In Sermon Illustrations: "Kind To The Unkind"

The Modeler And The Modeled

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

THE MODELER AND THE MODELED Michael Chesko describes himself as an eccentric mix of engineer, model maker, unofficial cartographer, and most of all, artist. When he was a little boy living in Arizona he would make maps of fictitious landscapes of places like Arizona and then he started to model ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Identity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2011

IDENTITY Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France has proposed a decree that would ban anyone from wearing religious symbols of any kind. The decree is aimed particularly at forbidding Muslim women from wearing their traditional burqa with a full-faced veil. However the decree is broad enough that it ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:26-28

Tags: Religion

Imaginary Jesus

Contributed by Tim Smith on Mar 17, 2011

IMAGINARY JESUS Matt Mikalatos has written a fictional story entitled, "Imaginary Jesus." In that story the main character encounters a wide variety of people who claim to be Jesus, but who actually represent our diverse and ever-changing depictions of who we want Jesus to be and the roles we want ...read more

Tags: Doctrine

Denomination: Methodist

Would You Hire Him?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2011

WOULD YOU HIRE HIM? A certain church found itself suddenly without a pastor, and a search committee was formed. In due course it received a letter from a man applying for the vacant position. The committee chairman read: "I am considered to be a good preacher, and I have been a leader in most of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 26:1-29

Tags: Paul

Poor Man's Philanthropist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

POOR MAN'S PHILANTHROPIST In 2005, when Thomas Cannon died of colon cancer in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, he was 79. Thomas described himself a "poor man's philanthropist." When Thomas was three years old, his father died. Once Thomas' mother remarried, the family of six lived in a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:15

Tags: Giving General

The Hypocrisy Of Robert Courtney  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

THE HYPOCRISY OF ROBERT COURTNEY Before his arrest, Robert Courtney served as a deacon at Northland Cathedral, an Assembly of God Church in Kansas City. In 1990, Courtney began purchasing pharmaceuticals on the gray market and using them to fill prescriptions at his pharmacy. In time, he began ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:23-28

Tags: Hypocrisy

The Value Of The Rock

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

THE VALUE OF THE ROCK There is an old story told of an occasion in 1799 when a twelve year old boy named Conrad Reed skipped church and went fishing in Little Meadow Creek on the family farm near Fayetteville, North Carolina. In an attempt to spear a fish young Conrad Reed missed but his spear ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable Treasure

Honey All The Way Down  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

HONEY ALL THE WAY DOWN In one of his famous escapades, Winnie the Pooh, this lovable toy bear, tries to trap an elephant--or, as he pronounces it, a heffalump. So Pooh digs a hole to catch the heffalump, and decides to bait the trap with some of his own favorite food: honey. But of course, it is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:1-28

Tags: Hypocrisy, Prejudice

You Could All Have One If You Wanted  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2012

YOU COULD ALL HAVE ONE IF YOU WANTED In Gipsy Smith's book The Beauty of Jesus, Gipsy Smith told about Peter Apples, a man (during the Civil War) who went into the enemy's territory. Peter Apples did not know much about being a good soldier. He just knew that when his superior officer said, ...read more

Scripture: John 4:34-38

Tags: Evangelism How To

The Donkey On The Way To Moriah

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 24, 2025

My name? Oh, I’m Steady—because that’s what Abraham always called me. I’m not fast, I’m not fancy—but I can walk a long way without complaining. I’ve carried all kinds of things for my master: water, wood, even tents through the desert wind. But one morning, he packed something different—firewood ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:17-19, Philippians 4:19, Psalm 37:5

Tags: Faith, Trust, Obedience, Journey, Provision  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

The Peter Principle - I Will Change Your Name

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Jan 19, 2026

Back in the 60's ... a man named Laurence J. Peter ... visited several corporations ... and studied some of their management styles ... and characteristics. As a result, ... he came up with a maxim ... which was later named after him ... called ... "The Peter Principle." (Pause) I ...read more

Scripture: John 1:42, Acts 5:29, 1 Samuel 16:7, Philippians 4:13

Tags: Name, Heart, Peter, Change, New Creation, Principle  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

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

Alex Navalny - Russian Dissident

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Feb 19, 2024

Russian opposition leader and outspoken Christian, Alexei Navalny. Navalny voluntarily returned to Russia - knowing he would be arrested and imprisoned. Navalny, 47, dies while serving a 19-year sentence in a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle. In Navalny’s closing statement during his 2021 ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:6

Tags: Righteousness, Sermon On The Mount, Sacrifice, Integrity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Down's Syndrome Boy Teaches His Class About Easter

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 25, 2024

Little Philip, born with Down's syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership Magazine. But because of a creative ...read more

Tags: Children, Easter, Resurrection, Empty Tomb, Special Needs Children, Jesus, Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Heavenly Home

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 3, 2014

Daniel Overdorf- One Friday afternoon I struggled to prepare for the weekend. The week’s hectic pace, filled with activities, left me scrambling on Friday to finish my sermon. While I hunched over my desk, unable to develop anything that resembled a sermon, the office phone rang. From the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:13

Tags: Heaven, Heavenly Home, Entering God's Rest

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Driven By Hurt

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 11, 2022

DRIVEN BY HURT! MIGHT I ADD A PREACHER’S PERSPECTIVE TO START THIS LESSON? BE KIND TO EVERY PERSON. PERHAPS YOU DO NOT KNOW THE PROBLEMS AND THE BATTLES OTHERS ARE FACING. A preacher friend of mine was having some self-doubts and fears he was facing. There was a rather large family that had ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:3, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Bitter, Hurt, Ministry

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Price Of A Miracle  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Mar 24, 2003

THE PRICE OF A MIRACLE Let me tell you about Tess. Tess was a precocious eight-year-old little girl. One day she heard her mom and dad talking in a serious and somber tone about her little brother, Andrew. Tess didn’t understand everything that they were saying, but she got the gist: Her little ...read more

Tags: Change, Character, Giving General, Excitement, Joy, Miracles, Wonder, Sanctification  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

That Poor Young Boy!", Thought The Older ...  PRO

Contributed by Joshua Moran on Jan 31, 2005

"That poor young boy!", thought the older gentleman. The sanctuary was somewhat inactive as music was playing quietly, and the building seemed to be sheltering the people from the bitter cold of a New England winter. A young boy had just walked in with only a tattered sweatshirt, dirty jeans, and ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:41-44

Tags: Giving General, Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Pentecostal

Christmas Is An Exciting Time And Little Sammy ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Nov 13, 2001

Christmas is an exciting time and little Sammy was excited. He was 15 years old and Christmas was still to him a time of wonder. He was a happy child despite his handicap. You see, Sammy was slightly retarded. He still went to school, though he was 2 years behind. And he did the things that ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose, Joy, One, Christmas, Finding Fulfillment  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Received The Following Story As One Of Those ...  PRO

Contributed by David Brockhouse on Apr 3, 2008

I received the following story as one of those “dreaded” forwarded emails. I think it’s a fitting way to end a Wednesday Lenten message on Obedience ----from the eyes of a child. Story of God lives under the Bed. I envy Kevin. He thinks God lives under his bed. One night he was praying out loud ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 85:7-8

Tags: Fear, Doubt, Outreach, Man, Support, Obedience, Wish, Bottle, Genie, Love Others, Shepherd, Help, Trusting God, Goodness, Restoration, Finish  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran