In Sermon Illustrations: "Intense Concern"

God Restores Banged-Up ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

GOD RESTORES BANGED-UP PEOPLE Gary Inrig’s story in his book, Quality Friendships: Years ago, one family had a son who was in the Korean War. They had not heard from him for 10 months and were very concerned. Time went on and the war ended. Finally their son called home. The mother was excited. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tags: Restoration

Transcending Tradition

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

TRANSCENDING TRADITION During these tough economic times, churches all across the country are seeing a sharp drop in their offerings. Thankfully, we haven’t seen that here, yet, but a lot of churches have, one of them being the Cross Timbers Community Church in Argyle, Texas. Their drop in income ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:5

Tags: God Brings Hope

Miraculous Protection Of Hutu ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

Miraculous Protection of Hutu Preacher Psalm 91:5 goes on to say, “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” And vs. 11 says, “He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” ILL. Tribal wars are nothing new in Central Africa. In fact, a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16

Tags: Miracles, Miracles General

George Washington Helps Exhausted ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

George Washington Helps Exhausted Soldiers He could have others serve Him while he was on earth, but he said, The “Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45) What did the God of the universe who was fully in control of all things do? John 13:4-5 – ‘he got up from the meal, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:42-45

Tags: Servanthood

New Year's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

New Year’s Resolutions How are you coming thus far in 2010 in terms of your new year’s resolutions? Author, innovation consultant, and speaker Stephen Shapiro, with the help of Opinion Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, offers the following interesting statistics concerning New Year’s ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:8

Tags: New Year's Day

A Good Example Of A Bad Example  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A BAD EXAMPLE In 1989 the unthinkable happened. After seventy years of communism and forty years of the Cold War, the Iron Curtain fell and the brutal, sadistic power of the U.S.S.R. began to disintegrate. Russia for seven decades had been repressed, murdered, and brutalized by ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 50:1-23

Tags: America

What Would You Say?

Contributed by Scott Sharpes on Dec 16, 2010

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? A number of years ago a couple traveled to the offices of an Adoption Society in England to receive a baby. They had been on the waiting list a long time. They had been interviewed and carefully scrutinized. Now at last their dreams were to be fulfilled. But their day of ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Denomination: Nazarene

Subway Superhero

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 22, 2011

SUBWAY SUPERHERO Just a few years ago, an astonishing thing happened in New York City. A construction worker named Wesley Autrey was standing on a subway platform with his two young daughters waiting on a train. Suddenly another man on the platform, apparently suffering from a seizure, stumbled ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Heroism

Giovanni Was A Saint

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jun 24, 2011

GIOVANNI WAS A SAINT In a small country village in Sicily, there were two brothers, renowned members of the local Mafia. They were mean, bad and very rich. No one had a good word to say about them. Indeed, everyone seemed to have a story about how they had either been cheated or maligned by the ...read more

Tags: Disciples

Denomination: Anglican

When One Is Threatened  PRO

Contributed by Pramod Kumar Eleti on Feb 12, 2012

WHEN ONE IS THREATENED A Mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a Mouse-Trap Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 12:26

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Timely Testimony

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Feb 23, 2012

A TIMELY TESTIMONY Jim Cymbala tells an amazing story of one Sunday in his church: (Fresh Faith pp. 78-82) During the choir anthem, Pastor Jim was touched by the words of one of the young men who was featured as a soloist during the song. As the song concluded, Pastor Jim was strongly prompted ...read more

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Lutheran

God, Please Save My Son

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 20, 2012

"GOD, PLEASE SAVE MY SON." Imagine what went through Moses’ mother’s heart when she turned her just weaned child over to Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh’s daughter was a stranger, a foreigner, living in an anti-Semitic home, whose father was pursuing genocide, trying to wipe out the Hebrew race. ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 2:1-10

Tags: Prayer Answered

Monogamy Syndrome  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Feb 15, 2013

MONOGAMY SYNDROME Where at one time, having sexual relations outside marriage was considered liberating, current studies show that it damages one's ability to trust, affecting future relationship, one's respect for self, affecting every decision and diminishing the value of right decisions, and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Corinthians 12:6

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Baptist

The Gold Wrapping Paper

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Dec 19, 2014

The Gold Wrapping Paper - An Inspirational Short Christmas Story Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he was upset with his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-19

Tags: Christmas Gift, Anger, Patience, Child Rearing

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Open Rebuke Is Better Than Secret Love.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 25, 2021

The Scripture tells us that "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:5-6).   Rebuke means sin is not only pointed out, it is condemned. The church really doesn’t do this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Sin, Preaching, Repentance, Rebuke, Pastors, The Word Of God, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Am I An Enabler?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 7, 2023

Text, Galatians 6:6, KIV: 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Not long ago I had lunch with a pastor friend. We talked about several different things but when I mentioned something I had seen on Sermon Central, he was alarmed! He asked me, ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:6

Tags: Communication, Humor, Pastors

Denomination: Baptist

Love Of Money And How We Treat Others

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 22, 2025

The debate between whether having money or loving money negatively affects our character is very much alive… Paul Piff of the University of California…organized a “driver-pedestrian” experiment… “... Who is more likely to stop for pedestrians, the rich or the poor? Drivers are legally obliged to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Tags: Money, Covetousness, Success, Materialism, Love Of Money, Loving Others, Money Versus People  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Out Of The Shade And Into The Light

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Feb 6, 2025

It’s been cold outside! Last week I walked into the office and commented that it's not fair that we have to suffer through the hot Texas summers AND these sub-freezing temperatures. But here in Texas the snow and ice quickly melt away—except not in some places. On my commute to church there ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 6:25

Tags: Melt, Revive, Sunlight, Thaw, Light, Worship, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Saint

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 27, 2025

Story: In a small country village in Sicily, there were two brothers, renown members of the local Mafia. They were mean, bad and very rich. No one had a good word to say about them. Indeed, everyone seemed to have a story about how they had either been cheated or maligned by the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-14, Hebrews 12:18-24

Tags: Saint, Mafia

Denomination: Anglican

[260]. A Message From A Poem – The Constant Tramp Of Feet Is Reality

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 8, 2026

[260]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE CONSTANT TRAMP OF FEET IS REALITY This poem is an emotive one. Have you ever waited for the coming of a cyclone, a typhoon or hurricane? You know how some people become anxious as the system approaches. Many start to fear. People feel they are trapped. In ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 6:5, Matthew 19:3-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-2, Matthew 24:37

Tags: Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Tramp Of Feet, Hurricanes, Socialist Order, Climate Change, Male And Female, The Rapture, George Orwell, Coming Judgment, Advancing, Creation, Evil, Transsexual, Days Of Noah  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational