In Sermon Illustrations: "Light For My Path"

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

What Can I Fear?

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 29, 2010

WHAT CAN I FEAR? In A.D. 373 John Chrysostom became a hermit. He went alone into the mountains near Antioch, seeking to know God better. Although his time of isolation was cut short by illness, he discovered that with God at his side, he could attend alone against anyone or anything. That ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Brethren

Two Kinds Of Giving

Contributed by T D on Dec 28, 2010

TWO KINDS OF GIVING I have witnessed in my years of ministry people come to church and when they do not like a decision of the leadership or the minister, they decide to stop giving as a protest or decide to shift their giving to missions in order to inflict pain on the ministry of the church. ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Money Money Money  PRO

Contributed by Tom Conant on Apr 3, 2009

MONEY MONEY MONEY Money magazine declared money was the number one obsession of Americans. Newsweek reports there is a new plane of consciousness called "transcendental acquisition." Its cover story of 8/27/01 tells of a woman saddled with debt who charged a diving trip to French East Indies. ...read more

Tags: Greed

Denomination: Pentecostal

Cleaning Is Hard Work

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jun 20, 2009

CLEANING IS HARD WORK When I was in Bible College. Fridays were not fun. Those were the nights we had "work sections." You heard me -- "work sections." We changed out of our holy threads to work-clothes and started cleaning the College, from scrubbing potatoes to scrubbing floors. And none of this ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Salvation Army

Remember Who Your Daddy Is

Contributed by David Hodgin on Jun 24, 2009

REMEMBER WHO YOUR DADDY IS George Foreman is famous for many things: boxing champion, pitchman, grill guru, television celebrity, and, he named all five of his sons, George. When asked why he gave all his sons the same name, he usually quips something like, "If you’d been hit in the head as many ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Maybe God Wants Us To Say Wow

Contributed by Sean Harder on Jun 25, 2009

MAYBE GOD WANTS US TO SAY WOW Last week a young man asked me why God made sharks. I could have come up with many scientific answers, but again the point of all this is to give God glory, so I finally answered "Maybe sometimes God just wants us to say wow." I used to wonder why God made mosquitoes ...read more

Tags: Beauty

Before You Lead Me, Where Are You Going?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

BEFORE YOU LEAD ME, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? I heard the story of the woman driving through a snowstorm just outside of Denver. She was completely lost and struggling under the hazardous weather conditions. She was relieved when she happened upon a snowplow. Since she was lost she decided to follow ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Direction, Leadership, Goals, Lead, Drive  (view more)  (view less)

I Sat In A Courtroom As A Witness For The Motel ...

Contributed by Jerry Blaxton on Aug 27, 2009

I sat in a courtroom as a witness for the motel I was working for, and, we were waiting on our case to come up, and one of the cases that was presented, was a man who stole food from a grocery store, and the reason he gave was that he and his family were hungry. Now, it is a terrible thing that we ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

Afraid Of What?

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Sep 3, 2009

AFRAID OF WHAT? Jack Benson was a missionary to China. He was held up by some bandits who took all his valuables & then held a gun to his head & forced him to kneel in the road. They told him they were going to shoot him. Benson knelt calmly, maintaining his composure through it all. The ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How About The Story Of A Woman Called Shirley Who ...

Contributed by Paul Green on Oct 28, 2009

how about the story of a woman called Shirley who had a heart attack and was taken to hospital. And while she was there she had a near-death experience. She saw God and asked, "God, Is this it? Is this my time?" And God said, "No, you’ve got another 30 or 40 years to live yet." So as soon as she ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

Salt Enhances The Flavor Of African ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 8, 2009

Salt Enhances the Flavor of African Food Two thousand years ago salt was used primarily for two reasons, to preserve and to season. And while preservation was the most critical in a practical sense the flavouring benefits of NaCl or sodium chloride can never be underestimated. A number years ago ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Eddy Stone Lighthouse Rebuilt On Rock And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 10, 2009

Eddy Stone Lighthouse Rebuilt on Rock and Survives The first beacon of the Eddy Stone Lighthouse for the English Channel off the coast of Plymouth was placed there over 250 years ago to warn ships of the dangerous reefs. Winstanley, the architect who built it, was so confident of it’s strength ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:1

Tags: Affliction

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

Childlike Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A few months ago, I was in El Paso holding an evangelistic meeting, and the young people were serving dinner to the mothers being that it was Mother’s Day. I was seating in a chair watching what was going on, and right in front, a four-year-old girl pushed a two-year-old boy, who fell on the floor ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:12

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

An Incredible Symbol Of The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 2, 2023

Gordon Brownville's Symbols of the Holy Spirit tells about the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first to discover the magnetic meridian of the North Pole and to discover the South Pole. On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:19-23

Tags: Church, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Acts, Spirit Filled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Volunteers

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Sep 2, 2023

THE VOLUNTEERS This poem is dedicated to all faithful volunteers. We could not make it without your willingness to serve. Thank you, Loyd C Taylor, Sr. The Volunteers There are some special people that we know Found in needy places across this land; They’re people that selflessly serve others, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:41, Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 14:23, John 6:27

Tags: Volunteers, Helpers, Service, Sacrifice, Support, Servant, Labor Day  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Achilles' Heel

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 15, 2024

The ancient Greeks told a story of a warrior named Achilles. His mother had been warned that he would die of a wound, so she dipped him as an infant in the river Styx. That was supposed to make him invincible. THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM -- she held him by one heel which the protective waters did not ...read more

Scripture: James 1:9-15

Tags: Evil, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Trials, Lust  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Burnout In The Ministry Is A Serious Problem.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

Burnout is a serious problem among pastors around the world. Some statistics include: On average, seminary trained pastors last only five years in church ministry. • 100% of 1,050 Reformed and Evangelical pastors had a colleague who had left the ministry because of burnout, church conflict, or ...read more

Tags: Elijah, Ministry, Burnout, Pastors, Simon Peter, Discouraged, Quitting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Just As I Am Without One Plea

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Jun 6, 2011

JUST AS I AM WITHOUT ONE PLEA Charlotte Elliot came to Caesar Milan and asked how she could become a Christian. The old man replied, "My dear, it is very simple. You have only to come to Jesus." And she said to him, "But I am a very great sinner, will He take me just as I am?" "Yes, He will ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist