In Sermon Illustrations: "Long Sermons"

One Minute After You Die

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 19, 2022

One day I received a call from a distraught family who wanted a minister to do a quick funeral. I say “quick” because they asked me to speak for only a few minutes. “We don’t want anything religious,” the son told me, “and nothing you do will be too short.” I asked him why it was so important for ...read more

Tags: Truth, Judgment, Repentance, Lost, Evangelism, Hell, Death, Salvation, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Preserved And Protected By The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

When my mother used to make jam, I would watch her pour wax over the top of the preserves until it was at the brim of the jar. She would then carefully wipe some wax around the rim itself and place the rubber-lined lid on tight. The wax and the vacuum caused by the cooling preserves would seal that ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:13

Tags: Holy Spirit, Preserve, Protection

Mothers - How We Relate Through The Years

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Feb 8, 2023

Moments with mothers ... and with grandmothers.... Often become the foundation ...of memories ... that in turn ... become stories ... that are shared within the family... for many years. And as Children ... I have found ... we relate....... to our mothers ...differently .... through the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20, John 19:25-27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Children, Mom, Mothers Day, Mothers, Memories, Motherhood  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

The Choices We Make

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2005

The words of Eleanor Roosevelt ring true: One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make ...read more

Tags: Baptism

In His Book The Life Of God In The Soul Of Man, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2005

In his book The Life of God in the Soul of Man, Henry Scougal, the seventeenth-century Scottish minister, said, “God hath long contended with a stubborn world, and thrown down many a blessing upon them; and when all his other gifts could not ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ

The Words Of Eleanor Roosevelt Ring True: One's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2006

The words of Eleanor Roosevelt ring true: One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make ...read more

Tags: Character

I Believe No One Can Read The History Of Our ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

"I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniusesI like to believe that we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Here Is A Spiritual Insight From Charles A. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Here is a spiritual insight from Charles A. Lindbergh: "Short term survival may depend on the knowledge of nuclear physicists and the performance of supersonic aircraft, but long term survival depends alone on the character of man. We must remember that it was not the outer grandeur of the Roman ...read more

Tags: Grace

Come In Or Stay ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

COME IN OR STAY OUT Little Billy was caught in the act of some mischief and his mother asked him, "How do you expect to get into heaven?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until they say, ’For heaven’s sake, either come in or stay ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:4-8

Tags: Sin Punishment Of

In The Late 1800's Into The Days Of The Great ...  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 5, 2003

In the late 1800’s into the days of the Great Depression, there was a great evangelist that caught the imagination of the people. He was known not just as a great speaker but a great baseball player... his name was Billy Sunday. One wouldn’t say that he stood in the pulpit, for he would range ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Movie "The Hanging Tree" Was Set In A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The movie “The Hanging Tree” was set in a western gold-mining camp in the late 1800s. Gary Cooper played the role of doctor for the camp. One day a young boy was seen robbing gold from the camp. He was shot from a distance but managed to hobble into hiding. All hands in the camp spread out to see ...read more

Tags: Cults

A Preacher That Came To The Breakfast Table With ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A preacher that came to the breakfast table with a cut on his cheek. His wife asked him what had happened. He told her that he was concentrating on his sermon while shaving and had cut himself. His wife ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

What Would Jesus Buy?

Contributed by Ken Pell on Dec 4, 2011

WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? Some of you are familiar with the name, Morgan Spurlock. He produced the documentary "Super-Size Me." He has produced another lesser-known production titled "What Would Jesus Buy?" Please note: I am not recommending the movie it is a bit distasteful but it makes a good point. ...read more

Tags: Christmas Advent

Denomination: Nazarene

Sending A Teacher To A Dying Boy

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

SENDING A TEACHER TO A DYING BOY There was a school system in a large city that had a program that helped children in the hospital keep up with their homework. One day a teacher who was assigned to that program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular. She took the child’s name and ...read more

Tags: God Brings Hope

Please Come Back  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2011

"PLEASE COME BACK" Max Lucado tells us about a girl named Christina. She lives in a small dusty village in Brazil. She’s bored. She feels like her strict parents have cheated her out of the joys of life. She longs for the excitement of the big city of Rio. One morning her mother Maria finds ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32, Mark 4:1-9

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son, Parable Sower And Seed

Rev. Billy Graham, Noted Evangelist, Said This ...

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Oct 31, 2002

Rev. Billy Graham, noted evangelist, said this in 1975: “When I decided to preach a sermon on angels, I found practically nothing in my library… I soon discovered that little had been written on the subject in this ...read more

Tags: Angels

Denomination: Evangelical Free

77% Of U.s. Workers In Private Industry Receive ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2008

77% of U.S. workers in private industry receive paid vacation and 76% receive paid holidays. 15% have access to employer assistance for childcare, 12% have access to long-term care insurance, 71% have access to medical care, 46% to dental care, 29% to vision care ...read more

Tags: Workplace

Road Rage And Patience

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

ROAD RAGE AND PATIENCE (From Bob Bob Mionske’s Blog on Cyclists and the Law) Charles Montgomery writes: "The driving experience primes car drivers for meltdowns. They are conditioned by popular culture to see cars as symbols of freedom, yet city driving is a slow-motion trap that subjects drivers ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 89:46

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Marriage Sustains Love

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 17, 2012

MARRIAGE SUSTAINS LOVE Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor, sent to prison in Hitler’s Germany and later martyred for his faith. In 1943, while in his cell, we wrote a wedding sermon that he was never permitted to deliver. In that sermon, he said, "It is not ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-33

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Never Failed A Good Nap There

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I never failed a good nap there I was reading last week how, Hugh Latimer, the famous sixteenth century English Reformer and Preacher [11] was surprised to see a neighbor heading out the door early one Sunday morning. “My Lady, whither goest thou?” The neighbor replied, “I am going to Saint Thomas ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General