In Sermon Illustrations: "Problems"

Self-Remedies

Contributed by John Putty on Apr 16, 2011

SELF-REMEDIES Not many people enjoy going to the doctor, but according to Reuters, in 1994, one London accountant to that to an extreme. The 63 year old man needed bladder surgery, but he couldn't overcome his fear of doctors and hospitals. So he self-reliantly did what had to be done. He ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Miracle Story

Contributed by Dr. Nicholas M. Muteti on Jun 20, 2011

MIRACLE STORY Many years ago in Kenya, a parent of one of my students came to me and told me what God did for their family. His daughter was born with serious physical problems. Doctors said that she will not be able to give birth her entire life. Her father and mother began to pray fervently for ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:1-8

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Baptist

Is There A Doctor?

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 29, 2011

IS THERE A DOCTOR? I heard on the news of a woman who was on an overseas flight. She called flight attendant over to her and told her she was having a heart attack. The flight attendant asked, "Is there a doctor on board?" At that point, 67 heart doctors stood up. They were all headed to a ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Adding To The Word

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jan 22, 2012

ADDING TO THE WORD Years ago, my Dad's physician told him to take one aspirin a day for his heart. My Dad was a very smart man, but he figured if one aspirin is good, two would be better. So my dad "added" to the word of his physician, and day after day my dad took two aspirin. Everything went ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Next Time You Feel God Can't Use You....

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 4, 2014

Noah was a drunk. Abraham was too old. Isaac was a daydreamer. Jacob was a liar. Joseph was abused. Moses had a stuttering problem. Gideon was afraid. Sampson was a womanizer. Rahab was a prostitute. Jeremiah and Timothy were too young. David had an affair and was a murderer. Elijah was ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 3:1-11

Tags: Moses, Weakness, Failure, Excuses

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Tethered To God's Sovereignty

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 19, 2022

Let’s do a math problem. If a sheep was tethered to a pole on a rope that was 25 feet long, how many square feet would he have to graze? p r² . Let’s begin by squaring 25, we end up with 625. Multiplying by an approximation of p as 3.14, we end up with 1,962.5 square feet. We are ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Suffering, Sovereignty, Trial, Trials, Tribulations, God's Permissive Will  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Leaky Roof - Common Sense

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on May 27, 2024

The Pastor and the Leaking Roof Once a church had replaced the roof. The pastor and some folks were in the Fellowship Hall celebrating the great accomplishment when a horrific thunderstorm came. The roof started leaking right on top of the pastor’s head. Embarrassed and furious, he immediately ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 2:6, Proverbs 14:8, Ephesians 4:26, Proverbs 14:29, Genesis 4:5, Romans 12:19, James 3:1-8  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Anger, Common Sense, Embarrassing, Lol, Projects, Buildings, Pastor Humor, Facilities  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Riding The Hallelujah Train To The End

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 16, 2021

We had a long, hard week with problems and difficulties that took time to solve, if they even were solved. It is quite interesting to me that when I solve one problem, two other problems appear. I think they’re all waiting in line. In particular, one day was rather difficult and zapped both of us ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:20

Tags: Politics, Happy, Hallelujah

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If It Was Up To Me

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 13, 2021

Fifty years ago, I was a teenager. Boy, do I miss those Days of Yore. It's not that I would like to relive them, but I was a much different person back then. As a teenager, I knew everything, and all you had to do was ask me. Even if you didn't ask me, I still would tell you what was on my ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:19

Tags: Wisdom, News, Politics

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If She Cannot Fix It, It’s Not Broken

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 4, 2025

Life has its many ups and downs. There are some weeks when there are more downs than ups. But if I didn’t have a down, I probably wouldn’t appreciate an up. This past week was one of those down weeks. One day, we lost our electricity for maybe six hours, my printer died on me and some scammer ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 147:3

Tags: Frustration, Fixing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Simple Solutions

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 1, 2011

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10

Tags: Ambition

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Depression: "I Need ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

DEPRESSION: "I NEED HELP." Dear Sir, Hi. My name is Carole. I am seventeen years old and a senior in high school. And I want to die. My name is Brandy. I’m 13 years old and I’ve tried to kill myself six times. I had some problems with my mom and I felt I couldn’t live anymore. I don’t know what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-21

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Nba Superstar Allen Iverson Of The Philadelphia ...  PRO

Contributed by Victor Yap on Aug 29, 2002

//NBA superstar Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers is the team’s franchise player, the number one pick of the draft, a mercurial scorer who won many individual awards. In the 2000-20001 season he won the MVP award, his coach Larry Brown won the coach of the year, and the team stormed to the ...read more

Tags: Faith, Leadership General

Denomination: Independent/Bible

I've Fallen, And No One Will Help Me Out!  PRO

Contributed by Christopher Stanley on Aug 30, 2002

I'VE FALLEN, AND NO ONE WILL HELP ME OUT! I was watching The West Wing one day and heard this story from Leo McGarrey, the Chief of Staff. I have adapted it for use in a sermon with The Good Samaritan. A man is walking down the street one day when he falls into a hole. He cries out for help ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Parable Good Samaritan, Compassion

Denomination: Methodist

I Received An E-Mail The Other Day With The ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Luthy on Oct 30, 2002

I received an e-mail the other day with the subject reading "How did we ever survive?" I don’t know who authored it. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup on a ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Had My Son's 7th Grade Reading Book At Home ...  PRO

Contributed by Karl Eckhoff on Jan 14, 2003

I had my son’s 7th grade reading book at home this past week and I read a story written by Clifton Davis. You might know Clifton from the TV show entitled Amen. Clifton found success starring as the Reverend on the sitcom from the 1980’s. It wasn’t success, however, that Clifton was encountering ...read more

Tags: Racism, Evangelism Fear Of, Friendship General

Denomination: Lutheran

As A 5 Year Old I Would Pretend To Fall Asleep ...  PRO

Contributed by James Doyle on Aug 22, 2005

As a 5 year old I would pretend to fall asleep during the evening worship service! If I did, I knew my dad would carry me home. I would do this becasue we walked to and from church. It was about 1 each way. Being little wasn’t my problem. The length wasn’t my problem. I enjoyed the walk ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6, John 14:1-10

Tags: Funerals Christian

Denomination: Baptist

The Movie ‘shrek 2,' Includes An Obnoxious, For ...

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 12, 2007

The movie ‘Shrek 2,’ includes an obnoxious, for lack of a better word, but faithful donkey by the name of ‘donkey.’ The movie is a humorous and satirical take on our favorite childhood fairy tales and includes a trip to that magical place of ‘Far Far Away’ complete with a Hollywood type sign which ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

For Me I'd Rather Go To The Appropriate Store For ...

Contributed by Rev. Saeed Richardson on Oct 7, 2007

For me I’d rather go to the appropriate store for the appropriate item - I prefer BJ’s or Sam’s Club for meat because I can get it cheaper in bulk have the butchers cut it up and package it so that I can freeze it when I get home. For fruits and vegetables I plan to eat within a day I’ll go to ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Pain And Regret: A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

PAIN AND REGRET: A GIFT? In 1999, Dr Paul Brand and Philip Yancey co-wrote a book called Pain: the Gift Nobody Wants. Dr Brand was born in India to missionary parents, and has spent most of his life caring for people with leprosy. One of Dr Brand’s greatest discoveries was that people with leprosy ...read more

Scripture: Acts 3:19

Tags: Repentance