In Sermon Illustrations: "Prayer Before Meals"

Prophecies, Religions And Christmas

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Dec 19, 2010

PROPHECIES, RELIGIONS AND CHRISTMAS The prophecies of the Old Testament were part of what "held up" the tree of Jesus’ and supported His claims to be Messiah. Now, that’s not true of other men who’ve founded other world religions. For example: About 500 years before Christ was born, a man was ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Hitchhiker

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Mar 3, 2011

THE HITCHHIKER There was a man the side of the road hitch hiking on a very dark night in the middle of a storm. It was late at night and no cars were passing. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car coming towards him and stop. Without further ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Story Of Faith Hope

Contributed by Tim Smith on Mar 17, 2011

THE STORY OF FAITH HOPE Myah Hope was given the news that she was pregnant. Like most mothers to be, she dreamed of what giving birth to a child and raising them would be like. But when she was 19 weeks pregnant, she was told that something was wrong with her baby's head. The doctor said that ...read more

Tags: Miracles General

Denomination: Methodist

Called To Testify

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Apr 5, 2011

CALLED TO TESTIFY In 1981, my father was called as a court witness to testify to a number of thefts that occurred at his employer. Now, we had just moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, and dad was brand-new to the job as the corporate purchasing agent. So, dad reports to the CEO on day one, ...read more

Tags: Jesus Temptation

Denomination: Lutheran

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices

What Is Your Purpose?

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Apr 13, 2011

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE? Many years before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, he was a store-keeper in Salem, Illinois. Abe had a rifle displayed in his store that was one of the most beautiful rifles ever made. The barrel was made from the finest steel, the stock from the best walnut wood; and a ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: *other

Fitted For Service Through Suffering

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 15, 2011

FITTED FOR SERVICE THROUGH SUFFERING I grew up as a military brat and later my dad was a missionary to the military. When I was growing up, I was never exposed much to suffering. When we lived overseas, if someone got too sick, they shipped them back to the States, or (when we were stationed in ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

A Dying Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2011

A DYING CHURCH An artist was once asked to put on canvas what he considered to be the picture best symbolizing a decaying and dying church. After several months, he returned and reported that he had finished the task. The hour finally arrived when the painting was to be unveiled. Several people ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Tags: Church Growth

The Spirit Of The Law

Contributed by Sean Harder on May 11, 2011

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW I knew a woman who stopped for a few drinks every night after work to let traffic die down, then drove home, about a 45 minute drive in lower mainland traffic. She would say, "I'm fine, I've never had an accident and there are never any roadblocks on my route home. It's not ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Who Will Do The Need-Meeting?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2011

WHO WILL DO THE NEED-MEETING? One preacher told of shopping at the supermarket when a lady came down the aisle heading straight for him. She screeched to a halt within a few feet of him, wagged her finger, and said, "I left your church. I left your church". So I said, "Well, if it’s my church, I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Pizarro's Critical Moment

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on May 19, 2011

PIZARRO'S CRITICAL MOMENT All great undertakings begin with a critical moment--a moment when a decision is made and someone launches himself into a never-to-be forgotten enterprise. FRANCISCO PIZARRO, the noted Spanish explorer, faced such a moment. He languished with his men on a small island ...read more

Tags: Action

Denomination: Baptist

Japan's Sea Wall

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on May 31, 2011

JAPAN'S SEA WALL New York Times, April 16, 2011: So unshakable was this town's faith in its sea wall and its ability to save residents from any tsunami that some rushed toward it after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeast Japan on the afternoon of March 11. After all, the ...read more

Tags: Security

Denomination: Lutheran

Spurgeon On Truth And The Spirit

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2011

SPURGEON ON TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT The great 19th century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, made a wonderful analogy about the Holy Spirit’s role in leading us into God’s truth: "Truth may be compared to a cave or grotto, with wondrous stalactites reaching from the roof, and others reaching from ...read more

Scripture: John 16:5-15

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

The Story Of Justice

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jul 28, 2011

THE STORY OF JUSTICE We all know the story; the bad guys, lead by Ugly Nasty have robbed the bank, the savings of the people of Rattlesnake Gulch have been taken to the abandoned mine. But before Jake and his henchmen left they abducted the school teacher, (the stunningly beautiful, even in black ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Honesty, Justice, Law Abiding, The Wild West

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Spirit Of The Law

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW I knew a woman who stopped for a few drinks every night after work to let traffic die down, then drove home, about a 45 minute drive in lower mainland traffic. She would say, "I'm fine, I've never had an accident and there are never any roadblocks on my route home. It's not ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 20:1

Tags: Alcohol

The Beautiful Sounds Of The Stradivarius

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

THE BEAUTIFUL SOUNDS OF THE STRADIVARIUS Years ago, there was a master violinist in Europe. He would play in concerts, and he had a magnificent Stradivarius violin, extremely expensive. He would play the Stradivarius violin in concert and everyone would whisper in the crowd, "Listen to the ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 38:20, Isaiah 38:1-8

Tags: Born Again

A Texas-Sized Sword

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 24, 2011

A TEXAS-SIZED SWORD In 2000, we drove across the country from Maryland to California and back. On our return, we blew past this Great Big Cross along the highway in Texas. By the time we saw the exit, we had passed it and continued our journey home. The image of that great big cross stuck in my ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Tags: Cross

The First Radio Broadcast  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

THE FIRST RADIO BROADCAST Allow me to start our time by reading you a nifty story. It is called, "The First Radio Broadcast." For their entire careers, wireless operators onboard US Navy and merchant ships had only heard Morse code coming through their headphones. However, a few days before ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas Eve, Peace, Eternal

Machine Gun Preacher

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 27, 2011

MACHINE GUN PREACHER Video Clip Illustration: From wingclips.com (From Machine Gun Preacher clip) SYNOPSIS: Machine Gun Preacher is the inspirational true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unusual Laws In Kansas

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 27, 2011

Unusual Laws in Kansas Laws are important in any society in order to keep peace and order. But there are laws and then there are laws. Here are some laws that are still on the books in our state of Kansas. • In Derby, it is illegal to hit a vending machine that stole your money. • In Dodge City, it ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:4

Tags: Law, Ten Commandments