In Sermon Illustrations: "Important"

I Just Want Bread  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

"I Just Want Bread" There was a beggar who came and sat before a baker. "I want bread," he said. "How wise you are," the baker assured him. "Bread is what you need. And you have come to the right bakery." So he pulled his cookbook down from his shelf and began to tell the beggar all he knew about ...read more

Scripture: John 6:25-59

Tags: Jesus Teachings

Feeling Insignificant?

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Feb 9, 2010

Feeling Insignificant? Last night I attended Hillsong's Church's Vision Night for leaders with my daughter and son-in-law. We were in the first 3 rows and the music was awesome. I somehow ended up sitting between them and felt a little conspicuous. Completely inspiring listening to Joel Houston ...read more

Tags: Encouragement

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Story Is Told Of A 10-Year-Old Boy Who ...

Contributed by David Owens on May 17, 2010

The story is told of a 10-year-old boy who decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. 1. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese Judo master. 2. The boy was doing well, but he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the ...read more

Tags: Victory, Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Before I Became A Counsellor, While I Was Still ...

Contributed by Sean Harder on Jun 16, 2010

Before I became a counsellor, while I was still going to school, I worked as a family support worker. Essentially I would pick up kids from troubled homes who social workers were involved with but hadn’t taken the children away yet, and I would spend a couple hours with them and take them back ...read more

Tags: Parenting

I Want To Buy An Hour

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Jun 17, 2005

I WANT TO BUY AN HOUR A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated. He found his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" The dad replied: "Yeah, sure, what is it?" "Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?" The dad got mad and said, ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Church Of God

True Lifesavers

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jun 30, 2010

Nantucket, Massachusetts is located next to important shipping lanes running along the East Coast. Toward the end of the 1800s sailing ships were in their heyday. Nantucket Island saw hundreds of vessels passing by each day—all navigating without the advantages of modern technology. Treacherous ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist

You Will Meet An Old Lady

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2010

YOU WILL MEET AN OLD LADY You are going to meet an old lady someday. Down the road ahead, 10, 20, 30 years; she’s waiting for you. You will be catching up with her. What kind of old lady are you going to meet? That is a rather significant question. She may be a seasoned, soft, and gracious lady. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:43-45

Tags: Character

The Son And The Rose

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 22, 2011

THE SON AND THE ROSE Arnold Prater, in his book You Can Have Joy! tells about a man in a little English village named John Deckard. He was a clerk in a textile factory. A modest and quiet man, he lived in an ordinary little house at the edge of town with his wife and his six-year-old son, Rob. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:4

Tags: Parenting

Simple Solutions

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 1, 2011

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10

Tags: Ambition

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Augustine And The Four States Of Man  PRO

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Mar 5, 2012

AUGUSTINE AND THE FOUR STATES OF MAN In the 5th century AD, St. Augustine wrote about the "4 States of Man": * The first state of man (the haec sunt prima) is "living according to the flesh -- with reason making no resistance." This can be seen in so many ancient cultures and religions (and ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-15

Tags: Allegory

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

THE CONSCIENCE A. Quotes on the Conscience J. I. Packer—There are two sorts of sick consciences, those that are not aware enough of sin and those that are not aware enough of pardon. Anonymous—‘Let your conscience be your guide’ is only valid if God’s Word is guiding your conscience. Elton ...read more

Scripture: Acts 24:14-16

Tags: Conscience

Encouragement From A Friend

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2012

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM A FRIEND There are times when you will be pushed out or pushed aside. You can be on the right road and still find yourself in a situation that is so severe that you cannot survive it on your own. Mark it down: You are not exempt from times of suffering, rejection, or ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Tags: Friendship General

Make Your Reservation

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jan 29, 2013

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION Is your name written in the book of life? Ruthanna Metzgar, a professional singer, tells a story that illustrates the importance of having our names written in the book of life. Several years ago, she was asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man. According to the ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Keen Eye For Stray Coins

Contributed by Manny Salva Cruz on May 29, 2015

A KEEN EYE FOR STRAY COINS There was a story from the Week magazine regarding a 67 year man by the name of Roger Pasquier. He was a retired ornithologist who has a keen eye for spotting stray coins. In fact, he had found almost two thousand dollars’ worth of coins dropped onto New York City’s ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 4:29

Tags: Seeker, Passion For God, God's Accessibility, Earnestly

Denomination: Nazarene

Servant

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Mar 27, 2018

Nantucket, Massachusetts is located next to important shipping lanes running along the East Coast. Toward the end of the 1800s, sailing ships were in their heyday. Nantucket Island saw hundreds of vessels passing by each day—all navigating without the advantages of modern technology. Treacherous ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Tags: Evangelism, Servant Attitude

Denomination: Baptist

A Lesson From A Pair Of Mildewed Shoes

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 22, 2020

A number of years ago I received a three-year assignment to Okinawa, Japan, as part of my Air Force experience. Hardly anybody I knew had much knowledge of that part of the world, so we really had no idea what to expect. We were in for a number of surprises! We lived in a motel, basically, for a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33-34

Tags: Shoes, Life's Problems

Denomination: Baptist

Growing Through Pain

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Oct 2, 2020

Paul Tournier, the famous Swiss physician and counselor, reported his surprise in his book Creative Suffering upon reading an article entitled “Orphans Lead the World.” The article appeared in a respected medical journal and surveyed the lives of 300 leaders who had an impact on world history. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:14-27

Tags: Holy Spirit, Suffering

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes: He Helped David With The Sheep

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 14, 2020

Text, 1 Samuel 17:20-21, KJV: 20And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 21For Israel and the Philistines had put the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:20-21

Tags: David, Sheep, Shepherding

Denomination: Baptist

A Man Got A Job As A Night Watchman At A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A man got a job as a night watchman at a factory. There had been a lot of thefts by the workers on the night shift and so every morning when the night shift workers passed through his gate it was his job to check their bags and pockets to make sure that nothing was being stolen. Things were going ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Fathers.com Shares The Statistics From Some Of ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 18, 2007

Fathers.com shares the statistics from some of their studies on the Effects of Father Absence: Millions of father-absent or father-neglect families carry on successfully. But few would say that they would not be stronger by having two caring and cooperative parents. The importance of fathers to the ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational