In Sermon Illustrations: "Forsaken Things"

Just Listen Please!

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

Could You Just Listen? When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not done what I asked. When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn’t feel that way, you are trampling on my feelings. When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do ...read more

Scripture: Job 2:11-13, James 1:19

Tags: Quietness, Listening, Grieving

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Metamorphosis  PRO

Contributed by Paul Dietz on Aug 16, 2008

METAMORPHOSIS I can recall how taken back I was, in my fourth grade science class, when I first became aware of this almost magical phenomena of an ugly, old caterpillar becoming a beautiful butterfly. Of course at that age I had a very hard time understanding the whole biological time-clock thing ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: *other

Mastering Fatherhood

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Jun 12, 2017

In 2001, I was serving as the youth pastor of Destiny Church and sitting at my office desk when I received a phone call from my mother. She called with sad news! My grandmother’s health had declined significantly and she was near death. She’d been suffering with Alzheimer’s for over seven years up ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:2

Tags: Parenting, Legacy, Fatherhood

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Be The Judge?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2002

YOU BE THE JUDGE? "A money belt is one thing you just can’t do without," my friend told me. ’Make sure you take travelers’ checks with you and maybe a few twenties, and tuck them in your money belt before you leave. And don’t ... DON’T go pawing through your money when you’re out on ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:1-4

Tags: Character, Disease, Compassion, Leprosy, Faith, Obedience  (view more)  (view less)

Let Me Close With This Story, At First You May ...  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 31, 2002

Let me close with this story, at first you may not catch my point, but hang in there, when I land you will see a wonderful point. I had been teaching in Virginia, and I resigned my position and accepted a pastorate of a mission work in eastern Kentucky. The area was very poor, and the little church ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

Tags: Funerals Christian, Death

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Red Neck Wedding

Contributed by Shawn Drake on Feb 22, 2003

The Red Neck Wedding In the Summer of 2000 a couple came to me and explained that they wanted me to perform their Wedding ceremony. The man was a farmer and the woman had grown up on a farm. They explained to me that this was both of their 2nd marriage and neither one of them had a Church ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 126:2

Tags: Wedding, Humorous Weddings

Denomination: Baptist

Your Bucket Is Filled!" Philippians 2: 1-11: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 21, 2004

“Your Bucket is Filled!” Philippians 2: 1-11: Key verse(s): 4 “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Consider Your Neighbor!) On a recent Saturday, awakening to a beautifully sunrise and cool breezes, I lazed in bed putting tasks upon the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Lutheran

The Discipline Of Delay!" 1 John 5:13-14 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 13, 2005

“The Discipline of Delay!” 1 John 5:13-14 Key verse(s): 14:“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will he hear us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.” I don’t have time for this now! There is not a day in my life when ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:13-14, Job 15:1-5

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Lutheran

I Love My Dentist?" Luke 1:26-37 Key Verse(S): ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 7, 2005

“I Love My Dentist?” Luke 1:26-37 Key verse(s): 31:“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” I love my dentist? Do you love yours? Unfortunately dentists have really gotten a bad rap over time. Many see them as the evil pain-giver, the one who ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:26-37

Tags: Peace, Joy

Denomination: Lutheran

Aunt Bessie's Pickled Beets!" 2 Corinthians ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 19, 2005

“Aunt Bessie’s Pickled Beets!” 2 Corinthians 7:2-13 Key verse(s): 10:“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” The worst part of doing wrong is being found out. We’ve all been caught doing wrong in life; especially when we ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:2-13, Luke 17:5-10

Tags: Crucifixion

Denomination: Lutheran

Hurricane Victims' Suffering Lead Them To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

Hurricane Victims’ Suffering Lead Them to Christ 38-year-old Carlotta Bennett was riding out Hurricane Katrina in her attic with her family. The winds had blown her house way off its foundation, and the rising water was threatening to flood the house to the roof and drown the five people in the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Suffering Joy In

The Manor - A Story About The Master Coming Back

Contributed by John Gullick on Jul 31, 2017

Here is a story- Driving up to the mansion seemed quite grand. The turrets bathed in the bright sunlight - windows glistened sending wild cascades of light over the pastures. The driveway was, well, elegent to say the least. But immediately Bernard sensed something was wrong. The hedges and shrubs ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-43

Tags: Obedience, Disciple Of Jesus

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Christmas Giving To Others

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Ann Voskamp writes, “It’s almost a dozen years now, nothing under the Christmas tree here. Strange, the way children teach adults. It started at bedtime one year, I do remember that. Smoothing back hair, kissing foreheads, pulling up the blankets over my kids. Tucking them in. Prayers said all in a ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:4

Tags: Christmas, Gift Giving

Denomination: Methodist

Unsung Heroes: The Four Great Men Of Samaria

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 11, 2022

Introduction: There was war between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, where Israelites on each side fought, died, were captured and who knows what else. In this battle, the northern kingdom of Israel had won a great victory and were headed back home, loaded with the spoils of war. But that joy ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 28:12-15

Tags: Ahaz, Pekah, Unsung Heroes, Oded, Captives  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Difference Christmas Makes

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 24, 2023

At Christmastime, we set up our Christmas trees and toy trains. We may even walk along singing carols, or we may preach a sermon, but these bits and pieces are barren if we are thinking only of them or even thinking only of being in heaven, and are not stopping to ask ourselves, “What difference ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Tags: Shepherds, Christmas, Glory, God's Glory, Ordinary People, Making A Difference  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[048]. A Message From A Poem – Christmas Travesty – Pseudo Christmas

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 6, 2025

[048]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTMAS TRAVESTY – PSEUDO CHRISTMAS Walking through a shopping centre at Christmas time was a depressing trip. All around were merchants parading their wares with full commercialisation; fake Santa Claus(es) everywhere and the occasional songs being played – ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:6-7, Luke 2:8-14

Tags: Travesty, Infant Jesus, Pseudo Christmas, False Christmas, Christmas, False, Poetry, Poem, Santa Claus, Commercialism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[088]. A Poem Message – Specific – For Young Christians - The Three Ls

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 25, 2025

[088]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – SPECIFIC – FOR YOUNG CHRISTIANS - THE THREE Ls There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the first one in ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:14, 1 John 4:19, 1 John 5:2, Matthew 11:28-29, Proverbs 1:33  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Listen, Learn

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dr. William Sloan Coffin Of New York’s ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Dec 11, 2000

Dr. William Sloan Coffin of New York’s Riverside Church said this in the April 20,1984 Lutheran Standard after the death of his son, Alex."The night after Alex died, I was sitting in the living room of my sister’s house outside of Boston, when a middle-aged lady came in, shook her head when she saw ...read more

Tags: Faith, God The Father

Denomination: Lutheran

Hell Freezes Over  PRO

Contributed by Robert Rust on Mar 2, 2001

HELL FREEZES OVER A rough and gruff man from Massachusetts who didn’t live a very good life died and went to hell. The devil really wanted to punish him, so he put him to work breaking up rocks with a sledgehammer. To make it worse he cranked up the temperature and the humidity. After a couple ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:25-26

Tags: Hell, Lively, Sports, Second Coming

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Recently Read A Moving Story That David ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2001

"I recently read a moving story that David Jeremiah wrote about the founder of World Vision, the international Christian relief agency. Bob Pierce had advanced leukemia, but he went to visit a colleague in Indonesia before he died. As they were walking through a small village, they came upon a ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9, Isaiah 40:29-31, Jeremiah 40:1-16

Tags: Servanthood, Sing, Talent, Satisfaction, Reception, Wedding, Lee Strobel  (view more)  (view less)