native Of Jacksonville, Florida ...

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jun 6, 2002

Thomas Norris, a native of Jacksonville, Florida was a Navy SEAL officer attached to the US Military Assistance Command Headquarters in Vietnam. In April 1972 Lt Norris lead a 5 man patrol deep into enemy controlled territory in Quang Tri Province to rescue two downed pilots. He was able to locate ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

A Young Woman Asked For An Appointment With Her ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jun 27, 2003

A young woman asked for an appointment with her pastor to talk with him about a besetting sin about which she was worried. When she saw him, she said, "Pastor, I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin to look around at the other women, and I ...read more

Tags: Sin General, Sin Exposed

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Minister Dave Gable Tells The Story Of Jill, ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Aug 2, 2004

Minister Dave Gable tells the story of Jill, their 6-year-old, who was “helping” him in the front yard of the parsonage. She chattered away about her Sunday school lesson on Adam and Eve. Dave thought he’d test her. “Did you know Adam and Eve sinned?” “Yep.” “What did God do to them as a ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Christian Church

As David Lieberman Explains, "Self-Esteem And Ego ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 8, 2004

As David Lieberman explains, “Self-esteem and Ego are inversely related—when one goes up, the other goes down…a person with low self-esteem is highly sensitive…The greater our self-esteem, the less hurt we feel when someone is disrespectful.” • You can see how important this is to church life; ...read more

Tags: Romantic Love

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Albert Barnes' Commentary:

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Aug 11, 2009

Albert Barnes’ commentary: “If she should marry a heathen, would it not be showing that she had not as deep a conviction of the importance and truth of her religion as she ought to have? If Christians were required to be "separate," to be "a peculiar people," not "to be conformed to the world," how ...read more

Tags: Marriage, Marriage Obligations

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Behind The Scenes

Contributed by Brad Henry on Sep 20, 2011

BEHIND THE SCENES No wonder we are frustrated with the plans we see. We see injustice, but we don’t see behind the scenes. At Disney World there is a whole city underneath the Magic Kingdom. People are changing clothes, making outfits, and doing all the work to make everything above ground go ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Jo Frost Is A British Nanny. And She Stars In A ...

Contributed by Doug Lyon on Feb 2, 2008

Jo Frost is a British nanny. And she stars in a reality TV show called Supernanny. Basically, she enters a home where the children are out of control and the parents don’t have a clue. And then she teaches the parents how to discipline their children and how to restore harmony to the home. ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

H. In 3 John, 9 John Speaks Of Just Such An ...

Contributed by J. B. Hall on Mar 30, 2008

H. In 3 John, 9 John speaks of just such an individual: “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” I. Diotrephes was opposing the Lord’s apostle because he wanted the preeminence [supremacy, superiority]! J. He actively resisted the ...read more

Tags: Debt

Denomination: Baptist

Listen To The Words Of Max Lucado From His Book ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 2, 2008

Listen to the words of Max Lucado from his book "When God Whispers Your Name": "For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose. I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice ...read more

Tags: Father's Day, Mother's Day, New Year's Day

The Carnival Ride

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

Some years ago, while our family was vacationing in the high Sierras, we decided to visit a small county fair near the town of Quincy. There weren't many people there that morning. In fact, we were about the only ones visiting the carnival rides. So when I climbed into the Tilt-O-Wheel with my ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15

Tags: Sin, Sin Cycle

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

This Single Fruit Of The Spirit Is Quite ...  PRO

Contributed by Edward Frey on Jul 18, 2001

This single fruit of the Spirit is quite dynamic. It has many dimensions to it: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It’s as if this single fruit has multiple flavors. I’m reminded of the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. There ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23, Galatians 5:22-25

Tags: Character, Kindness

Denomination: Lutheran

Perhaps The Greatest Illusionist And Escape ...  PRO

Contributed by Guy Caley on Dec 15, 2001

Perhaps the greatest illusionist and escape artists who ever lived was Harry Houdini. He was known for his tremendous physical condition, and could withstand blows to the abdomen by tensing his muscles. While performing in Canada, however, he was challenged by a student who didn’t give him time to ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Better Than Shopping  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 1, 2002

BETTER THAN SHOPPING It was a few days before Christmas on the Oregon coast. Two men whose families lived next door opted to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. An unexpected storm surprised the weekend sailors. Before long, the sea became angry, and the two had a ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Church Of God

Lives Molested: A New Study By The U.s. Centers ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Lives Molested: A new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surprisingly discovered that 16% of adult men were sexually molested as children and that 38% of the perpetrators were female. 25% of adult women reported being molested, 94% of the time by males. Molestation victims ...read more

Tags: Children

Families In Financial Crisis

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 1, 2006

Bobby Eklund states: 1. Families are in financial crisis, not always because of economic downturns or situations out of their control, but because we normally bring these problems upon ourselves. Families have readily accepted the notion that the best way to get things done is through debt. It is ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Religion Switch 72% Of Americans Have Maintained ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 17, 2006

Religion Switch 72% of Americans have maintained the same religious preference throughout their life. 15% have changed from one religious preference to another. 10% moved away from religion altogether. American’s have a relatively stable religious identity. Yet, the most common reasons for changing ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Religion Switch 72% Of Americans Have Maintained ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

Religion Switch 72% of Americans have maintained the same religious preference throughout their life. 15% have changed from one religious preference to another. 10% moved away from religion altogether. American’s have a relatively stable religious identity. Yet, the most common reasons for changing ...read more