In Sermon Illustrations: "I Am The Door"

I Was Waiting For You  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

I WAS WAITING FOR YOU A family was out vacationing at the lake one summer. Dad had been puttering out by the boat house. Two of his sons, a 12 year old and a 3 year old were down playing along the dock. The 12 year old was suppose to be watching his little brother, but he got distracted. The 3 ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:45

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

I Want To Be Pretty  PRO

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Jan 24, 2012

I WANT TO BE PRETTY "I want to be pretty." This is the title of a popular tv program that was airing when we lived in Poland. It was a reality tv show in which in every episode you follow the changes of two women who are the heroes of the program. Each of these women work with a team of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:30

Tags: Faith, Love, Beauty, Faithfulness, Patience  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

I'll Be That Man!

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Mar 31, 2012

I'LL BE THAT MAN! Sometimes an easy conversation between friends can have ramifications far beyond what either person expects. Such was the case in the summer of 1872 near Dublin, Ireland, when two prominent evangelists were discussing ministry. The two men were the British evangelist Henry ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Brethren

Now I Understand  PRO

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Apr 24, 2012

NOW I UNDERSTAND It reminds me of an older lady, who had no affinity for contemporary worship, who was complaining about a particular song used in the worship service at her church. A fellow worshipper responded, "Why, that is not a new song -- it is a very old song! David sang that song to Saul." ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Work For Christ.

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Sep 6, 2012

"I WORK FOR CHRIST." Howard Hendricks, sat in a plane that was delayed for takeoff. After a long wait, the passengers became more and more irritated. Hendricks noticed how gracious one of the flight attendants was as she spoke with them. After the plane finally took off, he told the flight ...read more

Tags: Workplace

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

When I Was A Kid  PRO

Contributed by Paul Steen on Jul 12, 2014

When I was a kid, we rode our bikes down the sidewalks and in the streets. We played baseball and football in the street. Summers were especially great because we could play ball until you couldn’t see. We rode in cars with no seat belts or car seats. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:17

Tags: Protect, Helmet Of Salvation

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

I Got You

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Oct 2, 2021

I like to take my dogs places with me. They have their own seats in the back seat of my pickup. I have a small elderly dog named Bambi who has always had anxiety, I think from having to survive on her own when she lived in the streets as a tiny little thing with no one to feed or care for her. A ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 54:4, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Adversity, Assurance, Anxious

Denomination: Charismatic

I Give Up!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Many years ago, executives of the Time-Life publishing organization discovered that the company’s profit margin had shrunk to an alarmingly low level. To cut costs, they decided to eliminate hundreds of works to be replaced with machines. The name of each subscriber was put on a separate little ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Behold, I Cometh!

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Aug 21, 2023

Once a pastor was frustrated because his church seemed dead and unenthusiastic. He attended a pastor’s conference for encouragement. The keynote speaker suggests sitting down quietly and creating suspense. Speak on the second coming of Christ. Then stand to the pulpit and raise your hand and shout ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Tags: Preacher Joke, Fellowship, Meeting, Humor, Enthusiasm  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

I Missed The Sunrise

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I recently had the chance to visit Acadia National Park in Maine. There's a place there, Cadillac Mountain, where you can be one of the first people in the entire country to see the sunrise. While the rest of America is still in darkness, light first makes its appearance on that mountaintop. I ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2

Tags: Hope, God's Faithfulness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Is An Episode In The Series "I Love Lucy" ...  PRO

Contributed by Emil Boniog on Dec 18, 2003

There is an episode in the series “I Love Lucy” that illustrates the chaos that this kind of situation produces. Ricky, Fred, and Ethel were rehearsing what to do when the time comes to bring Lucy to the hospital. Ethel would telephone the hospital, Fred would call a taxi, and Ricky would pick up ...read more

Tags: Guilt, Emotions

Denomination: Baptist

I Prayed Her Home  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Dec 10, 2011

I PRAYED HER HOME Praying in Tongues From August 2002 to December 2010 my family suffered the affliction of brain cancer which was placed by Satan (2 Corinthians 12:7; Luke 13:10-17) upon my “helpmate,” (Genesis 2:18-25) Bonnie K. Laughlin. Just like many conservative preachers of the Word of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:18

Tags: Gifts Tongues

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Was Reminded Of Two Young Ministry Students ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Feb 26, 2008

I was reminded of two young ministry students down south who stopped at a rickety old shack to “share the gospel.” There must have been a dozen kids running around apparently doing whatever they wanted. It was chaos. The house was falling apart. A woman completely and totally disheveled answered ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

I've Got A Flashlight!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2011

I'VE GOT A FLASHLIGHT! Ann Beck of North Carollton, Mississippi, talks about the days when her husband and she taught 2- and 3-year-olds in Sunday school. A Bible verse they helped the pre-schoolers memorize was Psalms 56: "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Their preschool son, Mark, was one ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 56:3

Tags: Fear And Worry

This Is Just A Commercial Brake: I Remember The ...

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Apr 3, 2007

This is just a commercial brake: I remember the church where I was youth leader. None of the 12 members of the board but me were under 60. And I came before them with a proposal. "Give me the permission and several Bibles to go door to door around the tires factory where I worked for a while. I’ll ...read more

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

I Love My Imperfections

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 11, 2021

Dr. James L. Snyder Unlike most people, I love my imperfections; those imperfections of mine do not cause me much trouble. I know most people like to focus on their perfections so that they can impress other people. But what about people like me who have no perfections to boast about? If I had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:48

Tags: Perfection, Maturity

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Think It's Jesus In The Liimo

Contributed by Joe Tilton on Jun 4, 2013

I THINK IT'S JESUS IN THE LIMO The Oklahoma Conference Leader Bishop Hayes is returning home after a speaking engagement. When his plane arrives, there is a limousine there to transport him to his home in Oklahoma City. As he prepares to get into the limo, he stops and speaks to the driver. "You ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: *other

It’s My Birthday I’ll Lie If I Want To

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 25, 2020

I’m not a proponent of lying. I don't like it when people lie. If they lie once, how do you know they're not lying again? Lately, I've been thinking about what the definition of a lie really is. Is there some time when telling a lie is the best to do? And, is every lie a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 40:4

Tags: Truth, Humor, Lies

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If I Have Seen Everything....  PRO

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 23, 2016

IF I HAVE SEEN EVERYTHING.... Evangelist Jack Taylor was alone in his hotel room in Houston, Texas after a Southern Baptist Convention meeting. He felt exhausted in ministry. He cried out to God in prayer, "Lord, if I have seen everything You have for me in my ministry.......then take my life ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-5

Tags: Pastoral Ministry, Total Surrender, Burnt Out

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If I Can't Be Good Enough...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jan 3, 2003

IF I CAN'T BE GOOD ENOUGH... Little Billy, caught in mischief, was asked by his mother, "How do you expect to get into heaven?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 32:16-17, Isaiah 32:16-17, Acts 17:29-31, Ephesians 3:8-13, Hebrews 10:19-22, Hebrews 6:10-11, 1 John 3:18-23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation, Basics Of Christianity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational