In Sermon Illustrations: "Directions"

I Want To Give You A Silly Illustration Of One ...

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jun 27, 2009

I want to give you a silly illustration of one way this can work. When I was a teenager and just starting to enjoy coffee, I liked to take a cup of coffee with me wherever I went. Of course, those of you who’ve seen me play softball are well aware that I have trouble walking and talking at the same ...read more

Tags: Trust

Denomination: *other

War Stories About Not Giving Up The Fight: ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 12, 2009

War Stories About Not Giving Up the Fight: Battles of Shiloh and Waterloo You and I live in a very complex world. Pressures from every direction. And at times we feel like we cannot take it any more. We just want to be rescued from our problems. We pray to be rescued. We get others to pray for our ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Endurance

Stand Strong

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Feb 13, 2023

I want you all to think back with me as we begin this morning. Many of us looked forward to leaving high school behind with all of its challenges. Then we began to experience a whole new set of challenges in college or in the workplace. We began wondering what direction we were going to take in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:1-14

Tags: Dedication, Loyalty

Denomination: Baptist

Out Of The Shade And Into The Light

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Feb 6, 2025

It’s been cold outside! Last week I walked into the office and commented that it's not fair that we have to suffer through the hot Texas summers AND these sub-freezing temperatures. But here in Texas the snow and ice quickly melt away—except not in some places. On my commute to church there ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 6:25

Tags: Melt, Revive, Sunlight, Thaw, Light, Worship, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Astronaut On Moon Sees The Love Of God

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 24, 2025

One of the best testimonies of God’s goodness and love you will ever hear is from astronaut Jim Irwin. He served as the Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 15. Jim was the eighth person to walk on the Moon. *And he told about an experience he had when he went to the moon. Jim said: "When I looked ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 144:1-15

Tags: Floods, High Tower, The Lord Our Rock, Righteous War, Brevity, Praise The Lord, Mortality, Traitors, Deceivers, The Lord Of Hosts, Joy, Rock, Fortress, God's Help, Deliverer, King David, Shield, Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Light Is Powerful (And Sometimes Annoying)

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 20, 2026

I had a teacher in high school who used to do an experiment with a light bulb. He had a static electricity machine and when you put a light bulb near the source of static electricity, the bulb would burn. The only problem was that he was also holding on to the electrical cord attached to the light ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16, Isaiah 49:6

Tags: All Nations, Mission, Sent, Evangelism, Light  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

No Parts Left Over!" Psalm 37: 25-26 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 14, 2004

“No Parts Left Over!” Psalm 37: 25-26 Key verse(s): 25: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” When I was a boy I received one of those expensive model cars for Christmas. It was not your typical model with only about a hundred ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:25-26, Psalm 37:25-40, Psalm 37:1-2

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Lutheran

An Atheist Defends Evangelism In Africa

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 30, 2008

AN ATHEIST DEFENDS EVANGELISM IN AFRICA I would like to conclude by reading you an article – that Andrew sent to me - from the Sunday Times dated 27th December 2008 written by Matthew Parris: December 27, 2008 (full article) As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God Missionaries, not aid ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Anglican

Mrs. Thomas Works For An "Ear Doctor". She Told ...  PRO

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Jun 15, 2001

Mrs. Thomas works for an "ear doctor". She told us about one man who she had called to advise that his hearing aid had come in. The man was so happy, he jubilantly thanked Mrs. Thomas, saying, Oh thank you, I appreciate that...I love you, bye. Later that day the man’s wife called Mrs. Thomas to ...read more

Tags: What Is Evangelism?, Love

Denomination: United Methodist

Voice Mail  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 20, 2001

VOICE MAIL While we have a direct access to our Heavenly Father, imagine if He had one of those computer-answering devices. It might be something like this: As we begin to pray we hear... Thank you for calling your Heavenly Father’s house. Your call may be monitored for quality assurance. Please ...read more

Tags: Ever, God's Omniscience, Illustration, Prayer Adoration, Prayer General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Precious Blood  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 18, 2002

PRECIOUS BLOOD Several years ago in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, George and Vera Bajenksi’s lives were changed forever. February 16, 1989. A very normal Thursday morning. The phone rang at 9:15 a.m. "There’s been an accident..." It involved their son Ben. As they approached the intersection of ...read more

Scripture: John 18:28-40

Tags: Easter Good Friday, Blood, Lord's Supper, Jesus Christ

A Prayer For A Nation At War  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 19, 2003

A PRAYER FOR A NATION AT WAR Our Father in Heaven, We thank You that You know exactly what is going on here on earth. We sinful human beings constantly find ourselves confused, distressed, and alarmed because of our own behavior and that of others. What miseries result from our sinful ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, War, Prayer Supplication

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Elapsed Time: Measured From The Beginning Of The ...

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Dec 12, 2003

(Elapsed time: Measured from the beginning of the opening credit, this scene begins at 01:46:50 and ends at 01:49:00. Content: In Love and War is rated PG-13 for sensuality and graphic portrayal of war injuries.) The movie In Love and War is based on the WWI experiences of author Ernest ...read more

Tags: Betrayal, Forgiveness General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Story: At A Comparative Religions Conference, The ...  PRO

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 31, 2003

Story: At a comparative religions conference, the wise and the scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity. Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God took human form in Jesus. But someone ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8, John 3:16

Tags: God's Love, God The Father, Love

Denomination: Anglican

Abortion Guilt Removed  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jan 12, 2004

Pastor Lee Strobel shares this account: We were doing a baptism service. We told people before they came up to the platform to be baptized to take a piece of paper, write down a few of the sins they’ve committed, and fold the paper. When they come up to the platform, there was a large wooden cross ...read more

Tags: Abortion, God's Forgiveness, Promises Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Can Go From Hero To Zero In A Relatively ...  PRO

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Nov 6, 2000

You can go from hero to zero in a relatively short time; just ask Wrong Way Riegels. On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played UCLA in the Rose Bowl. In that game a young man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for UCLA. Picking up the loose ball, he lost his direction and ran sixty-five yards ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: United Methodist

If You Ever Happen To Listen To Positive 89.3 On ...  PRO

Contributed by Jonathan Twitchell on Oct 26, 2006

If you ever happen to listen to Positive 89.3 on Saturday nights, you know that Joe Polek and I often enjoy sharing humorous stories from the news between the songs that we play. If you listened last night, you would have heard us talking about a variety of mistranslations with humorous results. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:44-53

Tags: Commission, Communication General

Denomination: Nazarene

Recall Notice  PRO

Contributed by Joseph Bachman on Feb 24, 2005

RECALL NOTICE: The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:18-20

Tags: Faith, Dumb

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Not Everything Is Gone

Contributed by Tammy Garrison on Jul 14, 2010

NOT EVERYTHING IS GONE As I was putting this message together his past Monday evening, I got a phone call. It was the police department. I serve as one of their chaplains, and they called me to respond to a house fire. A woman was found dead inside, and her husband had just arrived on the scene, ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Methodist

A Full Life  PRO

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Apr 25, 2011

A FULL LIFE A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. "Not very long," answered the Mexican. "Well, then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the ...read more

Scripture: John 21:1-19

Tags: Season, Contentment, Balance, Commandments Covet

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist