In Sermon Illustrations: "Found Wanting"

My Daughter Brought A Caterpillar From School One ...  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Aug 8, 2001

My daughter brought a caterpillar from school one day. We promptly found a shoe box and put some leaves and grass into the box. My daughter gently placed the little insect into its new home. We punched holes in clear wrap and placed it over the top of the box, so that we could watch our little ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships, Knowing God's Will, God's Omniscience

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Power In The Cross-Communion Meditation  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 7, 2002

POWER IN THE CROSS-COMMUNION MEDITATION There is power in the cross. It's undeniable. Even unbelievers seem to squirm when considering its potential. David Brooks, of the Weekly Standard, reports "of the conniption being thrown by the American Atheist, the group founded by the late ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18

Tags: Cross Agony, Crucifixion, Lord's Supper

Praying In The Hay

Contributed by Guy Caley on May 5, 2003

PRAYING IN THE HAY Armin Gesswein learned about praying God’s promises in a hayloft. Armin was a longtime Pastor, interdenominational prayer organizer and founder of the "Revival Prayer fellowship." When he began as a young Lutheran pastor trying to establish a church on Long Island and having ...read more

Tags: Prayer General, Prayer How To

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Sleeping In The Cemetery  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2005

SLEEPING IN THE CEMETERY According to a March, 2005 news report, a tramp in Holland has been found using the cemetery as his sleeping quarters. The man was charged by police after they caught him a second time sleeping in the graveyard at Nijmegen. The 43-year old had dug out the earth from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-15

Tags: Easter Resurrection

They Remind Me Of A Story Told By Lee Strobel. ...

Contributed by J.d. Tutell on Mar 31, 2005

They remind me of a story told by Lee Strobel. When he was still a writer for the Chicago Tribune he received a phone call from a father desperate to find his missing 19 year old daughter. She was a good girl, never in any trouble, not much more than an innocent child-and now she was gone. The ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Baptist

Do Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2005

When we experience unconditional love…we live in the light of God’s love we will have hope. Life is about learning how to love. His love for you is unconditional. James Van Tholen in his book “Where All Hope Lies” Writes: From the human perspective, when you compare (God ) to the other gods ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Acceptance, Love

Mega Church Growth Slows: A New Study By Scott ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

Mega Church Growth Slows: A new study by Scott Thumma, Hartford Seminary, indicates that after 20 years of rapid growth, churches of more than 2000 members, growth has markedly slowed. There are approximately 500 such mega churches in the U.S. and nearly all have a conservative theological ...read more

Tags: Church General

Prayer Is The Strongest Form Of Abiding That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 1, 2008

Prayer is the strongest form of abiding that there is. A retired teacher was giving her little nephew some help with his schoolwork. He was normally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, "Aunt Sally, may I kneel down and ask God to ...read more

Tags: Faith

Something Goes Wrong In Just About Every Wedding. ...  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Apr 9, 2008

Something goes wrong in just about every wedding. Most of the time it seems funny (…at least later on.) I’ve officiated at a lot of weddings, but there’s one I’ll never forget. It was not anyone associated with our church, but this couple wanted to use our old sanctuary, and I agreed to marry ...read more

Tags: Free

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

An Altitude ...

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Jun 10, 2008

An Altitude Problem A few years ago, a couple of adventurers tried to become the first to circle the globe in a hot air balloon. They took off from St. Louis, Missouri, rose to 24,000 feet, and started eastward across the Atlantic Ocean toward Africa. The prevailing winds carried the balloonists ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

One Time Many Years Ago, The King Of Hungary ...

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Sep 11, 2008

One time many years ago, the king of Hungary found himself depressed and unhappy. He sent for his brother, a good-natured but rather indifferent prince. The king said to him, "I am a great sinner; I fear to meet God." But the prince only laughed at him. This didn’t help the king’s disposition any. ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Payer Is The Strongest Form Of Abiding That There ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

Payer is the strongest form of abiding that there is. -- A retired teacher was giving her little nephew some help with his schools work. He was normally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, "Aunt Sally, may I kneel down and ask God ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Prayer Is The Strongest Form Of Abiding That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 27, 2008

Prayer is the strongest form of abiding that there is. -- A retired teacher was giving her little nephew some help with his schools work. He was normally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, "Aunt Sally, may I kneel down and ask God ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Earl Palmer, In A Fine Little Book Entitled The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Earl Palmer, in a fine little book entitled The Enormous Exception, tells the story of a pre-med student at the University of California, Berkeley "who became a Christian after a long journey through doubts and questions." When Palmer asked the young man why he had chosen Jesus Christ, he answered ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

On Facebook I Have Noticed That You Have The ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Apr 10, 2010

On facebook I have noticed that you have the opportunity of reading your HOROSCOPE for some kind of guidance each day. Apparently it was Empedocles, a fifth century BCE Greek philosopher, who started it all off when he originated the terms FIRE, EARTH, AIR, AND WATER associating them with a persons ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Love Me Not

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2011

THE LOVE ME NOT Dostoevsky tells the story of a woman who found herself in hell and felt she did not belong there. She could not bear the suffering and cried out in agony for the mercy of God. God listened and was moved with pity and so He said to her: "If you can remember one good deed that you ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Tags: Mercy

What The Cross Displayed  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

WHAT THE CROSS DISPLAYED Author Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family he knew in Paraguay. The father, a doctor, spoke out against the military regime there and its human rights abuses. Local police took their revenge on him by arresting his teenage son and torturing him to death. Enraged ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 52:13-15

Tags: Cross

Eating The Wrong Cookies - Assumptions

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Sep 30, 2019

A traveller, between flights at an airport, went to a lounge and bought a small package of cookies. Then she sat down and began reading a newspaper. Gradually, she became aware of a rustling noise. From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed man helping himself to her ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 9:1-14

Tags: Deception, Assumptions, Satan's Craftiness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

How Wide And Long And High And Deep Is The Love Of Christ?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Sep 14, 2024

In the last century, Napoleon's armies opened a prison that the Spanish Inquisition had used. They found the remains of a prisoner who had been incarcerated for his faith. The dungeon was underground. The body had long since decayed. Only a chain fastened around an ankle bone cried out his ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19, Romans 8:38-39

Tags: Hope, Suffering, Unconditional Love, Christ's Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Know Men And I Tell You That Jesus Christ Is ...

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Aug 18, 2005

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ ...read more

Tags: Jesus Life, Jesus' Ministry

Denomination: Congregational