In Sermon Illustrations: "Outside The Camp"

Residents Of Pompeii Ignored Warning ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 2, 2009

Residents of Pompeii Ignored Warning Signs Naomi and I visited the ruins of Pompeii outside of what is today Naples. The Roman City of Pompeii was destroyed in A.D. 79. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:3-51

Tags: Judgment

Ask Questions Before Making Decisions

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jun 22, 2010

ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE MAKING DECISIONS Author Bobb Biehl said he decided about twenty years ago to make a hobby of asking questions. He began collecting them and included an entire chapter of questions in his book, Increasing Your Leadership Confidence, in the chapter "Decision-Making." He urged ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Pentecostal

Let God Put It Together

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 14, 2010

LET GOD PUT IT TOGETHER One night a father heard his young daughter speaking, although she was alone in her room. The door was open just enough that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused outside ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

Denomination: Brethren

What Would They Say About You?

Contributed by Guy De Swardt on Feb 17, 2011

WHAT WOULD THEY SAY ABOUT YOU? I want you to imagine the following scene. You’re going for the most important job interview of your life. You’re nervous. In your hand you’re holding your all-important CV, and in the other hand you’re holding onto some of your best work samples. The interview ...read more

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Baptist

9/11: A Sense Of Ownership

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2011

9/11: A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP David Frum, one of President George W. Bush’s speechwriters, wrote in his book The Right Man that when he drove home on the evening of September 11, 2001 after the tragic attack on our nation by Muslim terrorists that something grew within him. He wrote that a sudden ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Father's Day

Fortified Within

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 23, 2011

FORTIFIED WITHIN There are two ways of handling pressure. One is illustrated by a bathysphere, the miniature submarine used to explore the ocean in places so deep that the water pressure would crush a conventional submarine like an aluminum can. Bathyspheres compensate with plate steel several ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:9-14

Tags: Stress

When Ptolemy Was In Charge Of Egypt, He ...

Contributed by Ken Henson on Aug 1, 2012

When Ptolemy was in charge of Egypt, he commissioned a great architect named Sostratus of Cnidius, a skillful architect, to build, what came to be one of the great seven wonders of the ancient world. The Light House of Alexandria was over 400 feet tall and built it with the masonry stones, which ...read more

Tags: Heart

Denomination: *other

Self-Denial At The Threat Of Death  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 15, 2013

"Faith Helped Woman Confront British Terrorists" Remember a few weeks ago when the British soldier was beheaded in broad daylight outside his barracks? The Telegraph, a British paper, reported that a mother and Cub Scout leader, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, age 48, confronted the terrorists immediately ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23-25, 2 Kings 5:1-14

Tags: Self Denial, Dying To Self

Denomination: Nazarene

Smell The Rain

Contributed by Dr. David Hallum on Sep 10, 2015

When my daughter Cynthia was a little girl, we lived in Odessa, TX. We made one of the pilgrimages that we did from time to time to see my wife, Rosemary’s family. Rosemary’s brother, Michael was in town at the time from the Navy. Now in West Texas, rain is a beautiful thing. We got one of ...read more

Scripture: John 12:1-10

Tags: Disciples, Aroma, Smell, Pleasant

Denomination: Baptist

A Really Dumb Thief

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 17, 2017

A REALLY DUMB THIEF Any thief knows that the easiest way to steal gasoline from a car is to siphon it from the other guy’s tank into your own. Stick a rubber hose in his gas tank, suck on the other end of the rubber hose until you get a mouth full of the gas, then spit it out. From then on, the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8

Tags: Revenge, Wages Of Sin

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Orphaned Girl And Wounded Mother  PRO

Contributed by Ryan Yandris on Mar 8, 2003

ORPHANED GIRL AND WOUNDED MOTHER One day a little orphan girl who was about 5 years old had a visitor. The Nurse had pre warned the child that this wasn’t just any visitor. It was a lady who had severely crippled her back and her hands were withered. Her whole body was scared with deep wounds ...read more

Tags: Children, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Child-Like Faith  PRO

Contributed by Mark Evans on Mar 24, 2005

A CHILD-LIKE FAITH: My daughter was four years old and about to see her first Easter play. Like most little girls at Easter, she was all decked out in her flowered outfit, patent leather shoes, matching purse, white lace gloves, and to top it all off – her beautiful Easter hat. As the play ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:16-17

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Baptist

Over The Past Few Years The Bbc Have Run A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Over the past few years the BBC have run a number of series called the 101 things before you die. 101 places to visit before you die, 101 things to do before you die and 101 things to eat before you die. What they do is get people to write in and suggest their favourite and then they put them ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness

The Country Of The Blind By H.g. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

The Country of the Blind by H.G. Wells DON’T BE LIKE THOSE WHO WON’T SEE. Don’t be like those who don’t want to be confused with the facts, because they think they know it all already. H. G. Wells, who wrote The War of the Worlds, once wrote a short story called The Country of the Blind. It’s ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8

Tags: Sin Deceptive

"a Candle In The Window: Embracing Hope This Advent"

Contributed by Jessie Manuel on Dec 22, 2024

As the evening wore on and the fire crackled gently in the hearth, Old Thomas gathered his family close, the soft glow of the candle illuminating their faces. It was a time for connection, reflection, and the cherished rituals of Advent that had been passed down through generations. “Now, let’s ...read more

Scripture: Luke 3:1-6

Tags: Love, Hope

Denomination: Methodist

Maybe You Heard The Story About A Little ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Mar 13, 2001

ILL. Maybe you heard the story about a little girl named Sandra who was raised in an adobe house in a rural area of New Mexico, without electricity & running water. In fact, her mother & father had to drive to El Paso, 200 miles away, so that her mother could be in the hospital when Sandra was ...read more

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Missing Out  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

MISSING OUT Leith Anderson, a pastor, shares an experience of disappointment. As a boy, he grew up outside of New York City and was an avid fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers. One day his father took him to a World Series game between the Dodgers and the Yankees. He was so excited, and he just knew ...read more

Tags: Human Body, Emotions

Audience With The President  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Apr 12, 2002

AUDIENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT Following the Civil War, a dejected confederate soldier was sitting outside the grounds of the White House. A young boy approached him and inquired why he was so sad. The solider related how he had repeatedly tried to see President Lincoln to tell him why he was ...read more

Tags: Divinity Of Christ, Cross Agony

Denomination: United Methodist

Robert Schuller Tells A Story About A Banker Who ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Gibney on Aug 7, 2002

Robert Schuller tells a story about a banker who always tossed a coin in the cup of a legless beggar who sat on the street outside the bank. But, unlike most people, the banker would always insist on getting one of the pencils the man had beside him. "You are a merchant," the banker would say, "and ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24

Tags: Gifts Encouragement, Miraculous

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dragged Through Life  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2002

DRAGGED THROUGH LIFE We live in a very tense, uptight, and fast-paced world filled with hurry. A Tahoma, Washington newspaper carried the story of Tattoo the basset hound a while back. Tattoo didn’t intend to go for an evening run, but when his owner shut the dog’s leash in the car door and took ...read more

Tags: Giving Yourself, Labor Day, Peace, Workplace Balance