In Sermon Illustrations: "Let Your Light Shine"

Big Ed

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Jul 19, 2010

BIG ED When I was in high school, there was this girl -- let's call her "Edith". Everyone called her Big "Ed" because she was on the heavy side. She was the youngest of four sisters, the three older ones being very attractive. Edith accepted the nickname, showed no real signs of being injured ...read more

Tags: Friendship General, Misfit

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Take A Young Man From A Wealthy Family, Strip Him ...

Contributed by Tobin Crenshaw on Aug 15, 2010

Take a young man from a wealthy family, strip him of all of his money until he finds himself homeless and has to beg on the street, hold him in a cell as a prisoner of war in a foreign land, and turn his family against him and what are the odds you would give for him to impact the world? Or ...read more

Tags: Sports, Trust God

Denomination: Brethren

Small Things With Great Love

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE Gary Morsch is the founder of Heart to Heart in Kansas City. As a physician, he has done magnificient work around the world taking medical supplies to low income people. Several years ago, he took a trip to Calcutta and Mother Teresa's House for the Destitute Dying. He ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Methodist

The Mark Of Jesus  PRO

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 17, 2012

THE MARK OF JESUS When I was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Levelland, there was a man in our church, the owner of a local business and a highly intentional Christian. The apostle Paul once said of himself that he bore "on [his] body the marks of Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). Well, this man bore ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-33

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Augustine And The Four States Of Man  PRO

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Mar 5, 2012

AUGUSTINE AND THE FOUR STATES OF MAN In the 5th century AD, St. Augustine wrote about the "4 States of Man": * The first state of man (the haec sunt prima) is "living according to the flesh -- with reason making no resistance." This can be seen in so many ancient cultures and religions (and ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-15

Tags: Allegory

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Worry Too Much

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 31, 2012

"I WORRY TOO MUCH" I was perusing the Internet this week and found ExperienceProject.com that has an entire section of the website called "I worry too much." Worry must be one of those universal emotions and conditions that all of us deal with. These are some of the comments left by ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:22-34, Philippians 4:6-8

Tags: Worry, Ready

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Most Watched Rescue Mission In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 27, 2012

THE MOST WATCHED RESCUE MISSION IN HISTORY "Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33. " ("We are well IN THE SHELTER, the 33.") That seven-word message set off a wave of euphoria in Chile and around the world. It had been written in red letters on a scrap of paper and taped to a drill bit that penetrated ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:10

Tags: Salvation

The Locust Plague Described

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Jan 29, 2013

THE LOCUST PLAGUE DESCRIBED The judgment in the book of Joel centers on the warning of a plague of locusts. Now you may think, "Ah, little grasshoppers. Not much of a problem, eh." History records a similar event. Let me read to you: In 1915 a plague of locusts covered Palestine and Syria from ...read more

Scripture: Joel 1:4

Tags: God's Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Division In The Church

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 6, 2014

Daniel Overdorf- A few years ago I visited a couple in their home. Both husband and wife had lived most of their lives apart from Christ and His church. Their marriage- a second marriage for both- had grown rocky. The 50 year old husband faced a frightening battle with cancer, and neither ...read more

Scripture: John 17:20-23

Tags: Argue, Church Unity, Disunity

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

There Was A Lady Named Danni Stampley From ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

There was a lady named Danni Stampley from Luann’s home church who had been trained as a Baptist missionary. She felt the call to be a missionary the very night she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior; she was a teenager at the time. After high school and college, she spent several years in a ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive

A Person's Last Words Are Important. We Hang On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A person’s last words are important. We hang on to the dying words of those closest to us. We pass on the final words of great leaders for the next generation. It’s as if we are waiting for them to sum everything up in a few final statements. Some are famous: Nathan Hale (1755-1776) – "I only ...read more

Tags: Death

The Gift

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Dec 21, 2007

THE GIFT A professor of mine from seminary told us this story: When he was a young man, all of 23, he had the opportunity to take a summer tour of Europe as a graduation present, he was from a well to do family. He traveled about Europe by train, boat and sometimes by bicycle. Finally he ended up ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In January 2000, Leaders In Charlotte, North ...  PRO

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Jan 23, 2008

In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina , invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson’s disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, ’We don’t expect a major address. Just ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

Billy Graham's Suits

Contributed by Charles Wallis on Feb 21, 2008

Billy Graham’s Suits In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson’s disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, ’We don’t expect a ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Jack The Neighbor

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

JACK THE NEIGHBOR Someone in Elgin once had a neighbor named Jack. Jack was a tough man. He worked hard, he drank hard, he fought hard, and he was harsh and gruff in his manner. Most people were afraid of Jack. But this one neighbor got brave and said hello to him over the fence one day. He ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Taking Out The Trash

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 12, 2016

When my wife and I got married, we were able to move into a small little house. It was just right for us two kids. We soon realized, however, that we needed to have a discussion about the division of duties. I was the bigger of the two of us and we decided that I would be responsible for taking ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:11-13

Tags: Jesus, Suffering, Rejection, Shame, Trash, Mocked, Outside The Camp, Jesus Suffered  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Gift Of Grace And Forgiveness In Our Time Of Greatest Need

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Julian Silva tells the story of working in a Volunteer Corp’s Chaplain Office in Frankfurt, Germany where he met a German named, Carl Scholtz. During WW II, Carl served as a Nazi soldier but not believing in what he was doing, he tried to desert. He failed in his attempt, was captured and thrown ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Denomination: Methodist

What To Do About The Bloopers

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on Jun 28, 2010

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE BLOOPERS Leon Lett. Nice name. It has a bit of a ring to it. However, unless you are a true NFL football fan, it’s probably not a name that rings a bell for you. So let me fill you in on Leon. Leon played in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys from 1991 to 2000 and the Denver ...read more

Tags: Attitude General

The Ring Of Salvation  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2011

THE RING OF SALVATION It began at West Point in 1835. It is a practice that has endured almost 200 years. You may have chosen to obtain one, and undoubtedly you waited anxiously for it to arrive. Others of you weren’t really that into it and decided to pass. Some of you in the room may still wear ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:22-24

Tags: Easter Good Friday

What It Was, Was A Peach Tree

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 15, 2020

For some reason, this week, I had been thinking of my maternal grandfather. I was named after him, and therefore we had a connection. I was thinking about him because this month I turned the same age as he was when he passed. I hope there's no connection there. As a young boy, I would spend a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:23

Tags: Faith, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance