In Sermon Illustrations: "Lesson"

Sarah's Vase  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 21, 2011

SARAH'S VASE Just like life comes in the place of death, so honor comes in the place of service. Pediatrician David Cerqueira tells the story of a little girl in his wife's Sunday School class. His wife had prepared a lesson on being useful and told the children that everyone can be useful in ...read more

Scripture: John 12:23-26, Mark 14:1-9

Tags: Servanthood

Grant Vs. Custer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

GRANT VS. CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point--Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. In ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-11, Matthew 23:23-24

Tags: Humility, Pride, Show Off, Comparison

Chris Paul: Forgiving The Murderers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 23, 2011

CHRIS PAUL: FORGIVING THE MURDERERS In April, 2011, Rick Reilly wrote a moving story about forgiveness from the life of Chris Paul, the all-star basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets. Reilly writes: On the moonless night of November 15, 2002, five boys ran across a park, jumped a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:4

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Ask Seek Knock

The Death Of A Eagle (Let Go)

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 9, 2016

CONCLUSION: There was a young man that attended school in a large north-eastern city. In his studies he fell in love with EAGLES. He read everything he could about eagles. He watched documentaries about eagles and the more he studied the more he loved EAGLES. He promised himself when he graduated ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:5

Tags: Eagle, Let Go

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Ashamed When It Counted The Most

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 18, 2019

Ashamed when it counted the most My two sisters, when they were somewhat younger, liked to play the piano and took lessons for some time. I like music, too, but not all the practicing that went along with it! We found out there was going to be a “recital” where all of the students in their ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, 1 John 2:28

Tags: Christian Life, Shame, Rewards

Denomination: Baptist

Grace At Christmas

Contributed by Joel Arndt on Jan 9, 2020

Early on in my ministry, I was called to the home of one of the people in the congregation who said they had a Christmas gift for me. Shortly after getting out of my vehicle I heard shouting coming from the house that I was called to. I gently knocked on the door and the woman of the house opened ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23

Tags: Christmas, Grace, Forgiveness, Gift

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Surface Level Fellowship

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2022

Bill Hybels recalls a time when “Dr. Bilezikian said there’s life-changing fellowship in biblically functioning community. That was a far cry from the childhood experience of a lot of his audience! The only kind of fellowship that many of his listeners had witnessed revolved around the fifteen or ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:17

Tags: Fellowship, Community, Small Groups

"i've Got A Mansion Just Over The Hilltop" Song Story

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 21, 2022

In 1945, a young Christian businessman stood one evening in an evangelistic service in Dallas, Texas, and told how he had learned a valuable lesson from a small child. The gentleman stated that his business, for a number of months, had been in a steady decline. It looked as if it would completely ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Tags: Death, Revelation, Heaven, Hope, New Jerusalem, Funerals  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Firestorms

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2011

FIRESTORMS I was at Boy Scout Camp when I discovered the terrible damage a fire storm could do to my life. It was a lazy afternoon very hot and dry. John and I were sent back to camp to start dinner for the guys. When I got back to camp, I discovered that the camp fire looked as if it had gone ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-22, 1 Samuel 11:3-7

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

[098]. A Message From A Poem – Genesis Synopsis

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 7, 2025

[098]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GENESIS SYNOPSIS How can you possibly put the book of Genesis into a poem? The answer is, be brief and try not to miss the main events. I had the desire to write a Genesis poem and this is the result. The poem begins of course with Chapter 1 and works to the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 15:13, Genesis 12:3, Genesis 15:18, Matthew 24:37-38, Genesis 1:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Genesis, Creation, Egypt, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Adam, Joseph, Cain, Isaac, Nimrod, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Hungry Enemy  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Oct 27, 2002

A HUNGRY ENEMY A woman wrote to "Pulpit Helps" to explain a miraculous lesson her family experienced. During one of their family Bible readings as new Christians, they ran across the verse, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him" (Romans 12:20 RSV). She writes: Ours sons, 7 and 10 at the time, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:20, Matthew 5:43-48

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Enemy, Forgiveness General, Christian Love, Christlikeness, Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Clutching My Cane--Straightening The Derby!" ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 25, 2004

“Clutching My Cane--Straightening the Derby!” Acts 8: 18-25 Key verse(s): 24: “Then Simon answered, ‘Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.’” There’s an old East Texas saying: “It doesn’t matter how much milk you spill just so long as you don’t lose the cow.” To ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:18-25

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Laus Deo  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

LAUS DEO In the middle of Washington DC stands a monument--our national Monument, the Washington Monument. As a history lesson, there are some things you should know about this place. There can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument in the DC area. On the aluminum cap ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-7

Tags: Children, Worship, Sin, God, America, Character, Kingdom  (view more)  (view less)

Even If We ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

EVEN IF WE LOSE Are we thinking kind thoughts? What about when we lose the game? Have you learned that there are things happening right now that are preparing us to fulfill visions, dreams and purpose that our God has planned for our lives? Someone needs you to reach out of your box and help! Did ...read more

Scripture: Judges 7:9-13

Tags: Compassion

My Dad Used To Tell A Story About An Old Georgia ...

Contributed by David Swinney on May 31, 2010

My dad used to tell a story about an old Georgia redneck who would routinely head out into the swamp and return with a boat full of fish—more than anyone could conceivably catch, even in a long day of fishing with rod and reel. Well, in the course of time, his exceptional good luck caught the ...read more

Tags: Power

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Message Of The Straight Jacket

Contributed by Christopher Roberts (Barrister) on Jan 22, 2013

THE MESSAGE OF THE STRAIGHT JACKET Satan employs a number of tactics against us, which most often God uses for our greater good. One of those tactics is to place a straight jacket of circumstance upon us, something that we are unable to deal with ourselves. Such a straight jacket might relate to a ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Christian Church

Remember Your Creator

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 13, 2020

How many of you remember minibikes? These “bikes” were smaller than motorcycles, and used a smaller engine. I thought they looked like lawnmower engines, but maybe they were bigger. The minibikes were fun, but you had to have space on your property to ride them. They weren’t legal for riding on the ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1

Tags: Death, Youth, Accidents

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes—jonathan’s Armor Bearer

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 4, 2020

Unsung heroes—Jonathan’s armor bearer Introduction: some of the unsung heroes of the Bible never had their names revealed. The people they served with knew, and clearly their parents knew, but in His Wisdom, our Lord has chosen for these people to remain secret. Their deeds were well known, even ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:6-7

Tags: Philistines, Jonathan, Armor Bearers

Denomination: Baptist

Rapture Why God Doesn't Reveal When

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Feb 26, 2024

When I and my sister were young children we use to regularly have babysitters when our parents went out in the evenings. Some of the babysitters were fun! Some weren’t. The fun ones were the ones that let us play wild games that normally our parents would never let us do in the house if ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:32, Matthew 24:36

Tags: Second Coming, Rapture, Judgment

Denomination: Baptist

Missy  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 29, 2006

Missy Dear Heavenly Father, I don’t’ know if you have any special place set aside for the small creatures in your future plans, but, I would like to ask a favor of you; that is, if you feel I’m worthy of entrance into your Kingdom. I know that your eye is on the sparrow and that not one thing ...read more