In Sermon Illustrations: "People"

At The University Of Southern California The List ...

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on Feb 18, 2012

At the University of Southern California the list of great running backs for the Trojan football team is legendary: John Arnett, Frank Gifford, Mike Garret, OJ Simpson, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Sam Cunningham, LenDale White, Reggie Bush. No other college comes close ...read more

Tags: Attitude General

Stop Expecting Life To Be Perfect

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

STOP EXPECTING LIFE TO BE PERFECT Donald Miller has written a book called, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." It's about the journey Don went on when a couple of filmmakers decided to make a movie about his life, based on his book Blue Like Jazz. Now during the process of writing a screenplay ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Methodist

Compassion For An Old Man

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 14, 2012

COMPASSION FOR AN OLD MAN It was a bitterly cold evening in Northern Virginia many years ago. The old man's beard was glazed by winter's frost as he waited for a ride across the river. He heard a brigade of men on horses coming around the bend. He let the first one pass him without any effort to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40, Luke 7:11-17

Tags: Compassion

Dad Was Dying Of Something Similar To ...

Contributed by C. Scott Ghan on Aug 27, 2012

ILL. Dad was dying of something similar to Alzheimer’s. He was very violent, dangerous and in a great deal of trouble in his home town where he had been Fire Chief. The County didn't want to, but left with no other option committed him to a lock-down unit where he would remain for the rest of his ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Humility: The Balloon Game  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 26, 2012

HUMILITY: THE BALLOON GAME Robert Roberts writes about a fourth grade class in which the teacher introduced a game called "balloon stomp." A balloon was tied to every child's leg, and the object of the game was to pop everyone else's balloon while protecting one's own. The last person with an ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:5

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Padded Cross  PRO

Contributed by David Parks on Mar 25, 2013

THE PADDED CROSS Well, here I am, Lord. You said, "Take up your cross," and I'm here to do it. It's not easy, You know, this self-denial thing. I mean to go through with it, through...yes, Sir. I'll bet you wish more people were willing to be disciples like me. I've counted the cost and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23-25

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

An Old Feud And A New Bridge  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2013

AN OLD FEUD AND A NEW BRIDGE There were two old geezers living in the backwoods of the Ozarks: Rufus and Clarence. They lived on opposite sides of the river and they hated each other. Every morning, just after sunup, Rufus and Clarence would go down to their respective sides of the river and yell ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 13:1-33

Tags: Fear And Worry

Hush Puppies

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Aug 27, 2014

Are you familiar with the brush-suede shoe called Hush Puppies? It was popular when I was a kid. The brand was all but dead until late 1994. Sales were down to 30,000 pairs a year, mostly sold in backwoods outlets and small-town family stores. Wolverine, the company that makes Hush Puppies, was ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 6:10

Tags: Prayer Power, Importance Of Prayer

Denomination: Baptist

Thanksgiving

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Nov 19, 2014

91% of Americans have turkey for Dinner. And so... I was thinking about Butterball Turkeys for some reason I know not why. Did you know they have an online help page? Well I went to that computer page and I found some of the problems that people have with cooking turkeys. You may be flabbergasted ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:13-16

Tags: Thanksgiving, Family Days

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Hugging

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Mar 1, 2016

Once at a young girl’s funeral, I had to make just such a decision. The girl’s father was a member of our church and an air force serviceman. He was an aide on Air Force One and had flown with the president many times. A few generals and lots of upper-crust brass attended the funeral. When it came ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:20

Tags: Touch, Healing Touch, Hugging

Denomination: Baptist

God Knows How To Get Us There...

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on May 20, 2016

SOMETIMES LIFE KNOWS WE NEED A PIT STOP --- LIFE MAY GIVE US WHAT WE NEED --- NOT WHAT WE WANT... Did you hear about the KING that loved his people so much? This KING loved his family. The King had the most beautiful palace, and to protect his family he had a huge MOTE dug around the palace. He ...read more

Scripture: John 15:11

Tags: Trust God, God Can

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Why Did Jesus Come?

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

For many people, Christmas is a time of sadness. They don't have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Many are saddened at Christmastime when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to come home for various reasons. Turkey dinners may be only a wish ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:4-19

Tags: Christmas, Born Again, Merry Christmas, Happy At Christmas

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Corrie Ten Boom On Forgiveness And Love Of Enemy

Contributed by Kerry Haynes on May 6, 2018

When I think of drawing on love’s source, I think of Corrie ten Boom. Her family had all died in the Nazi concentration camps. Their crime? Hiding Jews in their home. Somehow Corrie survived. The war had ended, the camps had been liberated, and Corrie was speaking in various churches, sharing about ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-17, Matthew 5:43-48

Tags: Agape Love, Love Your Enemy, Source Of True Love, Love, Forgiveness, Forgive, Divine Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Great Endurance Produces Great Reward

Contributed by Charlie Roberts on Jun 23, 2019

I’m reminded of the story of a man born in the late 1800s. One of several children being the oldest, took care of the younger children and began to cook for them at a young age of seven yrs old. His father died when he was young leaving him even more responsibility. He worked many jobs in his ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2

Tags: Endurance, Faithfulness, Reward

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Shemaiah, A Man Of God

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 21, 2020

Text: 1 Kings 12:22, KJV: But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 12:22-24

Tags: Man Of God, Men Of God, Shemaiah

Denomination: Baptist

A New Year's Devotional

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other! In fact, here are some startling stats about typical resolutions for the new year in America: • 27% break their resolutions by the first week of January. • 31% lose their resolutions by the second week of January. • 41% ...read more

Tags: New Year, Blessings, Resolutions, Material Possessions, Prayer For New Year  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Temporal Vs Eternal

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 21, 2021

I HAVE BEEN WITH MANY DYING PEOPLE AND LISTENED CLOSELY TO “THE REGRETS.” I was driving an elderly lady to a doctor’s appointment in Lexington. It was a four hour trip. The doctor did not have real good news. Her days were limited. On the way home we stopped and ate. Then we headed home. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:9-14, Malachi 3:8-11

Tags: Eternity, Temporal Vision

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Acorn Theology

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 10, 2021

I love fall. I love the cooler weather. I love the changing colors. I love football. I love fall with this exception—raking leaves. I have a big oak tree out in my front hard and it is amazing how many leaves that tree can produce. I was out raking the other day and not only was I amazed at all ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:9, 1 Corinthians 15:58

Tags: Patience, Steadfastness, Parable, Endurance, Autumn, Sower, Seed, Parables, Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Water Jug Of The Prophet Joel

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Apr 13, 2009

THE WATER JUG OF THE PROPHET JOEL So, I’m walking through the Museum of Biblical Archeology in Jerusalem, and I’m walking through an area with various kinds of pottery on display, and there in front of me is this absolutely perfectly preserved water jug. It stopped me cold. Now understand, as ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Brain Surgeon On Parenting ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

A BRAIN SURGEON ON PARENTING INFLUENCE I read a book entitled Gifted Hands, the autobiography of Dr. Ben Carson, Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins hospital in Boston. This is what he writes: "My mother was a remarkable woman who was pregnant and then married at age 13. She worked ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:20-21

Tags: Parenting