In Sermon Illustrations: "Following Instructions"

Sowing The Seed: A Comparison  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

SOWING THE SEED: A COMPARISON In the 13th Century, Nicolo Polo (father of Marco Polo) was visiting the court of the grandson of Ghengis Khan - Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was the Emperor of China and he had never met Europeans before. He was delighted to meet this visitor from Venice AND he was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15, Psalm 1:1, Numbers 1:11

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed, Happiness

Pastor Bruce D. Weaver And His Wife Drove In ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Oct 17, 2004

Pastor Bruce D. Weaver and his wife drove in their car to pick up their son from Vacation Bible School. The sky was growing dark and there was a storm watch in effect, but no rain was falling yet. The theme for their upcoming Vacation Bible School had to do with Noah’s ark and the flood, so he ...read more

Tags: Return Of Christ, Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When The 1960s Ended, San Francisco's ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2005

When the 1960s ended, San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district reverted to high rent, and many hippies moved down the coast to Santa Cruz. They had children and got married, too, though in no particular sequence. But they didn’t name their children Melissa or Brett. People in the mountains around ...read more

Tags: Children

We Need To Understand That When We Share Our ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 26, 2007

We need to understand that when we share our faith, we cannot get discouraged when others do not accept Christ, because there are those in this world that will NEVER accept Christ… I recently read an account of a young Christian in the military who tells about sharing his faith with another ...read more

When The 1960s Ended, San Francisco's ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

When the 1960s ended, San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district reverted to high rent, and many hippies moved down the coast to Santa Cruz. They had children and got married, too, though in no particular sequence. But they didn’t name their children Melissa or Brett. People in the mountains around ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Men Who Have In The Past Exerted The Greatest ...  PRO

Contributed by Manuel Amparo on May 9, 2006

Men who have in the past exerted the greatest influence for good in the world had, as a rule, pious mothers. The mother of George Washington, the man in whose principles we glory today, made it a practice each morning to spend an hour in prayer, devotion, and Bible study before attempting to ...read more

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Pilot's Directions

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 26, 2008

Pilot's Directions Henry Gardner was flying me to Asheville, North Carolina, in his Cessna 180. We'd taken off from Victoria, Texas, and stopped in Jackson, Mississippi, to fix a malfunctioning radio. Now we were nearing Asheville only to find that the fog was so thick that the controller wouldn't ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Time Is Here! The Summer Is Over And School ...

Contributed by Paul Dietz on Sep 12, 2008

The time is here! The summer is over and school is back in session! The time for our children’s learning process is back on schedule. Teachers are all geared up to instruct their students in all the skills of mathematics, language usage, social studies and the sciences. Last week I found a very ...read more

Tags: School

Denomination: *other

Would Your Child Write ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

WOULD YOUR CHILD WRITE THIS? Bub Roussel was only 17 on Sunday morning in 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed. A few weeks later, he was drafted and ended up in the Army Air Corps, assigned as a radio operator on a B-29 bomber. The youngest in his crew, Bub and many like him had to grow up fast ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Five Finger ...

Contributed by John Browning on Jan 31, 2009

Five Finger Prayer This is so neat. I had never heard this before. This is beautiful - and it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives. 1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Baptist

The Us Peace Corps Train Their Workers To Deal ...

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Feb 28, 2009

The US Peace Corps train their workers to deal with any kind of eventuality they might meet in the field, and since they work in the jungles of South America, it’s quite possible that they might encounter an Anaconda, the largest snake in the world. A full grown Anaconda is not just a snake. It is ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Rappeling Down The Wall Of Fear

Contributed by Jim Kane on Feb 27, 2010

RAPPELING DOWN THE WALL OF FEAR In a book, whose title and author escapes my memory is the author’s story of rappelling down the side of a steep cliff as part of an outdoor learning experience. Now rappelling involves ropes, strong ropes, safety equipment, helmet, good shoes, and guts. It ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Church Of God

Margin Or Messiah?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 24, 2011

MARGIN OR MESSIAH? Richard Swenson wrote a book in the 1990's titled, "Margin" in which he describes modern society as so overcommitted and over scheduled that we have no space left for rest. A reviewer writes: Overload is not having time to finish the book you're reading on stress. Margin is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Stress

Rubbing Shoulders With God

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Sep 5, 2011

RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH GOD We visited Our Lady of Quebec, the Cathedral Basilica in old Quebec City. I had a plethora of emotions upon entering this bastion of structures, dating back 365 years, having been built in 1647. It continues its stately gaze as the oldest parish church in North America. ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Three Races

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Aug 31, 2012

THE THREE RACES A boy realised that God had made him fast. He wanted to have a race in his village to prove his speed. People from his village and the surrounding villages were invited, either as competitors or spectators. A wise man came to watch the race, which the boy won easily. Everyone ...read more

Tags: Compassion

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Spite Fence ...

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on May 2, 2020

I would like to tell the story of one of the most famous spite fences in the world. It is, by the way, one of the reasons why privacy fences are often limited to 6 feet. The story begins with two people. Nicholas Yung, an undertaker, who built a cottage in San Francisco in 1855 with his wife and ...read more

Tags: Grace, Anger, Retaliation, Neighbors, Spite, Fences  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Significance Of The Manger

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 9, 2023

If you try to point out something to a dog, the dog will often look at your finger instead of the object you’re trying to point to. This is frustrating, but it illustrates a natural mistake we all make from time to time. It’s the mistake many people make when reading the Christmas story in Luke’s ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Sign, Messiah, Christmas, Manger, Shepherds  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Does God Calls Everybody To Sacrifice Greatly To ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 8, 2009

Does God calls everybody to sacrifice greatly to follow Jesus? I believe that God does and that we often rationalize in order to justify our choices. You might not see it that way. But I can share with you our experience and I do this not to boast because if I boast it is in the Lord and what Jesus ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Church Of God

[044] A Message From A Poem – Christian Patterns

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 6, 2025

[044] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTIAN PATTERNS This is a “constructed poem” meaning it follows a pattern. It is a series of injunctions or commands with specific structure that I will explain. Let us take the opening line – “Take God’s truth and make it yours, and your vain ways forsake.” I ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 8:5, Philippians 3:17, Acts 7:44

Tags: Poetry, Pattern, Poem, Christian Living, Commands, Christian Patterns, Rhyming  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Watch Out For Wise Guys

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 1, 2008

WATCH OUT FOR WISE GUYS Col. 2:8-10 A college student was in a philosophy class which had a discussion about God’s existence. The professor presented the following logic: "Has anyone in this class heard God?" Nobody spoke. "Has anyone in this class touched God?" Again, nobody spoke. "Has anyone in ...read more

Tags: Faith