In Sermon Illustrations: "Memories About Dad"

Love Obedience And The Law

Contributed by Roger Whipp on Dec 31, 2014

Anyone that has been zapped by a speed camera or pulled over by the Police and gets a fine and endorsement is likely to be a bit more careful in the future, especially if the loss of their driving licence is threatened. Our obedience to the law doesn’t come about by our love for the policeman who ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15-31

Tags: Love, Law, Obedience

Denomination: *other

Crucufixion

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

David Smith writes about crucifixion. They would take the upright beam and place it in a hole in the ground and fix it steadfast. And then they would take the victim and lay his hands on the cross beam, driving spikes into his quivering flesh and with a rope would hook it onto the cross beam and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:33-38

Tags: Crucifixion, Death On A Cross

Denomination: Methodist

Wife Died

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 3, 2015

Booth-Tucker preached in Chicago one day, and out from the throng a burdened laborer came and said to him, before all the audience, "You can talk like that about how Christ is dear to you, and helps you; but if your wife was dead, as my wife is, and you had some babies crying for their mother who ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:10

Tags: Grief, God's Comfort, Christ's Sufficiency, The Comforter

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No Tents In Heaven!

Contributed by Dr. David Hallum on Jun 24, 2016

I am not a camper. I spent one miserable weekend as a kid in an old, smelly canvas tent. It was designed to sleep 10, but 2 adults and 2 kids kicked, punched and threw sand all over one another all night. And that was while we were asleep. As I said, it was a miserable weekend. When I became ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:1-7

Tags: Camp, Tabernacle

Denomination: Baptist

Cross Is The Attraction

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Sep 8, 2016

The famous first national Salvationist here in Sri Lanka, Arnolis Weerasooriya whose picture we all walk past every day said something about the cross. Can you remember reading it, it is on his picture. That’s right he said, “Cross is the attraction.” He died from cholera some years later on the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:20-28

Tags: Suffering, Enduring Suffering, Proclaiming

Denomination: Salvation Army

Grab The Rope

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Aug 1, 2018

Main Idea: To be saved, you must let go of what you are trusting in and grab onto Jesus. Verse: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31 NKJV). Illustration: One time there was a man who ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:30-31

Tags: Trust In Jesus, Faith, Salvation

Denomination: Charismatic

The Light Of The Word

Contributed by Taiwo Oyadiran on Mar 23, 2019

I like to tell this story about my son as a 2-year-old. I always liked to give him a shower/bath and like most kids that age, he liked playing with the water. Many times, when there’s water and soap on his head and face, he, of course, had to close his eyes. That part he didn’t like. No kid would ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:105

Tags: Faith, Revelation

Justification, Propitiation, And The Very Early Church

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 30, 2019

The early church understood propitiation, the atoning work of Jesus, and justification by faith, not works: from The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, Chapter IX, about 200 A.D. But when our wickedness had reached its height, and it had been clearly shown that its reward, punishment and death, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-31, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

Tags: Reformers, Penal Atonement, Cross, Justification, Propitiation, Reformation, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Atonement  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Hey! Get Your Own!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 19, 2019

A few years ago, my wife and I were on vacation, traveling through a Midwestern state. Supper time was getting near, so we thought we’d get a drive-through meal. She wanted an ice cream cone so, I ordered one for her. The young lady working at the drive through window gave me the cone, and I handed ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:19

Tags: Love, Fellowship, Blessings

Denomination: Baptist

Come Anyway (No Excuse Sunday)

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Nov 7, 2020

To make it possible for everyone to attend church this Sunday, we are going to have a special "No Excuse Sunday": • We will provide pillows to nap for those who need the extra sleep on Sunday morning. • We will have extra cushions for those who feel that our pews are too hard. ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 24:18

Tags: Commitment, Faithfulness, Attendance, Sunday Morning

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Christmas Humor

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 21, 2020

A Sunday School was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was pretty ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Christ, Manger, Birth Of Christ, Mary And Joseph, Coming Of Christ, Christmas  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Hard Do You Prepare For Sermons?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

Howard Hendricks shares this insight about the value of preparing and study for sermons... " When I was a college student—I worked in the college dining hall, and on my way to work at 5:30 am. every morning I walked past the home of one of my professors. Through a window I could see the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Sermons, Shepherding, Feeding The Flock, Sermon Preparation, Studying The Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Witness Barber

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

There was a barber that thought that he should share his faith with his customers more than he had been doing lately. So the next morning when the sun came up and the barber got up out of bed he said, "Today I am going to witness to the first man that walks through my door." Soon after ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15

Tags: Evangelism, Witness

Denomination: Methodist

You Must Choose

Contributed by Shawn Drake on Apr 10, 2021

I went to my Acupuncturist this week, like I do every other week. She was busier than usual and so she put my ears seeds in before the acupuncture. (The ear seeds help with different types of problems.) As I was sitting there, she put the ear seed on a place that she has never placed it ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:1-9

Tags: Easter, Choose

Denomination: Baptist

How Are You Doing?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 2, 2021

There's a story about a little girl who came home from school one day, and her mother met her at the door: Hi! How was school today? How are you doing? With the honesty of little people, the girl replied, Oh, not so well, mommy. My tummy hurts! Mothers know everything, and this mommy had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 16:5-6

Tags: Joke, Child Misunderstanding

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Who Is Praying For Me?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 31, 2022

Pastor Jim Cymbala's daughter had been running from God for a long time. Chrissy had rebelled against her family, had left home, and was living as far from God as she could. But one night, this teenager awoke with the distinct feeling that someone was praying for her. And someone was. The ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3, James 4:1-2

Tags: Petition, Intercessory Prayer, Interceding For Sinners, Prayer

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

He'll Find Me

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2022

Two men have ended up marooned on an island in the South Pacific. On the deserted island is one palm tree and nothing to see but the ocean. One guy is in a complete panic, pacing back and forth, ranting about how they are going to die, hungry and alone, that nobody will stumble on them until they ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:2-4

Tags: Giving, Tithes, Offerings

A Light In The Dark

Contributed by Carl Allen on Jul 8, 2022

While leaving in Germany, I had the fortune of going camping in the black forest. I found out quickly why they call it the black forest. When the sun goes down it is pitch black and you can barely see your hand in front of your face. We had just finished setting up camp and I had to run back out ...read more

Scripture: John 9:5, Psalm 119:105

Tags: Found, Direction, Light, Darkness, Lost, Saved  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

John Was Born In 1917 In Brookline, ...

Contributed by Ronnie Knight on May 1, 2007

John was born in 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He attended school at Harvard University. He was the author of two books. One was his thesis at Harvard, which was entitled Why England Slept. The other was Profiles in Courage, which won him a Pulitzer Price. He was the Captain of a PT boat in ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

When We Think Of Power And Strength We Have ...

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on May 6, 2007

When we think of power and strength we have images like WWF and body-slamming 250 pounds on the mat! Or husbands suggesting something to our wives and they agree – now that’s power! It is short-lived but we’ll take whatever we can get! It’s the picture of “My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding” – the husband ...read more

Denomination: Salvation Army