In Sermon Illustrations: "One Line Sermons"

Before You Hit Send

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

Think about the last text thread that went completely sideways. You typed something fast because you were frustrated. You hit send. And three seconds later your stomach dropped because you realized you said it wrong, or you said too much, or you said the exact thing that was going to make the ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19

Tags: Slow To Speak, Self Control

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Airplane Traveler Who Knows His Bible Well, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 23, 2009

Airplane Traveler Who Knows His Bible Well, Finally Understands the Goal of the Gospel--To Know Christ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” *There is no eternal life in trying to keep God’s rules, because you can’t keep them ...read more

Scripture: John 17:3

Tags: Evangelism, Christian Witness

It All Happened On A Subway

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Mar 10, 2022

Marcel Sternberger was a methodical man of nearly 50, with bushy white hair, guileless brown eyes, and the bouncing enthusiasm of a czardas dancer of his native Hungary. He always took the 9:09 Long Island Railroad train from his suburban home to Woodside, N.Y.., where he caught a subway into the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10

Tags: Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Chance, Divine Appointments  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Brethren

Neil] Postman Explains That Every Scholar From ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 18, 2002

[Neil] Postman explains that every scholar from Erasmus in the sixteenth century to Elizabeth Einsenstein in the twentieth confirms that reading produces habits of mind that encourage the process of rationality. By developing the ability to reason effectively through reading, one can uncover lies, ...read more

The Preacher Was Wired For Sound With A Lapel ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2005

The preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the ...read more

Tags: Church General

If Christ Was Meant Just As An Example, He's Over ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2005

If Christ was meant just as an example, He’s over engineered—i.e. a Porsche sports car engineered to do 150 m.p.h. that can only be driven at 55 m.p.h. A good example would be Mother Teresa. She was within reach. If Christ is an example, no ...read more

Tags: Apologetics Jesus

Two Women Who Were Having Lunch In An Elegant ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2005

Two women who were having lunch in an elegant hotel were approached by a mutual friend who asked the occasion for the meal. One lady replied, “We are celebrating the birth of my baby boy.” “But where is he?” inquired the friend. “Oh,” said the mother, “you didn’t think I’d ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Motherhood In Newsweek's Jane Bryant Quinn Notes ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

Motherhood In Newsweek’s Jane Bryant Quinn notes “a rising proportion of young women appear to be choosing motherhood over career.” Her theory on why,” It’s one of prosperity’s side effects.” A booming economy has driven up young men’s wages, making a second income a ...read more

Tags: Parenting

So, Whose Job Is It? According To A Kaiser ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

So, Whose Job Is It? According to a Kaiser Foundation study, “94% of parents want teachers to be the ones to discuss the pressures and consequences of having sex.” Another ‘99 study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation reports that 50% of all teens say “they still trust their parents for the most ...read more

Tags: Children, Thought

There Are Five Billion People On Earth, And I ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"There are five billion people on Earth, and I should guess that at any given moment one or two billion of us are speaking. And I should further guess that virtually nothing anyone says is memorable....There are times, however, when someone turns a phrase that seems so clever or so apt or so ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Resolved, To Live With All My Might While I Do ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Resolved, to live with all my might while I do live. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can. Resolved, never to do anything which I should despite or think meanly of in another. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge. ...read more

Tags: New Year's Day

A Man Was Out Fishing In His Boat, When He ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A man was out fishing in his boat, when he hooked into a large bass. He fought the fish for quite awhile, and finally got it reeled into the boat. He could not believe his eyes. It was a 37 pound striper, a prize keeper. On the shore, he ran into a second fisherman who had a stringer with a dozen ...read more

Tags: Faith

Not Long Ago I Read Something That Was In An ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Not Long ago I read something that was in an issue of National Geographic There was a photograph of the fossil remains of two saber-tooth cats locked in combat. To quote the article: “One had bitten deep into the leg bone of the other, a thrust that trapped both in a common fate.” The cause ...read more

Tags: Unity

Robert Raines - My Ten-Year-Old Son, Bob, Had ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Robert Raines - My ten-year-old son, Bob, had made the all-star football team in school. As I rubbed his back while putting him to bed one night, out of the quiet came a still, small voice, "Dad, is this the first time you ever rubbed an all-star’s back?" ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Ten Commandments, Children

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Ten Commandments, Children It’s like one little Sunday School boy who knew nothing of forgiveness… A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-olds After explaining the commandment to "honor" your Father and Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment ...read more

Tags: Messianic Prophecies

A Dear Lady Had A Husband Who Was An Airline ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A dear lady had a husband who was an airline pilot, and he often had difficulty locating items around the house. One day he asked his wife where the salt was. Annoyed, she responded, "How on earth can you find Detroit at night in a blizzard, but you can’t ...read more

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son

Can I Hug You?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I heard a story about a father who told his son when he reached 12 years old that he would only shake hands with him from now on. Finally, some 20 or 25 years later the son, now a grown man, said, “Dad can I hug you?” And the son and ...read more

Tags: People In The Gospel

Someone Tells About A Woman Who For Many Years ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Someone tells about a woman who for many years couldn’t sleep at night because she worried that her home would be burglarized. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he found a burglar. The husband said ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Dwight Moody Was Once Addressing A Crowded ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Dwight Moody was once addressing a crowded meeting of children in Scotland. To get their attention, he asked, “what is prayer?” He really wasn’t expecting the children to answer. To his amazement, hands shot up all over the auditorium. One lad quoted his textbook answer, “Prayer is an offering up ...read more

Tags: Prayer Supplication

Dwight Moody Was Once Addressing A Crowded ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Dwight Moody was once addressing a crowded meeting of children in Scotland. To get their attention, he asked, “what is prayer?” He really wasn’t expecting the children to answer. To his amazement, hands shot up all over the auditorium. One lad quoted his textbook answer, “Prayer is an offering up ...read more

Tags: Prayer Supplication