In Sermon Illustrations: "Pilates Wife"

The Richest Man On The Island

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2011

THE RICHEST MAN ON THE ISLAND In his autobiography Just As I Am, Billy Graham recalls a story demonstrating that apart from God, we will not gain anything from living wisely. He said: Some years ago Ruth and I had a vivid illustration of this on an island in the Caribbean. One of the wealthiest ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Money

The Mother Of The Holiness Movement

Contributed by John Putty on Apr 5, 2011

THE MOTHER OF THE HOLINESS MOVEMENT From the book, "The Cure of All Ills", Revivalist record the impact of the prayer life of Phobe Palmer in the holiness movement. In this spiral of spiritual, social, moral and political degeneracy of the decade preceding 1857, God looked for a man, but he found ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Coronations

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Apr 18, 2011

CORONATIONS Have you ever seen a coronation? The queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II became Queen on June 2, 1953 (59 Years ago). Too long ago for most of us to remember. Did you know the the Queen's main residence, Buckingham Palace, boasts 775 rooms and 78 bathrooms? But many of us remember ...read more

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Intending To Grow

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 19, 2011

INTENDING TO GROW In the 1920s there was a young African American child who was growing up in Cleveland. One day a famous athlete named Charlie Paddock, came to his school to speak to the students. At the time Paddock was considered "the fastest human being alive." He told the children, "Listen! ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:6-10

Tags: Growth In Christ

Head Of A Dead Snake

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

HEAD OF A DEAD SNAKE When 53-year-old Danny Anderson was feeding his horses Monday night, a 5-foot rattlesnake slithered onto his central Washington property. Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head with a shovel. A few more ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

The Ode To The Innkeeper  PRO

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Jan 1, 2009

THE ODE TO THE INNKEEPER The Innkeeper stands, he is guarding the door He's got all he wants, he has room for no more 'O yes, there's a stable, not fit for a king Have that if you like, it don't mean a thing. But don't come inside, I've so much to do I haven't the time to listen to you.' A night ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Baptist

Kurt Cobain Ended His Life About 13 Years Ago ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Feb 16, 2009

Kurt Cobain ended his life about 13 years ago (4/1994); filled with bitterness and anger. He was the founder and lead singer of the group "Nirvana." His violent suicide prompted a lot of questions. "Why? He had it all a great career, dedicated fans, plenty of money, a beautiful wife and a 19 month ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Baptist

A True Story Of How My Close Relative's Urgent ...

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Dec 8, 2011

A true story of how my close relative's urgent financial need was met by God's Providence! Dear friends, Jesus is same yesterday, today & forever (Hebrews 13:8). Oh how many personal experiences I have had and oh how many true accounts I have heard from God’s servants of the Almighty using ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Denomination: *other

My Life Is In His Hands

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Dec 12, 2011

MY LIFE IS IN HIS HANDS Chuck Colson tells about going to Salem, OR. & preaching to prisoners there. Kathy Trocoli went with him, sang the song, "My Life is in His Hands." After the service was over, one of the inmates came up to Kathy and said, "I really want to thank you for singing that song. ...read more

Tags: God Brings Hope

Spite Fence ...

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on May 2, 2020

I would like to tell the story of one of the most famous spite fences in the world. It is, by the way, one of the reasons why privacy fences are often limited to 6 feet. The story begins with two people. Nicholas Yung, an undertaker, who built a cottage in San Francisco in 1855 with his wife and ...read more

Tags: Grace, Anger, Retaliation, Neighbors, Spite, Fences  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Funny Thanksgiving Joke To Share!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 18, 2021

A FUNNY THANKSGIVING JOKE TO SHARE! A retiree in Florida phones his daughter in New Jersey and says, “Honey, I have bad news for you. Your mother and I have decided that 52 years of marriage is enough. We’re calling it quits and getting a divorce.” His daughter yells, “Are you crazy? What the ...read more

Tags: Sermon Introduction, Funny Stories, Thanksgiving, Humor, Jokes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Amazing Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A policeman recounted an incident when he and other officers shot an eighteen-year-old boy and burned the body. Eight years later the policeman returned to the same house and seized the boy's father. The wife was forced to watch as policemen bound her husband on a woodpile, poured gasoline over ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 65:3

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Giving

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Nov 22, 2023

I was raised in the church. My dad pastored 65 years. I graduated college and was married. We returned home for Christmas. We all gathered around the tree. I remembered my speedometer and God’s goodness. My wife and mom handed out the presents. Each family member had several gifts. In the ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Jesus, Giiving

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Stand By Me

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 13, 2024

STAND BY ME I played the video of the song, "Stand By Me" by Home Free in a recent worship service right before I came up to preach. Our people wondered: "Pastor Larry, why play a secular song for a Sunday morning service??" Maybe I need to share what I discovered about the ...read more

Tags: God's Promises, Hymns, Friends, Songs, Black Spirituals, Gospel Songs, Marriage, Support, Loyalty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Talking Dog For Sale!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 13, 2024

A guy sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale." He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees an old black mutt just sitting there. "You talk?" he asks. "Yep," the mutt replies. "So, ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:22, Colossians 3:9, Exodus 20:16

Tags: Sermon Introductions, Truth, Lies, Deceit, Dogs  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Ten Dollars Is Ten Dollars

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 28, 2025

A man named Stumpy illustrates how money affects people. Stumpy and his wife Martha went to the state fair every year and every year when Stumpy saw the antique bi-plane he would say, “Martha, I’d like to ride in that airplane.” Martha always replied, “I know Stumpy, but that airplane ride costs ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24-28

Tags: Money, Stewardship

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

God Can Put Me Together Again - Humpty Dumpty Story - Humor

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Dec 3, 2025

Remember Humpty Dumpty? Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses ... and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again. Did you have a Humpty Dumpty when you were a ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:9-14, Colossians 1:10, Philippians 3:10, Philippians 3:13-14, 1 John 2:9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Brokenness, Prize, Love, Healing

Denomination: Anglican

The Rich Fool

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Nov 22, 2008

THE RICH FOOL Ortberg writes (and I have abridged it and translated it into proper English) Once upon a time in the Silicon Valley, there lived a very important man.He routinely logged in 12-14 hours a day work and sometimes at weekends. He went to the Harvard School of Management, where he got ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Tags: Fool, Use Of Time

Denomination: Anglican

What’s Pete Got To Do With Anything?

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 20, 2021

If there's anybody that can be conned, it's Yours Truly. It's not so much that I'm stupid; I'm just naïve. I believe when somebody says something, they mean exactly what they say. So, if you can't swindle me, you might as well hang it up and get a real job. I must ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:12-13

Tags: Blame, Accusations

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I’m So Poor I Can’t Pay Attention

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 25, 2023

Occasionally I go to my computer and search for the wealthiest preachers in America. I am curious to know who came up with this idea, but I check it out occasionally to see who they are. As often as I have checked this information, I have never found my name on that list. I so much wanted to see ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:9-10

Tags: Poor, Wealth, Rich

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance