In Sermon Illustrations: "Ending"

Failure To Disembark

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Apr 14, 2010

FAILURE TO DISEMBARK There was an important business executive who boarded the New Orleans to Washington train. He had a very important business engagement and he needed to be awakened in order to get off the train in Atlanta about five o'clock in the morning. Since he was a heavy sleeper he found ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Read The Word Any Way You Can  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2010

READ THE WORD ANY WAY YOU CAN A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about him in his book The Wonders of the Word of God. The victim’s face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3

Tags: Disciplines Scripture

Benedict ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 31, 2010

Benedict Arnold In American history, there is a man who became famous for all the wrong reasons. You have probably heard his name, even if you don’t know the details of his life. Benedict Arnold is a name that brings to mind betrayal and treason; yet he actually was a gifted man and a great ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:18-27

Tags: War

Save One More For Jesus

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 9, 2010

Rick Warren about his dad- My father was a minister for over 50 years, serving in small churches. His favorite activity was taking teams of volunteers overseas to build church buildings for small congregations. In his lifetime, Dad built over 150 churches around the world. In 1999, my father ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Man Who Loved To Work

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 25, 2011

THE MAN WHO LOVED TO WORK John Ortberg states: "Once there was a man who loved to work. He loved creating value. He loved the way his work made him grow. He didn’t always like the problem he ran into, but he felt joy when he came up with a solution that...well, worked. He loved being a part of a ...read more

Tags: Workplace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices

Leadership And Prayer

Contributed by Tim White on May 8, 2011

LEADERSHIP AND PRAYER Henry and Richard Blackaby in Spiritual Leadership in chapter seven "The Leader's Influence" stress that leaders influence others through prayer. They give six reasons why leaders should pray. The fourth reason is "God is all-powerful. . . .God can do far more than even the ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

I Came Upon My 3rd Grade Report Card From A Small ...

Contributed by Brad Henry on Dec 9, 2011

I came upon my 3rd grade report card from a small school in Western Pennsylvania. The teacher wrote, "I feel Bradley could do so much better. Inattentive." Well not much has changed. ADD started early. But I was not inattentive when it came time for sports. Why the disconnect? It is because I was ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

I Recently Read An Insightful Story That Would ...  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 8, 2012

I recently read an insightful story that would serve as a good reminder for us both as we prepare to part ways. The story is about a group of climbers who set out to scale a large mountain in Europe. The view boasted a breathtaking peak of snowcapped rocks. On clear days the crested point reigned ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Tags: Complaining, God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Baptist

Death And Resurrection

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

Our son, John learned a valuable lesson about death when he was a child. One day he took aim with his new BB gun at a little bird sitting on a limb near our back deck. He aimed and fired and hit his target and the bird collapsed to the ground. Dead. At first there was the excitement of being a ...read more

Scripture: John 14:19

Tags: Death, Resurrection

Denomination: Christian Church

Managing Time

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 30, 2018

No matter what changes, no matter how much changes, TIME remains the same. And even though we know that, we never seem to have enough time. Consider the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. Calvin says to Hobbes, "God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind I ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 39:4-6

Tags: Investing Your Life, Spending Time Wisely, Time Management

Denomination: Christian Church

How To Finish A Great Book

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018

There are a lot of books that are great and unread. You know, those books that everyone says are great: “it’s a classic,” “one of the best books of all-time,” “a masterpiece.” But almost no one reads them. Jordan Ellenberg, a University of Wisconsin professor, used Amazon’s Kindle to do an ...read more

Tags: Perseverance, Bible, Scripture

Denomination: Baptist

Solomon Lived The Life Under The Sun To Its ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Solomon lived the life under the sun to its fullest extent, He had everything; went anywhere; did anything he wanted to do. In Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11… He was looking for peace and purpose in life, he had tried everything under the sun but nothing could satisfy… He poured himself into science, ...read more

Tags: Ot Kings

Lois K. Blanchard Pictures Christ As Still ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Lois K. Blanchard pictures Christ as still walking the streets today. She asks these pointed questions: If Jesus came to your home to spend a day or two-- If he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do? I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honored Guest, And all the food you’d serve to ...read more

Tags: Grace

I Recently Read An Article That Told This Story, ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I recently read an article that told this story, “The most sacred symbol in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a tree: a sprawling, shade-bearing, 80-year-old American Elm. Tourists drive from miles around to see her. People pose for pictures beneath her. Arborists carefully protect her. She adorns ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Out Of Our Depth

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Out Of Our Depth The 3-year old felt secure in his father’s arms as Dad stood in the middle of the pool. But Dad, for fun, began walking slowly toward the deep end, gently chanting, "Deeper and deeper and deeper," as the water rose higher and higher on the child. The lad’s face registered ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

There's An Interesting New Phenomenon In The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

There’s an interesting new phenomenon in the church world today. Churches are starting to hire Church Consultants --- the same way companies have hired consultants for years. Consultants are trained as problem solvers. They provide fresh eyes and new perspectives when businesses or churches face ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

One Of The Most Compelling Story Lost In The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

One of the most compelling story lost in the invention of the phone was the urgency of the great inventor Alexander Graham Bell to make a breakthrough in communications for the sake of a loved one. No one had more vested interest than Bell, whose mother was deaf. It’s been said that “the telephone, ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

While Taking A Break From Their Studies And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

While taking a break from their STUDIES and MISSION WORK, Ron and some of his classmates went SWIMMING in the SURF off the north end of Luzon Island in the Philippines when a SHARK ATTACKED. Ron’s leg was SEVERED below the KNEE. He was carried to SHORE by his friends. Emergency crews tried various ...read more

Tags: Children

I Was At A Conference Years Ago, And I Found ...

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Jun 18, 2007

I was at a conference years ago, and I found myself in this pastor’s small group discussion, a bunch of these old guys. The conversation turned to the subject of Jesus being the exclusive way to salvation (which by the way, is sound orthodox theology, clear biblical interpretation handed down for ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational