In Sermon Illustrations: "One Solitary Life"

Uh, That's "Maranatha"

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 1, 2012

UH, THAT'S "MARANATHA" An elderly Christian lady attended a Christian conference gathering, similar to Keswick/Spring Harvest etc. For her it was really the first time she had mixed with Christians from other denominations. This really blessed her and opened her eyes to the richness of Christian ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Brethren

He Who Is

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Dec 22, 2012

He Who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15),(21) is Himself the perfect man. To the sons of Adam He restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled,(22) by that very fact it has been raised up to a ...read more

Tags: Incarnation, Jesus' Ministry

Denomination: Catholic

Miss America And Elephants

Contributed by Pastor Jeff Hughes on Feb 1, 2014

Matt 24:24-25 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. Back years ago, I heard a well known salesman that regularly competed with the number one company in his industry. Those ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:24-25

Tags: Size, Church Size

Denomination: Bible Church

The Worst Boss Ever

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018

What if you had a boss that demanded that you check in with him every ten minutes no matter what? What if he required that even if you were in the middle of other important work in your office? What if he demanded that whether you were at the office or at home? What if he required that even if ...read more

Tags: Technology, Busyness, Cell Phone

Denomination: Baptist

Compassion

Contributed by Shine Thomas on Nov 9, 2018

My Pastor in Calcutta, Pr. Mark Buntin came to India in 1954. He started a series of project for the poor in Calcutta. In 1964, the Buntains opened their first school for 200 children. A year later, they began a feeding program, starting with free school lunches of milk and parathas. One day as ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8

Tags: Sympathize, Compassion For Poor, Compassion

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Monkey On Your Back?

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

Get that monkey off your Back (Heb.12:1) Intro: Inter the area carrying a stuffed animal monkey on you shoulder act like it gets heavier every step GET THAT MONKEY OFF YOUR BACK The Monkey --little baby monkey--then chimp -the gorilla Christians are always struggling, one minute they are running on ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1

Tags: Sins, Weights

Denomination: Pentecostal

Don't Eat The Peanuts!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 20, 2019

A pastor went to call on one of the elderly widows of his church. While visiting with her, he noticed a big bowl of shelled peanuts on the coffee table. During the long conversation with the little old widow, the pastor began nibbling on the peanuts and soon the entire bowl was empty! The ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7

Tags: Humor, Pastors, Jokes, Deception, Hospitality  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Burning The Turkey

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 25, 2019

But what if you burn the bird? There is a positive way of looking at it: • Salmonella won't be a concern • No one will overeat. • Everyone will think it's Cajun Blackened. • Uninvited guests will think twice next year. • Your cheese broccoli lima bean casserole will gain newly found ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5

Tags: Thanksgiving, Turkey, Thanksgiving Humor

Denomination: Independent/Bible

You Don't Impress Him

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 15, 2020

“You don’t impress the officials at NASA with a paper airplane. You don’t boast about your crayon sketches in the presence of a Picasso. You don’t claim equality with an Einstein because you can write H2O. And you don’t boast about your goodness in the presence of the Perfect One. Mark it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Humility, Beatitudes, Pride, Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Gary Bettenhausen

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 13, 2021

We must decide what we mean by success. Gary Bettenhausen will help us to decide it. Some years ago, in an Indianapolis 500 race, veteran driver Al Unser lost control of his race car, which then skidded into the track wall and exploded into flames. Seconds later, another driver slammed his ...read more

Scripture: John 12:23-33, Mark 8:35

Tags: Success, Loser

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

9 Characteristics Of Revivals In The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 31, 2022

In his book Revival Fire, Geoff Waugh lists nine similarities among Biblical revivals: They occurred in times of moral darkness & national depression. Each began in the heart of a consecrated servant of God who became the energizing power behind it. Each revival rested on the Word ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Holy Spirit, Revival, Last Days, Old Testament, New Testament, Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When A Bar Had More Faith Than The Church!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 8, 2022

DO YOU BELIEVE IN PRAYER? A tale is told about a small town that had historically been “dry,” but then a local businessman decided to build a bar. A group of believers from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. It just so happened that ...read more

Tags: Church, Prayer, Humor, Jokes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Language Deficit

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 9, 2022

. As families become more dysfunctional, social skills decline. A number of school counselors are noting a rise in “language deficit.” Some parents rarely converse with their children but use the television as a nanny. The result: children recognize but do not grasp the meaning of COMMON words. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:29-32

Tags: Communication, Speech, Talking, Social Skills, Language Skills  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Speed Of Deliveries

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 27, 2022

Illustration: The Speed of a Delivery Delivery of items are jet-streamed today. You can order one day and possibly get it the next. “I’m sure, many prophets waited and waited, hoping to be in the generation that would see the fulfillment of God’s Prophecies, which took thousands of years. But ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-14, Galatians 4:4-5, Matthew 1:1-21

Tags: Christmas, Prophecy, Incarnation, Delivery, On Time  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

I Was Hungry

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 9, 2023

Charles Allen has a satirical comment on bearing one another's burdens: "I was hungry, and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger. I was imprisoned, and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release. I was naked, and in your mind you ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-10

Tags: Mercy, Ministry, Homeless, Serving Others, Burdens, Compassion, Prayer, Prison, Lost, Sick, Lonely  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love Of Money

Contributed by David Swanger on Jan 19, 2024

One day a certain old, rich man of a miserable disposition visited a rabbi, who took the rich man by the hand and lead him to a window. “Look out there,” he said. The rich man looked into the street. “What do you see?” asked the rabbi. “I see men, women and children,” answered the rich man. Again, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Money, Riches

A Man's Worth Is Not Based On His Wealth

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2024

The Jews had a practice of seating the most important people nearest the sacred scrolls in the synagogue. Other (less important) people would be seated in the back. This unhealthy practice was still carried on by some Christians in Jerusalem in the time of James, the half-brother of Jesus. Those ...read more

Tags: Prejudice, Synagogue, Judgmentalism, Possessions, Playing Favorites, People, Money, Soul, Favoritism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Clever But Mean

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 22, 2025

A Welshman, Scot and Englishman are walking when they come across a lantern and a genie pops out and grants them one wish each. The Scot says: “I am a sheep herder, like my dad before me. I want my country to be full of lovely sheep farms.”  Whoosh, and so it was. The Englishman was amazed and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:1-5

Tags: Prejudice, Superiority, Getting Even, Loving Others, Vengence, Shrewdness, Ethnicity, Hating Others, Ethnic Hatred  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

William Wilberforce

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 16, 2025

One example of living for Christ in the midst of suffering is William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833). There is a wonderful movie about him that came out in 2006 – “Amazing Grace.” You can watch is for free on Youtube. The movie opens in the year 1797 with Wilberforce suffering and feeling very ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-25

Tags: Slavery, Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce, Abolition

Denomination: Methodist

Jumping To Conclusions

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 25, 2025

John was driving home late one night when he picked up a hitchhiker. As they rode along, he began to be suspicious of his passenger. John checked to see if his wallet was safe in the pocket of his coat that was on the seat between them, but it wasn't there! He slammed on the brakes, ordered ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:13, Matthew 7:1-2

Tags: Judgment, Assumption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist