In Sermon Illustrations: "Let Your Light Shine"

I Was Filling In As Pulpit Supply Years Ago, When ...

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Nov 9, 2009

I was filling in as pulpit supply years ago, when I was approached by a man after the service. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “That has to be worst sermon I’ve ever heard.” Then he turned and stormed out of the church. I felt crushed. I’d worked hard on that sermon; praying that it ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-24

Tags: Holy Spirit, Sin Exposed

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Kentucky Thunderstorm Wipes Out Historic Family ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 12, 2009

Kentucky Thunderstorm Wipes Out Historic Family Pear Tree John Claypool tells the story of a thunderstorm years ago that swept through Southern Kentucky at the farm where his ancestors had lived for 6 generations. There was an old pear tree that had been there for about as long as anyone could ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14

Tags: Hardship Of Life, Enduring Hardship

A Sunday School Teacher Asks Her Class What They ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 16, 2009

A Sunday School Teacher Asks Her Class What They Were Thankful For A Sunday School teacher asked her class what they were thankful for. A little girl said "I’m thankful for my bedroom. My younger brothers have to share a room. But I get to have a room all for myself! I thank God for my ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5

Tags: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Holiday

A Bus Carrying Only Ugly People That Crashed Into ...

Contributed by David Rumley on Dec 21, 2009

A bus carrying only ugly people that crashed into an oncoming truck, and everyone inside dies. As they stand at the Pearly Gates waiting to enter Paradise and meet their maker, God decides to grant each person one wish because of the grief they have experienced. They’re all lined up, and God asks ...read more

Tags: Materialism

Denomination: Pentecostal

Watch Out For The Weeds  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Feb 23, 2010

WATCH OUT FOR THE WEEDS Watch out for the weeds in your life – the things that come between you and God; between you and serving God. I like the way Rick Warren illustrates weeds. • You don’t have to plan for weeds to grow; it just grows. • The difference between a plant and a weed is this. ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Have You Ever Been In A Parade? It’s A Fun ...

Contributed by Mark Pierce on May 26, 2010

Have you ever been in a parade? It’s a fun thing to do. When I was a boy scout I was in several parades. Today I want to talk about one of the most famous parades in history - Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A parade takes some preparation. Every year we love to watch the tournament of ...read more

Tags: Preparation, Parade

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Astor's Promise

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 18, 2010

ASTOR'S PROMISE One stormy night an elderly couple entered the lobby of a small hotel and asked for a room. The clerk said they were full and they would probably find so were all the hotels in town. "But I can’t send a fine couple like you out in the rain. Would you be willing to sleep in my ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

Denomination: Brethren

Joy In The Midst Of Rough Waters

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Feb 13, 2011

JOY IN THE MIDST OF ROUGH WATERS I’ve spent a fair bit of time in recent weeks doing funeral pre-planning for my parents. Making decisions about final disposition of the remains of people you have loved all your life is not any fun at all. It can be overwhelmingly sad. After spending hours with ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Disturb Us, O Lord  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 8, 2011

DISTURB US, O LORD Sir Frances Drake: "Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4

Tags: Christian Values

Not Encouraging

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2011

NOT ENCOURAGING A young couple, very much in love, were getting married in church. However, the bride was very nervous about the big occasion and so the preacher chose one verse that he felt would be a great encouragement to them. The verse was 1 John 4:18 which says: "There is no fear in love. ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Weddings

Keeping Up With Next Door  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

KEEPING UP WITH NEXT DOOR I heard about a chicken yard with a big hen house, where a rooster had all of his hens laying eggs. One day, two little boys were next door playing football, with a brand new white football. One of them accidentally kicked the football over the fence, and it rolled into ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:4

Tags: Envy, Successful

The World's Accent  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Mar 22, 2012

THE WORLD'S ACCENT When I was a boy, my Arkansas cousins moved to California for two years. When they moved back, they talked funny. Just living in California for two years influenced how they said "You guys" and how often they said it. I prefer "Y'all" to "You guys" any day. My cousins promised ...read more

Scripture: James 4:4, Romans 12:2

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Baptist

The Cup On Its Side  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Apr 16, 2012

THE CUP ON ITS SIDE A teacher set a cup on the table in front of his two disciples. He took a flask that had a little water in it and poured the water into the cups, evenly dividing all that was left. Trying to teach the students to be hungry for more knowledge, he said, "Your cup has water, but ...read more

Tags: Religion

Denomination: Baptist

Keep The Springs Pure  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

KEEP THE SPRINGS PURE The family’s water supply came from a spring just a few feet from the house. The pure, cold, sweet water bubbled up through a large pipe about the size of a barrel that had been sunk in the ground. One morning two huge frogs were found in the spring. No one wanted to drink ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-27

Tags: Heart

Now She Understands  PRO

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 5, 2012

NOW SHE UNDERSTANDS A lady had two children. The older son was 7 years old and the little girl about 2½ years old. She heard this terrible scream upstairs and as she ran upstairs she found out that the little girl was pulling the hair of her brother. He was crying out in pain. The mother ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: *other

Never Satisfied

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 20, 2013

NEVER SATISFIED Some people are never happy. A Jewish lady's grandson is playing in the water, she is standing on the beach not wanting to get her feet wet, when all of a sudden, a huge wave appears from nowhere and crashes directly over the spot where the boy is wading. The water recedes and ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Don't Just Entertain

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 14, 2014

Timothy Paul Jones- With high hopes we had moved to a new youth ministry position. On my first Wednesday evening at this church, I received my first hint that this task might be more difficult than I’d imagined. After a couple of games, I gathered the students for some worship songs. Worship ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, Delight In God's Word, Neglect Of The Word

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Lonely Frog

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Dec 8, 2014

You’ve heard the one, I ‘m sure, about the lonely frog who goes to see a fortune-teller. He’s told not to worry. She says, “You’re going to meet a beautiful young girl, and she will want to know everything about you.” “That’s great!” the excited frog says. “When will I meet her?” And the psychic ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 2:1-13

Tags: Fate, Providence

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Purity

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 1, 2015

A mother was concerned when she heard that her son had a live in girlfriend. She went to his house. Her son was the only one home. The son said, “It’s not what you think, Mom. She needed a place to stay. She has her bedroom and I have mine.” The son then showed his mother the guest bedroom ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Tags: Cohabitation, Shacking Up, Sexual Purity, Living Together

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Patience Is A Virtue

Contributed by Pastor Randall Timblin on Aug 20, 2018

My Mother always used to say, 'Only Fools rush in, son!' As I grew and matured, I heard that a lot less because I started to see the wisdom in what she had said and the foolishness in which I, as a young man, was a prime example. Matter-of-fact, if you had looked up foolishness, you would ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Tags: Patience, Rushing

Denomination: *other