In Sermon Illustrations: "Mean People"

The Other 19 Percent

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2009

THE OTHER 19 PERCENT Even if they’re unsure of it, most people want to believe in Heaven, and most people have some concept of it. TIME took a poll 10 years ago, and 81% of the people they surveyed said they believed in the existence of Heaven, where people lived forever with God after they ...read more

Scripture: John 12:37-50

Tags: Atheism

But As We Leave Today I Want You To Forget ...

Contributed by Sean Harder on Jun 16, 2010

But as we leave today I want you to forget everything I said for a minute, and think about this (hold up a bag of coins). I have two dollars in change here and I’m giving it away to the first adult that runs up here and gets it. Hey let’s not trample each other. The majority of the world, 53% of ...read more

Tags: Money, Welfare

Sanctity Of Human Life

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 6, 2010

SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE There's plenty of evidence of blatant disregard for human life today. Terrorism and suicide bombers? Capital punishment? Human trafficking. Abortion? So what is God thinking when He asks Abraham to take his only son, the son he loves, and to sacrifice him as a burnt ...read more

Tags: Human Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seeing You For Real

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2011

SEEING YOU FOR REAL Just a few years ago, Leadership Journal did an interview with Saul Cruz, who along with his wife founded Armonia (Harmony) Ministries in Mexico City. They minister to hundreds of poor people all over Mexico today, but they began their ministry by planting a church on the edge ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:17-19

Tags: Servanthood

A Share In The Treasure  PRO

Contributed by Robert Sickler on Dec 26, 2011

A SHARE IN THE TREASURE A great European king was so enraged at the report of Muslim victories that he immediately joined the crusade to drive Islam out of Palestine. This great king took his army and spent many years fighting in a crusade to free Palestine from Islamic domination. When he left ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Christian Church

In The Early Morning Hours Of September 29, The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In the early morning hours of September 29, the storm hit. Hurricane Juan made landfall in Nova Scotia as a category 2 hurricane with sustained wind speeds of 158 km/h and gusts up to 185 km/h. About three hours later, the storm hit PEI. By then it had weakened to a category 1 hurricane, and was ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Bishop Will Willimon Is The Resident Bishop For ...

Contributed by Matthew Mobley on Mar 28, 2008

Bishop Will Willimon is the resident bishop for the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. But before he was elected bishop in 2004, he was dean of the chapel at Duke University – one of the most prestigious universities in America. He tells this story from his days at Duke about ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Richest Man In Town

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

RICHEST MAN IN TOWN In 1972, a young Egyptian businessman named Farahat lost an $11,000 watch. He was stunned when a garbage man dressed in filthy rags found it and returned it to him. Farahat asked him why he didn’t just keep the watch. The garbage man said, "My Christ told me to be honest until ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

We Are Not ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

WE ARE NOT INVINCIBLE "Humanly speaking, this was a time when God’s glory was discounted, and His people were not a testimony to His great Name." Sinclair Ferguson’s "Isaac’s Storm" is a very interesting book about the hurricane that wiped out Galveston in 1900. One of the main plot lines of the ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

The Homeless Man

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

THE HOMELESS MAN There is a big church in North Carolina that has classes every summer to help train people in different ministries. During one such period a few years ago, a young man appeared on campus where hundreds of others were. But this young man didn’t take part in any classes. He was ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

De-Evangelizing The Neighborhood

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2022

A few years ago I heard a story of a church that looked as though they were really thriving. They had about 500 people attending, had many outreach ministries reaching their community, and many people were coming to Christ and to church through their ministry. The problem was that the church was ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25

Tags: Fellowship, Community, Small Groups

Manna From Heaven--A Thanksgiving Story" ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 26, 2003

“Manna from Heaven--A Thanksgiving Story” Numbers 11: 4-9 Key verse(s): 9 “... When the dew settled upon the camp at night, the manna also came down.” “Goodbye! Thanks for coming. Thanks for everything!” As the caravan of cars and trucks pulled out of the driveway waves were exchanged and a ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Lutheran

Second Thoughts Can Be Dangerous To My Health

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 30, 2024

Many things in life can be rather dangerous. For me, the most dangerous things in my life are thoughts. I thought about this one day, and by the end of the day, I was in deep trouble. Thoughts have a way of doing that with me. My New Year’s resolution one year was to have one thought per day. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Obedience, Opinion, Thoughts

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

A Headline On The Front Page Of The Newspaper ...  PRO

Contributed by Don Hawks on Mar 18, 2002

A headline on the front page of the newspaper once read, “Signing Up For Eternity.” It was an article about people who were putting their signature on cards, sending them on a rocket to circle Saturn for the next 100 years. ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness, Death

Denomination: Methodist

Paul J. Meyer Reminds Us, "Everyone Leaves A ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Nov 13, 2002

Paul J. Meyer reminds us, "Everyone leaves a legacy, whether you have children or not." We all influence the people we encounter. If we want to leave a godly legacy, we will need ...read more

Tags: Leadership General, Parenting

Denomination: *other

According To A Recent Poll] 88% Of Catholics And ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

[According to a recent poll] 88% of Catholics and a majority of Presbyterian and Methodist evangelizers [those who actively try to share their "faith"] believe that "if people are generally good, or do enough good things for others during their lives, they ...read more

Tags: Faith General, Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Wrong Side Of The Boat  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jan 14, 2004

[Wrong Side of the Boat] People who refuse to get involved in problems of their community are like the two shipwrecked men in a lifeboat. From their end of the boat, the pair watched as those at the other end bailed frantically to keep the boat ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Generous Christians: The Average Amount Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Generous Christians: The average amount of charitable gifts donated in ‘00 by households in which people regularly attend religious services was $2,151, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The average donated by those who do not ...read more

Tags: Giving General

And Can The Liberties Of A Nation Be Thought ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble ...read more

Tags: God The Father

We Have No Government Armed With Power Capable ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only ...read more

Tags: Government