In Sermon Illustrations: "How To Be Saved"

Understanding "Ask, Seek, Knock"

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Oct 12, 2011

UNDERSTANDING "ASK, SEEK, KNOCK" Imagine you are looking for someone – let’s say it’s your long lost friend from high school. The first step is to ask around from people who might know him and where he lives, what he’s doing, how you might locate him. Now that might satisfy your curiosity, but if ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Lutheran

Stalin: Like Steel Toward God

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 6, 2011

STALIN: LIKE STEEL TOWARD GOD According to Svetlana Stalin, as her father, Joseph Stalin lay dying, he was plagued with terrifying hallucinations. He suddenly sat halfway up in bed, clenched his fist toward the heavens once more, fell back upon his pillow, and was dead. The incredible irony of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Independent/Bible

What's The Demand?

Contributed by Scott Jensen on Feb 5, 2012

WHAT'S THE DEMAND? The magazine, Christianity Today, reported in its April 4, 1986 issue of a tool company that manufactured drill bits. Faced with financial losses, company executives gathered to discuss the problem: a declining demand for drill bits. The CEO challenged his men: "How can we ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:29-39

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Lutheran

Hostile Heart

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

HOSTILE HEART Beware the hostile heart. That's the warning of Dr. Redford Williams from Duke University's Behavioral Medicine Research Center. He has been saying for years that having a hostile personalities can kill us--most often by heart disease but also by injuries and accidents. Anger speeds ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Heart

Almost Giving

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 21, 2012

ALMOST GIVING One of the Ad Council's most effective public service commercials is the "Don't Almost Give" campaign. One ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of steps. The narrator says, "This man almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:38, James 2:16

Tags: Giving General

John Newton's Self-Assessment  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2012

JOHN NEWTON'S SELF-ASSESSMENT Two or three years before the death of John Newton (former slave ship captain and eventual author of the song, "Amazing Grace"), when his sight was so dim that he was no longer able to read, a friend and brother in the ministry called to have breakfast with him. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Tags: Grace

Nathan Barlow--Missionary ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2012

NATHAN BARLOW--MISSIONARY DOCTOR Nathan Barlow was a missionary Doctor to Ethiopia. He served there for over 60 years primarily helping people with an affliction called Mossy Foot. This caused swelling and ulcers in the feet and lower legs and caused people to become social outcasts. When Nathan’s ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8-13

Tags: Missions

What Do You Have To Sing About?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2012

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SING ABOUT? Clarence Darrow, the famous atheist lawyer – once took part in a debate at a church in Chicago. In his attack on the Christian faith, he tried to play on the emotions of the black people who were there, and on their social misery. This was the heart of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Tags: Atheism

Who Shot The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2013

WHO SHOT THE DEER? A lawyer, a doctor, and a preacher went deer hunting together when along came a big buck. The three of them all shot at the same time, and immediately the buck dropped to the ground. They all rushed up to examine the deer, but couldn't determine whose shot had actually killed ...read more

Scripture: John 8:42-47

Tags: Preaching

Going Beyond Our Teachers  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 9, 2013

A well-known Bible teacher gives this insight: "Someone on our staff informed me several months ago that a woman had called the ministry office to find out what my 'official position' was on a biblically gray area. When she was told that it's not my policy to make 'official' public statements ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23

Tags: Legalism, Opinion, Spiritual Growth, Debatable

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Let's Give Them A French Kiss!!  PRO

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 14, 2014

SERMON BLOOPER!!! One of our youth pastors was leaving to go to another church on the same day my wife and I returned from a mission trip to France to encourage our missionaries there. As we closed the service, I brought my wife on the stage on live tv and illustrated how French churches "greet ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:16

Tags: Humor, Preacher Bloopers, Holy Kiss

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Reflecting The Light  PRO

Contributed by Everette Pafford on Feb 27, 2014

REFLECTING THE LIGHT A well-known Bible teacher has just finished speaking to a large class of business people on the Christians' responsibility to be light in the world. He had emphasized the as believers we all have the obligation to reflect the Light in the world, the Lord Jesus. After the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Evangelism, Living As Light

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Smell The Rain

Contributed by Dr. David Hallum on Sep 10, 2015

When my daughter Cynthia was a little girl, we lived in Odessa, TX. We made one of the pilgrimages that we did from time to time to see my wife, Rosemary’s family. Rosemary’s brother, Michael was in town at the time from the Navy. Now in West Texas, rain is a beautiful thing. We got one of ...read more

Scripture: John 12:1-10

Tags: Disciples, Aroma, Smell, Pleasant

Denomination: Baptist

I'll Take Hymn!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 26, 2016

One Sunday, a pastor told his congregation that the church needed some extra money. He asked the people to consider donating a little more than usual into the offering plate. He said that whoever gave the most would be able to pick out three hymns. After the offering plates were passed, the pastor ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:21-23

Tags: Marriage, Dating, Husbands And Wives, Singles

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Leadership

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Mar 1, 2016

I remember hearing a story about a famous film producer. As a child, he had a fight with another boy and lost. While his mother was bathing his black eye, he told her how it was entirely the fault of the other boy. It was the other boy who had started the fight, he claimed. His mother said ...read more

Scripture: John 13:2-17

Tags: God Is Love, Giving In Love, Jesus Leadership

Denomination: Baptist

I'm That Clown!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 1, 2016

I’M THAT CLOWN It is said that in a great city there was a physician famous for his wisdom. A man came to him one day and said, "Doctor, I want you to see what is wrong with me." The doctor checked him over and said, "Your heart is all right. Your lungs are all right. Your blood pressure is ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-12

Tags: Happiness, Joy, Emptiness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When You Have Nothing Left But God, Then Fgod Is Enough

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Pastor Norm Johnson tells the story of Bill who was gravely ill in the hospital. Norm was visiting him when the doctor came in and point blank said, “Bill, you're dead. There’s no hope. You’d better get your things in order.” Just that bluntly, no hope, no comfort, no, “How are you doing?” After ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Hope, God Is Enough

Denomination: Methodist

Beatitudes For Marriage

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 30, 2020

We all know and love the Beatitudes for what they mean to our own personal lives, but recently I sensed the Lord leading me to write down how these guidelines for Kingdom citizens affected the lives of married couples. The results were received very powerfully by our amazing church family: Poor ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Marriage, Prayer, Beatitudes, Couples

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Misunderstandings Can Be Hilarious

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 6, 2022

Misunderstandings happen all the time. Here are some: My toddler was about to hit her head on a bar at the playground, so I told her to duck. She quacked at me and then hit her head. A guy ran into a service station and said he needed some 710. They had no idea what he was talking about. So he ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-11

Tags: Humor, Literal, Misunderstanding, Too Literal, Miscommunication  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Africaner' Was The Nickname Given To A Local ...

Contributed by Jaco Bester on Apr 2, 2009

‘Africaner’ was the nickname given to a local desperado of Namaqualand in the 1800’s. He was such a hardened character that the governor at Cape Town offered five hundred pounds as a reward to anyone that could deliver him, dead or alive. He and his men were the terror of that part of South Africa, ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed