In Sermon Illustrations: "Holy Days"

Guiding Light

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 20, 2012

GUIDING LIGHT Do you remember this intro? “And now, The Guiding Light.” It is an old one. According to Guinness Book of World Records The Guiding Light was the longest running drama of all time. It came on the air in January 25, 1937 five days after President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12

Tags: Darkness, Change, Soap, Jesus Life, Guiding Light  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Timanthes And The Do-Over

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Jan 5, 2013

TIMANTHES AND THE DO-OVER Over 2,000 years ago a young Greek artist named Timanthes (Tim-an-thes) painted this picture - The Sacrifice of Iphigenia. Before he painted this masterpiece when the artist Timanthes (Tim-an-thes) was a young man, he studied under a well-known and highly respected tutor. ...read more

Tags: Learning

Denomination: Brethren

Light In The Darkness

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS Have you ever been in on one of those guided tours of any of a number of caves around our country ... like Ruby Falls, or Carlsbad Caverns or another one. Our family went to the Carlsbad Caves in New Mexico years ago. And as they do in so many places, they’ll turn out the ...read more

Tags: Light, Outreach, Darkness

Denomination: Christian Church

Martyrdom Of John ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2013

MARTYRDOM OF JOHN DENLEY One day, on the way to visit some friends, John Denley was stopped and searched by the authorities, who found his written confession of faith. Denley believed the Church was built upon the apostles and prophets, with Christ as its head, and that the present state church, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12

Tags: Faith, Persecution, Martyr

Man Overboard  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2013

MAN OVERBOARD One day Hudson Taylor was traveling on a Chinese junk from Shanghai to Ningpo. He had been witnessing to a man named Peter who rejected the gospel but was under deep conviction. In the course of events, Peter fell overboard, but no one made any effort to save him. Taylor sprang to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:2, Luke 10:1-10

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Daddy, What Does It Feel Like To Die?  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2014

Years ago I heard the compelling story of a young pastor whose son was very sick and not expected to live long. Night after night the pastor and his wife would put their boy to bed and say a prayer hoping for a miracle. One evening, the boy looked at his father and said, "Daddy, what does it feel ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6, 2 Timothy 3:1-9

Tags: Death, Children, Heaven, Grief

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On Shepherds  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

What do we know about the shepherd's life? It's a full time commitment. Sheep are helpless to defend themselves against attack from their natural enemies: lions, bears, wolves, hyenas and foxes which can come in both the day and night so there is never a moment a shepherd can relax. Sheep must be ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-10

Tags: Shepherd, Shepherd's Life

Denomination: Methodist

Slavory And Original Sin

Contributed by Troy Heald on Jul 26, 2014

Picture your ancestors as plantation farmers in the South. They have many acres of farmland and need to manage those crops. To help them accomplish this task, they go to the docks and buy a family of slaves to do the work around the farm, thus becoming the first slave owners in your family. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:12-14

Tags: Original Sin, Ask Forgiveness, Adam's Sin, Guilty As Charged

Denomination: Baptist

It's In Your Hands

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 18, 2017

A young student in China decided to play a trick on his elderly teacher one day. He caught a small bird and cupped it in his hands behind his back. He then approached the sage with this plan in mind. He would ask the old man what he had in his hand. If he answered correctly, he would then ask ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 24:15

Tags: Eternity, Decision, Commitment, Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Out Of Tune

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Aug 1, 2018

Main Idea: God is perfect and He cannot tolerate any sin in His presence. Verse: “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalms 18:30 NKJV). Illustration: Once there was a famous conductor who was asked to direct a world class orchestra. He chose a famous piece of music and the orchestra gathered ...read more

Tags: Sin, Salvation, Perfection, Need For Christ

Denomination: Charismatic

Louis Braille And The Will Of God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 15, 2019

I do not know if Louis Braille was a believer, but his life is an example of a sovereign God causing all things to work together for good - In the French Academy of Science there is a rather plain, old shoemaker's awl on display. The story behind the awl is quite extraordinary. To look at it, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Miracles, Testimony, Will Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

High Seas

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Oct 13, 2020

The thunder roared like a waking dragon. As the water churned and the ship rocked wildly like a kite on a string. I watched helplessly as the splinter sized crack in the mast grew until I was sure it would snap. The crew on deck wallowed and struggled to move in the thigh deep water to try and keep ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Tags: Trust, Storms

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Discipleship Is A Call To Suffer

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

John R. Scott gives a modern example of one who suffered for the gospel observing that… "Few men of this century have understood better the inevitability of suffering than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He seems never to have wavered in his Christian antagonism to the Nazi regime, although it meant for ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:12, Philippians 3:1-20, Romans 1:16

Tags: Church, Commitment, Discipleship, Suffering, Will Of God, Bonhoeffer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You Prepared For Tough Times?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Lord Joseph Duveen, American head of the art firm that bore his name, planned in 1915 to send one of his experts to England to examine some ancient pottery. He booked passage on the Lusitania. Then the German Embassy issued a warning that the liner might be torpedoed. Duveen wanted to call off ...read more

Tags: Commitment, Preparation, Hardships, Trials, Tough Times  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Bridge Builder

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 20, 2022

THE BRIDGE BUILDER By Will Allen Dromgoole An old man going a lone highway. Came, at the evening cold and gray, To a chasm vast and deep and wide. Through which was flowing a sullen tide The old man crossed in the twilight dim, The sullen stream had no fear for him; But he turned when safe ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:29

Tags: Builder, Bridge

Denomination: Assembly Of God

New Church Treasurer

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 4, 2022

The day the old church treasurer resigned, the church asked the local grain elevator manager to take the position. He agreed under 2 conditions: 1. No treasurer’s report would be given for the first year 2. No questions be asked about finances during that year The people were surprised but finally ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10

Tags: Money, Giving, Tithing

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Asserting Leadership - The Lion Was Proud Of His ...  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 16, 2007

ASSERTING LEADERSHIP - The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom. One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew he was the king of the jungle. He was so confident that he bypassed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear. "Who is the king of the jungle?" ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Shane Claiborne, Who Spent A Summer In The Slums ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Shane Claiborne, who spent a summer in the slums of Calcutta with Mother Teresa, wrote about her experience there. She said, “People often ask me what Mother Teresa was like. Sometimes it’s like they wonder if she glowed in the dark or had a halo. She was short, wrinkled, and precious, maybe even a ...read more

Tags: Humility

In Part I We Mentioned Robert Baxter And What He ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In part I we mentioned Robert Baxter and what he said concerning the materialistic direction of people and the church. Let’s look at that again. "It is a most lamentable [regrettable] thing to see how most people spend their time and their energy for trifles [unimportant things], while God is cast ...read more

Tags: Call Of The Disciples

Taking The Plunge—readers' Digest Online, As ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Taking the Plunge—Readers’ Digest Online, As Kids See It, Stephen McCormack, St. Joachim, ON, 1997 "To my five-year-old son, Alex, jumping off the diving board that first time seemed an insurmountable challenge. He was too timid to manage it that day. On the drive home I tried to bolster his ...read more

Tags: Apologetics The Bible