In Sermon Illustrations: "Look"

God's Strategy Or Ours

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 26, 2008

GOD'S STRATEGY OR OURS Several years ago, I was visiting with two young men from Nagaland, a northeastern region of India. God had moved in a mighty way in the region sending revival to the area. Almost the entire population of the region had come to faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit blew through ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Baptist

Greed Vs. Envy

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Sep 11, 2008

Greed vs. Envy Envy is the evil eye that looks on the success and happiness of another and resents his being so blessed. It is different from covetousness, which desires to have what another has. Envy simply resents the other person's having it. There's an old legend about a greedy man and an ...read more

Tags: Envy

Denomination: Pentecostal

What Changed At Easter?  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 16, 2008

What Changed at Easter? Quest Study Bible notes this about the question, "What changed at Easter, this pivotal point in history?" "The resurrection vindicated Jesus' claims about himself, that he was the Son of God in the flesh, the fulfillment of God’s dealings with humankind. No longer would ...read more

Tags: Salvation, Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Have To Spank Me

Contributed by Rev. Ryan Peters on Nov 3, 2008

DON'T HAVE TO SPANK ME During the normal works of the day, Jenny the local Pastor’s wife is watching her three little boys while her husband is at the church. When all of a sudden she hears a large crash in the living room, and when she runs in to see what it was there was little 4-year-old Brian ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: Pentecostal

Help In The Garden  PRO

Contributed by John Herrmann on Nov 14, 2008

HELP IN THE GARDEN An old Italian lived alone in New Jersey. He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament: Dear ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:12

Tags: Service, Honor, Father's Day, Help, Confidence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Painting The Porch  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

PAINTING THE PORCH There was a lady who was preparing her Christmas cookies. There was a knock at the door. She went to find a man, his clothes poor, obviously looking for some Christmas odd jobs. He asked her if there was anything he could do. She said, "Can you paint?" "Yes," he said. "I’m a ...read more

Tags: Communication General

Forgiveness Quotations

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

FORGIVENESS QUOTATIONS The late great English religious writer and philanthropist, Hannah More (1745 - 1833) once said: "Forgiveness is the economy of the heart...forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits." The late great American Protestant theologian, ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

The Simple Story

Contributed by Christopher Kennedy on Jan 22, 2009

THE SIMPLE STORY Last week, I met in the worship center with the four-year-olds from the school and we talked about what pastors do. After I was done showing them my robe and stoles and my private Communion kit and talking about the different places a pastor stands in church to talk about Jesus, I ...read more

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Lutheran

When Thomas Edison Was 38 Years Old, His Wife ...

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Feb 9, 2009

When Thomas Edison was 38 years old, his wife died leaving him a very lonely man. Six months after her death, Edison began looking for a new mate. He would leave no stone unturned in a systematic search reflecting his scientific nature. Although he liked to be portrayed in the media as a genius ...read more

Tags: Romantic Love

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Mouth Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

THE MOUTH OF BABES Have you ever heard the phrase, "Out of the mouth of babes?" Certainly you have. It comes from the simple truth that sometimes it takes a child to reveal lasting wisdom. It seems foolish but it isn’t! For example: Patrick, age 10, said, "Never trust a dog to watch your ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Why Did Jesus Have To Die For Us?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE FOR US? Perhaps this story can illustrate this for us: There was an engineer who operated a drawbridge across a mighty river. With a control panel of levers and switches, he set into motion a monstrous set of gears that either lifted the bridge for river traffic or ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Be Content To Speak In A Cottage

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

BE CONTENT TO SPEAK IN A COTTAGE January 6, 1850, was bitterly cold in Colchester, England, a hard-biting blizzard keeping most worshipers at home. At the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Artillery Street, only about a dozen showed up. When it became apparent that even the pastor would not arrive, an ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Who Has Abortions?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

WHO HAS ABORTIONS? Fifty-two percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 33 percent of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 19 percent. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2 1/2 times as ...read more

Tags: Abortion

You Already Have Happiness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

YOU ALREADY HAVE HAPPINESS The angel asked, "You aren’t happy. How can I help you?" The poet replied, "I have everything. But I lack only one thing. Can you give it to me?" To which the angel happily said, "Sure. I can give you anything you desire." The poet stared right into the angel’s eyes, "I ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:19

Tags: Happiness

Our Family Pet Dog, Avalon, Was A Beautiful ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Feb 17, 2009

Our family pet dog, Avalon, was a beautiful rottweiler and she was a good dog. She loved to follow me around. When I would come home from work she would get all excited – wagging her tail with glee. She would rush towards me while snorting with anticipation and celebration. Avalon loved to be ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Baptist

Slow And Steady

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

The power of the Holy Spirit is not just for salvation, but for sanctification, a process that is slow and gradual. The difference might look like this: You can take ten gallons of gasoline and release a tremendous amount of power and energy by just dropping a lighted match into it. It makes a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8

Tags: Holy Spirit, Energy, Fuel

Ten Rules For Improving The Church

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 3, 2022

TEN RULES FOR IMPROVING THE CHURCH 1. Tell yourself over and over that since you are not perfect you would not fit into a perfect congregation, if one existed. 2. Instead of picking out the worldly members to point to, pick out the sincere, dedicated, spiritual members and thank God for them. You ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-2, 1 Peter 4:8, Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Church, Encouragement, Judgementalism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Fear Overtakes The Boat - Matthew 8:23-27

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 19, 2022

FEAR OVERTAKES THE BOAT Matthew 8 v 23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him Matt 8:24 and behold, there arose a great storm in the sea so that the boat was covered with the waves but He Himself was asleep, and they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord. We are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27

Tags: Fear, Security, Authority

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Brooklyn Bridge Scam

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 13, 2022

The greatest con artist in American history was George C. Parker. After the Brooklyn Bridge opened in NYC in 1883, George C. Parker saw a tourist admiring it, so he decided to try selling it to him. It was so easy, he decided to sell it again. Over a period of years he averaged selling the Brooklyn ...read more

Tags: Sin, Deception, Cheating, Fraud, Liars, Bewitched  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Obituary Of Someone Else

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 20, 2022

Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, Someone Else.   Someone’s passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s ...read more

Tags: Service, Sacrifice, Church Members, Volunteers

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational