In Sermon Illustrations: "Gift Of Time"

Victor, Not The Victim

Contributed by Bruce Ball on May 24, 2011

VICTOR, NOT THE VICTIM I used to work for the Post Office and when I became serious about the Lord, it must have really shown in my actions and words, because people all of a sudden began making fun of me and giving me snide comments. At times it was difficult, but I remained steadfast in my ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: *other

Famous People

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Jun 8, 2011

FAMOUS PEOPLE Do you know anyone famous? Maybe relatives or ancestors who did something incredible? Once I worked part time at a luxury condo in Minneapolis as a security guard letting residents in and out of the complex. One late night a man entered whom I didn't recognize. As he began walking ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Lutheran

Gold In Heaven

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Jun 16, 2011

GOLD IN HEAVEN There was a rich man who was distressed on hearing he could take none of his riches to heaven. He pleaded with God to make an exception. Finally, God said, "Okay, whatever you can fit into a garbage bag can be brought in." The man immediately thought of gold. He joyfully went and ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

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

Despair Default

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Nov 18, 2011

DESPAIR DEFAULT I remember a woman years back who used to come to me about once a month ... to rehearse her troubles. And I use the word "rehearse" on purpose, because that's exactly what she did. Every time, she'd tell me the same set of complaints over and over and over again. She had her ...read more

Tags: Mercy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Loss Of Joy = Incomplete Obedience

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2012

LOSS OF JOY = INCOMPLETE OBEDIENCE F. B. Meyer: Sometimes a soul comes to its spiritual adviser, speaking thus: "I have no conscious joy, and have had but little for years." "Did you once have it?" "Yes, for some time after my conversion to God." "Are you conscious of having refused obedience to ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15

Tags: Obedience

When Prayer Isn't All You Need

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2012

WHEN PRAYER ISN’T ALL YOU NEED Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat, 1987, Word Books Publisher, p. 63. In my late twenties, a bunch of my friends and I decided to sail around the world. I have to admit, though, at the time I was a bit worried. I hadn’t even sailed before. I was uneasy and anxious. So I spent a ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Peace

Your Sins Have Been Your Downfall, Is Where The ...

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Aug 18, 2012

"Your sins have been your downfall", is where the tar starts sticking to the tyres. Most people generally don’t like the whole “s” word thing. For some reason there is an issue with the human brain that tells us to kick up stink when we are having a good time, a pleasurable time and someone, some ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Repentance, Sin Bondage To, Sin And Grace

Denomination: Salvation Army

About Orion

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

ABOUT ORION It doesn't take much for me to believe in our great God. Just this past Friday morning...about 5:30am....I went outside to walk our dog and couldn't help but notice the stars in the sky. They were brilliant. I looked up at the constellation Orion and saw what is actually the 6th ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:19

Tags: Creator, Omnipotence, Gods Greatness

Denomination: Christian Church

Glutton-Free Communion

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 14, 2014

Our staff recently started a new ministry to our church family by offering "gluten-free" bread for the Lord's Supper. It has been very successful and our staff has received a lot of affirmation because of this ministry. However, we didn't start off very well.......thanks to the Senior Pastor! ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Tags: Communion, Preacher Bloopers

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christmas Present Unrealized

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 25, 2019

This is a true story. Freddie and John were fortunate enough to have a season ticket to watch Chelsea soccer in the UK. They could not help noticing that there was always a spare seat next (B14) to them and they had a friend who would love to buy a season ticket, especially if all three could have ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Present, Unattended Effect, Missed Opportunity

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Come In Or Stay ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

COME IN OR STAY OUT Little Billy was caught in the act of some mischief and his mother asked him, "How do you expect to get into heaven?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until they say, ’For heaven’s sake, either come in or stay ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:4-8

Tags: Sin Punishment Of

Linda Was On Vacation, Playing The Slot Machines. ...

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Feb 24, 2009

Linda was on vacation, playing the slot machines. It was her first time in a casino, and she wasn’t sure how the machines operated. "Excuse me," she said to a casino employee. "How does this work?" The worker showed her how to insert a bill, hit the spin button, and operate the release ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Fasting Is Getting More Attention These Days. In ...

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 5, 2009

Fasting is getting more attention these days. In a special issue of Time Magazine on "How Faith Can Heal" Jeffrey Kluger writes: "Faith and health overlap in other ways too. Take fasting. One of the staples of both traditional wellness protocols and traditional religious rituals is the cleansing ...read more

Tags: Fast

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ted Turner Turned Away From God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 20, 2022

Cable television mogul Ted Turner criticized conservative Christianity and said, "Jesus probably would be sick at his stomach" over the way his ideas have been "twisted" by today's preachers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Turner made his remarks at a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: False Professors, Deception, Bitterness, Last Days, Unbelief, Apostasy, Denying The Truth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Am More Alive Than Ever - D. James Kennedy

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Apr 3, 2023

D. James Kennedy wrote a book called "Skeptics Answered" and in this book, he made this observation that has always stuck with me. It reminds me of a quote from D.L. Moody many years before. Kennedy wrote, "There will, in fact, come a time when some of you will probably be standing ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25-26

Tags: Death, Easter, Resurrection, Life, Eternal Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Genesis In The New Testament

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 26, 2023

There are at least 165 passages in Genesis that are either directly quoted or clearly referred to in the New Testament. Many of these are alluded to more than once, so that there are at least two hundred quotations or allusions to Genesis in the New Testament There exist over one hundred ...read more

Tags: Abel, New Testament, Eve, Genesis, Moses, Adam, Cain, Old Testament  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Knowing God, Hearing God  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 29, 2002

KNOWING GOD, HEARING GOD God has not bowed to our nervous haste nor embraced the methods of our machine age. The man who would know God must give time to Him. SOURCE: A.W. Tozer as quoted ...read more

George Muller, Who Was Known For His Strong ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Higgins on Jan 1, 2003

George Muller, who was known for his strong faith, confided, "The first 3 years after conversion, I neglected the Word of God. Since I began to search it diligently, the blessing has been wonderful. I have read ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, Disciplines Scripture

Denomination: Baptist

Patience  PRO

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Jan 12, 2004

Patience: And, of course, my favorite given to me some time ago by my elder, married daughter, Jennifer: I pray for - Wisdom - to understand my man; Love - to forgive him; Patience - for his moods; ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22

Tags: Peace, Marriage General

Denomination: United Methodist