In Sermon Illustrations: "Joy In Morning"

Always Had An Uplifting ...

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Oct 14, 2008

Always Had an Uplifting Prayer Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, “Certainly the preacher won’t think of ...read more

Tags: Prayer Hardship

Denomination: Other

Unlock Your Antlers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

UNLOCK YOUR ANTLERS In an old monastery in Germany, I'm told you can see two racks of ancient deer antlers permanently interlocked. Apparently the animals had been fighting fiercely, and their horns became so tangled that they could not be disengaged. As a result, both of them died of hunger. ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Now We Can Start Over

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Mar 12, 2009

"NOW WE CAN START OVER" Thomas Edison’s manufacturing facilities in West Orange, N.J., were heavily damaged by fire one night in December 1914. Edison lost almost $1 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

God, Our Landlord, Pays Us Rent

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on May 11, 2010

GOD, OUR LANDLORD, PAYS US RENT Israel could have felt much like John Donne, who wrote, "We are God’s tenants here, and yet here He, our landlord, pays us rents – not yearly, nor quarterly, but hourly and quarterly; every minute He renews His mercy." Remember how Jeremiah put it (Lam. 3:22-23)? ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Who Did You Come To Worship?

Contributed by Jun Suyat on Apr 25, 2011

WHO DID YOU COME TO WORSHIP? Henry Ward Beecher was one of the great preachers of the 19th Century. He was ill one Sunday, so a substitute pastor walked up to the pulpit as the worship service began. Seeing that Dr. Beecher would not be speaking that day, a number of people got up and headed for ...read more

Tags: Worship Benefits

Denomination: Nazarene

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall, Stop Laughing

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 19, 2022

As old as I am, and I expect to get as old as possible, I have noticed that I see things differently than I did a few years ago. I’m not sure if my vision has changed or my perspective. But one thing is certain; something has changed. A lot of things are very aggravating in my life. When I think I ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 5:21

Tags: Mirror, Perception

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Christian Author Joyce Landorf Wrote A Book ...  PRO

Contributed by Doug Lyon on Sep 11, 2004

Christian author Joyce Landorf wrote a book entitled, Tough and Tender: What Every Woman Wants In A Man. In one chapter she mentions a man she calls George, who worked at her husband’s bank. George was recently divorced. And he was leading a lifestyle of sexual liberation. If anybody looked ...read more

Tags: Sexuality, Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Lewis Awakening 1949-53  PRO

Contributed by Scott Malone on Mar 1, 2005

THE LEWIS AWAKENING 1949-53 1. In 1949, on Lewis, one of the Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland, two sisters became burdened with the spiritual coldness of their land. One sister was 82. The other was 84 and blind. 2. They devoted themselves to prayer and “waiting on God”. One ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 84:1

Tags: Prayer Adoration, Mercy, Wait, Vision

Denomination: Baptist

There's A Story About A Man, A Writer, Who Used ...

Contributed by Don Hawks on Aug 10, 2008

There’s a story about a man, a writer, who used to go to the beach to do his writing. He had the habit of walking along the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore; as he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Methodist

History Of "The Star Spangled Banner"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2011

HISTORY OF "THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER" An American lawyer was dispatched to negotiate for the release of several prisoners, including a civilian named Dr. William Beanes. Although the negotiation for prisoner exchange was initially successful, Francis Scott Key and the American official, Colonel ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Tags: Independence Day

Appreciation: Better Than A Paycheck

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

APPRECIATION: BETTER THAN A PAYCHECK You don't have to teach people to complain, criticize, or be selfish. We're naturals at it. But we do have to learn to express appreciation. People need to be appreciated. A businessman went downtown to his office one morning, a couple of hours earlier than ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5

Tags: Praise, Encouragement, Gratitude, Compliment

What Will You Do With Jesus This Christmas?

Contributed by David Tack on Dec 2, 2011

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS THIS CHRISTMAS? Many years ago in the countryside of Bethlehem the townsfolk prepared for just another day, though this day was quite extraordinary. The shepherds were out tending to their sheep and the Jewish nation was feeling the restraints of Roman oppression. ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Baptist

An Old Feud And A New Bridge  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2013

AN OLD FEUD AND A NEW BRIDGE There were two old geezers living in the backwoods of the Ozarks: Rufus and Clarence. They lived on opposite sides of the river and they hated each other. Every morning, just after sunup, Rufus and Clarence would go down to their respective sides of the river and yell ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 13:1-33

Tags: Fear And Worry

Kind Of Like The Little Kid Who Was Told This ...  PRO

Contributed by Maximiliano Zapata on Jun 19, 2001

Kind of like the little kid who was told this same story in his Sunday morning Bible class. After church on way home mom asks him what they talked about in Bible class, little boy tells her that they talked about the creation story and how God had taken a rib from mans side and made a wife for ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-3

Tags: Children

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Man Discovered Weapons, Invented Hunting. Woman ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Sep 2, 2001

"Man discovered weapons, invented hunting. Woman discovered hunting, invented furs. Man discovered colors, invented painting. Woman discovered painting, invented make-up. Man discovered agriculture, invented food. Woman discovered food, invented diet..." I won’t go on, because you get the ...read more

Tags: Marriage General, Sin Deceptive

Denomination: *other

Doing Nothing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2002

DOING NOTHING Make a commitment to be under-committed. (If you don’t hear anything else this morning, hear this... Make a commitment to be under-committed.) Look at your calendar and make sure there are lots of blank spaces. Stop saying "It will slow down when..." Because it won’t. Quindlen ...read more

Tags: Giving Yourself, Workplace Balance

The Clerk Of Abbington Presbytery, Outside Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

The clerk of Abbington Presbytery, outside of Philadelphia, approximately 100 years ago gave these 5 kinds of attitudes about change: 1. Early innovators (2.6%), run with new ideas 2. Early adaptors (13.4%), influenced by (1) but not initiators 3. Slow Majority (34%), the herd-followers 4. ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Unity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Children Hear  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2002

WHAT CHILDREN HEAR I was reading the story of Jesus’ birth to my day-care children one morning. As usual, I stopped to see if they understood. "What do we call the three wise men?" I asked. "The three maggots," replied a bright 5-year-old. "What gift did the MAGI bring baby Jesus?" ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus, Christmas

The Story Was Told Some Years Ago Of A Pastor ...  PRO

Contributed by Lou Nicholes on Sep 8, 2004

The story was told some years ago of a pastor who found the roads blocked one Sunday morning and was forced to skate on the river to get to church, which he did. When he arrived the elders of the church were horrified that their preacher had skated on the Lord’s Day. After the service they held a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:23-28

Tags: Church Practices, Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Choices  PRO

Contributed by Marcus Rosa on Sep 20, 2004

How in the world did Lot end up in such a mess? One word—choices. —Something each of us has in common. Every single day... every single moment we make choices. —What to eat. What to wear. What to say. What to do. How to act. —You’ve made a thousand choices before you arrived here this morning! ...read more

Tags: Sin Wages Of, Sin Exposed

Denomination: Baptist