In Sermon Illustrations: "Paying Tax To Caesar"

Gary Martin, Author Of Meanings And Origins ...

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Oct 27, 2008

Gary Martin, author of Meanings and Origins provides us with the US origin of the phrase. He traced the earliest known printed reference to 1921. At the time it spoke of 'recent panics' in Arizona. The 'recent panics' referred to in that citation was the Bisbee deportations of 1917. Martin ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Salvation Army

Good Friday: Sunday's Comin'  PRO

Contributed by Danny Presswood on Jan 26, 2009

GOOD FRIDAY: SUNDAY'S COMIN' Tony Campolo tells a story of preaching on Good Friday at his church in Philadelphia. He got up to preach to his predominantly black congregation-–and he was "ON"! The folks were encouraging and hepping him along, and he got excited. He could hear some saying, "Help ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Baptist

Wanted: Movers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 28, 2004

WANTED: MOVERS Suppose that one of the local businessmen had purchased a new building and was planning to move all of his stock into the new store. He placed an ad in the paper offering $100.00 per day to anyone who would come to help him make the move. The first workers were there early on the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-16

Tags: Grace, Parable Vineyard, Promises Of God

Done To Escape Consequences  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Done to Escape Consequences A fellow named Louie, deep in debt, was thinking of ending it all. "That’s ridiculous," says his neighbor, who was a chemist. "Look, I can give you a pill that will put you in a state of suspended animation. I’ll say you died - but then I’ll ship your body to another ...read more

Tags: Repentance, New Thing

Father Covers Overdraft For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 22, 2009

Father Covers Overdraft for Daughter In His book, Cure for the Common Life, Max Lucado talks about the time the bank sent him an overdraft notice on the checking account of one of his daughters. He says, “I encourage my college-age girls to monitor their accounts. Even so, they sometimes overspend. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Grace, Debt

Make It Right

Contributed by David Moore on Aug 5, 2010

MAKE IT RIGHT The great evangelist D.L. Moody told a story of a lady in the north of England who said that every time she got down before God to pray, five bottles of wine came up before her mind. She had taken them wrongfully one time when she was a housekeeper, and had not been able to pray ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

The Height Of Hypocrisy

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Jan 14, 2018

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday The Height of Hypocrisy - Forgiveness Offered "Thirty six year old - Derek Paul Smyer pronounced guilty of two counts of murder for arranging the killing of Crystal Taylor and her 21 week old fetus because she would not have an abortion. Derek Paul Smyer was found ...read more

Tags: Abortion, Sanctity Of Life, Abortions

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If 99.9 Percent Is Good Enough, Then …

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2005

If 99.9 Percent Is Good Enough, Then … Two million documents will be lost by the IRS this year. 811,000 faulty rolls of 35mm film will be loaded this year. 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes. 1,314 phone calls will be misplaced by ...read more

Tags: Kingdom Of God

If 99.9 Percent Is Good Enough, Then...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

If 99.9 percent is good enough, then... - Two million documents will be lost by the IRS this year. - 811,000 faulty rolls of 35mm film will be loaded this year. - 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes. - 1,314 phone calls will be misplaced by ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 19:7, Psalm 18:30-32

Tags: Truth Absolute

Did You Know That The United States Once Had A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Did you know that the United States once had a king? Actually, he wasn’t a king—he was an emperor. During the gold-rush days of the 1800s in San Francisco, a man named Joshua A. Norton lost everything he had in market speculation. When that happened, something happened to his mind. He declared ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God

For The First Time In 35 Years, The U.s. ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2008

For the first time in 35 years, the U.S. fertility rate has climbed high enough to sustain a stable population, solidifying the nation's unique status among industrialized countries. The overall fertility rate increased 2% between '05 and '06, nudging the average number of babies being born to each ...read more

Tags: Family

Don Sutton's Motivation  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jun 1, 2009

DON SUTTON'S MOTIVATION Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton hadn’t won a game in 8 weeks. The press was suggesting that he be dropped from the starting lineup. The future looked bleak, and Sutton felt terrible. Then, before a game, Dodgers manager Walter Alston tapped him on the shoulder. "I’d ...read more

Tags: Encouragement

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The 5 Biggest Mistakes That Threaten ...  PRO

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 4, 2012

THE 5 BIGGEST MISTAKES THAT THREATEN RELATIONSHIPS Dr. Edward Hallowell and his wife, Sue, authors of Married to Distraction: Restoring Intimacy and Strengthening Your Marriage in an Age of Distraction, teach you how to spot hidden distractions in your relationship and reveal the mistakes you may ...read more

Tags: Marriage Struggle

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Paid In Full, Finally

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 10, 2020

It’s always a happy day when you make the final payment on a car loan or any other kind of loan! The money you’ve been sending somewhere else you can now send to another bill—oops—or savings account or wherever you feel led to put it. I know, there are some folks who are greatly excited if you ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Salvation, Payment For Sin, Blood Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

A Person's Last Words Are Important. We Hang On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A person’s last words are important. We hang on to the dying words of those closest to us. We pass on the final words of great leaders for the next generation. It’s as if we are waiting for them to sum everything up in a few final statements. Some are famous: Nathan Hale (1755-1776) – "I only ...read more

Tags: Death

Growing Through Pain

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Oct 2, 2020

Paul Tournier, the famous Swiss physician and counselor, reported his surprise in his book Creative Suffering upon reading an article entitled “Orphans Lead the World.” The article appeared in a respected medical journal and surveyed the lives of 300 leaders who had an impact on world history. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:14-27

Tags: Holy Spirit, Suffering

Denomination: Baptist

Unwanted Items-The Unwanted Salary

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 11, 2025

Unwanted items-the unwanted salary Introduction: Have you ever been so angry with your employer that you threw your pay away? Something like that happened in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20)! (Full disclosure: Sermon Central has previously accepted a message on this text in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:1-15

Tags: Jesus, Money, Unwanted Things

Denomination: Baptist

I Ain’t 16 Anymore

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 24, 2021

I’ve had so many birthdays in my life that I really don’t know how old I am. All I know is that I’m one year older than I was last year. I would not be able to remember when my life began if it wasn’t for paperwork.. To many people, numbers are very important, but in my opinion, a number is just a ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Birthday, Growing, Responsibity

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Value In Work, Or Motherhood?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2005

VALUE IN WORK, OR MOTHERHOOD? In a May 2005 report, USA Today says mothers enjoy their work as mothers, but they would like to feel more valued. 1 in 5 mother’s who took the survey say they feel less valued by society since becoming a mother. The survey was conducted by the University of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:10-31

Tags: Giving Yourself, Mother's Day, Parenting

The Movie, "Stand And Deliver" Is Based Upon The ...

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 22, 2005

The movie, "Stand and Deliver" is based upon the true story of a math teacher, named Jamie Escalante. Through his leadership, a group of inner city students at East Los Angeles Garfield High School rise to excellence on the National Advanced Calculus Exam. “All’s well that ends well” and by the ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Charismatic