In Sermon Illustrations: "Real People"

Wasting Time At Work

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

WASTING TIME AT WORK For many American workers today, time’s a wastin’ - literally. According to a new survey by America Online and Salary.com, the average worker admits to frittering away 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, not including lunch and scheduled break-time. As a matter of practice, ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:9

Tags: Workplace Integrity

Can You Hear The Cries Of Loneliness?

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 3, 2013

CAN YOU HEAR THE CRIES OF LONELINESS? A Story from Max Lucado: In the summer of 1980 a story about an attractive girl who was young and successful stirred the US. The story broke the evening news with the headline; Judith Bucknell was dead -- it was number one hundred and six that year in the ...read more

Tags: Suffering Loneliness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lori Was 14 Years Old When She Was Baptized At ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Lori was 14 years old when she was baptized at Blue Springs Community Church, a one-room country church only a few miles from her house. A few months later, Lori dropped out of the church. The pastor and his wife visited her several times, but failed to persuade Lori to return to church. Everyone ...read more

Tags: Death

J. P. Moreland, In His Book Apologetic ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 13, 2002

J. P. Moreland, in his book Apologetic Reasoning and the Christian Mind, tells of an experience that illustrates the importance of truth: “One afternoon I was sharing the gospel in a student’s dorm room at the University of Vermont. The student began to espouse ethical relativism: ‘Whatever is ...read more

Scripture: John 18:37

Tags: Evangelism, Truth, Relativism

Denomination: Methodist

Do You Remember "Do Overs?"  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 30, 2003

DO YOU REMEMBER "DO OVERS?" They were part of the "Good Ole" Days. I know, Let’s play a little game… Everyone stand up. Now sit down when you can’t remember what I mention next… How many of you remember… 90’s – Beanie Babies; Teenie Beanies; Grunge; and the phrase CHA-CHING!!! 80’s – PacMan; ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian, God The Father, God's Forgiveness

Perseverance--Gianni Poli Of Italy Won The 1986 ...  PRO

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Oct 9, 2004

Perseverance--Gianni Poli of Italy won the 1986 New York Marathon in 2:11:06. On March 2, 2003, Mark Yatich of Kenya won the Los Angels Marathon in 2:09:52. To me, however, the real hero of both marathons was the man who finished dead last in both. He is fifty-seven year old Bob Wieland. In ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Methodist

The 100% Solution!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

Since the beginning of time, mankind has craved peace! When Adam and Eve came upon the body of their son Abel, slain by his brother Cain, they no doubt longed for peace. The peculiar thing about peace is this; man has always longed for the time when peace was in his life––yet peace has so seldom ...read more

Scripture: John 14:25-27

Tags: Holy Spirit, Peace

David's Demons

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Nov 16, 2010

DAVID'S DEMONS Many years ago I worked in an organisation called SCILS - Sunshine Coast Independent Living Skills. We worked with people who had mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. David (not his real name) was helped to find a place to rent in the community. He had been in danger of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:43-45

Tags: Demons

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Our Will Is Who We Are

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jun 16, 2009

OUR WILL IS WHO WE ARE Watchman Nee: "A man’s will is his organ for decision-making. To want or not to want, to choose or not to choose are the typical operations of the will. "Our emotions merely express how we feel. Our mind simply tells us what we think, but our will communicates what we ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Definition Of A Bbq

Contributed by Sean Harder on Jul 8, 2009

THE DEFINITION OF A BBQ It’s the only type of cooking a "real man" will do. When a man volunteers to do the ’BBQ’ the following chain of events is put into motion: 1) The woman goes to the store. 2) The woman fixes the salad, vegetables, and dessert. 3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, ...read more

Tags: Father's Day

Prayer For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

Prayer for Compassion Then we can pray a prayer like David Mains prayed years ago. He was once pastor of the Circle Urban Church, an inner city church in Chicago, and one day, in the course of his ministry among such great need, he prayed, “Lord, let me see the world as you see it, and break my ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:36-38

Tags: Compassion

Bruce Longenecker's Book,

Contributed by Ken Pell on Nov 2, 2009

Bruce Longenecker’s book, “The Lost Letters of Pergamum” (pp. 165-166) illustrates their teaching in a story about a Nicolaitan (Kalandion) that attended the Pergamum church. Kalandion is visiting a Christian who has been imprisoned for his faith. “Kalandion had already visited him on several ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Nazarene

Cost Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 31, 2010

Cost of Freedom At Hebron Baptist Church several years ago a speaker named Clebe McClary spoke. There was a patch where his left eye had once been. A hook extended from the artificial limb where a strong arm had once helped make him an outstanding athlete. He had been through countless surgeries to ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-13

Tags: Heroism

Reunited

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 23, 2011

REUNITED This week (1-11) an interesting story hit the presses: A woman who was kidnapped as a newborn 23 years ago says finding her real mother "felt like a dream." Carlina White was just 19 days old when she disappeared from Harlem Hospital in New York. She tells the New York Post that when ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Mother's Embrace

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on May 6, 2011

A MOTHER'S EMBRACE My own mother was a remarkable embodiment of both beauty and duty. She was lovely in appearance, and I think early in her life she turned many a head. But her real beauty was her embrace of duty. She worked hard from the time she was a child until, in her final years, she could ...read more

Tags: Mothers

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Getting To Know Man

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 18, 2011

GETTING TO KNOW MAN Julie and I have the wonderful privilege to raise Bryce and Chase. But that is a privilege given to us by God. God created our children and is allowing Julie and I to raise them. We get to keep them in our home for a time and then they are off into the world. But God created ...read more

Tags: Worldliness

Fear Restrains

Contributed by Shine Thomas on Aug 28, 2017

Janez Rus lived in Germany during the days of the Nazi ruler Adolf Hitler. During that time he was a young shoemaker, looking to make his name prominent. Because of the power of the German government, he participated in public supports of the Nazi regime in hopes of gaining recognition. But after ...read more

Tags: Fear, Fear Restrains

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Tomorrow I'll Be Big

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on May 22, 2007

TOMORROW I’LL BE BIG (anonymous). If only he’d say -- just once, "All right, Timmy, let’s do it together, right now." But it’s always, "Wait a little. Can’t you see I’m busy? Just a minute, Timmy. Tomorrow." Tomorrow I’ll be big. I’m only little now. Now is when I need you, Daddy. Not ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Msnbc Reported On An Archaeological Dig In Cana, ...

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jun 3, 2007

MSNBC reported on an archaeological dig in Cana, Israel in 2004. The article read: “Among the roots of ancient olive trees, archaeologists have found pieces of large stone jars of the type the Gospel says Jesus used when he turned water into wine at a Jewish wedding in the Galilee village of ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Words, Just Words  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Words, just words I was reading the other day. The famous American author, Samuel Clement, Mark Twain, attended a Sunday service. He met the preacher at the door afterward to shake his hand. And he told him that he had a book at home with every word he had preached that morning. The minister ...read more

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:7

Tags: Evangelism How To