In Sermon Illustrations: "Matthew 3 1 25"

Once At A Meeting, Some Young People Were ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Shelton on Jul 26, 2003

Once at a meeting, some young people were discussing the text, “ye are the salt of the earth.” They were suggesting uses of salt, and the meaning. Salt gives flavor to food. It preserves food to keep it from decaying. Then one girl said, salt makes ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13, Matthew 5:13

Tags: Growth In Christ, Basics Of Christianity, Sharing Your Faith

Denomination: Baptist

Let's Say You Have An Appointment In Another ...  PRO

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Nov 3, 2003

"Let’s say you have an appointment in another city, and you need to fly there. You purchase your ticket on the internet, you get your confirmation with times and flight and gate numbers. But you are delayed enroute to the airport, and when you finally arrive, running through the airport you come ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12-14, Matthew 7:12-14

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Orthodox

A Prominent Businessman At A Luncheon ...  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Aug 11, 2004

“A prominent businessman at a luncheon announcing his decision to give away a significant amount of money to his alma mater caused great division within his family, for his money was coming out of what his children believed to be their rightful inheritance. The man, once one to find great joy in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 8:5-10

Tags: Fatigue, Joy, Worry, Tired, Stress  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: United Methodist

Planting A Donut  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 11, 2004

PLANTING A DONUT When Watching the Krispy Kreme Donut machine, or as I like to call it the “Dream Machine,” I noticed something that made me very upset. At the end of the conveyer they were throwing away a bunch of the donuts. Let me describe the machine. First there is the dough plopper that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23, Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

The Value Of A Pearl  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 4, 2004

THE VALUE OF A PEARL Pearls were perceived in the first century in much the same way we view diamonds today. They were the most valuable gem in the world at that time. If you owned a pearl, you owned a fortune. And there was a good reason for it. Pearl hunting involved immense danger. The fine ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:45-46, Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable General, Kingdom Of God

Leighton Farrell Was The Minister Of Highland ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Vicente on Feb 14, 2005

Leighton Farrell was the minister of Highland Park Church in Dallas for many years. He tells of a man in the church who once made a covenant with a former pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year. They were both young and neither of them had much money. But things changed. The layman ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Gifts Giving, Giving General

Denomination: Baptist

But Some Of Us Continue To Carry The Heavy Burden ...  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Feb 25, 2005

But some of us continue to carry the heavy burden of tying to be “good enough.” I heard a modern Parable that illustrates this. In the Parable, the driver of a wagon was on his way to market when he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load. Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Leader, Elder, Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

After The Battle Of The Bulge During World War ...

Contributed by Allan Quak on Dec 6, 2005

After the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, one German officer described the capture of an American unit early in the fighting. Among the booty was a box that contained a cake. What was remarkable about the cake is that it had been sent to an American soldier from Boston and it was still ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:9, Matthew 5:9-10

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Baptist

The Bet — Anton Chekhov

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Sep 7, 2006

The Bet -- Anton Chekhov We live in a world that knows little about what’s truly valuable. People all around us are pursuing things that have no lasting value. That pursuit is ably treated by Anton Chekhov in his classic short story The Bet. This story gives us great insight into the value system ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:28-38, Matthew 8:5-13

Denomination: Pentecostal

In A Japanese Seaside Village Over A Hundred ...  PRO

Contributed by Warren Lamb on Oct 22, 2006

In a Japanese seaside village over a hundred years ago, an earthquake startled the villagers late one autumn evening. Being so accustomed to earthquakes and not feeling another follow, they soon went back to their activities without giving it another thought. An old farmer was watching from his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:24-31, Matthew 10:24-31

Tags: Dark Days, Evidence, Giving, Joseph, Joy, Joy In Morning, Joy In Salvation, Money, Outcome, Overcomer, Prayer, Peace, Product, Proof, Result, Sunday School  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Love The Jason Bourne Stories. Jason Bourne Is ...

Contributed by Scott Brewer on Jul 22, 2007

I love the Jason Bourne stories. Jason Bourne is a fictional character created by Robert Ludlum in books and film. The first film, “The Bourne Identity”, is the intriguing story of what it is like when you forget who you are. Jason Bourne is a highly trained, specialized agent of the US government ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-9, Matthew 4:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Bill Faye, Author Of "Sharing Jesus Without ...

Contributed by Daniel Lawson on Sep 2, 2007

Bill Faye, author of "Sharing Jesus without Fear," notes that Americans have found a new way to deny Christ: "It’s by keeping silent about him." Fay asked, "Do we really believe it when Jesus said that unless a person is saved, he’s damned?" And if we do, he asked, "How do we allow our people to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:32-33, Matthew 21:23-27

Denomination: Baptist

Bumper Sticker - Tithe If You Love Jesus, Any ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 2, 2008

Bumper sticker - Tithe if you love Jesus, any idiot can honk! From Rodney ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:13-30

Don't Trust Feelings  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

DON'T TRUST FEELINGS I read of a helicopter pilot who flew from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific told this story. He said, "I was flying the helicopter back to the ship when a blinding fog rolled in. Flying at a low altitude, I knew that a single mistake would plunge my crew and me into the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-36, Matthew 9:14-18

Tags: Faith, Guidance, Feelings, Hardship Of Life, Facts  (view more)  (view less)

Jonah Jones - From Cocaine Trafficker To Christian Counselor

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Mar 27, 2009

*The closer we get to Jesus, the more we will see a change in our lives. *Jonah Jones had a terrible childhood. Jonah’s parents were drug traffickers who introduced him to cocaine when he was 8-years-old. Unbelievable! -- but true. Worse than that, Jonah’s stepfather raped him. His mother abused ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 16:20-25

Tags: Testimonies About Jesus, Testimonies, Changed By Christ

Denomination: Baptist

No Numbers  PRO

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 29, 2010

NO NUMBERS A man who was conducting a survey knocked on a front door. A little boy opened the door and stared at him. The man asked the boy how many people lived in the house. The boy replied, "There is Jimmy & Mary & Sophie & Bobby..." The man impatiently said to the boy, "Just give ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:29, Matthew 22:39

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Brethren

What A Waste...?

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jul 8, 2011

WHAT A WASTE...? When I lived in another city, I became acquainted with an organization called the Wycliffe Bible Translators. In fact, we had a man come speak to our church. I’ll never forget the impression he made on me. He had a PhD in linguistics. He was an incredibly well-educated and gifted ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-43, Matthew 13:1-9

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Grant Vs. Custer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

GRANT VS. CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point--Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. In ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:1-11, Matthew 23:23-24

Tags: Humility, Pride, Show Off, Comparison

First Things First  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Nov 3, 2011

FIRST THINGS FIRST When Coach Bobby Bowden played baseball in college, he never hit a home run. His senior year at Howard College, he was the only player not to hit a home run. One day, he hit a line drive against Auburn. As he approached third, the coach was waving him on. As he made his turn, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:37-39, Matthew 6:6

Tags: Prayer, Prayer Closet, Secret Prayer, Private Prayer, Prayer General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

All In

Contributed by Tom Feola on Feb 6, 2012

ALL IN The New York Giants were just a handful of days from the Week 16 game against the New York Jets, with the Giants stuck at 7-7 and their season fast slipping away. Losers of four of their previous five games, it seemed as if the Giants were destined to finish second or even third in the NFC ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-27, Matthew 16:13-20

Tags: Sports

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational