In Sermon Illustrations: "Dangerous"

You Call This A Gas ...

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Aug 13, 2008

YOU CALL THIS A GAS STATION! One day a lady pulled into a self serve gas station to fill up her car. She got out of her car, hurried over to the pump, lifted the nozzle to her gas tank, and tried to pump the gas. Nothing happened. Belatedly she realized that this was one of those gas stations ...read more

Tags: Mistakes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When I Was In High School Go-Cart Tracks Were A ...

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on Oct 27, 2008

When I was in high school Go-cart tracks were a fad. A friend of mine named Steve went to the local go-cart track a couple of times a week. One crucial fact about high school boys and go-carts: teen age boys will go as fast as that go-cart can possibly go every time. Combine that with the fact that ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: United Methodist

He Didn't Know He Owned It

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

HE DIDN'T KNOW HE OWNED IT There was once a sheep ranch owned by a man named Mr. Yates. Mr. Yates wasn't able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the overheads and the interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Of Course We Know Practically Speaking That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Of course we know practically speaking that every child will not have a father, a physical father present. Some fathers die or are incapacitated. But every child needs a father. The world and especially the African American community are suffering from father absence. There is a father hunger that ...read more

Tags: People In The Gospel

It's Sort Of Like The Fable That Evangelist D. L. ...

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Mar 30, 2009

It’s sort of like the fable that evangelist D. L. Moody used to tell. It seems there were two eagles. One of the eagles won every race and the other eagle was jealous. One day, the jealous eagle overheard a hunter say, “I’d bring down that eagle if I had decent fletching on my arrows.” The eagle ...read more

Tags: Zeal

Denomination: *other

World Cup Community

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Jun 28, 2010

WORLD CUP COMMUNITY I am convinced that the greatest need of our time is genuine community. For instance, I see it oozing out in the World Cup of soccer. I am seeing people spending money buying vuvuzuelas--you know, those plastic ugly-sounding horns which sound like bees buzzing--and blowing ...read more

Tags: Culture

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Mitch Albom: Testimony

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jul 19, 2010

MITCH ALBOM: TESTIMONY Mitch Albom is the author of the bestselling book titled, "Tuesdays with Morrie." He wrote another book recently called "Have a Little Faith." In describing his motivation for writing it, he will tell you that up until a few years ago he would have been among the many that ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Nazarene

Abandoned At Seventeen

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Dec 8, 2014

One of the characters in Kent Haruf’s novel Plainsong, is Victoria, a seventeen-year-old girl who is four months pregnant. When her boyfriend finds out about her condition, he breaks up with her. And when her mother finds out, she kicks her out of the house and says to her, “You got yourself into ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 3:1-13

Tags: Support, Abandonment

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Follow The Light

Contributed by Tim Baker on Jan 5, 2018

When I flew airplanes regularly landing at night was very different than daylight. I would use the instruments to guide me to the airport over most of the trip, but since I was a VFR pilot I would use my eyes outside of the cockpit to land the plane. In the daylight using your eyes to land was ...read more

Tags: Light, Light And Darkness, Light For Our Path

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Doctor Cho: Walking On Water

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jun 15, 2022

Matthew 14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:27

Tags: Faith, Walk On Water

Denomination: Assembly Of God

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

Nobody Pencils It In

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I heard a wildlife researcher describe once what happens when frogs try to cross a highway. They don’t hop out into oncoming traffic and get hit all at once. What actually happens is they start crossing a road that’s completely quiet. Middle of the night. No cars anywhere. Looks perfectly safe. So ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15

Tags: Sin, Temptation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Word Of God—the Owner's Manual

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 21, 2009

THE WORD OF GOD--THE OWNER'S MANUAL As a kid, I remember a very popular game. Simon Says. Usually played at school or parties, several of us would do whatever "Simon" told us to do, as long as it was preceded by the phrase: "Simon Says". It seems to me that we have become a society of "Simon ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Bible Truth

Monkey Business

Contributed by David Dunn on Jan 15, 2026

I want to tell you a story about monkeys. This story takes place in a country called India. When I was about your age, I lived with my parents and my brothers and sisters in India. In that country they have monkeys. The monkeys don’t live in zoos like they do here. They live in the trees—right ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5, Proverbs 15:1

Tags: Mercy, Wisdom

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

How To Catch A Monkey  PRO

Contributed by Doug Sanders on Jan 2, 2001

HOW TO CATCH A MONKEY Native hunters in the jungles of Africa have a clever way of trapping monkeys. They slice a coconut in two, hollow it out, and in one half of the shell cut a hole just big enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through. Then they place an orange in the other coconut half before ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:38, Matthew 8:5-13

Tags: John Wesley, Lost, Need, Grace, Human Value, Course, Church, Business And Marketplace, Encouragement, Sovereign, Support, Riches, Salvation, Sacrifices, Wisdom, Track  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Earlier That Same Year, 1885, Three Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Hereford on Oct 30, 2001

"Earlier that same year, 1885, three Christian boys had shed their blood for Christ in Uganda. The king had ordered the arrest of these page boys in an effort to stamp out Christianity. The eldest was fifteen and the youngest was eleven-year-old Yusufu. They held fast their faith and staked their ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-12, John 14:12, 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dr. Bill Bright Of Campus Crusade For Christ ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jan 11, 2002

Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool: During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit Attributes, God's Omnipotence, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Huge Reserves  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002

HUGE RESERVES Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ tells this story of a famous oil field called Yates Pool: During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, Acts 1:1-8

Tags: God's Omnipotence, Holy Spirit In Believers, Gifts General

Greg Louganis Recorded An Unprecedented ...  PRO

Contributed by Ian Biss on Jan 29, 2002

Greg Louganis recorded an unprecedented double/double in Olympic diving when he won gold medals in the men’s 3-meter springboard and platform competition in both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Few will ever forget how he fought back in 1988. In the springboard event he missed one dive and hit the ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Unconditional Love

Denomination: Grace Brethren

Islam Is One Of The World's Fastest Growing ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Sep 24, 2002

Islam is one of the world’s fastest growing religions. It is estimated that there are 2 billion followers of Islam, (Muslims) worldwide and that there are close to 6 million converts in the U.S. I’ve listed for you some of the main differences between Islam and Christianity. (1) Christians believe ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Denomination: Christian Church