In Sermon Illustrations: "Look Ahead"

God, You're In My Way.  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

"GOD, YOU'RE IN MY WAY." A California pastor, Kyle Idleman, talks about his last move in his book, Not a Fan. In that move, he saved the heaviest piece of furniture for last -- the desk from his office. And as he was pushing and pulling the desk with all his might, his four-year-old son came over ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-8, Philippians 4:4-7

Tags: Anxiety

Over-Running The Temple

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2012

OVER-RUNNING THE TEMPLE Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-14

Tags: Sin Wages Of

Listening To God Compared To Listening To The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2012

LISTENING TO GOD COMPARED TO LISTENING TO THE DOCTOR We should treat prayer for what it is, a two way conversation with God, and learn to be quiet long enough for him to get a word in edge ways. Nicky Gumbel, in his book Questions of Life compares it to a visit to the doctor, he writes “Suppose I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:10

Tags: Prayer How To

All Moms Know This Stuff  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2012

ALL MOMS KNOW THIS STUFF One mom was out walking with her 4-year-old daughter when her girl picked up something from the ground and started to put it in her mouth. The mother tells what happens in her own words: "I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that." My daughter quickly ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31

Tags: Mother's Day

Invitation To Drink Poison

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Oct 17, 2012

INVITATION TO DRINK POISON David Timms said: "Skeptics, atheists, cynics, and unbelievers often cast Christianity as a legalistic burden, a lifestyle of bondage or a crutch for the weak to lean on. Well, perhaps it's time for those same voices to look around and see the fruit of recklessness. ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Man Overboard  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2013

MAN OVERBOARD One day Hudson Taylor was traveling on a Chinese junk from Shanghai to Ningpo. He had been witnessing to a man named Peter who rejected the gospel but was under deep conviction. In the course of events, Peter fell overboard, but no one made any effort to save him. Taylor sprang to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:2, Luke 10:1-10

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

God Is Not An Assistant  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 23, 2013

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AN ASSISTANT? Tim Keller, a pastor in Manhattan, New York, said that in 1970 a Sunday school teacher changed his life with a simple illustration. The teacher said, “Let’s assume the distance between the earth and the sun (92 million miles) was reduced to the thickness of this ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-3

Tags: God's Omnipotence

Daddy, What Does It Feel Like To Die?  PRO

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 19, 2014

Years ago I heard the compelling story of a young pastor whose son was very sick and not expected to live long. Night after night the pastor and his wife would put their boy to bed and say a prayer hoping for a miracle. One evening, the boy looked at his father and said, "Daddy, what does it feel ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6, 2 Timothy 3:1-9

Tags: Death, Children, Heaven, Grief

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Before The Water

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Nov 15, 2018

Scott Harrison, founder of charity:water, shares this story: "I recently had the chance to visit charity:water's very first project. It was a well that we had funded on my thirty-first birthday and then built in the IDP camp of Bobi, Uganda. "The sprawling camp of 31,000 people had cleared out, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

Tags: Easter, Crucifixion, Birth Of Christ, Christmas, Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Louis Braille And The Will Of God

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

I do not know if Louis Braille was a believer, but his life is an example of a sovereign God causing all things to work together for good - In the French Academy of Science there is a rather plain, old shoemaker's awl on display. The story behind the awl is quite extraordinary. To look at it, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Miracles, Testimony, Will Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Deceitfulness Of Sin

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 8, 2020

One of the largest freshwater turtles is the alligator snapping turtle. Found primarily in the southeastern United States, these massive turtles have been known to weigh close to 250 pounds. They are carnivorous, and while their diet is primarily fish, they have been known to eat almost anything ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-3, Luke 18:9-14, Romans 3:23

Tags: Sin, Deception, Temptation, Deceit

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Recognizing The Value Of The Gospel Offer

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 20, 2021

It’s a sad day when people are offered the kingdom of heaven, but they don’t see its value. They set it aside as a common thing and go their way. Image going to an antique store and finding a priceless antique there. The seller has priced it as a common item. But it is worth many times more than ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46, Philippians 3:7-11, Matthew 6:19-34, Psalm 90:12, Proverbs 4:7, Luke 14:33  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, Value, Invitation, Choice, Kingdom Of Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Make Room For The Tide!

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Mar 12, 2022

"Years ago, a wealthy businessman from London chartered a bus to carry a busload of urban children to the coast. There, the children spent a wonderful day at the ocean. Many of the children had never left the city. Most had never seen the ocean. For one blissful day, they ran unfettered over ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18

Tags: Make Room, Spirit Filled, Ocean, Full, Tide  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

How To Put Out A Fire

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2022

It was Pentecost Sunday. As the congregation filed into the church, the ushers handed each person a bright red carnation to symbolize the day's festive spirit. The people listened attentively to the reading of the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts about how the disciples had heard “what ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1

Tags: Giving, Tithes, Offerings

Gorilla And Lion

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 13, 2022

There is a story about a college student who was desperately in need of a summer job. He discovered the local zoo was looking for help. He couldn’t think of a more creative way to spend the summer, but he wasn’t prepared for the job description. When he went to apply, the zookeeper explained ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8

Tags: Lion, Gorilla, Zoo

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No More Spit In Soup!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 27, 2023

During WWII, a military unit in the Pacific hired a local boy to cook and clean for them. Being a bunch of jokesters, they quickly took advantage of the boy’s seeming naiveté. They smeared Vaseline on the stove handles so it would get all over his hands. They put buckets of water over the door ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:12-15, Galatians 6:7

Tags: Judgment, Revenge, Sowing And Reaping, Confessions, Paybacks, Apologies  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Traveling With A Pack?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Aug 30, 2023

I have several different pairs of glasses. I really focus on one pair. A rose colored pair of glasses makes everything appear rosy. Everything you see will be rosy as we have a rose filter. Years ago I read about a pet dog. The little girl bottle fed the puppy and raised it to adult ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:25-26, Romans 12:2

Tags: Change, Paradigm, Attitudes

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Never Satisfied, More!

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 23, 2024

REMEMBER THE STORY ABOUT THE DOG AND HIS BONE? There was a real smart dog that had searched and searched for just the right bone. After several hours the dog found a real big wonderful bone. He picked the good bone up and started home with his prized bone. On the way home the dog had to pass over a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:18

Tags: Comparison, Satisfied

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Doctrine Of Atonement

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 1, 2025

We need to have core beliefs that do not change over time – NO MATTER WHAT! The doctrine of atonement is under attack today. It is attacked by folks who look at humans and see each one as basically good who occasionally do bad things. They talk about each person’s freedom to become your ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:17

Tags: Scripture, Atonement, Authentic, Holy God, Fallen World  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Corrie Ten Boom And Her Family Secretly Housed ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Oct 31, 2003

Corrie Ten Boom and her family secretly housed Jews in their home during WW II. Their "illegal" activity was discovered, and Corrie and her sister Bessie were sent to the German death camp, Ravensbruck. There Corrie would watch many, including her sister, die. After the war she returned to Germany ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational