In Sermon Illustrations: "Non Stop"

I Would Become The Corn ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

"I WOULD BECOME THE CORN MYSELF." The story is told of two men who were traveling in the country of England a number of years ago. They had stopped at an inn for the night and had gotten settled in for the night when the village came alive with the shouts of alarm. A fire had broken out in a row ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Mother's Face

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Jul 28, 2008

MOTHER'S FACE Calvin Miller reminds us of the fable of the little girl whose mother's face was hideously scarred from an early injury. As the little girl grew, made friends, and gained her own identity, she became more and more ashamed of her mother's horrid appearance. As she walked down the ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Baptist

Water ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

WATER SOURCE The story is told about an Englishman living in Cairo who visited an Arab Chief in Arabia. The Englishman was treated with such kindness and royalty that he invited the Chief to visit him in Cairo, Egypt. He promised to show him the great sights of the city. The Arab Chief made the ...read more

Tags: Power

Hospitality To Strangers  PRO

Contributed by Susan Babb, Osl on Oct 9, 2008

A. Friend – some years ago B. Sunday worship service, church like ours C. Service begun – member of congregation began worship, no pastor yet D. Man dressed shabbily in a heavy overcoat and wild hair and who could of used a bath came into service 1. Trouble finding a seat, pretty ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:35-45, Hebrews 13:2

Tags: Love, Acceptance, Compassion, Hospitality, Christlikeness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

The Box Is Empty

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

THE BOX IS EMPTY God offers us more than this world does, but most of us never take the time to see it. There was a 15-year old boy named Joey, whose mother died at birth. She was a severe alcoholic, and that had affected his pre-natal development. The result was that he was slightly retarded. ...read more

Tags: Worldliness

The Arrest

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

THE ARREST A young man was sitting at a stop light in downtown New Orleans one evening, when the lady in front of him was distracted as she was going thru some papers on her front seat. The red light changed to green and the young woman did not move. The young man was a bit put off by this and ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

What Else Did He Tell You?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

WHAT ELSE DID HE TELL YOU? A police officer pulled a guy over for speeding and had the following exchange: Officer: May I see your driver’s license? Driver: I don’t have one. I had it suspended when I got my 5th DUI. (Driving Under the Influence) Officer: May I see the owner’s card for this ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Jesus Stands ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

JESUS STANDS READY During the years of 1980s, I traveled quite a bit from Washington D.C. to New Jersey to go between my father and mother’s house. As a 10-year-old I traveled alone on planes, so news stories about planes and travels were on my radar, so to speak. So, in 1982 when January 13th ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Our Faith In Jesus Christ And Our Love For Him ...

Contributed by Larry East on Feb 13, 2009

Our faith in Jesus Christ and our love for Him shows how much we love God. Let me illustrate. Let’s say that you tell me that you love me and that you care about me. But one day, my car won’t start, and I’ve got a really important appointment that I can’t miss. Now let’s suppose that I send my ...read more

Tags: Love For God

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Little Ones To Him Belong

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Feb 21, 2009

LITTLE ONES TO HIM BELONG Author Keith Miller tells of an outgoing 40-year-old woman who was part of a sharing group he led. Here is her story: "When I was a tiny little girl, my parents died, and I was put in an orphanage. I was not pretty at all, and no one seemed to want me. But I longed to ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Long Ride Home

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 19, 2020

(Note: I used this illustration as part of a funeral message in January 2017) Back when I was 11 years of age, I really discovered pro baseball! We lived about four hours away from Cincinnati, Ohio, at the time—which was no problem for me! Well, I must have really pestered Dad because he ...read more

Tags: Lazarus, Death Of Believers, Fathers And Sons, Assurance

Denomination: Baptist

The Cost Of Redemption - Hosea Buys Back Gomer

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 27, 2022

One man started the bidding: “12 pieces of silver!” “13!” Said Hosea. “14 pieces of silver!” Hosea’s bid was “15!” The low bidders were beginning to drop out, but one man continued bidding: “15 pieces of silver and five bushels of barley!” Hosea said, “15 pieces of silver, 5 bushels of barley and a ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 3:1-5, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 8:38

Tags: Hosea, Redemption, Covenant Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Four Ways To Minister Like The Good Samaritan

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 2, 2022

As we study the characteristics of the Good Samaritan, let’s ask ourselves if these qualities are true of us as well. He opened his eyes. Although all three men physically saw the critically wounded man, only the Samaritan looked and stopped to help. Before we can meet needs, we must be aware of ...read more

Tags: Service, Ministry, Parables, Neighbor, Kindness, Good Samaritan  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

A Good Man Wants To Get Into Heaven

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 21, 2024

I was recently at the gym having a conversation with someone I just met. Within a matter of 10 minutes, I realized that this man was a better man than me. He had volunteered in more countries than I could count in 10 minutes of our conversation. He was a teacher, he served the poor in many ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 3:23

Tags: Grace, Justification, Good Works, Works Righteousness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Extraordinary Impact Through Simple Acts Of Kindness

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 13, 2025

In March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified, Joanne Turner, a 56-year-old customer service representative at the Real Canadian Superstore in Kelowna, British Columbia, encountered a situation that called for compassion beyond her job description. During one of her shifts, Joanne received ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:6-7

Tags: Humility, Kindness, Impact, Serving

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Can Do All Things (Hand In Glove Illustration)

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Jan 20, 2026

The change in Peter happened when he stopped believing: .... "I can do all things" ... and started to understand that: Hear God's Word BIBLE "I can do all things through Christ ... who strengthens me." END (Philippians 4:13). Beloved ... We ... You and I ... can do all ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

Tags: Glove, Hand, Strengthens

Denomination: Anglican

About 10 Years Ago, A Young & Very Successful ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 21, 2001

About 10 years ago, a young & very successful executive named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12-cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only 2 months old. He was watching carefully for kids darting out from between parked cars & ...read more

Tags: Compassion, Christian Love, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I'm Fine  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Apr 9, 2002

"I'M FINE." Farmer Joe decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company (responsible for the accident) to court. In court, the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe. "Didn’t you say, at the scene of the accident, ’I’m fine’?," questioned ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:5-8

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Perspective, Truth, Time, Sin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical Free

I Needed My Past" - Keith Miller – "Habitations ...  PRO

Contributed by Gary Regazzoli on May 10, 2002

“I Needed my past” - Keith Miller – “Habitations of Dragons” I’ll never forget Alice’s face. We were in a small group of adults, and were getting acquainted by going around the room, each of us telling something about our childhood. One older lady had had a good many disappointments and seemed ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church