In Sermon Illustrations: "Imaginations"

Does God Exist? Barbers Don't ...

Contributed by Charles Wallis on Feb 18, 2009

Does God exist? Barbers Don’t Exist… This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It’s an explanation other people will understand. Does God exist? A man went to a barber shop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, ...read more

Tags: Apologetics God

Denomination: Pentecostal

Dr. Paul W. Brand, The Noted Leprosy Expert Who ...  PRO

Contributed by James Dunn on Feb 11, 2002

Dr. Paul W. Brand, the noted leprosy expert who was chief of the rehabilitation branch of the Leprosarium in Carville, Lousiana, had a frightening experience one night when he thought he had contracted leprosy. Dr. Brand arrived in London one night after an exhausting transatlantic ocean trip and ...read more

Tags: Human Body, Christian Disciplines, Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Missing The Circus  PRO

Contributed by Ryan Johnson on Mar 6, 2002

MISSING THE CIRCUS A little boy who lived far out in the country in the late 1800s had reached the age of twelve and had never in all his life seen a circus. You can imagine his excitement, when one day a poster went up at school announcing that on the next Saturday a traveling circus was coming ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-10

Tags: Fulfillment, Life, Abundant, Risk, Lukewarm  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Little Boy And The Circus  PRO

Contributed by Ely Lambert on Aug 26, 2002

The Little Boy and the Circus A little boy who lived far out in the country in the late 1800s had reached the age of twelve and had never in all his life seen a circus. You can imagine his excitement, when one day a poster went up at school announcing that on the next Saturday a traveling circus ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ, Church Purpose Of, Holy Spirit Attributes

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sadly, We Are Sometimes Ashamed Of Jesus. I'm ...  PRO

Contributed by Peter Schmidt on Nov 20, 2003

Sadly, we are sometimes ashamed of Jesus. I’m guilty of it, and so are all of you. Sometimes we might not hide our faith, but we don’t go out of the way either to let people know that how much Jesus means to us. “Oh man, my friend will think I’m nuts if I tell him about the Savior. I don’t want to ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-14

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Lutheran

Irwin Mcmanus In His Awesome Book ‘the Barbarian ...  PRO

Contributed by Butch Vernon on Nov 6, 2005

Irwin McManus in his awesome book ‘The Barbarian Way’ speaks of rhinos and their limitations. ‘But my favorite of all is the group designation for rhinos. You see, rhinos can run thirty miles an hour, which is pretty fast when you consider how much weight they’re pulling. They’re actually faster ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Baptist

A Candy Maker In Indiana Wanted To Make A Candy ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2006

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white hard candy: white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless ...read more

Tags: Christmas

I Was In A Christian Bookstore In St. Louis Not ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 2, 2004

I was in a Christian bookstore in St. Louis not that long ago. I was walking around looking at the different books on the shelves and trinkets that you could buy. I really didn’t see much that I thought was worth my attention, so I started heading to the door. Before I got to the door, however, ...read more

Scripture: John 19:28-30

Tags: Misconceptions

Fatal Oversight

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2009

FATAL OVERSIGHT On September 1, 1923, the island of Japan was ravaged by the most devastating earthquake in recorded history up until that time. The tragic Canto earthquake began at 11:58 A.M. and continued for more than three and a half hours, creating a casualty list that would stagger the ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 23:3-16

Tags: God's Provision

I Have Prayed For A Sick Lady Who Had Cancer, And ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Feb 26, 2010

I have prayed for a sick lady who had cancer, and she died. In fact more than one person I have prayed for has died and not been healed. Do you want someone like me to pray for you? Why weren't they healed? Not enough faith? I prayed for a wonderful Pastor who had cancer who was involved in doing ...read more

Tags: Jesus' Ministry

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

James Montgomery Boice On Eternal ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 30, 2010

James Montgomery Boice on Eternal Security James Montgomery Boice has a wonderful picture to show how Jesus preserves believers for all eternity: I have sometimes thought that what Jesus did in uttering these words was like something a carpenter often does. Sometimes in rough carpentry a workman ...read more

Scripture: John 10:27-29

Tags: Security

Mercy Me: Hold Fast

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 7, 2011

MERCY ME: HOLD FAST Mercy Me is a Christian band (I Can Only Imagine) and recently they sang a song called, "Hold Fast." Bart Millard tells the story of the inspiration for "Hold Fast": "I was standing in the back of the bus going to our next concert. We were in a traffic jam and we passed a ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jennifer M. Ginn Shares A Similar Experience, In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Jennifer M. Ginn shares a similar experience, in her article “Living by the Word,” published in Christian Century [February, 2004]. She begins by quoting the words of a song that was popular when she was at camp. “I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

In His Children's Book, Entitled Is A Blue ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In his children’s book, entitled "Is A Blue Whale The Biggest Thing There Is?" Robert Wells takes us from a size that we can grasp to one that we cannot grasp. The largest animal on Earth is a blue whale - the flippers on his tail alone are bigger than most animals on the Earth However, a blue ...read more

Tags: Parable Pharisee

But Sometimes I Think The Church Has Forgotten ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

But sometimes I think the church has forgotten how to celebrate How to party Maybe it is because we have forgotten what Jesus has done for us. Or maybe because the stories the Bible have gotten old and we haven’t been around any new believers to remind us of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. That ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:16-26

Tags: Worship Benefits

Helen P. Mrosla -A Teaching Nun P44-46 Maxwell ...

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Sep 27, 2007

Helen P. Mrosla -a teaching nun p44-46 Maxwell Person of Influence Helen taught Mark Eklund in third grade and again in junior high math. One Friday the lesson wasn’t going well and the class was bickering, so Helen asked the kids to make a list of all the kids in the class and write the nicest ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

Jars Of Clay

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

JARS OF CLAY In his book "Disappointment with God," Philip Yancey offers a powerful metaphor for the church: I have a bright, talented, and very funny friend in Seattle named Carolyn Martin. But Carolyn has cerebral palsy, and it is the peculiar tragedy of her condition that its outward ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

The Box Is Empty

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

THE BOX IS EMPTY God offers us more than this world does, but most of us never take the time to see it. There was a 15-year old boy named Joey, whose mother died at birth. She was a severe alcoholic, and that had affected his pre-natal development. The result was that he was slightly retarded. ...read more

Tags: Worldliness

The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

THE i-POD One day a woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist to the electric coffeepot he had in his hand. It seemed that he was being electrocuted. So - intending to jolt him away from the deadly current - she ...read more

Tags: Technology

Little Ones To Him Belong

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Feb 21, 2009

LITTLE ONES TO HIM BELONG Author Keith Miller tells of an outgoing 40-year-old woman who was part of a sharing group he led. Here is her story: "When I was a tiny little girl, my parents died, and I was put in an orphanage. I was not pretty at all, and no one seemed to want me. But I longed to ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Denomination: Wesleyan