In Sermon Illustrations: "Missed Opportunity"

Every Branch That Bears Fruit Must Be Pruned To ...  PRO

Contributed by Stephen Smarowsky on Jun 14, 2008

Every branch that bears fruit must be pruned to bear much more fruit. I have a tomato plant that has been living for over two years now. Every winter the cold weather and heavy breeze kill more than half of the vines and leafs. If I don't prune the dead, it will spread and kill the whole plant. ...read more

Scripture: John 17:13, John 17:13-21

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Grasping Your Place Greet One ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Grasping Your Place Greet One Another A Necessity in Corporate Worship Christians who get the most out of congregational worship services have learned the joy of greeting their brothers and sisters in Christ. At least four times in the New Testament Christians are told to “Greet one ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:16

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Have They Done For You Lately

Contributed by Brian Harvison on Oct 4, 2023

I heard an illustration from Pastor Tony Evans that I altered some to fit us here in Arkansas • We love our Razorbacks, we make time for our Razorbacks • Especially Razorback football • Me and my wife love football • But, have you ever thought about how much time we devote to football? • The ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11

Tags: Knock, Seek, Razorbacks, Ask

Denomination: Baptist

Missy  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 29, 2006

Missy Dear Heavenly Father, I don’t’ know if you have any special place set aside for the small creatures in your future plans, but, I would like to ask a favor of you; that is, if you feel I’m worthy of entrance into your Kingdom. I know that your eye is on the sparrow and that not one thing ...read more

A Prisoner Who Just Couldn’t Take Any More ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2001

A prisoner who just couldn’t take any more pulled a daring escape from the county jail in Fordyce, Arkansas. He would have been better off staying put: as the man was escaping, a county judge was ordering his immediate release because he had been locked up too long due to a clerical error. The ...read more

Where's God?  PRO

Contributed by Brent Williams on Jun 7, 2001

Where’s God? Two young lads had terrorized their neighborhood with their pranks and thefts. The parents didn’t know what to do and finally with the assistance of their minister, it was decided that the clergy would intervene and attempt to straighten out the boys. The parents needless to say were ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Apologetics God

Denomination: Baptist

At The End Of Wwii The Japanese Government Faced ...  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on May 7, 2003

At the end of WWII the Japanese government faced a similar problem with thousands of soldiers who were hiding in the jungles and mountains in the South Pacific. Although the treaty with the U.S. had been signed and the war was over, thousands of Japanese soldiers living in the mountains and ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Model Building Class  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 21, 2003

Illustration of my Model Building Class. I had an interesting week this week teaching a model building class. I had a bunch of students ranging in age from 9-13. I became a little frustrated with some of them this week when they refused to follow directions and as a result they where always ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ, Becoming A Christian, Repentance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Writing About The Importance Of Helping People ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 7, 2004

Writing about the importance of helping people become all they can be, author and speaker John Maxwell writes, "In 2000, Atlanta Braves star pitcher John Smoltz suffered a blow that could have ended his illustrious career. After battling various injuries for several seasons, he underwent ligament ...read more

Tags: Unity, Church Purpose Of

In The Late Winter Of 1891, The Whale-Ship 'star ...  PRO

Contributed by Peter Bines on Sep 6, 2005

In the late winter of 1891, the whale-ship ’Star of the East’ was in the area of the Falkland Islands when it sighted a whale. Two boats were sent out with harpoons to catch and kill the creature. But the whale’s lashing tail overturned one of the boats spilling the crew into the sea. All were ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10

Tags: Fiction, Fact Or Fiction, Check, Jonah, Never Happened  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The News Carried The Story This Week Of A ...

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 10, 2006

The news carried the story this week of a faithful father. James Kim was an editor for CNET. CNN reports: “On November 25 the Kims had begun a drive home to San Francisco, California, after a Thanksgiving vacation in Oregon. They missed a turn and found themselves stranded in snow and lost on ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Liars

Contributed by Jim Blevins on May 16, 2009

LIARS Marlene was pulled over by a policeman for speeding. The policeman approached the driver’s door. "Is there a problem Officer?" He said, "Madame, you were speeding. Can I see your license please?" She responded, "I’d give it to you but I don’t have one." "You don’t have one?" "I lost it four ...read more

Tags: Lies

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Flight Simulator And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Flight Simulator and Grace Grace. A word used in a variety of ways. It is a word that has been used as an alternative term for prayer. It has been used to describe the way a person moves. It has also been used by many parents to name their daughters. Still, none of these uses seem to catch the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Grace

Demons!  PRO

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Feb 25, 2010

DEMONS! There was a time when I told the Lord that I would do whatever He wanted me to do EXCEPT CAST OUT DEMONS and do weird stuff like that with the occult. I now realise that Jesus' power and authority far exceeds that of demons. Oh yes, I believe that demons exist! You don't want to talk ...read more

Tags: Demons

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Withholding Your Best Wine  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

WITHHOLDING YOUR BEST WINE There is a story about an old village in Spain. The people of this village heard the king planned to visit there. No king had ever done that. So naturally, they became excited and wanted to offer a great celebration that would show their adoration and that would honor ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 29:13

Tags: Honor, Hypocrisy, Dishonor

The Lost Camper: Making Yourself Available

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

THE LOST CAMPER: MAKING YOURSELF AVAILABLE One of my favorite sayings: "God doesn't want your capability. He only wants your availability. If you'll give Him your availability, He'll provide the capability." Availability is when you make yourself accessible for utilization. Availability is what we ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 6:8

Tags: Servanthood

And It Came To Pass...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

AND IT CAME TO PASS... "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me." -- Martin Luther During a Sunday class the question was asked, "In your time of discouragement, what is your favourite Scripture?" A young man said, "The Lord is my ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Bible Influence, It Came To Pass

The Value Of The Rock

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

THE VALUE OF THE ROCK There is an old story told of an occasion in 1799 when a twelve year old boy named Conrad Reed skipped church and went fishing in Little Meadow Creek on the family farm near Fayetteville, North Carolina. In an attempt to spear a fish young Conrad Reed missed but his spear ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable Treasure

Honey All The Way Down  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011

HONEY ALL THE WAY DOWN In one of his famous escapades, Winnie the Pooh, this lovable toy bear, tries to trap an elephant--or, as he pronounces it, a heffalump. So Pooh digs a hole to catch the heffalump, and decides to bait the trap with some of his own favorite food: honey. But of course, it is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:1-28

Tags: Hypocrisy, Prejudice

Skeletons In Our Closets

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

SKELETONS IN OUR CLOSETS The Rockefeller family is considered to be one of the most philanthropic families in the world, helping humanity globally in issues like economics, religion, education and environmental affairs. Yet the Rockefeller family tree is filled with many skeletons. William Avery ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Methodist