In Sermon Illustrations: "Found"

Created To Be Used  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Feb 23, 2010

CREATED TO BE USED In his book The Pursuit of Excellence, Ted Engstrom wrote these words: "I was cleaning out a desk drawer when I found a flashlight I hadn't used in over a year. I flipped the switch, but wasn't surprised when it gave no light. I unscrewed it and shoot it to get the batteries ...read more

Tags: Talent, Wise, Action

Denomination: Pentecostal

Nfl Players Are Some Of The Strongest Most ...

Contributed by Roger Miller on Apr 27, 2010

NFL Players are Some of the strongest most disciplined athletes in the world-and exactly who you would want to walk with you down a dark alley! But look at Michael Vick and Big Ben and you know for a fact they are weaklings against sin! They are a worthless savior! It is a reminder that all ...read more

Tags: Sports

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Looking Well Ahead

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jul 14, 2010

LOOKING WELL AHEAD I once did this driving course called an anti-skid driving course. One of the really valuable learnings that I got out of it was that when you drive, you should drive with your eyes looking well ahead maybe a couple of hundred metres ahead, not on the car just in front of you, ...read more

Tags: Future

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Bronze Serpent

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 2, 2010

THE BRONZE SERPENT This event, the healing effected by glancing at the Copper Serpent, was so spectacular that it was probably famed region wide. According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "With the decline of Egyptian control of the region in the middle of the 12th century BCE, the ...read more

Tags: Illustration, Sheet, Gifts Healing, Children's Ministry

Denomination: Independent/Bible

I'll Miss The Challenge

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2010

I'LL MISS THE CHALLENGE A certain rabbi was adored by his community; everyone was always delighted with what he had to say. All, that is, except for Isaac, who never missed an opportunity to contradict the rabbi's point of view and point out flaws in his teachings. The others were disgusted with ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 28:23

Tags: Character

Alex Haley, In His Book Roots, Shared The Story ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Sep 28, 2010

Alex Haley, in his book, Roots, shared the story of an old slave who one day drove his master to a great ball at an adjoining plantation. As the slave sat quietly in the buggy waiting for his master to return, he became aware not only of the sounds coming from the big house, but of strange music ...read more

Tags: Baptism

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Wag Your Tail!

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 30, 2010

WAG YOUR TAIL! When missionaries in the northern part of Alaska, where the Eskimos live, they were trying to get the Bible translated, and they had some difficulty. When you go to translate the Bible in any culture, there’s a difficulty in translating some words, because cultures and languages ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Brethren

Don't Find Us Lacking!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 24, 2011

DON'T FIND US LACKING! Mexican jails are not known for their tidiness or orderliness. Shortly after having taken office, the then President of Mexico, Luis Echeverria, decided to do something about this. Without giving any advance notice, he chose to visit the jails at midnight. He found guards ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Second Coming

If I'd Known You Had Him...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Apr 19, 2011

IF I'D KNOWN YOU HAD HIM... Madeline Rockwell wrote of her grandparents: "My Grandmother was a ball of fire, while Grandpa was slow and deliberate. One night they were awakened by a commotion in the chicken house. Grandma sprang out of bed, ran to the chicken house and found the cause of the ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God Can Shake Anyone

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 24, 2011

GOD CAN SHAKE ANYONE Yesterday around 2:00 pm I had to take some pain medicine for my shoulder. Being a hypochondriac is no fun!! About two minutes after I took the medicine my chair started to shake. I felt my pulse, thinking maybe the medicine was causing some weird reaction. I know I’m weird. ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Doing The Best You Can

Contributed by Scott Spencer on Sep 17, 2011

DOING THE BEST YOU CAN There is an old story from the Middle East about a little sparrow: "A man was traveling on his donkey when he came upon a small fuzzy object lying in the road. He dismounted to look more closely and found a sparrow lying on its back with its scrawny legs thrust upward. At ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Drop That Baby!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

"DROP THAT BABY!" A pastor called on a lady from his church and found her very despondent and feeling that God had forsaken her. Looking at the baby in the woman’s arms, the pastor said to her, "Drop that baby on the floor." Startled by the suggestion, she looked at him in disbelief. "Well," he ...read more

Scripture: John 10:22-30

Tags: God In The Hardships

A Personal Surgery

Contributed by Ken Henson on Aug 21, 2012

A PERSONAL SURGERY Dr. Evan Kane was the head of Summit hospital in New York, in the 1920s. At that time when they operated they used general anesthesia. Dr. Kane felt, local anesthesia would do and would help patient do better, and recovery would be quicker. His theory seemed true, but no one ...read more

Tags: Heart

Denomination: *other

Baptistry

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 13, 2014

Bob Russell wrote of a church who, years ago, bickered over the use of a piano. Some wanted to use a piano during Sunday worship, others did not. The disagreement grew sharp, and the church divided into two sides over the issue. One Sunday, when members arrived for church, they discovered a new ...read more

Scripture: John 17:20-23

Tags: Disagreeable, Church Unity, Church Conflict

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Meekness: Personal Restraint For The Sake Of Others

Contributed by Richard Tow on Mar 20, 2023

Years ago, a young man named George Atley was serving in the Central African Mission. He was attacked by a group of natives. He had with him a Winchester repeating rifle with ten loaded chambers. The group was completely at his mercy. He could have killed every one of them. But as he assessed the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:15, Psalm 37:11

Tags: Evangelism, Love, Missions, Meekness, Restraint  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

First-Time Fathers Are A Hoot!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 8, 2024

One day shortly after the birth of their new baby, the mother had to go out to do some errands. So, the proud new papa stayed home to watch his wonderful new son. Soon after the mother left, the baby started to cry. The father did everything he could think of to do but the baby wouldn’t stop ...read more

Tags: Dad, Children, Parents, Training, Fathers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It's Time To Change The Diaper!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

One day shortly after the birth of their new baby, the mother had to go out to do some errands. So, the proud papa stayed home to watch his wonderful new son. Soon after the mother left, the baby started to cry. The father did everything he could think of to do but the baby wouldn’t stop crying. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Salvation, Transformation, New Life, New Birth, New Creation, Changes, Trusting Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Full Armor Of God

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 3, 2025

Our defense is provided by the Full Armor of God found in Ephesians 6. I would recommend this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/full-armor-of-God.html (I also want to recommend the YouVersion Bible App for your smart phones or computers. Good studies there on the Full Armor of God) Here’s a ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Full Armor Of God

Denomination: Methodist

[180]. A Poem Message – Lost Three Things - One Son – The Prodigal Son

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 29, 2025

[180]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LOST ONE SON – THE PRODIGAL SON The third of the lost parables is the son. It is the best know. Gospel preaching has made use of this parable over and over and that is fair enough. However its greater meaning is a wayward son of the family, who entered into a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:18, Luke 15:11-12, Luke 15:11-32

Tags: Repentance, Lost, Love Of The Father, The Prodigal Son, Parable Of The Lost Son  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Hannah And Michael: Finding What Was Lost  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2011

HANNAH AND MICHAEL: FINDING WHAT WAS LOST Let me tell you what happened to Ted Forbes back in 1984. While walking down a street in Chicago...Ted found a wallet. Being an honest Christian man he wanted to return it to its owner. So he opened it to look for identification. The wallet contained just ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32, 1 Corinthians 13:8, John 17:1-26

Tags: Love, Parable Lost Coin