In Sermon Illustrations: "Guarding Your Heart"

Is It Worth It?

Contributed by Michael Buckingham on Jul 1, 2011

IS IT WORTH IT? I see a young soldier, he looks barely 18 to me, he has got fear in his eyes, but he has one goal... to get glory and honour... I see him, going through his training, a hard routine, 20 press-ups followed by 30 crunches, then an hour jogging, and then more push-ups, by the end of ...read more

Tags: Glory

Denomination: Baptist

Statistics On Loneliness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2011

STATISTICS ON LONELINESS This week I read an article by Medical News Today about the health effects of loneliness. Quoting the article, it states that "there is evidence that the risk of developing and dying from heart disease can depend on the strength of one's social network of friends and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Junk-Food Addictions  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2011

JUNK-FOOD ADDICTIONS If we’re going to get our appetite back for the pure, spiritual milk of God’s Word, then we need to get rid of the junk food of broken relationships. We need to put away those wrong attitudes of the heart that keep us from loving each other. The five things listed here are ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-3

Tags: Growth In Christ

Holy Spirit: The Forgotten God

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 19, 2011

HOLY SPIRIT: THE FORGOTTEN GOD ALL the ruthless Ninevites from the commoner to the King of Assyria repented and God did not send destruction. But why did these ruthless people listen to Jonah who was just one man? I have been struggling with this very question and asked God to help me speak to you ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Coffee Doesn't Trust Me  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 25, 2014

My pet finch Coffee runs into a serious problem once in a while. Her claws grow so long she loses the ability to control them. They get stuck in the nest and she can’t get them out. Once we found her nearly dead, hanging for hours upside down with one claw ensnared in her wicker home. Carol rescued ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Surrender, Trust In God, Rest In God, Pruning, God's Care  (view more)  (view less)

Man Uses Gun For Backscratcher, Shoots Himself

Contributed by Matt Neace on Jun 19, 2018

Jorge Espinal was drinking beer and playing poker around 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning in his house, when he got up from the table and walked into another room. His poker buddies probably thought, "Oh, well. He has to go to the bathroom or to get something to drink." But while he as in the other ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 38:5-8

Tags: Temptation, Mistakes, Alcohol, Choices

Denomination: Baptist

Fountain Of Youth

Contributed by Rev. Duraimony Dickson on Nov 6, 2020

The fountain of youth has been told in stories since medieval times. The Fountain of Youth is a mythical spring that restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Many have gone on conquests to find this mythical spring of water, but all have failed. In 1565, a Spanish explorer ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:11, Ecclesiastes 3:1

Tags: Everlasting Fountain Of Youth, Everlasting Fountain

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Defaced From Family Will

Contributed by Ron Freeman, Evangelist on Mar 14, 2021

I was told by a wonderful woman who had married a negro man after falling in love with him during the 1940s. She met him in Pittsburg, PA, and later moved to Chicago, IL for the safety of their family. Her father was filled with bitterness and anger and defaced her from the will. He disowned her ...read more

Scripture: James 2:8-9, Matthew 22:37-40

Tags: Prince Harry, Racism, Transgression, Respect Of Persons, Royal Law Of Love, Family Will, Meghan Markle, Sin, Bigotry, Brotherly Love, Prejudice, Hatred  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Hears Our Singing With Ears Of Love

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Oct 16, 2022

Let me give you an illustration. It’s from the movie “The Music Man”. Have you seen that movie? “Ya got trouble, my friend, I say, trouble right here in River City.” In that movie, the con man Harold Hill has been selling band instruments, promising the townspeople that he will teach their children ...read more

Tags: Love, Singing

Denomination: Baptist

There's Something About That Name!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 7, 2022

Jesus, the mere mention of His name can calm the storm, heal the broken hearted, and raise the dead. At the name of Jesus, I've seen sin-hardened men melted, derelicts transformed, the lights of hope put back into the eyes of a hopeless child... At the name of Jesus, hatred and bitterness has ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Tags: Worship, Praise, Healing, Prayer, Name Of Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Who's In Charge?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 3, 2023

One of the most disturbing movies ever produced is Francis Ford Coppola’s classic reflection on the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now. The film tracks an American officer who is sent upriver into the heart of the war-torn countryside in order to find and eventually assassinate a renegade commander who ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 6:1-17

Tags: Wrath, Apocalypse, Four Horsemen, God's Sovereignty

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Trials Of Chippie The Parakeet

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 21, 2023

Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the ...read more

Scripture: John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 10:13

Tags: Tribulation, Difficulties, Challenges, Tests, Trials, Problems, Pain, Faith, Suffering  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Scarecrow?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 17, 2025

I had a dream. In the dream I saw some huge power lines. There were thousands of birds sitting on the power lines. Some of the birds were falling off the power lines. The birds were weak. Actually I could see some fell to their death due to starvation. The picture opened wider and I could ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7, Genesis 3:8

Tags: Fear, Worry

Denomination: Assembly Of God

You Be The Judge?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2002

YOU BE THE JUDGE? "A money belt is one thing you just can’t do without," my friend told me. ’Make sure you take travelers’ checks with you and maybe a few twenties, and tuck them in your money belt before you leave. And don’t ... DON’T go pawing through your money when you’re out on ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:1-4

Tags: Character, Disease, Compassion, Faith, Leprosy, Obedience  (view more)  (view less)

Awl For The Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 25, 2002

AWL FOR THE GOOD In 1809, Simon Renee Braille and his wife Monique welcomed their fourth child into the world-- a lively boy named Louis. They lived in a small stone house near Paris where Braille was the local harness maker. Leather working tools are dangerous, so the toddler had been ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-41

Tags: Grace, God's Omniscience, God In The Hardships

Isn't It Strange?, Unknown Author, Submitted By ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Mar 8, 2002

[Isn’t it Strange?, unknown author, submitted by Jerry Pearcy] Isn’t it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping? Isn’t it strange how endless an hour seems when we are serving God, but how short it is ...read more

Tags: Church Practices, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Too Big To Miss  PRO

Contributed by Billy Kryger on Aug 14, 2002

“Too Big To Miss” The story’s told in the Bible about a mighty king. And how when he was just a little boy he played around with a sling. Well he got up early one morning and before the sun had set that day, a nasty ol’ giant had lost his head and his body lay cold on the clay. When David went ...read more

Tags: David, Growth In Christ

Denomination: Baptist

I Am Among The Minority Who Had Little Interest ...  PRO

Contributed by Victor Yap on Aug 29, 2002

I am among the minority who had little interest in the original Star Wars movie but has a liking for the prequel story of Anakin Skywalker in Episode I and II. Anakin, who later evolved into the sinister Darth Vader, was a cute, helpful, and sacrificial 9-year-old boy in Episode I. In Episode II, ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Envy, Faith

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Crisis And Trauma Counseling

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 25, 2006

Dr. H Norman Wright tells this story: My wife and I had just arrived home from vacation, and the phone rang. It was our house painter. He said, “I remembered that your son died. My daughter just lost two of her little boys. Can you help her?” We agreed, so my wife and I made an appointment. This ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In A Book Entitled "Quiet Talks On Service", ...  PRO

Contributed by Warren Lamb on Jul 8, 2006

In a book entitled "Quiet Talks on Service", written by a man named Dr. S. D. Gordon, a fantasy is painted for is that is strikingly poignant and says much. Dr. Gordon shows Jesus walking down the golden streets of heaven. He has just returned from earth in His ascension. All heaven is eager to ...read more

Tags: Disciples

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational