In Sermon Illustrations: "Ransom From Sin"

A Study Released This January From The Barna ...

Contributed by Dillon Burroughs on Mar 9, 2009

A study released this January from the Barna organization revealed that 73% of today’s youth have been involved in some form of psychic or witchcraft related activity. The most popular of these activities includes playing with Ouija boards and the reading of witchcraft and Wicca related books. In ...read more

Tags: Supernatural

Denomination: Baptist

Arturo Toscanini Demanded Excellence From The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2010

Arturo Toscanini Demanded Excellence From the Symphony Orchestra One of history’s greatest musical conductors was Arturo Toscanini. Born in Parma, Italy, in 1867, Toscanini died in his sleep in New York City in 1957. For years he conducted the National Broadcasting Company’s Symphony Orchestra in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:58

Tags: Music

Wise Men Came From Afar

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 5, 2010

WISE MEN CAME FROM AFAR Most people know that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, but they really do not understand as much as we think they do. In a small Southern town there was a "Nativity Scene" that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. One small feature ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Beauty From What He Puts In

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Apr 15, 2011

BEAUTY FROM WHAT HE PUTS IN There once was a brier growing in a ditch when a gardener came along with his spade and dug it up. He dug around it and gently lifted it out of the ground, bringing the brier to ask itself, "What is he doing? Doesn’t he know I’m a worthless brier?" But the gardener ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Four Weeks Away From The Spirit

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jun 13, 2011

FOUR WEEKS AWAY FROM THE SPIRIT An Anglican bishop was asked to preach at a conference in England. For many weeks he did not respond to the invitation. Finally, the corresponding secretary for the conference wrote him a note which said, "We must know if you are coming. We need to make our plans." ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Peanuts: Learn More From Defeat

Contributed by Perry Greene on Sep 4, 2012

PEANUTS: LEARN MORE FROM DEFEAT Charlie Brown was complaining because his team always lost their games. Lucy attempted to console him with, "Remember, Charlie Brown, you learn more from your defeats than from your ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Doctor And Patient Saved From Hell

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Oct 13, 2012

In Beyond Death’s Door, Rawlings shares how his view of the afterlife forever changed on the day one of his heart patients “died” in his office. During a routine stress test on a treadmill, the man’s heart stopped and he collapsed. Immediately, Rawlings and his staff began emergency resuscitation ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:22-31

Tags: Hell

Denomination: Baptist

The Power Of Love A Force From Above ...

Contributed by Richard Francis on Dec 17, 2012

The power of love a force from above that’s cleanses your soul, that’s saves and restores that opens the eyes of the blind, that gives the deaf hearing and free’s the ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Getting Too Far From The Source  PRO

Contributed by Choe Sergent on Apr 17, 2013

GETTING TOO FAR FROM THE SOURCE The county hired a new person to paint fresh yellow lines down the middle of all the county roads. The first day this man painted an astonishing 10 miles of road with new double yellow lines down the middle. This was a record! No one had ever painted ten miles of ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 47:1-23

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist

You're Not From Around Here.

Contributed by Ken Pell on May 6, 2013

"YOU'RE NOT FROM AROUND HERE." There is not much you can do about it. Once you have been around it everybody else knows. I’m talking about the red dirt of western Oklahoma. It’s caused by the iron in the soil that, after being oxidized, turns to rust. It seems that nothing can erase or clean ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Nazarene

A Surprise Visit From Abraham Lincoln

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2013

A SURPRISE VISIT FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN In the last days of the Civil War, the Confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union army. Abraham Lincoln insisted on visiting the city. Even though no one knew he was coming, slaves recognized him immediately and thronged around him. He had ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-14

Tags: Freedom, Christian Liberty

A Christmas Card From John The Baptist

Contributed by Larry Turner on Dec 3, 2015

How’s this for a Christmas card this year. On the front a beautiful winter scene. On the inside a nice thought. “The fire of the Holy Spirit, That should be your desire. To follow and obey him, For the Gospel, be a crier. So if Jesus comes back this year, May you not be found a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:11-12

Tags: Christmas, John The Baptist

Denomination: Foursquare

Great Blessings From A Generous Gift

Contributed by Rick Crandall on May 16, 2016

*God wants us to be givers, because HE is a giver. He wants us to generously give our time, our talents, our tithes and our offerings. In short, God wants us to give our lives and our love to other people, every way we can. They will be blessed, and so will we. *Sometimes even a small gift can ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 2 Corinthians 8:1-24, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Tags: Generosity, Trust God, Christian Giving, Love Of God Or Money

Denomination: Baptist

A Lesson From A Pair Of Mildewed Shoes

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 22, 2020

A number of years ago I received a three-year assignment to Okinawa, Japan, as part of my Air Force experience. Hardly anybody I knew had much knowledge of that part of the world, so we really had no idea what to expect. We were in for a number of surprises! We lived in a motel, basically, for a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33-34

Tags: Shoes, Life's Problems

Denomination: Baptist

3 Feet From My Miracle?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 18, 2021

Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich talked about a gold miner that was three feet from finding gold. The story says a young man dug and dug and never found gold. The Colorado gold mine was a big frustration so after many months he quit. The first minner that quit was only three feet from striking ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

Tags: Almost, Quitters

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Where Do Wrinkles Come From?

Contributed by James Snyder on Jun 12, 2021

Several months ago, I had two cataracts removed from my eyes. How they got there, I don't know. As far as I can remember, they never asked my permission, and furthermore, they never paid rent for being there. According to the eye doctor, and doctors are never wrong, I now have 2020 vision. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 5:8

Tags: Plastic Surgery, Wrinkles

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

This Past Week Marked The 50th Anniversary Of The ...  PRO

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Dec 5, 2005

This past week marked the 50th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus to a white man. In a 1996 interview she said “she was tired of it all.” My friend, 1 person, a seamstress from Alabama, decided it was time for a change and through her action and ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Baptist

A Minister Told His Congregation, "Next Week I ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2005

A minister told his congregation, “Next week I plan to preach about the sin of lying. To help you understand my sermon, I want you all to read Mark 17.” The following Sunday, as he prepared to deliver his sermon, the minister asked for a show of hands. He wanted to know how many had read Mark 17. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 17:1

Tags: Sin General

Jesus Saw A Crowd Chasing Down A Woman To Stone ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 9, 2001

Jesus saw a crowd chasing down a woman to stone her and approached them. "What’s going on here, anyway?" he asked. "This woman was found committing adultery and the law says we should stone her!" one of the crowd responded. "Wait," yelled Jesus, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Unqualified Commitment

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Unqualified commitment A college man walked into a photography studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture duplicated. This involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph: “My dearest Tom, I love ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To