In Sermon Illustrations: "Preparation"

I Pulled Into The Zeller's Parking Lot On ...

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jan 28, 2008

I pulled into the Zeller’s parking lot on Thursday. A young man was changing a tire. I went along to ask if things were okay (after all, I can’t prepare for today and not demonstrate the heart of being a Good Samaritan). He told me he was simply removing the ‘dummy’ tire and replacing it with the ...read more

Denomination: Salvation Army

Ill<><i Heard A Pastor Tell Bout Company In Nw ...

Contributed by West Garner on Jun 29, 2009

I heard a pastor tell about a company in the NW that had a need come to them. The Need was for a bear proof trash can. All trash cans were being destroyed by grizzlies. Three companies took on the challenge and each developed a product for testing. They took the three products out into grizzly ...read more

Tags: Time, Trials

Denomination: Baptist

Rare Copy Of Declaration Of Independence ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

Rare Copy of Declaration of Independence Discovered at Garage Sale As Stan Caffy and his fiancé prepared to get married, they cleaned out their respective garages and sold everything to Goodwill. Between the two of them, they sold an assortment of clothes, bicycles, tools, computer parts, and a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:3

Tags: Discovery

A Preacher Extols A King Instead Of The King Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2009

A preacher extols a king instead of the King of kings There was a preacher in 19th century Scandinavia who, in the vestry one Sunday morning, heard that the King would be present at worship. Understandably rattled he ditched his well prepared sermon and spoke on and on about the Christian virtues ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20

Tags: Worldliness

While We Were In Jerusalem We Visited A Jewish ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Jan 25, 2010

While we were in Jerusalem we visited a Jewish shop “Treasures of the Temple” which was a sort of museum. These Jews are currently recreating all the temple items in preparation of rebuilding the temple to worship in O.T. style. Photos 796-798 We stopped by the Western Wall and there were dozens ...read more

Tags: Grace, Sin Separates From God

Denomination: Baptist

Consider Cornelia, A Woman Imprisoned In A Work ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 23, 2010

"Consider Cornelia, a woman imprisoned in a work camp in Romania during the hard years of Communist occupation. One night, being too tired to undress, she fell exhausted on her bed and immediately went to sleep. She began to dream of a beautiful field full of flowers. There was a soft humming sound ...read more

Tags: Security, Enemies

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Bigger Than Now

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Apr 26, 2010

BIGGER THAN NOW When you prepare to come out of high school, you go through processes in grade 11 and 12 where you evaluate future options. You might have had a conversation with your school counsellor, talking about programs and courses you needed to qualify for certain post-secondary studies. ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Salvation Army

Meeting With God In A Cesspit

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 15, 2011

MEETING WITH GOD IN A CESSPIT Philip Yancey shared about "a conference on evangelism sponsored by Billy Graham in Manila. A Cambodian man mesmerized the audience with his story of daily meditation. Under the Pol Pot regime he was held in a concentration camp like those depicted in the movie ...read more

Tags: Disciplines Meditation

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Bible Is The Blueprints

Contributed by Sean Harder on Aug 5, 2011

THE BIBLE IS THE BLUEPRINTS Can you build a real house without blueprints? Sure you can throw up a square storage shed maybe without them, but do you not need to have some kind of visual plan of the dimensions, how many rooms, where the rooms go, and so on in order to start building an actual ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Is God Good?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

IS GOD GOOD? Randy Alcorn talks about what happened to his friend, Ethel Herr in his new book, What Good is God. She had had a double mastectomy. Then two months later, doctors discovered that the cancer had spread. One of Herr's friends in shock asked her, "And how do you feel about God now?" ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

They're Not Ready For Heaven

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

THEY'RE NOT READY FOR HEAVEN The movie The End of the Spear tells the true story of five missionaries who gave their lives to reach the violent Waodoni tribe in the jungles of Ecuador in the 1950s. Led by Nate Saint, the missionaries were eager to reach the Waodoni people before they all died off ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Tags: Missions

Lamb Over Me

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

"LAMB OVER ME" In his book “Eternity in their Hearts”, Don Richardson a Missionary writes of cultural compasses in other cultures and their language that point to one and only one person, Jesus, preparing the way for the Gospel to be heard. He tells the story of Robert Morrison who landed in ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Methodist

I Want To Go Home

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 11, 2011

I WANT TO GO HOME Fred Smith, an influential Christian businessman was seriously ill in the summer of 2004. He was hospitalized, semiconscious, and not expected to live. Periodically he would mutter, "I want to go home, I want to go home." After an emotional family conference, the family ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

The Heart Of The Saviour

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 19, 2012

THE HEART OF THE SAVIOUR I am reminded of the story of a wee lass who sought baptism and membership in a country church. The elders questioned the child in a perfunctory manner, but they were not inclined to believe that such a young person could actually understand what it meant to be saved. So, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Donald Trump's Thoughts About Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2012

DONALD TRUMP'S THOUGHTS ABOUT DEATH Billionaire Donald Trump was asked one time, "What about death?" the writer asked. "Don't you worry about dying?" Trump said, "No. I'm fatalistic and I protect myself as well as anybody can. I prepare for things." This time, however, as Trump started walking up ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:18-30

Tags: Death

Abraham Lincoln And Criticism

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2013

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND CRITICISM A practicing lawyer loved to attack his opponents through scathing letters printed in newspapers. In 1842, he ridiculed the wrong man. James Shields did not take kindly to the anonymous writer who lampooned him in the Springfield Journal. Mr. Shields tracked down ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Criticism, Tongue

The "Group-Think" Impulse  PRO

Contributed by Robert Joseph on Jun 1, 2013

THE "GROUP-THINK" IMPULSE Stand up for the truth. Romans 12:2 says, "...Do not be conformed to this world..." [NKJV] People today show a stong tendency to adjust their opinions to match those of the group. This goes a long way towards explaining why only a fraction of the educated population ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2

Tags: Homosexuality, Peer Pressure, Truth Absolute

Denomination: Pentecostal

Rain Man Doesn't Understand Inheritance

Contributed by David Ward on Feb 25, 2016

"Rain Man" was the top moneymaking film of 1988, and also won the Oscar for Best Picture. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish wheeler-dealer named Charlie (Tom Cruise), who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-34

Tags: Eternal Inheritance, Treasures In Heaven, Priorities, Wealth And Riches

Denomination: Baptist

In My Files I Have A Story About A Man Who Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 3, 2008

In my files I have a story about a man who was attending a Youth Ministry class at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri. He said: When I got to class, everybody was doing their last minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test. We ...read more

In My Files I Have A Story About A Man Who Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2008

In my files I have a story about a man who was attending a Youth Ministry class at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri. He said: When I got to class, everybody was doing their last minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test. We ...read more