In Sermon Illustrations: "First Day Of The Week"

The Giving Tree

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 8, 2009

THE GIVING TREE Once or twice in a lifetime you hear a story that leaves an indelible mark on your heart and mind. Such is Shel Silverstein’s story, "The Giving Tree." "Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy." And so begins the story of a tree’s being happy because she is able to make ...read more

Tags: Giving Yourself

Denomination: Pentecostal

Who Are You?

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Oct 19, 2009

WHO ARE YOU? Sheila Walsh is a Christian singer, writer, and former host of The 700 Club. She describes how her disconnected spirituality literally hit a wall. "One morning I was sitting on national television with my nice suit and inflatable hairdo and that night I was in the locked ward of a ...read more

Tags: Hypocrisy

Denomination: Church Of God

A True Story About Frank Abagnale Jr. Who, Before ...

Contributed by Bruce Rzengota on Dec 28, 2009

A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. Eventually he was caught in France in 1969 when an Air France attendant recognized his face from a wanted poster. When the ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Improving On A Good Design...or Not

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

IMPROVING ON A GOOD DESIGN...OR NOT Years ago I bought a Chevy Caprice at a used car lot. It was a thing of beauty. It was big and stylish and it purred as I drove it down the road. Well, it purred for the first few days. Then it began to cough and sputter and I had difficulty getting above 30 ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:27-30

Tags: Church General

Craving Milk

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Oct 26, 2011

CRAVING MILK I remember our grandkids had ravenous appetites towards mother's milk and they all grew fat as over-stuffed ticks. All 4 of them were roly-poly by 3 months of age. There was an obvious direct corollary between milk ingested and weight gain. Likewise, spiritual infants who crave ...read more

Tags: Basics Of Christianity

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Don't Worry Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2012

DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY The song Don’t Worry Be Happy was a late 80’s chart buster as it gained phenomenal success for such a simple song. The lyrics written by Bobby McFerrin were copied from original Indian sage from the late 1800’s whose mantra was one of peace. I remember the first time I heard ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34

Tags: Worry

Joanne Shetler Spent Years In The Philippines ...

Contributed by Tim Spear on Dec 3, 2012

Joanne Shetler spent years in the Philippines with the Balangao people, translating the Bible into their language and trying to tell them the good news of the Savior. But it was slow going. One day Ama, a man who had “adopted” her as his Balangao daughter, picked up an English New Testament from ...read more

Tags: Missions

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

Recognising Conflict, Where An Enemy Sowing Bad Seed

Contributed by Gordon Mcculloch on Jul 24, 2017

1. Be Perceptive to the enemy. The first way to deal with conflict is to be perceptive to the enemy. Verse 25 “but while everybody was asleep, an enemy, (that is Satan), came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away”. Notice he went away, he was sly; he did not stay to watch, or say, “I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:25

Tags: Satan's Deception, Bad Seed, Satans Tactics

Denomination: Episcopal

Mercy In A World War 2 Battle

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 1, 2020

Here is a unique, moving story about "MERCY" from the Second World War: The American pilot glanced outside his cockpit and froze. He blinked hard and looked again, hoping it was just a mirage. But his co-pilot stared at the same horrible vision. “Dear God, this is a nightmare,” the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Mercy, Beatitudes, War, Hate, Ww2  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Helping Others

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Jun 19, 2020

Years ago, my father coached a team of eight-year-olds. He had a few excellent players, and some who just couldn't get the hang of the game. Dad's team didn't win once all season. But in the last inning of the last game, his team was only down by a run. There was one boy who had never ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:2

Tags: Supporting Others, Supporting Each Other

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Servanthood

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Aug 4, 2022

As Christians can find all kinds of ways to minister in the name of Jesus. For example, there are 21,800 patients per year who receive chemotherapy treatments in Louisville, Kentucky, and most lose their hair. When Lynette Le Gette discovered this, it brought her to tears. She ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10, Acts 9:32-43

Tags: Servanthood, Good Deeds

Denomination: Lutheran

The Little Word That Changes Everything

Contributed by David Dunn on Dec 26, 2025

Opening (attention hook) (Hold up a big card with the word IF written on it) “Does anyone know this word?” (Let them shout: IF!) “This is a tiny word… but it can change what happens next.” >> The Story There was a little girl named Lily, and Lily loved to ask questions. One morning her ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15, James 1:22

Tags: Obedience, Choice

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Quote: Everything Continues In A State Of Rest ...

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Nov 18, 2004

Quote: Everything continues in a state of rest unless it is compelled to change by forces impressed upon ...read more

Tags: Church Practices

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Failure Rate Of Second Marriages Is 60%, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

The failure rate of second marriages is 60%, higher than it is for first marriages. (Foster Letter ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

The Reason Why The Son Of God Took Upon Him Our ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 9, 2006

“The reason why the Son of God took upon him our nature, was, the fall of our first ...read more

Tags: Sin General

The Great Chicago Fire Left Huge Gaps In The ...

Contributed by Jeremiah Parker on Apr 15, 2008

The Great Chicago fire left huge gaps in the landscape of downtown Chicago. Those barren spots made ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Martin Luther King Jr. Said, "Faith Is Taking The ...

Contributed by Don Jones on Feb 8, 2009

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Baptist

Christmas Is Based On An Exchange Of Gifts: The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts: the gift of God to manHis Son; and the gift of man to God ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Some Idea Of Inflation Comes From Seeing A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

Some idea of inflation comes from seeing a youngster get his first job at a salary you dreamed of ...read more

Tags: Money