In Sermon Illustrations: "Helping Others"

What Is Your Purpose?

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Apr 13, 2011

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE? Many years before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, he was a store-keeper in Salem, Illinois. Abe had a rifle displayed in his store that was one of the most beautiful rifles ever made. The barrel was made from the finest steel, the stock from the best walnut wood; and a ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: *other

The Storms Of Matthew 8

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 15, 2011

THE STORMS OF MATTHEW 8 When I was a teen living in Okinawa, I remember some of my friends and I taking a boat from the main island of Okinawa to visit one of the smaller islands. It was during the typhoon season and though we were not in a typhoon, it was a really, really scary storm. We were in ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

A Liar Rips His Pants

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

A LIAR RIPS HIS PANTS Aaron Siebers. The 27-year-old Denver man, a Blockbuster employee, was skateboarding one afternoon when he fell and ripped his uniform pants. Due to work last night--and concerned about getting "written up" by Blockbuster superiors for not wearing his work-issued ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:22

Tags: Lies

Leadership And Prayer

Contributed by Tim White on May 8, 2011

LEADERSHIP AND PRAYER Henry and Richard Blackaby in Spiritual Leadership in chapter seven "The Leader's Influence" stress that leaders influence others through prayer. They give six reasons why leaders should pray. The fourth reason is "God is all-powerful. . . .God can do far more than even the ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

A Little Girl's Trust

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2011

A LITTLE GIRL'S TRUST It's a lesson we need to learn, as well. Our true security comes from God and God alone, so we must learn to trust Him. Don't trust in a lie. Don't trust in an idol. Trust in the Lord. Then and only then will you be truly secure. Five-year-old Jessica became a bit ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 30:1-24

Tags: Trust

Japan's Sea Wall

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on May 31, 2011

JAPAN'S SEA WALL New York Times, April 16, 2011: So unshakable was this town's faith in its sea wall and its ability to save residents from any tsunami that some rushed toward it after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeast Japan on the afternoon of March 11. After all, the ...read more

Tags: Security

Denomination: Lutheran

Sign Your Name Or Forget It

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2011

SIGN YOUR NAME OR FORGET IT J. Vernon McGee tells of an incident that happened in one of his pastorates. A man came to him and said, "I want to tell you about a certain situation." He told him about a certain man who was involved in a particular sin. The man wanted to do something about it. He ...read more

Scripture: James 3:1-12

Tags: Tongue

Trees Don't Struggle To Grow

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Jun 9, 2011

TREES DON'T STRUGGLE TO GROW Rich Ratts, former pastor of Grace Community Church here in Jackson and a now a church planter in Traverse City, once spoke at a pastor’s appreciation breakfast I attended. He began by talking about a cheery orchard outside his window. One night when he couldn’t go ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Spurgeon On Truth And The Spirit

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2011

SPURGEON ON TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT The great 19th century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, made a wonderful analogy about the Holy Spirit’s role in leading us into God’s truth: "Truth may be compared to a cave or grotto, with wondrous stalactites reaching from the roof, and others reaching from ...read more

Scripture: John 16:5-15

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Singing For The Girls

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jun 22, 2011

SINGING FOR THE GIRLS Last Sunday night I preached in a town called San Miguel. It was known for witch doctors and demonic things going on. We had a constant string of problems happening one after another. The church was crowded with every seat taken and faces looking through the back doors and ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Invalids' Prayers Bring Revival  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

INVALIDS' PRAYERS BRING REVIVAL Max Lucado told of a church in Scotland back in the 1940s that was struggling to keep the doors open. A couple of its members were two older ladies who were invalids and couldn’t get out for worship any longer. But these ladies refused to allow their infirmities to ...read more

Scripture: James 5:13-20

Tags: Prayer Persistence, Serving

Prayer For Thieves  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

PRAYER FOR THIEVES About 12 years ago, three men broke into our church building here. They didn't steal much, and they didn't really damage all that much (they broke a couple of doors, and stole a few small items) but we called the police and reported the incident. After the police left, our youth ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Tags: Prayer Answered

The Maker

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

THE MAKER An old Model T Ford was pulled off to the side of the road with its hood up, and a young man was trying desperately to get it running. He had been working at it for a long time without any success when a beautiful, chauffeur-driven limousine stopped behind him, and a well-dressed man got ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Knowing God's Will

Fear Of Witnessing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 31, 2011

FEAR OF WITNESSING Leighton Ford, Good News is for Sharing, 1977, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Page 15: In preparing for this book, I have talked to a lot of people, and the fear issue comes up front again and again. What makes people hesitate to share their faith? Here are some of the fears ...read more

Scripture: John 20:21-22

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

How Far Was Jonah Running Away?

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 14, 2011

HOW FAR WAS JONAH RUNNING AWAY? Let me give you a little perspective on how far Jonah was running away. Joppa was on the far eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Tarshish was on the western side of the coast of Spain bordering the Atlantic Ocean. That is approximately 2,200 miles away. That ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Inlets And Outlets

Contributed by Pat Cook on Dec 5, 2011

INLETS AND OUTLETS My favourite spot here on Cape Sable Island is the walk from Cat Rock to Clam Point. It’s a beautiful location, quiet and peaceful, and I love meeting God there. But along the way, you will walk by several ponds. Some of the ponds are quite nice. But some of them are not. ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Baptist

Twilight Zone: Satan's Release

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 7, 2011

TWILIGHT ZONE: SATAN'S RELEASE In a classic Twilight Zone episode from 1960, an American on a walking trip through central Europe gets caught in a raging storm. Staggering through the blinding rain, he chances upon an imposing medieval castle. It is a hermitage for a brotherhood of monks. The ...read more

Tags: Satan

Denomination: Baptist

The Lord's Game Plan

Contributed by Eugene Morell on Jan 7, 2012

THE LORD'S GAME PLAN After I had been a Christian for a while, I felt that I was being called ton the ministry. I figured that the Lord had made just about his biggest mistake by calling me. When I told Barbara about what I felt, I rejoiced when she told me that I couldn’t be a pastor because all ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Darkened Mind

Contributed by Andy Grossman on Feb 15, 2012

A DARKENED MIND The god of this age, Satan, wants people to be blinded to the Truth. He loves a darkened mind. Sean Sellers was a willing mind. His parents were long haul truckers from Colorado. Sean filled the empty hours with the occult. He began with Dungeons and Dragons. The he began ...read more

Tags: Cults

Denomination: Holiness

Shannon's Sacrifice

Contributed by Greg Nance on Feb 25, 2012

SHANNON'S SACRIFICE It was March 24, 1998 in Westside Middle School near Jonesboro, Arkansas. A total of five people, four female students and a teacher, were killed at a school shooting. Ten people, nine students and one teacher, were injured. The perpetrators of the shooting were two students, ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ