In Sermon Illustrations: "Outward Appearances"

A Man Stood On The Side Of The Road Hitch Hiking ...  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Oct 24, 2002

A man stood on the side of the road hitch hiking on a very dark night in the middle of a storm. The night was rolling and no cars passed. The storm was so strong, he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly he saw a car come towards him and stop. The guy, without thinking about it, got ...read more

Tags: Paranormal, Supernatural

Denomination: Evangelical Free

There Are Some People That We Might Consider To ...  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Feb 10, 2003

There are some people that we might consider to be a freak because of their disfigured appearance. Consider the story of John Merrick who was known more by his disfigured appearance and labeled as the "Elephant man". "John Merrick was born in Leicester, England in 1862. He suffered from a severe ...read more

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Forgiveness General, Compassion

Denomination: United Methodist

The Cocoon  PRO

Contributed by Dennis Jones on May 19, 2003

THE COCOON A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could ...read more

Tags: Endurance, Faith

Denomination: Pentecostal

Prejudiced Toward Attractive People

Contributed by Nathan Ingram on Nov 30, 2009

PREJUDICED TOWARD ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE In her book Better Than Ever, Dr. Joyce Brothers, popular psych, shows we are prejudiced toward attractive people. We consistently judge beautiful people to be more sensitive, kind, intelligent, interesting, sociable, and exciting than less attractive people." ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Have You Ever Been Told Something So Thrilling ...

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Dec 10, 2009

Have you ever been told something so thrilling that you could not be quiet? There had to be a party going on in heaven! Angels by their nature worship, serve, and represent God. Now the promise of the ages to all mankind had come. They could not shut up about it! The celebration overflowed, ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Accepting The Good News  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

ACCEPTING THE GOOD NEWS A promotion by H. R. Block Inc. in 2001 offered walk-in customers a chance to win a drawing for a million dollars. Glen and Gloria Sims of Sewell, New Jersey, won the drawing, but they refused to believe it when an H. R. Block representative phoned them with the good ...read more

Scripture: John 5:45-47

Tags: Unbelief

Women And Proverbs

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 16, 2013

WOMEN AND PROVERBS From Chronological Life Application Bible: "Proverbs has a lot to say about women. How fitting that the book ends with a picture of a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the ...read more

Tags: Women

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Used The Famous Gene Kelly Scene From Singing ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 24, 2001

I used the famous Gene Kelly scene from Singing in the Rain as an illustration of Romans 5:17. The Sermon title was Singing in the Reign. Kelly’s dance was full of the child-like love we can feel and experience in knowing that God has freely given us His abundance of grace and the free gift of ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-8, Romans 5:17, Psalm 51:1-21, Galatians 2:15-21, Psalm 51:1-10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith Vs. Works, Grace

The Army Of Alexander The Great Was Advancing On ...

Contributed by Evie Megginson on Mar 8, 2005

The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat. Alexander commanded ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Baptist

Christian Merchandise Finds Alternative Market: ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2006

Christian Merchandise Finds Alternative Market: Sales of Christian-oriented card games, comic books and video games is on the rise as one market researcher says the current generation of teens appear to be more religious than Gen X. To promote their products as adventurous and exciting, some ...read more

Tags: Character

Marriage Durability: Born Again Adults Who Have ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Marriage Durability: Born again adults who have been married are just as likely as non-born-again adults who have been married to eventually become divorced. Because the vast majority of born again marriages occurred after the partners had accepted Christ, it appears that their connection to Christ ...read more

Tags: Divorce

A Story Is Told That A Huge Tree Was Not Put Down ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Santos on Oct 12, 2004

A story is told that a huge tree was not put down by severe rains and storms, but to surprise or many, one sunny day it just fell. When they examined the inside, it was destroyed slowly by small insects eating the trunk. Small sins may appear harmless, but it is they that can blind the eyes! Don’t ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive, Sin Wages Of

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Going Home

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008

GOING HOME For the first time since the Depression, more Americans ages 75 and older have been leaving the South than moving there, according to a New York Times analysis of Census Bureau data. The reversal appears to be driven in part by older people who retired to the South in their 60s, but ...read more

Tags: Aging

No Microscope, No Problem

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 23, 2010

NO MICROSCOPE, NO PROBLEM A tribe in the jungle were all falling sick. A missionary doctor went into the village to try and help them. He suspected and soon discovered that it was the contaminated water they were drinking that caused their sickness. To show the natives the missionary set up a ...read more

Tags: Unbelief

Denomination: Brethren

There Was A Minister Out Taking A Walk On A ...

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

There was a minister out taking a walk on a beautiful street. He noticed a small boy attempting to ring the doorbell on the porch of a house. The boy was short and the doorbell was higher than usual. The boy could not quite reach it. The minister stepped up to the porch beside the boy and reached ...read more

Tags: Ignorance

Denomination: Brethren

A Line From A Poem, "The New Colossus," By The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A line from a poem, “The New Colossus,” by the nineteenth-century American poet Emma Lazarus. “The New Colossus,” describing the Statue of Liberty, appears on a plaque at the base of the statue. It ends with the statue herself speaking: 1 Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Moses And Elijah

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 6, 2022

Lessons to learn about the appearance of Moses & Elijah and departed loved ones: They lived on even though they had left earth hundreds of years before. They could be identified without any formal introduction. They could speak to each other. Their intelligence was not ...read more

Tags: Elijah, Glory, Jesus, Moses, Heaven, Cross, Miracles, Transfiguration  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Laborers For The Master

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Sep 2, 2023

Laborers for the Master We are laborers for the Master, Bringing sheaves in from His field, Rejoicing in His blessed Spirit For the golden bounty yield. Waste ye not one single moment, For the night will soon appear. Make the most of the daylight, For the end is surely near. Would you labor for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:58

Tags: Faithful, Work, Fruitful, Labor Day, Well Done  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Why There Is Delay Or Struggle In Fulfilment Of Our Prayer Request?

Contributed by Samuel M on Jul 6, 2024

In solving Hannah's prayer request for a kid, God solved his own need for a prophet. Samuel was the fulfillment of Hannah's prayer request and who became the greatest prophet(fulfillment of God's need) of Isreal. So many times our prayer requests are delayed(appears to be delayed) and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:20

Tags: Faith, Hope

On A Wall Near The Main Entrance To The Alamo In ...  PRO

Contributed by David Browne on Dec 9, 2000

On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the following inscription: "James Butler Bonham--no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by his family so that ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Humanity Of Christ, Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Baptist