In Sermon Illustrations: "Matthew 1:1-28:28"

Metamorphosis

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Mar 1, 2025

I thought of a book I read years ago in German class. We were assigned the task of reading the Famous Novel by Franz Kafka entitled “The Metamorphosis”. It was about a young man who woke up one day and realized he had been transformed into, of all things, a large Roach. The story line of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9

Tags: Transfiguration, God's Presence

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

No One Will Know

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Mar 15, 2025

No one will know? A man works at a car factory… getting paid a fair wage for a fair day’s work. His job is to grease the u-joint on the drive train. He gets busy joking around with his co-workers. One car gets by him. He misses applying the grease. He knows it will fail inspection. So he puts a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:25

Tags: Knowledge, Small Things, No One

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Death By Crucifixion

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 6, 2025

This a medical description of what happens: DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION: SLOW SUFFOCATION 1 - Shallowness of breathing causes small areas of lung collapse. 2 - Decreased oxygen and increased carbon dioxide cause acidic conditions in the tissues. 3 - Fluid builds up in the lungs. Makes the situation in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:32-56

Tags: Crucifixion, Slow, Suffocation

Denomination: Methodist

He Still Brings The Dead Back To Life

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 20, 2025

A friend shared this story with me on Resurrection Sunday, it happened on the same day 20 years earlier. Proof God is still bringing the dead back to life - I wanted to share a resurrection Sunday testimony from around 20 years ago, I bought a very used small pickup and the seller claimed the AC ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:20

Tags: Resurrection, Miracles

Denomination: Charismatic

Return Good For Evil - Martin Luther King

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 11, 2025

Jesus doesn’t just ask us to avoid revenge—he calls us to actively do good in return. Not because the other person deserves it, but because he deserves our obedience. And we’ve seen it lived out—not just in Bible times, but in our own history. Perhaps one of the clearest modern examples is Dr. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42

Tags: Evil, Martin Luther, Doing Good

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Unwanted Items-The Unwanted Salary

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 11, 2025

Unwanted items-the unwanted salary Introduction: Have you ever been so angry with your employer that you threw your pay away? Something like that happened in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20)! (Full disclosure: Sermon Central has previously accepted a message on this text in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-15

Tags: Jesus, Money, Unwanted Things

Denomination: Baptist

To Risk  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 25, 2001

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool To weep is to risk appearing sentimental To reach out for another is to risk involvement To expose feelings is to risk exposing, your true self To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss To love is to risk not being loved in ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 24:1-13, Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:31-46

Tags: Fear And Worry, Endurance, Doubt

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Etiquette Nowadays Often Demands Of A Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 4, 2002

“Etiquette nowadays often demands of a Christian that he should not ’intrude’ his religion on company. Out with such etiquette! It is the etiquette of hell! True courtesy to my fellow’s soul makes me speak to him, if I believe that his soul is in danger. How many, my dear friend, were you ever the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17, Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 20:1-16

Tags: Great Commission, Church Purpose Of, Evangelism Fear Of

Although Douglas Macarthur Graduated From West ...  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Nov 7, 2002

"Although Douglas MacArthur graduated from West Point at the top of his class, he continued to prepare himself for service to his country. He studied every military textbook he could get his hands on. He visited battlefields and personally reviewed the tactics which the victors and the losers ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14, Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Discipleship, Second Coming

Denomination: United Methodist

A Sunday School Teacher Told Her Class Of 2nd ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Aug 2, 2004

A Sunday School teacher told her class of 2nd graders the story found in Luke 16 of the Rich man and Lazarus. How that when they were here upon the earth the rich man had everything that money could buy and poor Lazarus had to beg for mere crumbs. But when they died, the rich man due to his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24, Matthew 16:24, Luke 16:19-31

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian Church

No Contest  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 28, 2004

NO CONTEST When we get to heaven, there will be no contest to see who was the most deserving of God’s grace because no one deserves it. There will only be one contest in heaven. When we look back and see what we were before, when we see the pit from which he rescued us, when we recall how ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16, Galatians 2:20-21, Matthew 20:1-16

Tags: Promises Of God, Parable Vineyard, Grace

If I Don't Love This One...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

"IF I DON’T LOVE THIS ONE..." There was a little girl who had a very large collection of dolls heaped on her bed. A guest in her room one day asked herd "Do you love dolls" Then, with tender loving care, she spread out the whole collection for the guest to inspect and admire. The guest asked her, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-47, Matthew 5:38-48, Micah 5:2-5

Tags: Christian Love

Zordak - The Resurrection

Contributed by Samuel Young on Apr 7, 2021

I am Zordak, Jesus’ guardian angel. I want to tell you the story of Jesus. Jesus had died and laid in the grave. I was very sad. There were one hundred Roman soldiers and whole army of evil angels guarding the grave. But Sunday morning is coming… It was still dark. The dew was still on the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:62-66, Matthew 28:2, Luke 24:1-44

Tags: Easter, Resurrection

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Soul

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 11, 2023

John Ortberg describes it this way, “We each have an outer life and an inner one. My outer self is the public, visible me. My accomplishments, my work, and my reputation lie there. But inside is my soul that part of me that speaks in silence to others but yells at me. It's the inside stuff of ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10, Matthew 16:26, Matthew 22:37

Tags: Spiritual Growth, Soul Care, Inner Health

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Silent Night Holy Night

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Dec 20, 2023

"Silent Night" is one of the most beloved Christmas carols, known for its serene and tranquil melody. The story behind the song begins in the small Austrian village of Oberndorf bei Salzburg in 1818. The lyrics were written by Joseph Mohr, a young priest, and the music was composed by ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:16-25, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:4-20

Tags: Silent Night Holy Night, Stille Nacht, Christmas, Christmas Season, Carols, Birth Of Jesus Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Swallowed By A Whale - The Sign Of Jonah

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Feb 13, 2025

Jonah was in the belly of a great fish for 3 days and 3 nights! A kayaker from Chile was in the mouth of a Humpback whale for about 3 seconds - before being spit out! The story was reported by CNN (February 13, 2025) A humpback whale briefly swallowed a 24-year-old kayaker last Saturday during ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 1:17, Matthew 12:39, Matthew 12:40

Tags: Bible, Jonah, Miracles, Rejection, Escape, Signs, Reliability Of Scripture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

One Of The Most Incredible Stories Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Mar 13, 2001

ILL. One of the most incredible stories of forgiveness I’ve ever heard came out of Tulsa, OK, a couple of years ago. Tom McGee was a young man who went out for a night of partying & revelry. He got drunk & ran head-on into a car driven by a young man by the name of Ted Morris. He killed Ted ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48, Leviticus 19:17-18, Romans 12:17-21, Matthew 18:21-22, Jonah 4:1-10, Matthew 18:23-35  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Cross Agony, Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Boy Waits For The Bus  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2012

A BOY WAITS FOR THE BUS There's an old story of the boy who stood on a sidewalk, waiting on a bus. A man walking by spotted the boy, and gave him some gentle instruction. "Son," he said, "if you're waiting on the bus, you need to move to the street corner. That's where the bus stops for ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-16, Hebrews 10:10, 2 Timothy 4:6, Matthew 27:11-54, Matthew 8:1-17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Understanding Mercy

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 4, 2023

There was a young soldier in Napoleon’s army who committed an offense worthy of death. The day before he was scheduled for the firing squad, the young man’s mother went to Napoleon and asked him to show mercy for her son. Napoleon harshly replied, “Woman, your son does not deserve mercy.” “I know,” ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7, Micah 6:8, Matthew 9:13, Luke 10:25-37, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:23-35  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Kindness, Mercy, Forgiveness, Compassion, Leadership, Relationships, Merciful  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

The Leo Burnett Advertising Agency Did A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2002

The Leo Burnett advertising agency did a nationwide telephone survey a few years ago on lying, cataloging when we lie, how we lie, and why we lie. The results were interesting. Ninety-one percent of all Americans confessed that they regularly lied. Seventy-nine percent had given out ...read more

Scripture: John 8:44, Matthew 5:33-37, Jude 1:2-5, Matthew 5:33-37

Tags: Lies