In Sermon Illustrations: "Examples"

Hetty Green The Money ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

Hetty Green the Money Hoarder -The corruption of the possessions of wealthy people witness against them. People who hoard and set out to accumulate great amounts of money and possessions fail to recognize that God gave them wealth for a reason. -For many years Hetty Green was called America’s ...read more

Scripture: James 5:1-6

Tags: Money

The Crew Of Life-Savers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 14, 2011

THE CREW OF LIFE-SAVERS Nantucket, Massachusetts is located next to important shipping lanes running along the East Coast. Toward the end of the 1800s sailing ships were in their heyday. Nantucket Island saw hundreds of vessels passing by each day—all navigating without the advantages of modern ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Sarah's Vase  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 21, 2011

SARAH'S VASE Just like life comes in the place of death, so honor comes in the place of service. Pediatrician David Cerqueira tells the story of a little girl in his wife's Sunday School class. His wife had prepared a lesson on being useful and told the children that everyone can be useful in ...read more

Scripture: John 12:23-26, Mark 14:1-9

Tags: Servanthood

Grant Vs. Custer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

GRANT VS. CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point--Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. In ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-11, Matthew 23:23-24

Tags: Humility, Pride, Show Off, Comparison

Thomas Campbell And The Restoration Movement  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

THOMAS CAMPBELL AND THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT Back in early 1800's there was a preacher in Western Pennsylvania named Thomas Campbell. He was a preacher for the Old-light, Anti-burger, Seceder Presbyterian Church. Each of those phrases described a political division within the Presbyterian Church ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:27-30, John 17:17-23

Tags: Divisions

Was Jesus Married?

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Sep 22, 2012

WAS JESUS MARRIED? “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” 1 Timothy 4:7 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15 Popular characters tend to be used, ...read more

Tags: Apologetics Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Mammon

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 2, 2014

The Blessed Life is a book written Robert Morris. He talks about a crucial weed that chokes out the truth of God, the teachings of God, the Word in our life – that weed or thorny vine is called mammon – greed – the love of money which supersedes the love of the Lord Jesus. It’s a real weed and it’s ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24

Tags: Money, Greed, Riches, Spiritual Attack

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Great Verses For Following Jesus

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 16, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS. Beside each passage of Scripture, write down what you think that verse is saying about following Jesus in the coming year. Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Philippians ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Discipleship, New Year, Following Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dire Warnings?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 24, 2020

Once upon a time. . . . sorry, folks, I couldn’t resist that one. But it wasn’t that long ago that people paid their bills by writing a check and then mailing said item and bill to the address provided. That was true of car insurance, utility bills, credit card bills, among other things. Now, one ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:42-48, Luke 16:19-31

Tags: Hell, Judgment, Rewards, Warnings

Denomination: Baptist

Praying For Unity

Contributed by Jw Worcester on Feb 8, 2021

As I think of the unity of God’s Gospel to us, I’m reminded of the unity I’ve experienced over the years with other saints on short term mission trips, volunteer positions at a crisis pregnancy center and a “Rescue Mission”, Promise Keepers (Men’s nationwide Ministry), and the Urban-Suburban ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:9-14

Tags: Self Image, Reflecting Christ

Misapplied Scriptures, Numbers 5:11ff: Abortion?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 27, 2023

Introduction: By now we’ve seen a few examples where selected (!) Scriptures are taken out of context and used in ways the writers never intended. There are some people who flat-out either twist or attempt to misapply the Scriptures in a much more devious way. They’ll take or quote a passage that, ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 5:11-31

Tags: Spirit Of Jealousy, Abortion, Adultery, Misapplied Scriptures

Denomination: Baptist

[005]. Message From A Poem - A Mirror On The State Of The World

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 29, 2024

[005]. MESSAGE FROM A POEM - A MIRROR ON THE STATE OF THE WORLD We are citizens of this world, but we also are citizens of heaven. Those dear souls who are unsaved are just citizen of this world. They have singular citizenship. When we look at the awful political systems the world has, and at ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20, John 16:33

Tags: Authority, Sadness, The World, Sin, Suffering, Mirror, Distress  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Observation About A Certain Bird:

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 31, 2024

Our church’s parking lot is mostly gravel except for a small paved section. Ordinarily that’s not a problem but recently, we’ve discovered a very small problem. Would you believe, it’s a bird? Birds of various types are mentioned often in the Bible. All were unclean, according to the dietary laws ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:37

Tags: Protection, Birds, Nests

Denomination: Baptist

Was Jesus Involved In Politics?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 4, 2024

WAS JESUS INVOLVED IN POLITICS? I hear that all the time as the excuse for Christians not voting. Is that biblically true? I spent hours searching through the Gospels for the truth and found these key teachings that describe Jesus' attitude and involvement toward the issue of government and ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 21:1, John 10:10, Isaiah 9:6

Tags: Jesus, Evil, America, Corruption, Elections, Rulers, Presidents, Politics, Second Coming, Government, Return Of Christ, Voting, Kings  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Lesson From A Band Concert

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 19, 2024

Introduction: Sometimes you can find an example or illustration from places you wouldn’t normally expect. Such an instance happened to me recently, Here’s the verse that came to mind when I saw what took place: Text: John 16:13, KJV: 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide ...read more

Scripture: John 16:13

Tags: Holy Spirit, Teaching, Encouragement

Denomination: Baptist

Unwanted Items-Fresh Meat On The Street?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 2, 2025

Introduction: This illustration is the first in a series about things that either aren’t wanted, left behind, or otherwise abandoned. Here’s hoping some of these illustrations will be useful! Text: 2 Kings 7:7, KJV: 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 7:7

Tags: Caution, Meat, Unwanted, Abandoned Things

Denomination: Baptist

Animals Can Do Some Pretty Amazing Things  PRO

Contributed by Ray Navarro on Dec 7, 2001

Animals can do some pretty amazing things. For example, what happened one day in the state of Maryland. Believe it or not, this is a true story. The Atlantic Ocean converts into many rivers and streams that paint the state of Maryland much like a leaf of a palm tree that extends in many ...read more

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Compassion, Church Small Groups

Denomination: Adventist

We Always Hear "The Rules" From The Feminine ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Feb 22, 2002

We always hear "the rules" from the feminine side. Now you get to hear the guys’ point of view. These are our rules! Please note...these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE. 1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. 1. Birthdays, Valentines, and Anniversaries are ...read more

Tags: Marriage Obligations, Romantic Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bishop Lindsey's Story  PRO

Contributed by Sheila Crowe on Sep 26, 2002

Bishop Lindsey’s Story I recently had the opportunity to hear our Bishop, Lindsey Davis, speak. He is an avid golfer, so much so in fact that when we went to Augusta for the North Ga Conference meeting they gave him a green jacket – I’m not sure why – I’m kidding I do know the significance of a ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of, Sharing Your Faith, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: United Methodist

Belly Up To The Bar?" Romans 13: 1-7: Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 18, 2004

“Belly Up to the Bar?” Romans 13: 1-7: Key verse(s): 4a “For he is God’s servant to do you good.” About a decade ago an assembly of Christian leaders came up with this summary of what it means to be a Christian citizen: “It is impossible for a believer to be a good Christian and a bad citizen ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7

Tags: Men's Day

Denomination: Lutheran