In Sermon Illustrations: "One Sheep Lost"

The Word Of God

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 9, 2012

ILLUS: (I had 6 plastic see through pitchers on stage… one of which was full of water. Holding up an empty pitcher I said…) Imagine this empty pitcher represents that nation of Israel. (I began to pour water from the full pitcher into the empty one). God poured out His will and wisdom into them. ...read more

Tags: Bible, Israel

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Only Sunlight They See

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Feb 4, 2013

THE ONLY SUNLIGHT THEY SEE Two orphaned brothers stay in a slum district of New York City. One of them is crippled and hardly leaves the room. The older brother has to take care of him and buys him food. His younger brother lamented one day that he has not seen the sunlight for a long time. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14

Tags: Evangelism, Witness, Evangelism How To, Light Bearers

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Daddy Has All Of Me

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 29, 2014

DADDY HAS ALL OF ME! Alan Redpath had two daughters who loved to swarm him as soon as he came home at night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to be the first to hug Daddy. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all of her might. He snatched the other daughter up in his ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:20-23

Tags: Worship, Commitment, Surrender, Consecration

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bertrund Russell's Thoughts On Life And Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2014

Many people fear death because they believe death is the end. Bertrand Russell was a 20th century philosopher and an atheist. As he approached his death in 1970, he wrote: "The life of Man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, towards a ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25-26

Tags: Death, Atheism, Worldly Wisdom, Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

Audrey Hepburn's Beauty Tips

Contributed by Perry Greene on Aug 18, 2014

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her ’beauty tips.’ It was read at her funeral years later. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:8-9

Tags: Beauty, Hands, Inner Beauty

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

From Atheism To Ben Hur

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 19, 2016

FROM ATHEISM TO BEN HUR "After six years given to the impartial investigation of Christianity as to its truth or falsity, I have come to the deliberate conclusion that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of the Jews, the Savior of the world and my own personal Redeemer." -- General Lew Wallace, one-time ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 18:1

Tags: Conversion, Testimony, Jesus Christ, Atheism

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Giving Tithes And Offering To Your Local Church

Contributed by Rev. Vinod Rasaily on Oct 19, 2016

Believers must understand that Church is the backbone of mission and therefore must be faithful in bringing their tithes and offering to their local Church. Some Church goers who live outside of their home town would not commit themselves to support the Church which they are attending, instead they ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11

Tags: Tithes And Offering, Christian Giving, Giving To God

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Betty's White Cake Is For Whoever

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 11, 2017

I walked into the kitchen one afternoon and saw a big white cake that had just been frosted. I love white cake. It’s my favorite. And my wife Betty can really make a mean one. So I found Betty and asked her, “Who is that white cake for?” She looked at me and shrugged, “Whoever.” Now she didn’t ...read more

Tags: Whosoever, Whoever, Anyone

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Baksheesh

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 27, 2018

Donald Barhhouse says, “One of the first words learned by the traveler in India is “baksheesh.” Multitudes of begars hold out their hands and say this one word. Preaching through an interpreter, I had occasion to speak of salvation as the gift of God. I emphasized the word. It is a gift. I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:3, Titus 3:5

Tags: Salvation, Poor In Spirit, Gift Of God

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

If Billy Goes To Hell, Do You Care?

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 10, 2019

Billy was born in 1972 into a family of drug abusers. His mother died of an overdose when little Billy was three years old, His father was wanted in Tennessee for selling drugs. Little Billy was slipped into Tennessee to live with relatives. In all reality little Billy spent his life looking for ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Tags: Hell, Compassion

Denomination: Pentecostal

Get Up And Do It

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Nov 15, 2020

Mother Teresa – So many leaders have the idea that to lead greatly you have to focus on everyone. Mother Teresa took a different approach. She saw the poor. The hurt. The dying. And she knew something had to be done. When you know that there’s that many hurting people out there, you might think ...read more

Scripture: Judges 4:1-9

Tags: When God Speaks, Get Up And Do It

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Billy Graham's Great Regret

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

Billy Graham was once asked, "If you had to live your life over again, what would you do differently?" He answered: “One of my great regrets is that I have not studied enough, I wish I had studied more and preached less. People have pressured me into speaking to groups when I should ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Bible Study, Word Of God, Pastors, Sermon Preparation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Staying Where You Started!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

The problem is that Christians do not go on with God. They get saved, give a testimony of their salvation, and that’s all they ever have. They never maintain a serious study of the Word of God, which is essential to growth. They are like the little girl who fell out of bed one night. When the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2, Colossians 3:1-4

Tags: Christian Life, Spiritual Growth, Running The Race, Perserverance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Communication: Who Is The Problem, Really?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 8, 2021

. A woman met with a counselor and stated, "I want to divorce my husband." ?On what grounds?” asked the counselor. ?Grounds? We have two acres at the edge of town with a big lawn and some fruit trees.” ?No, that's not what I meant. Do you have a grudge?” ?Yes, we've a two car ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:2, Jeremiah 17:9

Tags: Communication, Blame, Rationalization, Blaming Others

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Wise Heart

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jul 15, 2021

Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. KJV This does not mean you sugar coat the Word, but rather choose words or actions that do not offend in such a way no one wants to listen. Too many times Christians are rude and crude not ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:21

Tags: Wisdom, Speech, Lips, Sweetness, Prudent  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The 10-10-80 Rule

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2022

Sir John Templeton is a multi-billionaire, one of the wealthiest men in the world. He’s a dedicated Christian in his nineties. He invented the idea of trust funds in investments and started the Templeton Fund. Someone asked him, “How did you make such enormous wealth?” He said, “From the very start ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10

Tags: Offering, Giving, Tithes

Soul

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 11, 2023

John Ortberg describes it this way, “We each have an outer life and an inner one. My outer self is the public, visible me. My accomplishments, my work, and my reputation lie there. But inside is my soul that part of me that speaks in silence to others but yells at me. It's the inside stuff of ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10, Matthew 16:26, Matthew 22:37

Tags: Spiritual Growth, Soul Care, Inner Health

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Fooled By Our Emotions

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 17, 2023

One of the most difficult things, all Christians must surely admit, is to differentiate between a truly spiritual fervor and a carnal, animal zeal and enthusiasm. Natural animal spirits and temperament may very well make one fervent and zealous.... There is nothing of which a preacher needs to be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21, Jeremiah 17:9

Tags: Spirituality, Enthusiasm, Martin Lloyd Jones

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Bridesmaids - Apperiances Can Be Deciving

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 19, 2025

Beloved ... Appearances can be deceiving. Suppose ... we were to ask the ten Bridesmaids ... to stand in front of us ... in no particular order. Could you pick out the five foolish ones? The Answer of course is: No, ... and neither could I. We could argue about it ... we could all agree, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Foolish, Bridesmaids, Foolishness

Denomination: Anglican

A Christian Man Is The Most Free Lord Of All, ...  PRO

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Apr 3, 2001

"A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one." ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Kingdom Of God, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist