In Sermon Illustrations: "Dont Quit"

He Writhed On The Floor While Men And Women ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 6, 2010

He writhed on the floor while men and women gathered around him hurling their prayers. That’s the best way I can describe it. "Come out in Jesus name!" they said, and he writhed all the more as if in pain, and certainly in turmoil. The voices rose, "Come out you unclean spirit!" I had been ...read more

Tags: Demons

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Saint Patrick's Day Is Just Around The Corner ...

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Mar 9, 2010

Saint Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and, of course, in our modern-American celebration that basically means lots of drinking and the occasional pinching of those who forgot to wear green. It’s really disappointing that Saint Patrick’s Day has regressed in many parts of the world to a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19

Tags: Trinity, Saint Patrick, Patrick

Denomination: Christian Church

Former Convict And Judge Together At ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2010

Former Convict and Judge Together at Communion A large prosperous city church had three mission churches under its care that it had started. On the first Sunday of the New Year all the members of the mission churches came to the city church for a combined Communion service. In those mission ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Tags: Lord's Supper

Rene' Gets Lost

Contributed by Paul Kendall on Apr 23, 2010

RENE' GETS LOST In her freshman year of college, my daughter Rene’ agreed to take some friends to the Tampa airport as they returned home for Christmas break. They showed her the way there-—and to get back-—she would simply follow the same route backwards and then come on home to celebrate ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:8

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: *other

Why Be Buried With A Fork In Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

Why Be Buried With a Fork in Your Hand There was a woman who had been told she only had 3 months to live. Her doctor recommended that she start making preparations to die. And so, she contacted her Pastor to talk about her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral, what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Heaven

Not Success But Faithfulness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 12, 2010

NOT SUCCESS BUT FAITHFULNESS Jordan was a man of unusual abilities and commitment. He had two Ph.D.s, one in agriculture and the other in Greek and Hebrew. He was so gifted he could have chosen to do anything he wanted. He chose to serve the poor. In the 1940s, he founded a farm in Americus, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Endurance

Boat Builder Learns About ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 12, 2010

Boat Builder Learns about Humility Skip looked at the group of suspicious stockholders and wondered what he could do to convince them to follow his leadership. He was 35, looked 13 and was third generation rich. He could tell they thought they were headed for a disaster. He told them a story. His ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:18

Tags: Humility

Child-Speak

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2010

CHILD-SPEAK Someone had noticed that the word "father" appears in the dictionary just before the word "fatigued" and just after the word "fathead." So to all us fatigued, fathead fathers, Happy Father's Day! *** One time a little boy was asked to define Father's Day and he said, "It's just like ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Father's Day

Temporary Castles  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

TEMPORARY CASTLES "A little boy is on the beach. On his knees he scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. "All afternoon he will work. ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17, Luke 12:15-21, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Tags: Death

Something To Be Saved From

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 19, 2011

SOMETHING TO BE SAVED FROM To be saved, like the thief on the cross, you must see yourself as destitute of any goodness worthy of heaven and, like this thief, by faith receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Vance Havner tells of a lady who came forward during the invitation in one of his ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer Transforms A Workplace  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

PRAYER TRANSFORMS A WORKPLACE Brandon A. Bradley told his story in Pray! Magazine some time back about an opportunity in his life: "I am a surgical assistant--the surgeon's right-hand man. At one point in my career, I lost my passion. I wanted a job with spiritual significance, and I prayed for ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Tags: Prayer General

Communion Meditation: Compassion In A Deli

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2011

COMMUNION MEDITATION: COMPASSION IN A DELI Dr. Fred Craddic tells of the time he was asked to speak in Winnipeg, Canada. While he was there he stopped into a deli get something to eat. He said the place was packed but people moved over and made room for him. Many people in there where just in to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46

Tags: Compassion

The Impact Of Fatherlessness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2011

THE IMPACT OF FATHERLESSNESS Several years ago the TV show 60 Minutes ran a segment that tells us something important about fatherlessness. The park rangers at a South African wildlife preserve were concerned about the slaughter of 39 rare white rhinos in their park. It turned out that the rhinos ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21

Tags: Father's Day

Do You Want To Be Right, Or Do You Want To Be ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2011

DO YOU WANT TO BE RIGHT, OR DO YOU WANT TO BE WELL? Dr. David Seamands tells the story about a young woman he counseled in college several years ago. She had suffered every kind of abuse in her own home--psychological, sexual and physical. The very place that was supposed to be nurturing was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Eyes Of A Doctor, Eyes Of A Judge

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 19, 2011

EYES OF A DOCTOR, EYES OF A JUDGE Let's suppose that on your way to work each morning, you usually stop at a Starbucks. You tend to get to the store at the same time each morning, and you usually see a young girl who gets there about the same time you do. On many mornings you find yourselves ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

John Stott, A Humble Man

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

JOHN STOTT, A HUMBLE MAN I like the way Thomas Carlyle put it some time ago. He said, "One example is worth a thousand arguments." (Thomas Carlyle, quoted in Men of Integrity, July/August 2000; www.Preaching Today.com) In difficult times, we don't need dictators and arguments. We need leaders ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Tags: Humility

You Can't Come In...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

"YOU CAN'T COME IN..." There was once a town drunk who gave his heart to Jesus Christ. He immediately stopped drinking and began to look for a church and had purposed in his heart that he would attend the first church he found. Determined to turn his life around he found a church and went in. He ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-13

Tags: Hypocrisy

Appreciation: Better Than A Paycheck

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

APPRECIATION: BETTER THAN A PAYCHECK You don't have to teach people to complain, criticize, or be selfish. We're naturals at it. But we do have to learn to express appreciation. People need to be appreciated. A businessman went downtown to his office one morning, a couple of hours earlier than ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

Tags: Praise, Encouragement, Gratitude, Compliment

Our "In Jesus" Voice

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Nov 28, 2011

OUR "IN JESUS" VOICE I'm always intrigued by the phrase some parents and care-givers use with children: "Now children, we need to use our 'indoor' voices." What Ephesians 4 is saying is that when in the church (not the building) we need to use our "in Jesus" voices. Those voices need to lift up, ...read more

Tags: Encouragement

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

We Need To Know Why!

Contributed by Robert Sickler on Dec 8, 2011

WE NEED TO KNOW WHY! As the new plant manager walked through the factory he noticed, in the distance, a worker hit the machine he was at with a large hammer. The manager stopped and watched the worker. It was remarkable, every three minutes the worker would pick up a large ballpeen hammer and ...read more

Tags: Apologetics General

Denomination: Christian Church