In Sermon Illustrations: "Examine Me"

Who Would Serve God Without Heaven?

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Jan 3, 2011

WHO WOULD SERVE GOD WITHOUT HEAVEN? Consider this statement from Paris Reidhead: "Lord Jesus, I’m going to obey you and love you and serve you and do what you want me to do as long as I live even if I go to hell at the end of the road because you are worthy to be loved, obeyed and served." Do we ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Better Influence

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Feb 19, 2011

BETTER INFLUENCE A Peanuts cartoon showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown in which she said, "Guess what, Chuck? The first day of school, and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck." Charlie Brown responds, "My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Brethren

Trying To Help  PRO

Contributed by Brent Long on Mar 20, 2011

TRYING TO HELP An older man approached a young stranger in the post office and asked, "Sir, would you address this postcard and write a short note for me? I have such a difficult time writing these days." The younger man gladly did so, and when he was finished, he asked the older gentleman, ...read more

Tags: Complaining

Denomination: Apostolic

Jesus Is Coming To Dinner

Contributed by Charles Jones on Sep 3, 2011

JESUS IS COMING TO DINNER One of the greatest compliments an individual can pay to another is to invite him/her home to dinner. The Church reminds the world today that Jesus is coming again and the world should get its house in order, for the master of the universe is coming to dine in the hearts ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-37

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Pentecostal

Army Of The Lord

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 12, 2011

ARMY OF THE LORD A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" My friend replied, "I'm ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Asking Good Questions

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Oct 17, 2011

ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS A friend once asked Isidor I. Rabi, a Nobel prize winner in science how he became a scientist. Rabi replied that every day after school his mother would talk to him about his school day. She wasn’t so much interested in what he had learned that day, but she always inquired, ...read more

Tags: Learning

Denomination: Brethren

Am I Still Your Child?

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Dec 6, 2011

AM I STILL YOUR CHILD? What if Lynne and I adopted a child and brought him/her into our home. That child might be so thankful that every day they might ask, "Can I mow the lawn today, can I do the dishes for you, do you need a foot massage?" That would be great, but it would break my heart to ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Safe Sex In My Day

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 7, 2011

SAFE SEX IN MY DAY Sex is God's idea and was and is a wonderful blessing within marriage! Reminds me of a grandfather and his grandson on a fishing trip. The subject turned to sex. The grandson, a teenager, asked, "Papa, they didnt have a whole lot of problems with sexual diseases, AIDS, and ...read more

Tags: Sexuality

Denomination: Baptist

What Time Does The Library Open?

Contributed by Samuel Fulkerson on Aug 23, 2012

What time does the library open?" the man on the phone asked. "Nine A.M." came the reply. "And what's the idea of calling me at home in the middle of the night to ask a question like that?" "Not until nine A.M.?" the man asked in a disappointed voice. "No, not till nine A.M.!" the librarian said. ...read more

Tags: Humor

Denomination: Pentecostal

Jesus' Birth

Contributed by Kevin Barron on Dec 29, 2012

Steve McGuire, our retired county judge, mentioned to me the other day that when someone wishes him “Merry Christmas,” he will sometimes tell them, “I wish you a happy birthday for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!” He has seen, like all of us need to see, that Christmas was not just the lights ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ, Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Methodist

Which Basin?

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Jan 3, 2013

WHICH BASIN? Remember there were TWO basins of water mentioned in the Bible. One, Herod used it to wash his hands -- "this has nothing to do with me". The other one, Jesus used it to wash His disciples' feet. It has nothing to do with Him too. It's the job of slaves but He did it. And He ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Weak Prayer, Weak Faith  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 7, 2013

WEAK PRAYER, WEAK FAITH Bill Hybels, "I used to make excuses for my faint-hearted prayer life. I don’t have any good models of persevering prayer, I told myself. I have too many responsibilities to fulfill, so I don’t have the time to pray properly. But God convinced me that I was not being honest ...read more

Scripture: James 4:2

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Little Dog Who Was Kicked Out Of School

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 14, 2014

A dog followed his owner to school. His owner was a fourth grader at a public elementary school. However, when the bell rang, the dog slipped inside the building and made it all the way to the child's classroom before a teacher noticed and shooed him outside, closing the door behind him. The ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2

Tags: Faith, Children, God, Atheism

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sir Isaac Newton On The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on May 19, 2016

SIR ISAAC NEWTON ON THE BIBLE In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence. We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever." -- Sir Isaac ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Bible, Science, American, Atheism, American History  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Need Mercy!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 30, 2020

One day, a woman who occasionally walked through the park after work, stopped to have her picture taken by a photographer. She was very excited to see the photo, but when she looked at it, her face dropped. She turned to the photographer and stated rather sharply, “This is not right! This is not ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Mercy, Humor, Judgment, Justice

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Are Grounded!!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 15, 2022

THE PRODIGAL SON'S RETURN... We were sitting in Church a few weeks ago while the minister delivered a sermon based on the timeless story of the prodigal son. When he got to the point where the father sees his son returning and races out to meet him, the minister said loudly and with ...read more

Tags: Parables, Prodigal Son, Jokes, Prodigals, Children, Parents, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You In The Secret Service?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 2, 2023

A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said to him, “You need to join the Army of the Lord!” My friend replied, “I’m already in the Army ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Faithfulness, Pastors, Attendance, Service, Church, Worship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thin Skinned And Hard Hearted

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 2, 2025

Somebody smarter than me said the greatest problem in the local church is that we are not who we were designed by God to be. As Believers, we were made to be thick-skinned and tender hearted. That’s how we can “love one another fervently with a pure heart.” (1 Peter 1:22) Instead, we have become ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Peter 1:22

Tags: Forgiveness, Fervent Love, Tender Hearted

Denomination: Methodist

I Read Of A Man Who Had Committed A Crime For ...  PRO

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Aug 25, 2003

I read of a man who had committed a crime for which he was deeply ashamed. When he’d served his prison sentence and was about to be released he wondered if his family would reject him because of the scandal he’d caused and the shame brought on the family. He wrote his parents saying that he would ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Tags: God The Father, Promises Of God

Denomination: Baptist

Special Delivery  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 9, 2004

SPECIAL DELIVERY Susan Filipp writes: My husband, Alex, and I were overjoyed when the doctor confirmed I was pregnant. "Thank you, God," I prayed. "Please let everything go right." And things did—until I went into labor two weeks early. Alex and I rushed to the hospital at 5:30 A.M. In the ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will, God's Provision