In Sermon Illustrations: "Only"

I Want To Buy An Hour

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Jun 17, 2005

I WANT TO BUY AN HOUR A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated. He found his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" The dad replied: "Yeah, sure, what is it?" "Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?" The dad got mad and said, ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Church Of God

Keep Waiting

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Oct 19, 2010

There’s a story from the 1800’s of a young couple, William & Elizabeth, madly in love, and engaged to be married. Elizabeth enjoys planning for their future. William on the other hand knows that it’s only a matter of time before he is called away to sea to fight various enemies in far-off lands. ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Anglican

This Baby Is For You

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011

THIS BABY IS FOR YOU Pastor and author Richard Foster writes about genuine, joyous giving. "Giving with a glad and generous heart has a way of rooting out the tough old miser within us. Just the very act of letting go of money or some other treasure does something great within us."1 Such genuine, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Airport Security And The Presence Of God

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 23, 2011

AIRPORT SECURITY AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD Airport inspections are more thorough than they used to be, and lines are longer. They also have X-ray machines for the checked baggage. Fortunately the standards aren't so stringent for that category, so you may arrive at the other end still owning a ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:2

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Can't Miss

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 20, 2011

CAN'T MISS Every so often, in the world of high school boys' basketball, there comes a player with incredible talent and skill. He and his team become the focus of a lot of media attention. That player becomes one of the most talked about high school athletes in the nation. Recruiters from the ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 1:9

Tags: Humility

Facing Down A Mountain Lion  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 14, 2011

FACING DOWN A MOUNTAIN LION Did you know that in the United States, mountain lions are the number one predator of human beings? So says author and naturalist, Craig Childs. On one occasion, he was doing research on the lions in Arizona’s Blue Range Wilderness. As he approached a water hole from ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Satan

Small Things With Great Love

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE Gary Morsch is the founder of Heart to Heart in Kansas City. As a physician, he has done magnificient work around the world taking medical supplies to low income people. Several years ago, he took a trip to Calcutta and Mother Teresa's House for the Destitute Dying. He ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Methodist

Sending The Very Best  PRO

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 18, 2011

SENDING THE VERY BEST Someone has composed the following list of "Cards You'll Never See at Hallmark": "Looking back over the years that we've been together, I can't help but wonder.... What was I thinking?!" "I've always wanted to have someone to hold, someone to love.... After having ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-25, Philippians 1:3-30, Matthew 25:31-46

Tags: Joy, Friendship General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Augustine And The Four States Of Man  PRO

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Mar 5, 2012

AUGUSTINE AND THE FOUR STATES OF MAN In the 5th century AD, St. Augustine wrote about the "4 States of Man": * The first state of man (the haec sunt prima) is "living according to the flesh -- with reason making no resistance." This can be seen in so many ancient cultures and religions (and ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-15

Tags: Allegory

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Brother's Song

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Apr 13, 2012

THE BROTHER'S SONG Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for his sister. Day after day and night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Christian Church

The Story Of Bertha Smith

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 27, 2013

Bertha Smith is a name that we are not familiar with. Bertha Smith was a missionary many years ago in China. There was an uprising throughout China at that time and the Christian missionaries were forced to leave their congregations and flee to coastal cities for safety. Many of them, while ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Spiritual Breakthrough.

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Feb 14, 2014

During the week I have been looking at a book by John Larsson where he called Spiritual breakthrough where he talks about Samuel Logan Brengle. In his recalling Brengle, Larsson talks of how at the age of twenty-five, Brengle was at a seminary training to be a minister but he was troubled. He ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Tags: Holy Spirit, Sanctification, Spiritual Encounter

Denomination: Salvation Army

A Lesson From A Damaged Lock

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 20, 2019

Moving from one place to another is always a challenge, no matter how many times you’ve gone through this “process”! My wife and I recently made a move and learned a strange, but interesting lesson—one that was valuable for us, too. As sometimes happens, there is too much stuff and not enough ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-20

Tags: Possessions, Worldly Goods, Theft

Denomination: Baptist

A Drop Or Two Of Bluing?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 25, 2019

How many of you remember bluing solution? Way back in the early to mid ‘60’s, Mom and Grandma would never finish a load of wash (laundry, if you prefer!) without adding some bluing when they did the whites. Now, I never understood why they did this but one of the two explained it kind of like this: ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 64:6, Psalm 51:7, 1 John 1:7

Tags: Forgiveness, Cleansing From Sin

Denomination: Baptist

You Can’t Escape The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

My favorite story about the Holy Spirit is the story C.S. Lewis told about a college student who wrote to him. The young man was an atheist. And he was very concerned because he had made friends with some Christian students. They were enthusiastically witnessing to him about Jesus, and it had ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:9-11

Tags: Holy Spirit, Regeneration

Leading With Wisdom

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Sep 22, 2023

Leading with Wisdom Nelson Mandela, an icon of leadership, stands as a beacon of inspiration in the annals of history. His remarkable journey from tribal beginnings to global acclaim offers valuable insights into the art of leadership. Unlike many leaders whose legacy is shrouded in varying ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19, Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 15:28, James 3:17

Tags: Gentle, Peaceable, Learn To Listen, Leadership, Team  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[243]. A Message From A Poem – God’s Love Is Beyond Compare

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 26, 2025

[243]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GOD’S LOVE IS BEYOND COMPARE I think this poem emerged from considering the letter to the church as Ephesus written by the Apostle John. The strategic verse there is this – {{Revelation 2:4 “but I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”}} ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:4, John 3:16, Romans 5:5, John 5:42

Tags: Christian Poems, Love, First Love, Comparison, The Love Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ron Mehl: Love Found A Way

Contributed by N A on Dec 7, 2007

QUOTE: By Ron Mehl (Love Found a Way). “Some people think I get a little carried away with Christmas. No, they don’t actually say anything (who wants to offend the pastor?). But I can tell. I’ve caught them rolling their eyes or changing the subject. I know that they’re thinking. They think I’m too ...read more

Tags: Antichrist

Denomination: *other

On January 21, 1930, The Name Of Harold Vidian ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 17, 2001

On January 21, 1930, the name of Harold Vidian became synonymous with heroism. On that day, England’s King George V was scheduled to give the opening address at the London Arms Conference. The king’s message was to be sent by radio all around the world. Donald McCullough, in his book The ...read more

In His Autobiography, Just As I Am, Graham ...  PRO

Contributed by James Wilson on Nov 23, 2000

In his autobiography, Just As I Am, Graham doesn’t hide his faults or gloss over his mistakes. For instance, there was the time Ruth, his wife, pleaded with him to cancel his speaking engagement in Mobile, Alabama and stay home with her because she was having labor pains. Graham told her she wasn’t ...read more

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Baptist