In Sermon Illustrations: "Lighten Up"

Sola Fide: Faith Alone

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

SOLA FIDE: FAITH ALONE Sola fide isn’t a license to sin; it’s the motivation to follow your Savior Now, there was a time in the history of the church, when this doctrine was all but lost. By the fifteenth century the church had become a massive institution of power, and the gospel was polluted. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Faith Vs. Works

Unaware Of The King's Presence  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2012

UNAWARE OF THE KING’S PRESENCE Steve Brown tells the frustrating story of some British social scientists. Following the end of British rule in India in the 1940s, a group of researchers wanted to study the impact of the end of British rule on the life of the nation. After six months, the British ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-16

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Home, Sweet Home

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 14, 2012

HOME, SWEET HOME There was a time during the American Civil War, when the rival armies were encamped on the opposite banks of the Potomac River, the Union's band played one of its patriotic tunes, and the Confederate musicians quickly struck up a melody dear to any Southerner's heart. Then one of ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22

Tags: War

What Commitment?

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jul 1, 2012

WHAT COMMITMENT? When I was in my first year of ministry, I walked into our District preachers meeting at the same time as Bobbie Potter, who was pastor of Munholland UMC in Old Metairie. He asked if I preach last Sunday which I did. Then he asked, "What did you ask them to commit to?" I said I ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Methodist

Time To A Pig

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

TIME TO A PIG There’s the story of a man walking past a farm and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most unusual manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another until the ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Tags: Decision, Time

Vanishing Waves

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 28, 2012

VANISHING WAVES A wise man once told me to pour a glass of water. He dipped his index finger into the cup, I watched as miniature waves hit the glass only to halt seconds later. The wise man told that regardless of how important the world will ever view me or my accomplishments, history will only ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-34

Tags: Parable Rich Fool

Jealous In A Restaurant  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jan 10, 2013

JEALOUS IN A RESTAURANT There is an old story about an older couple having dinner in a restaurant. The wife sees another couple about their age sitting in a booth nearby. She sees the husband sitting close to his wife, with his arm around her. He is whispering things in her ear, and she is smiling ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:28

Tags: Contentment, Marriage General

Denomination: Baptist

Where Are The Happiest Kids?

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Feb 7, 2013

WHERE ARE THE HAPPIEST KIDS? Where do the happiest kids in the world live? A study released in 2012 titled "The New Definition of Childhood" produced by an agency headquartered in Chicago found that the happiest kids in the world live in Mexico--despite its many social ills and widespread ...read more

Tags: Happiness

Denomination: Baptist

True Worship

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 19, 2013

"True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how their worship looks to other people. Focusing on these things misses the point. Jesus tells us that true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Who Am I?  PRO

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Feb 26, 2013

WHO AM I? The German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, used to love to take long walks of a summer evening, meditating and thinking. On one occasion he was seated in a park when a suspicious policeman noticed that he had been there for several hours. The policeman came up to him and said, "What are you ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 8:1-9

Tags: Apologetics General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Looking At The Door

Contributed by Kevin Humphrey on Mar 12, 2013

LOOKING AT THE DOOR A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse. The lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick: "Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this ...read more

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Kyle Idleman On Tomorrow

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 19, 2013

When fans are asked about when they will get serious about their commitment to follow Jesus, the most common answer is tomorrow. There is a tendency to treat our relationship with Jesus like the diet we keep meaning to start. I'm going to start eating right, as soon as I finish off this chicken ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:59-60

Tags: Surrender, Jesus Christ, Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Why Jesus Used Parables

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 16, 2013

WHY JESUS USED PARABLES The following thoughts reveal why Jesus used the parabolic method (They are adapted from - All the Parables of The Bible by Herbert Lockyer). • Parables attract attention and when fully understood are sure to be remembered. They are a great help for our short-term ...read more

Tags: Parables, Jesus Teachings

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

No Slackers  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 2, 2013

NO SLACKERS A large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. This new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:6-12

Tags: Labor Day, Pride Before A Fall, Work Ethic

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

New Perspective

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 15, 2013

New Perspective A guy was crossing the street to visit his neighbor. As he started to cross the street, a car was bearing down on him, so he stopped and backed up to the curb. The car stopped, so he started to cross, and the car started to move toward him. He changed direction and went back to the ...read more

Tags: Empathy, Thoughtfulness

The Two Upper Rooms

Contributed by Davon Huss on Apr 24, 2014

In his book Life Looks Up, Charles Templeton remarks how ironic it is that the course of human history has been affected so positively and negatively by events that have occurred in two small upper rooms. One of them is a drab apartment in London's Westside, dirty, curtain less, with stacks of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:22-28

Tags: Last Supper, Lord's Supper, Upper Room

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sacrificial Love

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 13, 2014

Watchman Nee, a Chinese evangelist, tells of a Christian he once knew in China. He was a rice farmer, and his fields lay high on a mountain. Every day he pumped water into the paddies of new rice. And every morning he returned to find that an unbelieving neighbor who lived down the hill had ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:21

Tags: Evil, Overcome, Good, Unbeliever

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In The Ice Age Movies A Squirrel Is On A Neve...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 5, 2015

In the Ice Age movies a squirrel is on a never ending quest for the acorn. He tries and he tries to get that acorn, and meets with a variety of misadventures along the way. He never succeeds in getting the acorn. In one of these movies, the squirrel has a "near death" experience, and finds himself ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:13-16

Tags: Heaven, Alien, Better Life, Better Home, Temporary Home  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Are You Really Committed?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 17, 2017

Corrie Ten Boom, the Dutch survivor of Nazi gas chambers, once told a fascinating story. She said that a group of believers were meeting behind the Iron Curtain when the church door burst open and two Russian soldiers with guns stormed inside. They said they would give five minutes for anyone who ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Fear, Courage, Test Of Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Touched By A Five Year Old

Contributed by John Gullick on Aug 15, 2017

On July 27th In Indiana a policeman, Lieut Aaron Allen was shot by a man he was trying to help. He was killed and he had a five year old son. Not long after police including the police chief drove cars 1- 2 hours down highway 31 in Indiana and arrived in a town with their sirens going. They ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:15-19

Tags: Thankfulness, Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed