In Sermon Illustrations: "Quick Thinking"

Pa Won't Like It  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

"PA WON’T LIKE IT" A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn in the road. The farmer who lived nearby came to investigate. "Hey, Willis," he called out, "forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us. Then I’ll help you get the wagon up." "That’s mighty ...read more

Tags: Authority

Solong's Faith

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Feb 4, 2009

SOLONG'S FAITH I gave blood on Friday. A lovely woman named Solong sampled my blood to insure that I had enough iron. We struck up a conversation, and it turns out she is a Christian. She told me that in 2006 she felt God calling her to go back to school. She didn't have enough money to go, but ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

4. Backus Notes, "Many People Believe That We ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 11, 2009

4. Backus notes, “Many people believe that we just sin and that’s all there is to it. You may shrug and say, “I’m just a sinner an I can’t help myself.” But you can help yourself. There is psychological dynamic underlying sinful behavior. By changing your thinking (an act of will), you can change ...read more

Tags: Tongue

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Men As Role-Models For Children

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 12, 2009

MEN AS ROLE-MODELS FOR CHILDREN I am still struck by a report I heard months ago by an educator studying the needs of the District’s school system. He had found, in studying the children, that up to about the third grade they were bright, ambitious, eager to learn; but that somewhere after that, ...read more

Tags: Children

Houses Of Refuge

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

HOUSES OF REFUGE There was no alternative to manslaughter. If you wanted to live, the only option was to flee to one of these cities of refuge. [HOUSE OF REFUGE, HUTCHINSON IS., FL] House of Refuge- The House of Refuge is the last remaining shipwreck life-saving station on Florida’s Atlantic ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 35:6-34

Tags: God In The Hardships

Pastor, Please Don't Stop Preaching On Hell.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 18, 2022

"Preachers must not neglect preaching on the reality of Hell and the catastrophic consequence of rejecting Christ. When you abandon preaching on Hell, you ignore the accent in the Epistles on the coming judgment, you will need to skip large portions of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels, and you ...read more

Tags: Hell, Salvation, Preaching, Judgment, Repentance, Pastors, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Keys To Understanding The Parables

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2022

KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE PARABLES Parables provide insight into the nature, coming, growth and of the Kingdom of God. Parables are by design intended to be surprising. They often sneak up on us. Parables are used to simulate thinking and cause the hearer to carefully contemplate what they ...read more

Tags: Teaching, Truth, Preaching, Parables, Kingdom Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Where Is The Mission Field?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 10, 2023

Most people associate missions with leaving for another city, country, or continent. This is because, technically speaking, we refer to those who have crossed cultural, ethnic, or geographic lines in order to share about Jesus as missionaries. However, mission work includes more than rain forest ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Witnessing, Great Commission, Evangelism, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Missions, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Momma, Kiss Me!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 2, 2023

William Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons, told a touching story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child's ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Death, Love, Sacrifice, Children, Agape, Mothers, Fruit Of The Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Your Unsaved Friends Want You To Talk About Jesus!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 19, 2023

73% of Christians believed it was their responsibility to share their faith. Yet only 52% of them had actually shared their faith at least once with someone in the last year. Millennials were the only age group where the percentage of those evangelizing was increasing. Only 29% of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23

Tags: Evangelism, Unchurched, Roman Road, Sin, Salvation, Cross, Justification, Witnessing, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Power In Holy Communion

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Apr 18, 2023

I've been thinking about holy moments, how Christ has surprised me by his presence. One of those moments came when I visited and had Communion with a member who was dying of cancer. Near the end of the visit I asked her how I could pray or for what she would like me to pray for. She expressed ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Tags: Power In Prayer, Power In Holy Communion

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash My Hands!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 25, 2024

"Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash." 1. I was forced to wash my hands as a child. 2. People who wash their hands are hypocrites--they think they’re cleaner than others. 3. There are so many kinds of soap, I could never decide which was right. 4. I used to wash my hands, but it got ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Church, Easter, Attendance, Hypocrites

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Children's Faith

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

"Children’s Letters to God" series, actual authentic letters written by kids to God: "Dear God, I read the Bible. What does ’begat’ mean? Nobody will tell me. Love, Alison." "Dear God, did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident?" - ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 18:3

Tags: Childlike Faith, Questions

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Formula For Peace

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 16, 2025

Most of the time, we have no control over the circumstances of our lives, so we react by way of rebellion and complaining. Let me share a little formula with you: E + R = O Event + Response = Outcome We have no control over the events – things just happen. We often try hard to control ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:18

Tags: Peace, Response, Outcome, Event

Denomination: Methodist

Stuck In A Rut

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 14, 2025

The U.S. standard railroad gauge—the width between the rails—is 4 feet, 8 ½ inches. Strange number, isn’t it? You’d think something so crucial would be more logical. So why that width? Because American railroads were built by British expatriates, and that’s how they did it in England. Why ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 1:18-19

Tags: Tradition, Transformation

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

[179]. A Message From A Poem – Lost Three Things - Lost One Coin

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 27, 2025

[179]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LOST THREE THINGS - LOST ONE COIN In this trilogy of poems we are looking at three objects lost – a sheep, a coin and a son. All three were loved and precious and the owners knew stress at the lost. When each was found it resulted in great rejoicing. These three ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 11:8, Genesis 6:6, Luke 15:8-10

Tags: Heart Of God, The Heart Of God, Grieved, Christian Poems, Parable, Lost, Lost Coin, Lost And Found, Rejoicing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Erma Bombeck In Her Book, "Motherhood The Second ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Apr 3, 2001

Erma Bombeck in her book, "Motherhood the second Oldest Profession" writes; "I have always felt that too much time was given before birth, which is spent learning things like how to breathe in and out with your husband (I had my baby when they gave you a shot in the hip and you didn’t wake up ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:7-13

Tags: Mothers Day, Mother's Day, Parenting

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Faithful Instructions  PRO

Contributed by Randy Leckliter on Sep 16, 2002

FAITHFUL INSTRUCTIONS There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note. The note ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Tags: God's Provision, Examples Of Faith, Faith, Discipleship, Lost, Trust In The Lord  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In ...

Contributed by Stephen Todd on Apr 15, 2003

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten. All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned. Share ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Christian Values

Denomination: Baptist

A Number Of Years Ago, Dr. Waltke, A Seminary ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Richards on Sep 23, 2004

A number of years ago, Dr. Waltke, a seminary professor, & three pastors, one of which was Charles Swindol toured the mother church of the First Church of Christ Scientist in downtown Boston. The four were unknown to the elderly lady who was going to give them a tour. They didn’t tell her who they ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:1-16, Proverbs 3:27

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Baptist