In Sermon Illustrations: "Going To Church"

Demolition Derby And The Surrender Stick

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2011

DEMOLITION DERBY AND THE SURRENDER STICK Lydia and I went to the Demolition Derby at the 4-H Fair this past week and had a blast. I loved watching drivers take aim at each other with the attempt to demolish or disable one another. We saw some great smash ups and did a lot of laughing. I don't know ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

What Really Matters  PRO

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Jul 28, 2011

What Really Matters It was two weeks before Christmas and it began to start. Everyone was scrambling and rushing to get to Wal-Mart. Their credit cards were in the orange and checking account in the red in hopes that their rich uncle would soon be dead. Old Saint Nick sitting high on a mountain ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-40

Tags: Christmas, Tree, Poem, Santa Claus

Denomination: Baptist

There Is Good In All

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

THERE IS GOOD IN ALL Norman Vincent Peale tells the story of one Christmas when he was 15 and his father, a physician turned minister, received a call from a brothel in the red light district. The madam had a girl who was dying and was calling for a minister. Quietly, his father explained to his ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

At Christmas All Roads Lead Home

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

AT CHRISTMAS ALL ROADS LEAD HOME Marjorie Holmes writes, "At Christmas, all roads lead home. The filled planes, the packed trains and overflowing buses all speak eloquently of a single destination: home. Despite the crowding and the crushing, the delays, the confusion, we clutch our bright ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

Inescapable Judgment

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 28, 2012

INESCAPABLE JUDGMENT During the winter of 1951, a Montana café owner named Clarence Pellett pulled over to pick up a hitchhiker who appeared cold and frozen while walking during a snowstorm. Once in the car, the hitchhiker Frank Dryman pulled out a gun and ordered Pellett to get out of his ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 16:4-7

Tags: Judgment

Golfers Have A Change Of Heart

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 21, 2013

GOLFERS HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART When you willingly give Jesus all that you are and all that you have, you receive so much more in return. I heard a story once about a group of guys who were returning from playing golf in rural Georgia. As they drove down a two-lane road they came up on a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:16-20, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Tags: Compassion

Gossip: Opie's Newspaper

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 7, 2014

"Opie's Newspaper" is an episode on the Andy Griffith Show. Opie's friend, Howie, received a small printing press as a gift, and the boys decide to go into the newspaper business. They work hard and produce an initial issue of what they call the Mayberry Sun. The boys soon find that business is ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:31-32

Tags: Gossip, Slander, Sins Of Tongue, Control Tongue

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

From Refuge To Valedictorian

Contributed by Matt Neace on Jun 19, 2018

2 Chronicles 15:7 God tells King Asa, "But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded." It is like the following story from the Dallas Morning News: When Albana Gllareva met her high school counselor, the Dallas freshman said bluntly, “I want to be ...read more

Tags: Goals, Focus, Ambition, Determination, Tenacity, Overcoming, Perseverance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Good Pilots Do What It Takes To Get Their Passengers Home.

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 9, 2018

A good pilot does what it takes to get his passengers home. A good example of this, is the story of a flight when the attendant told everyone to take their seats because of impending turbulence. It was a rowdy flight; the folks weren’t quick to respond; so she warned them again. “The flight is ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:3-11

Tags: Listening To God, Hearing From God, Gods Voice

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Tribes And Nations

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Nov 29, 2022

Genesis 11:10 – Gen. 12:5 Shem (oldest son of Noah, in the lineage of David, Joseph, and Jesus Christ) We note Shem’s genealogy both in Genesis 10 and here in Genesis 11; why? – Abraham and eventually Israel came from the lineage of Shem; Genesis 11 gives details and sets up Abraham Shem ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 11:10-32

Tags: Faith, God, Israel, Population

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Sowing And Reaping

Contributed by Paul Robinson on Mar 20, 2023

It was my Senior year of high school, and I wanted to have a good date for the upcoming Junior Senior Banquet (a Christian version of the prom). Her name was Jenny. She was the pastor's daughter, and she was cute. When I finally got up the nerve to ask her, she readily said Yes! I was so ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8

Tags: Humor, Sowing, Reaping, Personal Story

Denomination: Baptist

Epiphany

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Jan 11, 2025

When I was in High School, I had a teacher named Miss Mary Bartram. She taught English and Literature. One day she read a poem to us by Robert Frost, entitled “The Road Not Taken”. She read it with such commitment and passion that I believe she changed a lot of lives that day, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Tags: Faith, Choice

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Making Up The Story

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

There's a famous photograph called "Grace." An old man at a simple table, head bowed, hands folded over a loaf of bread and an open book. Most people have seen it. Before I ever learned the actual story behind it, I made up my own. In my version, the man is newly retired. His kids ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-20

Tags: Communion, Missing The Point

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Building A Relationship With God (Running The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 19, 2009

Building a Relationship with God (Running the Race) It was the summer before my Senior year at Jamestown College. I had taken up riding my bike several times a week and had gotten up to riding 10-20 miles in a single go. Needless to say… I was feeling pretty good about myself. So when school ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Tags: Sports

Oh, Those Alluring Lizardly Eyes

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 4, 2020

After months of planning and rearranging our schedule, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage finally organized a little vacation time for Christmas. It takes an awful lot of work for her and, I let her work as hard as she wants to work. That’s the kinda husband I am. She scheduled us to stay for ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 27:3

Tags: Fear, Vacation

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[318]. A Message From A Poem - Truth Without Arrogance

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 20, 2026

[318]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - TRUTH WITHOUT ARROGANCE Pride is one of the greatest sins because it was Lucifer’s first sin, and pride is so insidious. It causes false delusion of a person’s importance, and promotes arrogance. Any Christian engaged in any sort of Christian ministry is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:6, Galatians 6:3, 2 Corinthians 13:5

Tags: Humility, Truth, Pride, Arrogance, Spiritual Pride, Shun, Criticize, Superior, Gifts, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Often Have We Prayed Something Like, 'o ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 22, 2001

"How often have we prayed something like, ’O Lord, be with cousin Billy now in a special way’? Have we stopped to consider what it is we’re requesting? Imagine that you are a parent who is preparing to leave your children with a babysitter. Would you dream of saying, ’O Betsy, I ask you now that ...read more

Bible, Effect Of Reading  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on Jul 15, 2001

Bible, Effect of Reading, autoillustrator.com Some seem to expect the Word of God to hit them like a jolt of adrenaline each time they read or study it. Although the "jolt" may hit us periodically, the benefits of the Word of God act more like vitamins. People who regularly take vitamins do so ...read more

Tags: Disciplines Scripture, Bible Study, Bible Influence, Strength

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

You May Have Heard About The Two Guys From Texas, ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 6, 2001

You may have heard about the two guys from Texas, from down around College Station, who went up north to do some ice fishing. They made the long trip but before they did their ice fishing they stopped by a store near the lake for some supplies. They asked the merchant if he had any ice picks and ...read more

Tags: Endurance, Miracles Of Jesus, Peace

The Descent Of Man  PRO

Contributed by Adlai Naidoo on Oct 10, 2001

Three monkeys sat on a coconut tree, Discussing things as they are said to be, Said one monkey to the other : "Now listen you two, there’s a certain rumor which can’t be true, that man has descended from our noble race; why, the very idea is an utter disgrace, No monkey has ever deserted his ...read more

Tags: Sin General, Sin Fall Of Man

Denomination: Pentecostal