In Sermon Illustrations: "Never Knew You"

I ...

Contributed by Elijah Stepp on May 11, 2008

Illustration: (From Speaker’s Sourcebook II by Glenn Ven Eckeren) Perhaps you heard about the church that planned to have the “No Excuse” Sunday Service…. Their advertisement for their “No Excuse Sunday” read as follows…. Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say "Sunday is my only day ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Ready For Resurrection Morning

Contributed by Ferdinand Funk on Sep 29, 2008

READY FOR RESURRECTION MORNING A true story is told about a distinguished man, the only white person buried in a Georgia cemetery reserved exclusively for blacks. He had lost his mother when he was just a baby. His father, who never married again, hired a black woman named Mandy to help raise his ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Mennonite

Faith Fights  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 19, 2009

FAITH FIGHTS Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. I heard a story about a midwestern farmer 50 years ago. The farmer went to the bank to borrow money to buy seed to plant his whole farm in corn. He fired up the old tractor ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Chuck Smith Meets A New Brother In Christ—a ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 23, 2009

Chuck Smith Meets a New Brother in Christ—A Tribal Chief in New Guinea Chuck Smith: I was over in New Guinea and I had this native chieftain come up to me. He had to speak to me through an interpreter. And he had these spears in his hand. He said, "I used these to kill men. But," he said, "now ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:3-6

Tags: Body Of Christ, Church Body Of Christ

The Difference Between Knowing About And ...

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 9, 2009

The difference between knowing about and knowing: I’ve read several books about Winston Churchill … but of course, I never met the man. I admire him and appreciate him, but can’t say that I know him in the way that I know my own father. The difference lies in the fact that I have been around my ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thirst ---- Believe It Or Not I Played Football ...

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Apr 3, 2010

THIRST ---- Believe it or not I played football in high school. Football started in August where I grew up, and in August the daily temperatures were usually 100 - 120 degrees. That’s hot. Of course our brilliant coaches insisted we wear full padding for practice. Further, some einstein purchased ...read more

Tags: Stress

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Is He Like Bill?  PRO

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Oct 1, 2010

"IS HE LIKE BILL?" Bill was a drunk, converted at a city mission. Before his conversion he had gained a reputation as a tramp and alcoholic for whom there was no hope. But when he was converted everything changed. He became the most caring person at the mission. He spent all his days there doing ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:16, Romans 8:9

Tags: Evangelism, Witness, Prayer, Christlikeness, Christian Witness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Furtick On Audacious Faith

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Feb 18, 2011

FURTICK ON AUDACIOUS FAITH "We set a goal of reaching over one thousand people in our first year of ministry. Since the average church size in America is fewer than one hundred and twenty, and the first rule of goal setting is attainability, I guess we were overshooting it a bit. But we wanted to ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Wear The Pants  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

WEAR THE PANTS Levi-Strauss recently ran an ad campaign that targeted men for a line of Dockers pants (June 2011). Maybe you've seen some of the ads. One of them was called a "MAN-ifesto," and the script went like this: "Once upon a time, men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-4

Tags: Men, Leadership, Biblical, Leadership General

What Happened To King Neb Was Unique --- ...

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Oct 17, 2012

What happened to King Neb was unique --- I’ve never heard of anything quite like it --- a King eating grass for 7 years like an animal. But on the other hand, the spiritual experience it represents is more common than we’d like to think. I remember a father of one of my youth group kids years ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To, Temptation General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Stick With The Basics

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 25, 2017

When kids turn sixteen, they often take an in-car driving course to prepare them for their driver’s license test. I want you to imagine with me a driving instructor who meticulously teaches the student how to properly adjust the seat and put on the seat belt, how to adjust the mirrors so that the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16

Tags: Gospel, Essentials Of Faith

Denomination: Charismatic

Good Intentions

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 29, 2021

In our younger days, my husband and I sign up for a “boot camp” fitness class. This class costs $300 per person for ten classes. At the start of the first class, our instructor. Tara, does a quick roll-call. She frowns and comments: “Hmm, Susie isn’t here. That’s a shame; attending the first ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:14-33

Tags: Unrealized Intentions, Excuses, Discipline, Follow Through, Explanations  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Truth Will Always Come Out.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 18, 2022

We live in a generation of government corruption and evil that is unparalleled. How long will God tolerate this? The Bible says in Luke 8:17 (NLT), "For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to ...read more

Tags: Reaping, Evil, Truth, Corruption, Last Days, Lies, Government  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is Truth?

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 17, 2022

I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but there is a deep divide in this sanctuary. No – it’s not what you think. It’s not political parties. It’s not hot-button social justice issues. Nope, it’s our view of “What is truth?” Here’s a way to view our divide from Os Guiness: “Three baseball ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:24-36

Tags: Baseball, Absolute Truth, Umpires

Denomination: Methodist

Mendelsohn In Freiburg Minster

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 25, 2025

Story: The Cathedral in Freiburg (in Breisgau), Germany had recently installed new magnificent Gottfried Silberman Organ, that took three years to build (1711 to 1714). The Old Cathedral Organist, on retirement had been made Custodian of the Organ One day, a well dressed young man /came up to ...read more

Tags: Mendelsohn, Freiburg Cathedral

Denomination: Anglican

Junk Is A Matter Of Personal Definition

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 10, 2020

I thought I had everything organized and in order. It just shows how useless my thinking is these days. There are many piles in my office and on my desk, and I know what is in each pile. Everything is organized to my specifications. My rule is: if I can't find something, I don't need it. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:3

Tags: Work, Humor, Planning, Office Space

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Beverage Drinking Woes

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 19, 2022

Introduction: The Bible doesn’t mention coffee, tea, soft drinks, or other beverages such as what we have these days but there’s still a verse that comes to mind when I think about it. Here’s the verse, and I’ll share some thoughts in a moment: Text: Revelation 3:16, KJV: 16 So then because thou ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:16

Tags: Water, Lukewarmness

Denomination: Baptist

It’s Not A Mess Unless I Do It

Contributed by James Snyder on May 2, 2023

When it comes to words, everybody has their own definition. Someone says one word and another person thinks it's altogether something else. For example, when someone says vegetable, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage thinks broccoli. On the other side of the dinner table, I think carrot ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Words, Mess, Organize

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Faith To Hear The Silent ...

Contributed by Bradley Berglund on Feb 4, 2009

Faith to Hear the Silent Notes for Conversations in the Marketplace by Pastor Brad Berglund (First Baptist Church) Feb 6, 2009 At a recent prayer meeting, I was told of a young pianist who is working on a doctor’s degree in performance. According to his professor, the young man has abilities ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist

Faith To Play The Silent Notes  PRO

Contributed by Bradley Berglund on Feb 14, 2009

FAITH TO PLAY THE SILENT NOTES by Pastor Brad Berglund (First Baptist Church) Feb 6, 2009 At a recent prayer meeting, I was told of a young pianist who is working on a doctor’s degree in performance. According to his professor, the young man has abilities that leave his peers far behind. To the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Baptist