In Sermon Illustrations: "Judging Others"

The Bet — Anton Chekhov

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Sep 7, 2006

The Bet -- Anton Chekhov We live in a world that knows little about what’s truly valuable. People all around us are pursuing things that have no lasting value. That pursuit is ably treated by Anton Chekhov in his classic short story The Bet. This story gives us great insight into the value system ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:28-38, Matthew 8:5-13

Denomination: Pentecostal

Over The Edge

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Nov 19, 2006

Over the Edge The Adirondack Mountains make a breathtaking backdrop for wilderness canoeing. Two friends and I had taken vacation time to get away from it all and live out of our canoes for a week. Each day we would take a new direction to explore the area. One day we took one of ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Over The Edge

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Nov 27, 2006

Over the Edge The Adirondack Mountains make a breathtaking backdrop for wilderness canoeing. Two friends and I had taken vacation time to get away from it all and live out of our canoes for a week. Each day we would take a new direction to explore the area. One day we took one of the finger ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Max Lucado Tells The Story Like This: The Faces ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Max Lucado tells the story like this: The faces of the three men were solemn as the mayor informed them of the catastrophe. “The rains have washed away the bridge. During the night many cars drove over the edge and into the river.” “What can we do?” asked one. “You must stand on the side of the ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

When Was The Last Time You Took Some Time Out To ...

Contributed by Keith Broyles on Oct 3, 2007

When was the last time you took some time out to play the age-old children’s game, “Who am I? Well, after the sermon this morning you will be able to tell all of your friends that you last played it at church during the worship service. That is how we are going to start out this morning, with a ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

The Water ...

Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Jun 2, 2008

The Water (Anonymous) It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Building A Deck

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Aug 12, 2008

BUILDING A DECK I have been building a deck in my backyard this summer, right now I am placing the finishing touches on it. Before I built my deck, I looked through different deck plans, and compared the different kinds of deck materials and figured out pretty much what I needed. Then I went to ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:23

Tags: Ministry, Motivation, Pride

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Ideal ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2008

THE IDEAL PASTOR The ideal pastor is difficult to find. But if your church is fortunate, you may be able to secure his services. Since he is the ideal pastor, it won’t cost very much - he lives by faith. Yet he can be counted upon to tithe heavily and still be able to afford a large house in which ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Not A Guest, But Family

Contributed by Tim Smith on Dec 10, 2008

NOT A GUEST, BUT FAMILY Ellen Porter tells the story of Mitsuyo, a Japanese exchange student coming to live with her family. Her father had written and warned Ellen that Mitsuyo was a willful child, but she saw no signs of that at all. She dressed the same each day, was silent while eating at the ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Methodist

Whoever Gets The Son Gets It All  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

WHOEVER GETS THE SON GETS IT ALL The story is told about a wealthy man and his only son - both of whom loved to collect rare works of art! They had everything - from the late great Andalusian-Spanish painter, draughtsman, and sculptor, Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) to the late great Italian painter ...read more

Tags: Atonement, Jesus, Salvation, Cross, Becoming A Christian  (view more)  (view less)

I Arrived In The City Of Everywhere Early One ...

Contributed by Danny Presswood on Jan 26, 2009

"I arrived in the city of EVERYWHERE early one morning. It was cold, and there were flurries of snow on the ground. As I stepped from the train to the platform, I noticed that the Baggage man and the redcap were warmly attired in heavy coats and gloves, but oddly enough, they wore no shoes. ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Baptist

The Sandwich-Sign Parable

Contributed by Jerry Flury on Mar 24, 2009

THE SANDWICH-SIGN PARABLE The faces of the three men were solemn as the mayor informed them of the catastrophe. "The rains have washed away the bridge. During the night many cars drove over the edge and into the river." "What can we do?" asked one. "You must stand on the side of the road and ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Baptist

Worthy To Suffer For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2009

WORTHY TO SUFFER FOR HIM John Balca was one of the early pioneer missionaries in Eastern Europe. He was particularly focused on the country of Yugoslavia in the 1930-1950’s. In his autobiography, he writes of the many difficulties that God helped him to overcome in the establishing of an Apostolic ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:52

Tags: Persecution

My Mother And My ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2009

MY MOTHER AND MY FRIENDS (Excerpted from Simple Treasures - Garnet Hunt White. Stories for a Woman’s Heart, p. 187.) The Prov. 31 woman has grateful children – “Her children stand and bless her” (Prov. 31:28 NLT). Mother accepted my friends as they were, and they loved her for it. They liked the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:1-31

Tags: Mother's Day

19th Century Revival Sparked By ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 30, 2009

19th Century Revival Sparked by Prayer In 1857 there was a 46 year old man named Jeremiah Lamphere who lived in New York City. Jeremiah loved the Lord tremendously, but he didn’t feel that he could do much for the Lord until he began to feel a burden for the lost and accepted an invitation from his ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Revival

The Cross At Ground Zero After ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 9, 2009

The Cross at Ground Zero After 9/11 A testimony from a worker at ground zero on 9-11 testifies of God’s transforming power. I’m an excavation laborer, and a member of union local 731. Pick-and-shovel work is my trade. I live in New Jersey, but I’m a New York City native, Brooklyn born and bred. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Tags: Cross

History Of Calvinism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

HISTORY OF CALVINISM In 1610, just one year after the death of James Arminius (a Dutch Seminary professor) five articles of faith based on his teachings were drawn up by his followers. The Arminians, as his followers came to be called, presented these five doctrines to the State of Holland in the ...read more

Scripture: Jude 1:24-25, Ephesians 1:3-5

Tags: Warning, Calvinism

David's Demons

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Nov 16, 2010

DAVID'S DEMONS Many years ago I worked in an organisation called SCILS - Sunshine Coast Independent Living Skills. We worked with people who had mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. David (not his real name) was helped to find a place to rent in the community. He had been in danger of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:43-45

Tags: Demons

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Vs. Voodoo

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

GOD VS. VOODOO Pastor Mike Breaux tells the story below when his daughter Jodie answered God's call to go into missions work: During her junior year of high school, Jodie struggled to find a faith of her own. She wanted to know in her heart that all of what she'd been taught to believe was true ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:34-38

Tags: Missions

God Is With The Righteous

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Feb 19, 2012

GOD IS WITH THE RIGHTEOUS Listen to a partially embellished STORY of the SERVANT who escaped to Abraham... The sun was just rising in the east. Abram's entourage had grown significantly since Lot departed. They had settled in the land of Mamre the Amorite, finding water and shade in the forest, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 14:1-16

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational