In Sermon Illustrations: "Good Gifts"

Famous Businessman Practices ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

Famous Businessman Practices Tithing One Famous Business man: About a 100 plus years ago a young man had to leave home because his family could not afford to feed and house him. On his way to his future he met an old friend who was captain of a canal boat. The Captain asked where he was off to. He ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:6-18

Tags: Tithes

Miss Bettye And Her All-Night Prayer Kitchen  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 1, 2010

MISS BETTYE AND HER ALL-NIGHT PRAYER KITCHEN Just this last September (2009), the Chicago Tribune ran a story about Bettye Tucker, a Christian cook who works the night shift at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She has been doing her job for 43 years -- 28 of them on the night shift. On ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Does God Have The Say?

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 13, 2010

DOES GOD HAVE THE SAY? WE HAVE JUST MOVED TO SYDNEY NSW from the Whitsundays in Queensland, Australia. I didn't come seeking a better position, certainly not better scenery or more money. We don't even have our own house to live in at present. When we moved, we moved because we knew that God was ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Antivirus: Holy Spirit  PRO

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Mar 18, 2010

ANTIVIRUS: HOLY SPIRIT Jesus said in verse 7 of John 16, "For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." Jesus was God in the flesh, of course. He could have spoken this world out of existence at any given time, but, I would like to use an ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-20

Tags: Holy Spirit, Salvation, Indwelling, Saved, Holy Spirit Attributes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Black Market Sacrifices (Plagiarism)

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Jul 19, 2010

After choosing the title of this sermon I began looking for an illustration that captured the sense of what I meant by a “black market sacrifice.” And to my great distress I found one – kind of. The search for an illustration became the illustration. Confused? Let me explain. When I prepare ...read more

Tags: Preaching, Workplace Integrity

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Big Ed

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Jul 19, 2010

BIG ED When I was in high school, there was this girl -- let's call her "Edith". Everyone called her Big "Ed" because she was on the heavy side. She was the youngest of four sisters, the three older ones being very attractive. Edith accepted the nickname, showed no real signs of being injured ...read more

Tags: Friendship General, Misfit

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

You Will Meet An Old Lady

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2010

YOU WILL MEET AN OLD LADY You are going to meet an old lady someday. Down the road ahead, 10, 20, 30 years; she’s waiting for you. You will be catching up with her. What kind of old lady are you going to meet? That is a rather significant question. She may be a seasoned, soft, and gracious lady. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:43-45

Tags: Character

When I Was In High School, My Thoughts Were; To ...

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Aug 30, 2010

When I was in high school, my thoughts were; to graduate, get a really good job and make lots of money and then live happily ever after. So, you can imagine what ran through my mind when I saw my ideal job being advertised in the paper. The ad read something like this: I need one young man who is ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Zeal

Denomination: *other

How Much Land?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2011

HOW MUCH LAND? In his 1886 short story "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" Leo Tolstoy shows how a continual desire for more can ultimately cause us to lose everything. The main character of the story is a peasant named Pahóm, who at the beginning can be heard complaining that he does not own ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Greed

Broken Vessels Wanted  PRO

Contributed by David Robb on Jun 1, 2011

Broken Vessels Wanted (David Robb) My tears of weeping are pleasing to the Lord. My cries of emptiness are a song to His heart. He is pleased with me when I am broken, because, what He desires most of me is a broken spirit and a humble heart. He desires that of me because, with a broken ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:47

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Pentecostal

Never Go Hungry Again

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 14, 2011

NEVER GO HUNGRY AGAIN Fred and Cheryl went to Haiti in 1985 to bring a child home that they had adopted. Addie was five years old. Her parents had been killed in a traffic accident that left her without a family, but as she walked across the tarmac to board the plane, the tiny orphan reached up ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

Tags: God's Provision

The Ant, The Prayer, And The Contact Lens  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

THE ANT, THE PRAYER, AND THE CONTACT LENS A true story: Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 7:7, Revelation 2:8

Tags: Prayer Answered

9/11: The Last One Rescued

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 19, 2011

9/11: THE LAST ONE RESCUED Genelle Guzman McMillan wanted a change from her home in Trinidad, so she moved to New York in 1998. In order to stay in New York, McMillan knew she needed to get a good, steady job. She couldn't believe it when she was hired at one of the World Trade Towers and was ...read more

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Simple Solutions

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 1, 2011

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10

Tags: Ambition

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Brother's Song

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Apr 13, 2012

THE BROTHER'S SONG Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for his sister. Day after day and night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Christian Church

Who Saved Me?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

WHO SAVED ME? During a terrible storm at sea that threatened every moment to carry the ship to the bottom, one of the ship’s crew was doing something on the deck when a great sea struck the ship and went fairly over the deck, striking this man with great force, disabling him and carrying him into ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:10-14, John 10:10, John 10:11, Luke 7:38

Tags: Father, Salvation

I Worry Too Much

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 31, 2012

"I WORRY TOO MUCH" I was perusing the Internet this week and found ExperienceProject.com that has an entire section of the website called "I worry too much." Worry must be one of those universal emotions and conditions that all of us deal with. These are some of the comments left by ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:22-34, Philippians 4:6-8

Tags: Worry, Ready

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

THE CONSCIENCE A. Quotes on the Conscience J. I. Packer—There are two sorts of sick consciences, those that are not aware enough of sin and those that are not aware enough of pardon. Anonymous—‘Let your conscience be your guide’ is only valid if God’s Word is guiding your conscience. Elton ...read more

Scripture: Acts 24:14-16

Tags: Conscience

End Of The World Predictions

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2012

END OF THE WORLD PREDICTIONS It's hard to believe it was just a year ago that the head of The Family Radio Broadcasting Network--Harold Camping--predicted, through 2,000 billboards worldwide, that on May 21, 2011 the righteous, which totaled 3 percent of humanity, was to be whisked away to heaven, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:6-8

Tags: Prophecy

Encouragement From A Friend

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2012

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM A FRIEND There are times when you will be pushed out or pushed aside. You can be on the right road and still find yourself in a situation that is so severe that you cannot survive it on your own. Mark it down: You are not exempt from times of suffering, rejection, or ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Tags: Friendship General