In Sermon Illustrations: "Real People"

Alcohol Statistics

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2012

ALCOHOL STATISTICS "By the time they are high school seniors, 80% have used alcohol and 62% have been drunk. In the United States, roughly 50,000 cases of alcohol poisoning are reported each year and approximately once every week, someone dies from this preventable condition. Approximately 14 ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-21

Tags: Alcohol

Where Is The Church When It Hurts?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2012

WHERE IS THE CHURCH WHEN IT HURTS? Where is God in the midst of the storm? One author answered that question with this incident: "In Washington and Chicago, as I talked about the special edition of Where Is God When It Hurts?, inevitably the interviewer would turn the question back on me. 'Well, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-36

Tags: Comfort

The Impacts Of Trust And Distrust

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2012

THE IMPACTS OF TRUST AND DISTRUST One of the serious problems of human nature is our natural tendency to be distrusting and suspicious. Barbara Misztal, in her book, Trust in Modern Societies: The Search for the Bases of Social Order, mentions three things that trust does in the life of a person. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 9:7-10

Tags: Trust

Mark Of The Beast

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Oct 9, 2012

In verse 15, it tells us what will happen to those people who do not accept the Evil One’s mark: “15 … and all who refuse to worship the image or take his mark will be killed.” I saw recently where Motorola has developed an all inclusive data chip that is no larger than a grain of rice. It ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: *other

Abraham Lincoln And Criticism

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2013

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND CRITICISM A practicing lawyer loved to attack his opponents through scathing letters printed in newspapers. In 1842, he ridiculed the wrong man. James Shields did not take kindly to the anonymous writer who lampooned him in the Springfield Journal. Mr. Shields tracked down ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Criticism, Tongue

Rent A Family…?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 14, 2013

RENT A FAMILY...? I read a recent article about how people in Japan are so busy that older people can now rent a family. Here’s the quote: "In Japan, you can rent a family. Elderly Japanese who are isolated from their children by the frantic pace of modern life can rent a 'family' for lunch and a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

The "Group-Think" Impulse  PRO

Contributed by Robert Joseph on Jun 1, 2013

THE "GROUP-THINK" IMPULSE Stand up for the truth. Romans 12:2 says, "...Do not be conformed to this world..." [NKJV] People today show a stong tendency to adjust their opinions to match those of the group. This goes a long way towards explaining why only a fraction of the educated population ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2

Tags: Homosexuality, Peer Pressure, Truth Absolute

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Emporer's Clothes

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Dec 19, 2014

Do you remember the story of the emperor’s clothes? If I am recalling it right, someone persuaded the emperor to buy a suit of clothes that only people with the most exquisite taste in fashion could see. Of course, the emperor could not see the clothes, nor could anyone else – because the peddler ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:10-11

Tags: Flattery, Self Deception

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Man Crossing Niagara Falls On A Tightrope

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Jul 25, 2018

Main Idea: In order to be saved, we need to put our faith in Jesus Christ. Verse: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV). Illustration: Once there was a ...read more

Tags: Faith, Trust In Christ

Denomination: Charismatic

How Hard Do You Prepare For Sermons?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Howard Hendricks shares this insight about the value of preparing and study for sermons... " When I was a college student—I worked in the college dining hall, and on my way to work at 5:30 am. every morning I walked past the home of one of my professors. Through a window I could see the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Sermons, Shepherding, Feeding The Flock, Sermon Preparation, Studying The Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lieghton Ford Tells This Story Of A Crusade With ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Lieghton Ford tells this story of a crusade with Billy Gtraham. I was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the next night and had arrived a day early. He came incognito and sat on the grass at the rear of the crowd. Because he was wearing a hat and dark ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

The Leo Burnett Advertising Agency ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Illustration: The Leo Burnett advertising agency did a nationwide telephone survey a few years ago on lying, cataloging when we lie, how we lie and why we lie. The results were interesting. Ninety-one percent of all Americans confessed that they regularly lied… One out of every five admitted that ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

In Bill Moyers's Book A World Of Ideas Ii, Jacob ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In Bill Moyers’s book A World of Ideas II, Jacob Needleman remembers, "I was an observer at the launch of Apollo 17 in 1975. It was a night launch, and there were hundreds of cynical reporters all over the lawn, drinking beer, wisecracking, and waiting for this 35-story-high rocket. "The ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Bill Bright, Founder And President, Campus ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Bill Bright, founder and president, Campus Crusade for Christ - I know two law partners who used to hate each other. When one became a Christian, he asked me, "Now that I’m a Christian, what should I do?" I said, "Why not ask him to forgive you and tell him you love him?" "I could never do that" he ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

A Curious Fellow Died One Day And Found Himself ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A curious fellow died one day and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment. As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into heaven. Others, though, were led over to Satan who threw them into the burning pit. But every so often, ...read more

Tags: Money

It Makes Me Think Of A Young Couple Who Had Life ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

It makes me think of a young couple who had life going along just like they’d Dreamed. They were happily married with 2 good jobs and 2 healthy little children. Then --- unexpectedly of course --- they had a major Pit Stop. The mom had a serious car wreck. She ended up with a severely broken leg ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Someone Once Said That If You Ever Want To Know ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Someone once said that if you ever want to know the truth about something then you should ask children. I love the article in the Vessel this month by our Busy Bees as they shared what love means to them. Yet, I also came across some other responses by children as to what they see love is. Glenn, ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

In Genesis 35, After Jacob's Daughter Dinah Was ...

Contributed by Mel Shepherd on Jul 1, 2007

In Genesis 35, after Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped by a Hivite named Shechem and Jacob’s sons took matters into their own hands by killing the people that had done this, in chapter 35, God gave this advice to Jacob because he was bitter with his sons, Simeon and Levi for destroying his ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Here's How Several Elementary School Students ...  PRO

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Aug 22, 2007

Here’s how several elementary school students answered the following questions about moms: Why did God make mothers? • She’s the only one who knows where the Scotch tape is. • Mostly to clean the house. • To help us out of there when we were getting born. How did God make mothers? • He used ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: Church Of God

But Loving Is Hard. The Way Is Narrow. Not Many ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Oct 29, 2007

But loving is hard. The way is narrow. Not many really love the way Jesus does. Even in churches. We are more consumers than lovers. We are more takers than givers. I’ve poured into people and given and given as I know many of you have. I’ve poured into groups of people in this way. And they keep ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God