In Sermon Illustrations: "Difficult"

Story Number One  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 13, 2003

STORY NUMBER ONE Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder. Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was his lawyer for a good ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Manna From Heaven--A Thanksgiving Story" ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 26, 2003

“Manna from Heaven--A Thanksgiving Story” Numbers 11: 4-9 Key verse(s): 9 “... When the dew settled upon the camp at night, the manna also came down.” “Goodbye! Thanks for coming. Thanks for everything!” As the caravan of cars and trucks pulled out of the driveway waves were exchanged and a ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Lutheran

Broken Branches!" Luke 6: 36-43 Key Verse(S): 36 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 28, 2004

“Broken Branches!” Luke 6: 36-43 Key verse(s): 36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Recently, one of the most severe storms in many years pounded our five little acres. It came out of the northwest embedded in dark, angry clouds. We saw it approaching in the twighlight and could hear ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:36-43

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Lutheran

Where God's Finger Points!" Psalm 9: 17-18 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 13, 2004

“Where God’s Finger Points!” Psalm 9: 17-18 Key verse(s): 18: “But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.” With all the poverty in the world it is sometimes difficult to understand why God allows such suffering. It has been estimated that over 35% of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 9:17-18

Tags: Poverty, Hope, Hopelessness

Denomination: Lutheran

Bring Back The Rotary Phone?" Acts 13:42-52 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jan 11, 2005

“Bring Back the Rotary Phone?” Acts 13:42-52 Key verse(s): 50:“But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.” There are three things you can do in life when ...read more

Scripture: Acts 13:42-52

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

No Rusty Promises In Heaven!" Leviticus 26: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jan 20, 2005

“No Rusty Promises in Heaven!” Leviticus 26: 40-45 Key verse(s): 45:“But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.” If you are interested in learning about hope, take a walk sometime ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 26:40-45

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Lutheran

Don't Sit On Me, Lord!  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 24, 2005

"DON'T SIT ON ME, LORD!" Romans 6:8-14 Key verse(s): 6: "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the bod of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin...” There are many things that a dog does not like. Chief among them for many dogs is the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:8-14

Tags: Disciplines, Growth, Holiness, Holy Spirit Attributes, Sanctification  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Door Knights Without Maidens!" John 17:13-19 ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 28, 2005

“Door Knights Without Maidens!” John 17:13-19 Key verse(s): 17-19:“‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into this world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.’” Ingratitude. Doesn’t it seem sometimes that we ...read more

Scripture: John 17:13-19, Romans 6:1

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Don't Give Pain The Short Shrift!" Luke 13:10-17 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 9, 2005

“Don’t Give Pain the Short Shrift!” Luke 13:10-17 Key verse(s): 16:“‘Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’.” Many things in this life get short shrift. Perhaps its the lot of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:10-17, Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Creation

Denomination: Lutheran

I Love The Picture Of Sweet Baby Jesus, But We ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 15, 2009

I Love the Picture of Sweet Baby Jesus, but we don’t seem to like to think of God destroying mankind like He did in Genesis 6. We prefer the tamed version of God. The sanitized, warm, cuddly kind of God who does everything for us but tuck us in at night. The sweet baby Jesus rather than the Jesus ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sully And Second Nature

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 30, 2011

"SULLY" AND SECOND NATURE Thursday, January 15, 2009, was another ordinary day in New York City. Or so it seemed. But by that evening people were talking of a miracle. They may have been right. But the full explanation is, if anything, even more interesting and exciting. And it strikes just the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Prayer Is The Breath Of The Soul

Contributed by Coz Von on Aug 27, 2017

I. INTRODUCTION A. Prayer is the breath of the soul B. Prayer is The most powerful force accessible to man. A lifting up our heart and soul to God: Ps 25:1; 143:8 Crying out to God: Ps 86:3 The breathing process of the Christian's soul. 5. A sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the ...read more

Tags: Praise His Name, Praying, Relationship, Prayers, Glorify His Name, Suplication, Prayer, Adoration, Pray, Connection, Connect, Communicate, Love, Communication  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Sure Do Miss St. Sanity

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 17, 2019

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and me recently celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary. It sure does not seem we have been married that long. I guess, as you get older, according to my grandmother, time goes faster. If that is true, I must be getting older. We met in September, became ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:6

Tags: Politics, Humor, Sanity

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What Did We Know Before Facebook?

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 25, 2020

To paraphrase one of my favorite humorist, Will Rogers, “All I know is what I read on Facebook.” I must admit that I also get information from Facebook. I can keep up with my family and friends, know what they are doing, and know what they are saying. The information there, whether true or not, is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 25:14

Tags: Gossip, Secrets

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Sure Miss My Old Typewriter

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 15, 2020

I was going through my office the other day looking for something, and then I saw it for the first time in many years. It was my old typewriter. Most people today have no idea what the typewriter is. I remember, however, my very first typewriter. I was so excited to get it and begin writing with ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:9

Tags: Computer, Typewriter

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroes—barzillai The Gileadite, Part 2

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 3, 2020

Introduction: the revolt was over, Absalom was dead, and David was ready to go back to Jerusalem. It seems David had come to regard Barzillai the Gileadite with much respect, maybe even admiration. David wanted him to go to Jerusalem but in a classic speech, Barzillai graciously said, “thanks but ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 19:31-40

Tags: David, Barzillai The Gileadite

Denomination: Baptist

What's All These Gadgets For?

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 14, 2021

Without any hesitation, I will gladly admit that I am on the short side when it comes to gadgets. For me, most of them do not make any sense at all. Instead, I like things simple and easy. As for the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, she is obsessed with gadgets. She loves them almost as much as ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 1:7

Tags: Frustration, Wisdom, Humor, Instruction

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Saint Arnold Janssen And His Mission Relevance Today

Contributed by Dr John Singarayar Svd on Feb 1, 2024

Saint Arnold Janssen and His Mission Relevance Today (The Feast Day is on 15th January) Scripture: Mark 1:14-20 The 19th century saw the birth of a visionary priest Saint Arnold Janssen, who devoted his life to evangelization and the promotion of the Christian faith. The following words will ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:14-20

Tags: Saint Arnold Janssen, The Society Of The Divine Word

Denomination: Other

[045] A Message From A Poem – Christianity In True Action

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 6, 2025

[045] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTIANITY IN TRUE ACTION The title of this is “CHRISTIANITY IN TRUE ACTION” for it demonstrates the Christian ethic or precept, something lacking today in practical Christianity. This poem tells a story. God bless all those who minister to the poor and are ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:9, Galatians 2:10, Matthew 28:18-19

Tags: Poetry, Poem, True Christianity, Caring, Help The Poor, Outcasts  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[054]. A Message From A Poem – Day Is At Hand

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 12, 2025

[054]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DAY IS AT HAND This poem is figurative in a sense. I look at the early glimmer of light in the east as the sun soon will rise. Then it increases until it is full day with the bright shining sun. What the poem does is begin with the harbinger of the dawn in ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-2, Isaiah 11:6-9, Romans 8:19-22, 2 Peter 1:19, Malachi 4:1-3  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: The Lion, Poetry, Set Free, Poem, Morning Star, Millennial Kingdom, Sun Of Righteousness, Messiah, Nature, Prophecy, Second Coming, Rapture, The Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational