In Sermon Illustrations: "Off Color"

For Many Of Us, Our New Years Resolutions Seem To ...  PRO

Contributed by Jay Winters on Jan 10, 2008

For many of us, our New Years resolutions seem to resemble carbon dating – where we can establish the date of our resolution by how many “half lives” it has had. Here are some examples: 2003: I will read at least 10 books a year. 2004: I will read 5 books a year. 2005: I will finish Portals of ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:7-16

Tags: Money, Diet, Resolution, New Year, Carbon Dating  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Patience  PRO

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Oct 15, 2008

Patience This past week I read about a first-grade teacher who was having a difficult day. It had rained that entire day and the children couldn’t go out for recess, so they got more and more restless and hyperactive as the day wore on. The teacher couldn’t wait for the bell to ring at 3 ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sheep Alive  PRO

Contributed by Mike Cleveland on Jan 18, 2009

Sheep Alive In 1972, a shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled-off, enclosed area for the night, and he had just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion. He quickly rushed over to where the sound was coming from and to his horror he discovered that a wolf was in the process of dragging off ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Buyer's Remorse And A Dead ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

BUYER’S REMORSE AND A DEAD DONKEY A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died." Kenny replied, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:10

Tags: Lies

Colossian Philosophy: "Borrowed" Features

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

COLOSSIAN PHILOSOPHY: "BORROWED" FEATURES I used to collect basketball cards. This was way back in the early 90s, though I still have held on to them. Basketball cards took off well after baseball cards, and each brand over time had its own unique features. Some were UV coated, others had gold ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-23

Tags: False Teaching

Dallas Willard Says, "Anger Indulged, Instead Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Raymond Maurer on Jul 21, 2004

Dallas Willard says, “Anger indulged, instead of simply waved off, always has in it an element of self-righteousness and vanity. Find a person who has embraced anger, and you ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1

Tags: Anger

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Famous Theologian From The 16th Century Named ...

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Oct 29, 2007

A famous theologian from the 16th century named John Calvin had this to say: “I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels.” ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Could Never Tell Where Inspiration Begins And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"I could never tell where inspiration begins and impulse leaves off. I suppose the answer is in the outcome. If your hunch proves a good one, you were inspired; if it ...read more

Tags: Thought

Stop Procrastinating I Have Only To See Those ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Stop procrastinating I have only to see those words and Im jerked into starting immediately, because I know only too well from personal experience ...read more

Tags: Productivity

Did You Know That Butterflies Never Try To Fly ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Did you know that butterflies never try to fly until their bodies reach exactly 27.2 degrees C. If they did, the material on their wings would come ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

A Preacher Said To His Congregation, "I Have ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 5, 2001

A preacher said to his congregation, “I have good news and bad news to tell you. The good news is we have enough money to pay off our building debt. The bad ...read more

Tags: Giving General, Church Practices

The Average Coupon User Spends About 20 Minutes ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2006

The average coupon user spends about 20 minutes of clipping and planning and saves about $12 a week. That’s 10-12 percent off the average shopping ...read more

Tags: Money

There Was A Life Insurance Salesman Who Claimed ...

Contributed by Bill Burress on Jan 12, 2011

There was a life insurance salesman who claimed his company paid their claim so quickly that their office, which is on the tenth floor of a eighty story building, that one day a man fell ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Motley, Cross-Breed, Half-Baked Sheep  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Nov 12, 2010

MOTLEY, CROSS-BREED, HALF-BAKED SHEEP Before I went off to train for ministry, I used to live in an old house in Oamaru with an acre and a half of land. I had the usual garden and lawn, but I also had about an acre and a quarter of pretty rough hillside that was planted in a variety of trees and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:3, Numbers 6:22-27

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Denomination: Salvation Army

Run The Race

Contributed by James Chandler on Apr 18, 2024

Run the Race ”Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2

Tags: Hope, Perseverance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Passing It On

Contributed by David Dunn on Mar 30, 2026

I visited a friend for Thanksgiving. Nothing formal. Just one of those homes where you walk in and immediately feel like you belong. The kitchen was already alive—warm, a little crowded, full of movement. You could hear things happening before you even saw them. Pots shifting. Laughter from the ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6-7, 1 Corinthians 11:1

Tags: Tradition, Influence, Formation

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

An Angry Messiah Made His Point: Don't Go Making ...

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jun 6, 2003

An angry Messiah made his point: don’t go making money off of religion, or God will make hay of you (2). (2) Max Lucado, No Wonder They Call Him ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Pentecostal

When I Was 40 And Looking At 60, It Seemed Like ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"When I was 40 and looking at 60, it seemed like a thousand years away. But 62 feels like a week and a half away from 80. I must now get on with ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Old Age, Believe Me, Is A Good And Pleasant ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant time. It is true that you are quietly shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front seat as spectator, and if you have ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

God Is Testing Us, To See Whether We Can Trust ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"God is testing us, to see whether we can trust Him in the dark as well as in the light; and whether we can be as True to Him when all pleasurable emotions have faded ...read more

Tags: Endurance