In Sermon Illustrations: "Listening To God"

The Impact Of Lust

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

THE IMPACT OF LUST I think about a woman I knew in college who dated and slept with one guy after another until one night she slept with several men consecutively. After college, she went from one relationship to another until she had a mental breakdown. Now in her mid 40s, she just pulling her ...read more

Tags: Sexuality

Denomination: Methodist

Marcus Young And The Bible

Contributed by Hal Seed on Nov 9, 2012

MARCUS YOUNG AND THE BIBLE In the 1890s, Marcus Young moved his family to the country of Burma, which is now called Myanmar. He was digging a well one day when he noticed some mountain tribesmen staring down into the hole he was in. The tribesmen asked him, “Have you brought the book of ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Baptist

The Lawyer's Invitation

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 1, 2013

THE LAWYER'S INVITATION A pastor told the true story of one of his church members, an attorney, who after meditating on several scriptures, decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than six months. He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Nazarene

What Alcoholics Can Teach Us

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 31, 2014

Philip Yancey interviewed a young alcoholic who had formerly been an active church member, but had allowed Alcoholics Anonymous to replace the church. When questioned why, the young man responded, "Mainly I'm trying to survive, and AA helps me in that struggle far better than any church." ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:5

Tags: Accountability, Authenticity, Dependency, Self-Righteousness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Clean Conscience

Contributed by Shine Thomas on Jul 24, 2017

Xaviera Hollander wrote a book with a title: The Happy Hooker. Hollander, a prostitute, sought to silence the people who believe that no prostitute could find joy in what she was doing. In her book, Hollander celebrates the joy that she experienced in her profession, saying that she never felt ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-6

Tags: Guilt, Conscience, Pure Heart

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Pursuit Of Happiness

Contributed by Larry Hinkle on Dec 12, 2019

A disgruntled early American once complained to Ben Franklin, “so where is all this happiness that the Constitution was supposed to guarantee me?” Franklin is said to have responded, “The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it ...read more

Scripture: John 15:11

Tags: Happiness, Joy

Denomination: Methodist

Approved Workers

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 2, 2020

In II Timothy 2:14-20, the Apostle Paul gives five characteristics of those in the Body of Christ who are "approved workers". When believers stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, there will be only two types of people there: workers who are approved and workers who are not approved. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14-20

Tags: Rewards, Bema, Judgment Seat Of Christ, Approved Workers

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cod And The Cat Fish

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 9, 2022

TELL THE STORY OF THE COD… There was a favorite fish along the east coast. It is the COD. The cod was so tasty and it was a favorite dish along the coast. So the market expanded but something was lost in the shipping. The frozen cod was mushy and tasteless. So they began shipping the cod alive in ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 42:5, Genesis 41:41

Tags: Enemy, Forgive

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The First National Thanksgiving Proclamation

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 20, 2022

First National Thanksgiving Proclamation Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; Whereas, both the houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Thanksgiving, America, Prayer

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Daddy's Side Of The Family (Father's Day Joke!)

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jun 7, 2023

A little girl asked her Mom, “Where do human beings come from?” Mom answered, “I want to tell you a story from the Bible. God made Adam and Eve and they had children, and so was all mankind made.” Two days later the girl asked her Dad the same question. Dad answered much differently. He said, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3

Tags: Fathers, Creation, Evolution, Family, Father's Day, Mothers, Atheism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Honesty Or Dishonest Gain

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 23, 2024

1 Peter 5:1-3 warns against dishonest gain - "Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care...not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve." In January 2024 a USA pastor and his wife were charged after hundreds of Christians invested in their cryptocurrency scheme. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-3, 1 Timothy 3:1-10, Titus 1:5-9

Tags: Money, Deception, Greed, Pastor, Integrity, Service  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer As Our Heavy Artillery

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 9, 2024

In Ephesians 6:18, Paul has completed the metaphor of Roman armor. But he is not finished teaching about spiritual warfare. In fact, he has come to the most important weapon in our spiritual arsenal. Prayer is the heavy artillery. Through prayer we call down the bombardment of God against our ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Prayer, Intercession, Victory, Armor, Battles  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Social Consequences Of Sin

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Oct 13, 2024

Social consequences of sin. Jonathan Edwards in his book “The Nature Of True Virtue” lays out how sin destroys the social fabric. He argues that human society is deeply fragmented when anything, but God is our highest love. If our highest goal in life is the good of our family, then we will tend to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-24

Tags: Law, Sin, Idolatry, Virtue, Jonathan Edwards, 10 Commandments  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Be Found Faithful

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Mar 31, 2025

There is a story of a choir director who was so stressed out because at least one or more members of the choir were absent at every rehearsal for a concert. Finally came the last rehearsal and he announced: “I want to personally thank the pianist for being the only person in this entire church ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-2

Tags: Faithfulness, Choir, Unfaithfulness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Pledge -- Prayer

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 6, 2025

Two men were arguing at work one day about religion. Neither really knew what they were talking about. Finally one said, “Man, you don’t know anything about religion. I’ll bet you ten dollars you can’t even repeat the Lord’s Prayer.” The other grinned. “Oh yeah? It’s a bet!” He straightened up ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:105

Tags: Scripture, Discipleship, Truth, Authority

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

There Once Was A Weak And Sickly Man. The Man Was ...

Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Nov 17, 2008

There once was a weak and sickly man. The man was so sick and he could not afford going to town to the doctor. The man lived in the deep back woods in an old log cabin, his condition seemed to grow worse. Out in front of his cabin was a huge boulder. The rock was massive in front of his place. One ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Baptist

Training Of Arabian ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Training of Arabian Horses The gospel we as Christ-followers are called to proclaim requires that we make sacrifices and at times even suffer a bit, but because of what Christ has already done, the return on such sacrifices is enormous! God’s Kingdom is glorified and expanded! With that in mind, I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:40

Tags: Discipleship

Forgiving When You Can't

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 15, 2010

FORGIVING WHEN YOU CAN'T by Jeannette Williams Her car had killed my husband, a school crossing guard. She had struck Tom down while he was on duty, helping the children. The investigating officer and witnesses had told me it was a "no fault" accident. I didn't want to believe them. In the ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Parallels Between Isaac And Jesus

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 19, 2014

PARALLELS BETWEEN ISAAC AND JESUS There is no clearer picture of the Cross and the sacrifice the Father made for us in Christ than Genesis chapter 22. Notice the powerful parallels between Isaac and Christ. Isaac is one of the clearest types of Christ in the Old Testament. 1.Both fulfilled ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21

Tags: Typology, Christ, Salvation, Gospel, Cross, Isaac  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Teach Your Kids!

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Oct 4, 2015

God’s word instructs us to be teachers to our children. For the past 5000 plus years, children would help with the family business. If they were carpenters, the children would help doing work that was appropriate for them. As they helped, they would become masters at the skill that they were being ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Fatherhood, Teach Children, Dirty Shoes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational