In Sermon Illustrations: "Quitting"

Drink Deeply  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

DRINK DEEPLY Picture this: You have just finished a ten-mile hike on a 95 degree day, and on the entire journey you haven’t had a thing to drink. Stumbling with thirst, you come to your father’s house and plea for water. With love and concern, he brings you a cold pitcher of water and a glass and ...read more

Scripture: John 4:1-26

Tags: Faith

Christian Maturity: It's In The Details

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 16, 2009

CHRISTIAN MATURITY: IT'S IN THE DETAILS Ted Williams, who died in 2002 was arguably the best hitter baseball has ever known. He was the last baseball player to hit better than .400 in a season. Upon his death, George Will said in his column "There is no joy in Red Sox Nation, a.k.a. New England, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:14

Tags: Growth In Christ

A Fork In The Road

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

A FORK IN THE ROAD Several artists were asked to illustrate their concepts of temptation. When their paintings were unveiled, some of them depicted man's attempt to achieve fame and fortune at any cost. Others pictured mankind’s struggle against the alluring desires of the flesh. The ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:10-19

Tags: Temptation Resisting

Cirrhosis Of The Giver

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Jan 23, 2013

CIRRHOSIS OF THE GIVER The disease cirrhosis of the giver was discovered in A.D. 34 by the husband-wife team of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11). It is an acute condition that renders the patient’s hands immobile when he is called on to move them in the direction of his wallet or her purse, and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7, Romans 12:1, Luke 9:23, Philippians 4:19

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Baptist

One Of The Greatest Theologians That Ever Liv...

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Dec 24, 2015

One of the greatest theologians that ever lived, Karl Barth, was asked to be a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago Divinity School. At the end of a captivating closing lecture, the president of the seminary announced that Dr. Barth was not well and was quite tired, and though he thought ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Tags: Christmas Love, God's Love For Us

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Louis Braille And The Will Of God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 15, 2019

I do not know if Louis Braille was a believer, but his life is an example of a sovereign God causing all things to work together for good - In the French Academy of Science there is a rather plain, old shoemaker's awl on display. The story behind the awl is quite extraordinary. To look at it, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Miracles, Testimony, Will Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Weaknesses Among The Best

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

A British man named Steve Cleary was in his early 50's, retired from the Royal Navy, and had started a second career. However, he just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. However, he was a good worker, really clever, so the owner was in a quandary ...read more

Scripture: James 3:2, Romans 3:23

Tags: Weaknesses, Perfection, Bad Habits, Flaws, Failings  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Four-Hundred-And-Fifty Years Before Christ Walked ...

Contributed by Jonathan Twitchell on Dec 7, 2006

Four-hundred-and-fifty years before Christ walked the earth there lived a philosopher by the name of Zeno. Zeno was best known for his mathematical paradoxes…situations that appear to be impossible or self-contradictory. One of his most famous paradoxes could be stated this way: Let us suppose ...read more

Denomination: Nazarene

When We Engage In That Type Of Witnessing – When ...

Contributed by Todd Stiles on Mar 27, 2007

When we engage in that type of witnessing – when we follow the prescription here in Luke 24 – we have the honor of partnering with God as he opens their eyes, minds, and mouths. Those who once didn’t know, now know! Those who have never heard, now hear! Those who before didn’t understand – they now ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Few Years Ago (2004), Gordon Macdonald, Who Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Aug 29, 2007

A few years ago (2004), Gordon MacDonald, who is one of my favorite authors wrote a little book entitled A Resilient Life. In this book he tells the story of a coach and teacher named Marvin Goldberg who changed his life in a great way. MacDonald said that he tried out for football but was so ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Vineyard Caretaker

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Jan 29, 2008

THE VINEYARD CARETAKER Mark 11:27-12:12 In high school I was on the track team – I was a sprinter. Our coach would make us sprinters run long distance as well as run sprints for practice. We hated running long distance, it was so boring, it was so tedious, we felt it was against our nature. But ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Tin—untold Riches

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

THE TIN--UNTOLD RICHES In the late nineteenth Century in South Africa, an old man was digging for gold in a river bed. He had been at it for many years. Every now and then he found a little bit of gold, not enough to make him rich – but just enough to maintain his interest. The part of river in ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:2-3

Tags: Christmas

A Cure For Fear

Contributed by Michael Buckingham on Jul 23, 2011

A CURE FOR FEAR The story starts with a boy of 12 whose name was Jim. Jim was a pleasant young lad, but one day his mother became very ill, the doctor came and saw her, and he explained to Jim and his father that in all probability Jim's mother will die. Sad right? Well, the day came for Jim's ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Baptist

A Post Thanksgiving Wishbone

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 30, 2019

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can sit back and recoup from the activity. I'm not sure about anybody else, but a holiday such as Thanksgiving takes a lot out of me. Of course, it puts a lot in me, but that's another story. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and Yours Truly were ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:31

Tags: Thanksgiving, Holiday

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Doing Nothing Is Harder Than I Thought

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 29, 2020

After being so long in a lockdown situation, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage planned a short vacation time for us. It took her quite a while to put all of the pieces together, but she succeeded as always. As I was preparing for this little adventure, my wife looked at me and said, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:31

Tags: Vacation, Holiday

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

It Was A Shoofly Pie Moment

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 5, 2020

During holiday seasons, I enjoy indulging in special food. My favorite during this time of year is the Shoofly Pie. Nothing hits the spot quite like this. Although the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage restricts this kind of culinary activity during the rest of the year, I tried to get a pass ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:17

Tags: Politician, Holiday, Shoofly

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Blossoming Flower Whisperer

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 17, 2021

When it comes to flowers, I am the epitome of naivety. I have no expertise whatsoever in the plant world. All I see are red, blue and yellow. Don't get me wrong here; I enjoy flowers. However, when it comes to names, I am off the planet. I don't need to know the name of a flower to really ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 2:12

Tags: Flowers, Humor, Blossoming, Whisperer

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Great Divide Between Brain And Tongue

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 12, 2022

As my Uncle Fred used to say, one of the great benefits of getting old is that you know everything. If you had ever met Uncle Fred, you would easily conclude that he certainly wasn’t getting old. Of course, there are things I have learned during my aging career that has been of great use to me. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:10

Tags: Temptation, Tongue, Brain

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

You Break It, You Fix It

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 19, 2024

Every once in a while, I hear or see something that reminds me of my father. He’s been gone for over 15 years, but his memory is still fresh in my mind. His most famous saying, that I remember, was, “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.” He lived that to the very end of his ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5-6

Tags: Wisdom, Fixing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Manor - A Story About The Master Coming Back

Contributed by John Gullick on Jul 31, 2017

Here is a story- Driving up to the mansion seemed quite grand. The turrets bathed in the bright sunlight - windows glistened sending wild cascades of light over the pastures. The driveway was, well, elegent to say the least. But immediately Bernard sensed something was wrong. The hedges and shrubs ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-43

Tags: Obedience, Disciple Of Jesus

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed