In Sermon Illustrations: "Not Prepared"

Waiting 20 Years For The End Of The Story

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 28, 2011

WAITING 20 YEARS FOR THE END OF THE STORY In her book The God Who Hung on the Cross, journalist Ellen Vaughn retells a gripping story of how the Gospel came to a small village in Cambodia. In September 1999, Pastor Tuy Seng (not his real name) traveled to Kampong Thom Province in northern ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:46-48

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

What Will You Do With Jesus This Christmas?

Contributed by David Tack on Dec 2, 2011

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS THIS CHRISTMAS? Many years ago in the countryside of Bethlehem the townsfolk prepared for just another day, though this day was quite extraordinary. The shepherds were out tending to their sheep and the Jewish nation was feeling the restraints of Roman oppression. ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Baptist

Man In A Hurry  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 7, 2014

MAN IN A HURRY On the Andy Griffith Show episode "Man in a Hurry"- Malcolm tucker is a wealthy businessman from Charlotte. One Sunday he happens to have car trouble a couple of miles outside of Mayberry. Malcolm walks the rest of the way to town and meets Andy coming out of Sunday morning ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: Frustration, Trial, Unexpected, Hurry

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thanksgiving

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Nov 19, 2014

91% of Americans have turkey for Dinner. And so... I was thinking about Butterball Turkeys for some reason I know not why. Did you know they have an online help page? Well I went to that computer page and I found some of the problems that people have with cooking turkeys. You may be flabbergasted ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:13-16

Tags: Family Days, Thanksgiving

Denomination: Independent/Bible

War

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

WAR My life fell apart in the summer of ‘68. One minute I was the happiest man in the world then wham! It was all over. My countenance changed from a look of total contentment into one filled with agony and anguish. Here I was living in total rapture, married to the woman of my dreams. It’s hard ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18

Tags: Battle, War

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Modern Day (Sports) Parable

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Aug 21, 2019

The Parable Of The Free Agent Hockey Players “For the kingdom of heaven is like a rich sports owner who went out at 6 AM on July 1st , free agency day, to find players for his hockey team. At the local Starbucks he found a Superstar player. He said, “I’ll make you a good offer. - $5 million per ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16

Tags: Grace, Gospel, Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Pentecostal

Why The Interruptions?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 27, 2020

Like many of us, I love listening to good Bible teachers on the radio. Great men of the past and great men of the present have given a great deal of time to explain and comment on the Word of God. We are truly blessed because of their efforts. My prayer is the Lord rewards them greatly when we ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:8, 1 Corinthians 3:14

Tags: Interruptions, Bible Teachers

Denomination: Baptist

The Power Of Presence

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Sep 7, 2021

The Neil Diamond song, Sweet Caroline” is played at every Red Sox home game in Boston's Fenway Park before the bottom of the 8th inning. The tradition is said to date back to 1997 when the stadium DJ played it in honour of a newborn baby girl born of one of the staff members. The baby was of ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Tags: Worship, Incarnation, Singing, Visiting

Denomination: Pentecostal

In Ancient History, Tanning Was Considered A ...

Contributed by John Tung on May 10, 2007

“In ancient history, tanning was considered a “smelly” trade and relegated to the outskirts of town, amongst the poor. Tanning by ancient methods is so foul smelling that tanneries are still isolated from those towns today where the old methods are used. The ancients used leather for waterskins, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:11

Tags: Tanning

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ode To Mom  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

ODE TO MOM (from Pearl Sewell and Patti Cowell). POSITION: Mother, Mom, Mama JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable ...read more

Tags: Mother's Day

On A Certain Isolated Pacific Island, When A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

On a certain isolated Pacific island, when a young man proposed marriage, it was customary to announce it to the entire village. Then he and the whole community would go to the young woman’s home. Her father would come outside and then – in front of the community – the father and suitor would ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Children, Marriage, Peace, Building, Obedience, Women, Mothers, Foundation, Employee, Car  (view more)  (view less)

A Missionary On Furlough Told This True Story ...

Contributed by John Montgomery on Jun 21, 2007

A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan... "While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight at ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The People Of God

Contributed by Lonnie Erwin on Sep 24, 2007

The people of God: Individuals, and in a state of distinctness from all the nations amongst which, in their calamitous dispersion, they are scattered; but they have no national existence -- no king, no country, no organization, no government, no political being. Just so the great community of ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Make That Same Commitment To Jesus Christ This ...

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Jan 1, 2008

Make that same commitment to Jesus Christ this moment, and that assurance will be yours too. You will be prepared to meet your God. Remember and live by the immortal words of P. H. Harding in his awesome poem “Only One Life”: Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way; ...read more

Tags: Gifts Prophecy

Denomination: Methodist

This Past Week My Oldest Daughter Came In For ...

Contributed by Douglas Sherwood on Mar 27, 2008

This past week my oldest daughter came in for Easter break from college in Tennessee. After their mother spent nine hours in a van with our girls I thought she might like a little time alone. So I took our girls to see the movie . . . “Horton Hears a Who.” GREAT DR. SUESS MOVIE! Horton is an ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene

In His Book Hidden In Plain Sight, Author And ...

Contributed by Dale Hummel on May 14, 2008

In his book Hidden in Plain Sight, author and pastor Mark Buchanan writes about a woman named Regine. Originally from Rwanda, Regine came to Christ while reading her sister's Bible during the genocide that ravaged her country. When she fled to Canada for refuge, she met her husband, Gordon. They ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Giftedness

Contributed by Jerry Blaxton on Aug 1, 2008

GIFTEDNESS Every now and then, I will have a home repair project to do. I don't mind trying to do some of these things. When we lived in South Dakota, there was a time when the toilet got clogged up. Well, the first thing I did was use a plunger, and it cleared it. But the very next time we had ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Questions On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

QUESTIONS ON SUFFERING Steven Curtis Chapman is one of the best known singer-songwriters of contemporary Christian music. Over the last 15 or 20 years, his songs have blessed millions of people. Recently tragedy struck the Chapman home, and Michelle Malkin wrote about it: “Steven Curtis Chapman’s ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

9 / ...

Contributed by Susan Babb, Osl on Oct 9, 2008

9 / 11 A. Let me tell you about a whole town that epitomized this scripture B.. Gander, Canada 1. population 9,600 2. smack dab in the middle of Newfoundland 3. Canada’s eastern most province along the Atlantic 4. it had a community center, an aviation museum, 4 city ...read more

Tags: Hospitality

Denomination: Methodist

Unsung Heroines-They Helped Rebuild Jerusalem’s Wall

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 12, 2022

Introduction: The Book of Nehemiah is almost like a report or memoir of what Nehemiah did, and why. He led the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, as these walls were in sad shape. Chapter 3 of his book lists a number of people and groups who did work on these walls. The word “repaired” is ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 3:12, Numbers 27:1-11

Tags: Walls Of Jerusalem, Unsung Heroines, Nehemiah

Denomination: Baptist