In Sermon Illustrations: "Psalm 103 1 7 8 13"

Come In Or Stay ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

COME IN OR STAY OUT Little Billy was caught in the act of some mischief and his mother asked him, "How do you expect to get into heaven?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until they say, ’For heaven’s sake, either come in or stay ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 6:4-8

Tags: Sin Punishment Of

A Light Thing In The Sight Of God

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

A LIGHT THING IN THE SIGHT OF GOD When they were building the Brooklyn Bridge, they encountered a problem. The place where one of the buttresses needed to be placed was occupied by a sunken ship. They couldn’t move it. They tried several things, but couldn’t get it to budge. Finally, an engineer ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 3:11-18, 2 Kings 3:9-11

Tags: God In The Hardships

Play For The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2008

PLAY FOR THE MASTER The young man had waited for this moment for many months even years. He had practiced and practiced. It was his premiere appearance as a concert violinist. The audience heard much about his amazing talent, and they packed out the prestigious concert hall to hear him. They ...read more

Tags: Obedience

There Was Excitement All Through The Orphanage, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2008

There was excitement all through the orphanage, for a lady had come to take little Jane home with her. The girl was sort of nervous about the thought of becoming the kind ladies child, "Do you want to go with me and be my child?" the lady asked her in a gentle tone. The little girl said,” I don’t ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Ken Hannah Snowboards Off Cliffs, Flies 40 Feet ...

Contributed by Art Good on Nov 6, 2008

Ken Hannah snowboards off cliffs, flies 40 feet straight up on a bicycle, and jumps out of airplanes on a snowboard. Someone once asked him how he learned to do all those incredible things. He answered, "I'm an extreme person. When I was 6 years old I rode my bike down a flight of stairs. At 7 ...read more

Tags: Confidence

Denomination: Wesleyan

Women ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

WOMEN GIVING Women make 84% of all philanthropic decisions and 80% of all major consumer-buying decisions. The number of women-owned businesses with 500 or more employees grew by 125% from ’97 to ’03. Business owners give an average of 7% of their annual income vs. 2% for the average household, ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 31:1-31

Tags: Women

Odd Disciplines & Behaviors

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 28, 2009

ODD DISCIPLINES & BEHAVIORS What idiosyncrasies might you need to sometimes sacrifice? What rules have you made up that you will not break for anything? In ministry, you often do what needs to be done--period! Alexandre Dumas, the elder, ate an apple at 7 a.m. each morning under the Arc de ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Suffocating Fear

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

SUFFOCATING FEAR During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Kruschev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. In the midst of his speech a heckler shouted "You were one of his colleagues why didn’t you stop him?" Kruschev screamed, "Who said that?" There was a ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:9

Tags: Fear And Worry

Pocket God  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

POCKET GOD Have you heard about Pocket God? It’s one of the top-selling video game applications for Apple’s iPhone. Here’s the game description found on iTunes: "What kind of god would you be? Benevolent or vengeful? Play Pocket God and discover the answer within yourself. On a remote island, you ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 6:2

Tags: God The Father

Shock In Heaven

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 3, 2009

SHOCK IN HEAVEN I was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered Heaven’s door, Not by the beauty of it all, by the lights or its décor. But it was the folks in heaven who made me sputter and gasp; the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics, the trash. There stood the kid from 7th ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Woman From The Slums Of London Sees The Ocean ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

A Woman from the Slums of London Sees the Ocean for the First Time Long ago, a poor woman from the slums of London was invited to go with a group of people for a holiday at the ocean. She had never seen the ocean before, and when she saw it, she burst into tears. Those around her thought it was ...read more

Scripture: Micah 7:19

Tags: Mercy

Minister Runs Ad In Local Paper To Invite ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2009

Minister Runs Ad in Local Paper to Invite Straying Sheep Back into the Fold A few years ago I was reading a book by Stephen Gaukroger. He tells the story of a New York Methodist minister who saw the need to bring his ‘ninety nine righteous’ sheep back into the fold. He put an advert in the local ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-18

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

I Simply Came To Give...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

"I SIMPLY CAME TO GIVE..." In the middle of President Lincoln’s Presidency, an elderly lady made an appointment to see him. As she entered his office, he inquired, "How can I be of service to you, Madam?" The lady answered, "Mr. President, I know you are a very busy man, and I have not come to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Gratitude

Former Unicef Employee Helps Refugees In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 12, 2010

Former UNICEF Employee Helps Refugees in Democratic Republic of the Congo Rosa De Burca, former employee of UNICEF (1994-2003). As the Child Protection Officer she traveled with a colleague to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1997 in an effort to help refugees who had fled inland ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:6-7

Tags: War

Don't Find Us Lacking!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 24, 2011

DON'T FIND US LACKING! Mexican jails are not known for their tidiness or orderliness. Shortly after having taken office, the then President of Mexico, Luis Echeverria, decided to do something about this. Without giving any advance notice, he chose to visit the jails at midnight. He found guards ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Second Coming

I Didn’t Do It My Way

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 23, 2021

I don’t think I’ve learned very much during my life. I just bounce from day to day and take what comes. The one thing I did learn as I look back is, for the most part, I didn’t do it my way. Remember Frank Sinatra and his song, “I Did It My Way?” I would have liked to ask him, how’s that been ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:21

Tags: Surrender, Aggression

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Rich Family In Church By Eddie ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

THE RICH FAMILY IN CHURCH by Eddie Ogan I’ll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12, and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven ...read more

Tags: Money

The United States Women’s Softball Team Won ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mavis on Aug 29, 2001

The United States Women’s Softball team won the gold medal in Atlanta’s 1996 Olympic games. They lost only one game. In the fifth inning against Australia, Danielle Tyler hit a home run over the center-field fence. When she was greeted by a swarm of well-wishing teammates at home plate she let the ...read more

Tags: Faith, Doing God's Will, Growth In Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The United States Women's Softball Team Won The ...  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on May 9, 2002

The United States Women’s Softball team won the gold medal in Atlanta’s 1996 Olympic games. They lost only one game but from that loss came a remarkable story about perseverance. In the fifth inning against Australia, Danielle Tyler hit a home run over the center-field fence. The American third ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Local Sheriff Was Looking For A Deputy, And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2003

The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, and one of the applicants - who was not known to be the brightest academically, was called in for an interview. "Okay," began the sheriff, "What is 1 and 1?" "Eleven," came the reply. The sheriff thought to himself, "That’s not what I meant, but he’s ...read more

Tags: Communication General