In Sermon Illustrations: "Gift"

Some Time Ago I Was Reading About The 18th ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Gibson on Nov 23, 2000

Some time ago I was reading about the 18th century German sculptor Johann Heinrich von Dannecker. His skills were impressive. He could bring stone to life with his tools. At the height of his powers, he wanted to do something special with his gifts -- he wanted to shape a statue of Christ that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-8

Tags: Divinity Of Christ, Workplace Integrity

Denomination: *other

God Continues To Show Up In Our Day, Though ...

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 23, 2006

God continues to show up in our day, though largely unnoticed by an unbelieving world. When he comes again it will be impossible to ignore him, for “every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7). But until then, we need to have eyes that see and ears that hear. There are many examples that I could ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

26 Year Old Kyle Macdonald Had A Red Paper Clip ...  PRO

Contributed by W F on Nov 25, 2007

26 year old Kyle MacDonald had a red paper clip and a dream: Could he use the community power of the Internet to barter that paper clip for something better, and trade that thing for something else — and so on and so on until he had a house? He advertised the paperclip on craigslist.com and two ...read more

Denomination: *other

Complaining Is Remedied By Thankfulness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 3, 2008

COMPLAINING IS REMEDIED BY THANKFULNESS Turn back again to the book of Exodus—Exodus chapter 34. The cure for complaining is not found in changing our circumstances, but rather gaining a proper view of God. · Do you really believe that God has your best interests at heart? · Do you really ...read more

Cinderella Grace

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 2, 2010

CINDERELLA GRACE Cinderella’s castle at Disneyland was packed with kids and parents. Suddenly - all the children rushed to one side. It’s a good thing it was a castle and not a boat, or it would have tipped over. The pristine princess had entered the room. Cinderella. A gorgeous young girl with ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Baptist

Do I Need A New Mask For Halloween?

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 28, 2023

The older I get, the less patience I have for holidays. I certainly am not a holiday guru in any sense of the word. When I was younger, my favorite holiday was Christmas because of all the presents I got. I could never get enough gifts for Christmas. When I got older, got married and had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 95:2

Tags: Halloween, Masks

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Recently I Received An E-Mail Which Dealt ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Tkachuk on Dec 23, 2004

Recently I received an e-mail which dealt beautifully with the true meaning of Christmas. The theme of the message focused on children and was entitled, “Teach the Children.” Let me share it with you this morning. This is what it said: “I just finished the household chores for the night and was ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Catholic

Several Years Ago A Preacher Moved To Houston, ...

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jan 27, 2003

Several years ago a preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Pentecostal

H. The Day The Church Treasurer Resigned The ...

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Nov 1, 2004

h. The day the church treasurer resigned the church asked the local grain elevator manager to take the position. He agreed under two conditions. That no treasurer’s report would be given for the first year. That no questions be asked about finances during that year. The people were surprised but ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Years Ago There Was A Gentleman Whose Hobby Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Atwood on Nov 24, 2004

Years ago there was a gentleman whose hobby was collecting old books. He was a guest in a friend’s home one evening, and while waiting was invited to browse around his host’s library. In doing so, he came upon a rare book. On mentioning it to the friend, he was told to take the book as a gift ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:5

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Commitment

Denomination: Baptist

You See, The Witch Knew Of The Deep Magic From ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Sep 27, 2005

You see, the Witch knew of the Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time. But she was not aware of the Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time, as Aslan explained it to Susan and Lucy. He said that according to a decree from before the Witch’s time, “when a willing victim who had committed no treachery ...read more

Denomination: Orthodox

Antonio Was An Italian Boy Who Loved Music, But ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2005

Antonio was an Italian boy who loved music, but whenever he tried to sing the music that was in his heart, it came out so badly that all his friends laughed at him. Next to singing, the boy loved to hear the violin. He had a pocketknife he always carried with him and he would whittle all sorts of ...read more

Tags: Endurance

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

Antonio Was An Italian Boy Who Loved Music, But ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

Antonio was an Italian boy who loved music, but whenever he tried to sing the music that was in his heart, it came out so badly that all his friends laughed at him. Next to singing, the boy loved to hear the violin. He had a pocketknife he always carried with him and he would whittle all sorts of ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Imagine You Are At A Dinner Party; Elegant ...

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Oct 20, 2006

Imagine you are at a dinner party; elegant silverware, warm company, great food. At the end the hostess brings out a plate of dessert and stumbles dropping the dessert on the floor. Here’s how each person might respond according to their giftedness: Mercy: "Don’t feel bad, I should of offered to ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

I Read About An Instant Cake Mix That Was A Big ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 21, 2001

"I read about an instant cake mix that was a big flop. The instructions said all you had to do was add water and bake. The company couldn’t understand why it didn’t sell-until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water. Apparently people ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-15

What Happened On Easter?  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Apr 9, 2002

WHAT HAPPENED ON EASTER? A Sunday School teacher asked her class on the Sunday before Easter if they knew what happened on Easter and why it was so important. One little girl spoke up saying: "Easter is when the whole family gets together, and you eat turkey and sing about the pilgrims and all ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-53

Tags: Resurrection, Easter Resurrection, Easter

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Faith Honors God And God Honors Faith! A Story ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Mar 12, 2002

Faith honors God and God honors faith! A story from the life of missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat illustrates this truth. For 10 years this couple labored faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way. They could not report a single ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith, Faith General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Kids Need  PRO

Contributed by Lyn King on Jun 15, 2002

WHAT KIDS NEED Today’s kids desperately need Dads who: . . . play catch, enjoy tea parties or wrestle because the heart of a child is there and they set out to capture it. . . . laugh till their belly hurts and tears fall from their eyes while secretly creating deep friendships and memories that ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Baptist

Tater People  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

TATER PEOPLE (author unknown) Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don’t want to soil their own hands. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians They are called "Dick Taters" . Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to watch while others do ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ