In Sermon Illustrations: "Forgive Them"

The Magi -- Who Were They?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 25, 2019

Lambert Dolphin writes: “The ancient Magi were a hereditary priesthood of the Medes (known today as the Kurds) credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. After some Magi, who had been attached to the Median court, proved to be expert in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Tags: Wise Men, Magi, Kinds, Seers

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Christmas Humor

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 21, 2020

A Sunday School was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was pretty ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Christ, Manger, Birth Of Christ, Mary And Joseph, Coming Of Christ, Christmas  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Grace Story/Joke

Contributed by Bruce Blythe on Apr 13, 2021

There are not many stories/jokes that illustrate Grace (plenty of definitions of Grace though!) so I made this one up for my sermon on Romans 11 (Reciprocity No, Grace Yes). Hope people find it helpful. Blessings. Bruce A Jew, an Islamic and a Christian were drinking coffee on a ship. Then the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Grace Alone, By Grace We Are Saved, Reciprocity

Denomination: Baptist

Be Ready, Have A Plan.

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 17, 2021

PEOPLE NEVER PLAN TO FAIL, THEY FAIL TO PLAN AND BECOME TRAPPED TO BE DOOMED. WHAT IS FAILURE? WHAT IS SUCCESS? LIFE OFTEN HAS MANY TEMPORARY SET BACKS? We must be ready! ALBERT EINSTEIN did not beginning talking until he was 4 years. Many of Einstein’s family and friends thought he was mentally ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:7, Matthew 25:10

Tags: Plan, Ready

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Surrounded By Idiots

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 10, 2021

Do you ever feel like you are surrounded by idiots? One web site collected stories… I was signing the receipt for my credit card purchase when the clerk noticed that I had never signed my name on the back of the credit card. She informed me that she could not complete the transaction ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:5-7

Tags: Stupid, Sense, Brains, Idiots, Dumb Things We Do, Halfwit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Cycles Of Dying Churches

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 16, 2022

Almost all churches go through “lifecycles” - they start with a MAN, a visionary leader has a passion to to accomplish a God-given Vision -- then they become a MOVEMENT. At this stage the people are nearly 100% committed. They spend time together at each other’s homes and in Bible studies. Then ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Tags: Dying Churches, Church, Revival, Seven Churches

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

He'll Find Me

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2022

Two men have ended up marooned on an island in the South Pacific. On the deserted island is one palm tree and nothing to see but the ocean. One guy is in a complete panic, pacing back and forth, ranting about how they are going to die, hungry and alone, that nobody will stumble on them until they ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:2-4

Tags: Giving, Tithes, Offerings

An Illustration About Ephesians 2:9

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 30, 2022

The author of this illustration is G. M. Landis. I have no idea who this person is or was. I had bought a Bible at a thrift store and the piece of paper with this illustration was inside the front cover (this was a hardcover Bible). The illustration itself appears to have been written for a daily ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:9

Tags: Grace, Salvation, Works, G M Landis

Denomination: Baptist

P ...

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Mar 23, 2009

Powerless! Dr. Joe McGee sent the following story that might make you watch for the floor sweeper the next time you are in the hospital! “In a hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, patients always died in the same bed on Sunday morning at about 11:00 AM. Regardless of their medical condition, death ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

Sin: Acts, Words, Thoughts, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2009

SIN: ACTS, WORDS, THOUGHTS, HEART A man once dreamed of passing into the world beyond. An angel met him and showed him a great golden book. "What is that?" he inquired. "It is the book of your life," was the reply. Looking closer he saw that there were some writing on the first page. "What is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 40:12

Tags: Sin Exposed

List Of Weaknesses

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Apr 6, 2009

LIST OF WEAKNESSES In his book He Chose the Nails, Max Lucado wrote: "The list of our weaknesses. Would anyone like to see yours? Would you like to make them public? How would you feel if they were posted high so that everyone, including Christ himself, could see? Yes, there is a list of your ...read more

Tags: Easter Good Friday

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Battle Is Not To The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

THE BATTLE IS NOT TO THE STRONG A few centuries before Christ, Alexander the Great conquered almost all of the known world with his military strength, cleverness, and diplomacy. One day, Alexander and a small company of soldiers approached a strongly defended, walled city. Alexander, standing ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:31

Tags: Power

When I Get Straightened Out

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on May 4, 2009

WHEN I GET STRAIGHTENED OUT When a new family moved into the community, the pastor went to invite them to his church. The husband said, "We are just getting moved in, Parson, but I will come when I get straightened out." After a few weeks, the Rev. went again with the same invitation. The ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Pentecostal

Strangers Have Devoured His Strength - From Hosea ...

Contributed by Dwight L. Moody on Jun 11, 2009

Strangers have devoured his strength - from Hosea 7:9 What gives spiritual weakness like allowed sin? It was so with Israel, it will ever be so with us. Yielding to unhallowed association (with) strangers devour our strength. If you ever saw a cake not turned, baked only on one side, ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 7:9

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: *other

Ignoring The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

IGNORING THE WARNINGS On Sep. 28, 1986 heavy rains flooded many low-lying areas of the Midwest. Two years before, there was a flood that many remember as the "Memorial Day Massacre" that claimed the lives of twenty people in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as small creeks and drainage ditches became killer ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 18:30-32

Tags: Evangelism, Evangelism Urgency

Silence: Taking Your Soul With You  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

SILENCE: TAKING YOUR SOUL WITH YOU Author Kathleen Norris used to play a game with elementary-school children in which she would make a deal with them. "First you get to make noise," she would bargain, "and then you’ll make silence." The time of noise was always predictably chaotic -- shouting, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:10

Tags: Maturity, Disciplines Silence

The Rich Man Had No Excuse As Lazarus Sat Right ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 13, 2009

The rich man had no excuse as Lazarus sat right outside his gate. He can’t claim that he didn’t know or didn’t see the poor. Sound familiar? “I don’t know any poor.” We live in the suburbs so we don’t have to see the poor. We applaud laws that keep the homeless from sleeping where we can see them ...read more

Tags: Poverty

Denomination: Church Of God

Honesty (Or Not) In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

HONESTY (OR NOT) IN AMERICA In the book, The Day America Told the Truth, of the people surveyed, the authors found these results – 91 percent of American lie about trivial matters; 36 percent of Americans lie about important matters; 86 percent regularly lie to parents, 75 percent regularly lie ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:17-22

Tags: Lies

Spiritual Fruit: "This Has Been Plastered"  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

SPIRITUAL FRUIT: "THIS HAS BEEN PLASTERED" Benjamin Franklin learned that plaster sown in the fields would make things grow. He told his neighbors, but they did not believe him and they argued with him trying to prove that plaster could be of no use at all to grass or grain. After a little while, ...read more

Scripture: John 13:35, Mark 4:1-9

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Do You Remember The Story Of Beauty And The ...

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Aug 21, 2009

Do you remember the story of Beauty and the Beast? Of course, you do. There was a time when the Beast’s face was handsome and his palace pleasant. But that was before the curse—before the shadow fell across the castle of the prince. And when the darkness fell, he hid. Secluded in his castle, he was ...read more

Tags: Sin, Sin General

Denomination: Christian Church