In Sermon Illustrations: "Recipe For Disaster"

The Bells Toll For Someone Else

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 22, 2011

THE BELLS TOLL FOR SOMEONE ELSE We began the week with the story of the Chicago nightclub fire in which 21 people were killed as they rushed to the exit. The club had already been cited for overcrowding and other safety violations--like not enough doors and windows. What happened was that a ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Sins Will Find You ( Billy Bob)

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 18, 2019

Billy Bob –South Pittsburg My friend Billy Bob Johnson lived in South Pittsburg, Tennessee when he was a young whipper snapper. By our standards South Pittsburg Would be considered out in the sticks at that time, but they had a soda shop at the local drug store. That is where all the young ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:1-7

Tags: Punishment, Sins

Denomination: Pentecostal

Loss

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Aug 9, 2019

Have you ever had a time in your life when you suffered drastic income loss? In 1995 I had a dream job, I had an office that was 30 foot by 40 foot with my own private bath, no boss on 2nd and 3rd shift and the pay was great, not bad for a blue-collar worker. We based our lifestyle on my wages, and ...read more

Scripture: Joel 2:25-27

Tags: Loss, Recovert

Denomination: Pentecostal

Springing Into Action  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

SPRINGING INTO ACTION On the day President Obama was inaugurated, Eliot Swainson happened to be in Washington, D.C. The city authorities had expected record numbers of people to attend the inauguration, so they asked for assistance from other cities to help with crowd control. Metro Officer ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-39

Tags: God In The Hardships

College Football's Biggest ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

College Football’s Biggest Loss It was the most brutally devastating rout in the history of College Football. On a dark and dreary Saturday in 1916… 1 look at the 2 teams showed the trouble that was ahead… On one side towered Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jackets… The local papers described them as ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Tags: Sports

Preparing To Fall Into Temptation!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 8, 2024

Some people fall into temptation, but a great many make plans for disaster ahead of time. "Son," ordered a father, "Don't swim in that canal." "OK, Dad," he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. "Where have you been?" ...read more

Scripture: James 1:10-15

Tags: Deceit, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Preparation, Lies, Disobedience, Defeat, Sin, Satan  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

This Is A Fictional Christmas Correspondence ...

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Feb 20, 2008

This is a fictional Christmas correspondence between Martha Stewart and Erma Bombeck to remind us that Christmas isn’t always picture perfect. Hi Erma, This perfectly delightful note is being sent on paper I made myself to tell you what I have been up to. Since it snowed last night, I got up ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

This Is A Fictional Christmas Correspondence ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Feb 20, 2008

This is a fictional Christmas correspondence between Martha Stewart and Erma Bombeck to remind us that Christmas isn’t always picture perfect. Hi Erma, This perfectly delightful note is being sent on paper I made myself to tell you what I have been up to. Since it snowed last night, I got up ...read more

Denomination: Wesleyan

Failure/ Success

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 13, 2025

DO YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT A FAILURE, A BASKET CASE? Let us look at a man experience in failure. 1. At 14 dropped out of school. 2. He got a job working on a farm. The work was hard labor. He hated the farm work. 3. He lied about his age and at 16 he joined the ARMY. He could stand the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:26, 2 Chronicles 16:9

Tags: Faith, Effort

Denomination: Assembly Of God

If Your House Is On Fire, Warm Yourself By ...  PRO

Contributed by John Knight on Jul 15, 2002

If your house is on fire, warm yourself by it. -Spanish Proverb Thomas Edison invented the microphone, the phonograph, the incandescent light, the storage battery, talking movies, and more than 1000 other things. December 1914 he had worked for 10 years on a storage battery. This had greatly ...read more

Tags: Doubt, Forgiveness For Others, Peace

Denomination: Holiness

Seems There Was A Talented Young Man In The ...

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 19, 2003

Seems there was a talented young man in the Midwest. There were terrible fires in Yellowsont National Park burning thousands of acres. This young man was gifted with the camera and could capture the heart of crisis on film. So a well known national magazine hired the young man to picture this ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

In The Year 1873, Haroatio Spafford, A Lawyer ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In the year 1873, Haroatio Spafford, a lawyer from Chicago, placed his wife and four daughters on the LUXURY LINER “Ville du Havre” sailing from New York to France. Spafford expected to JOIN them in about 3 or 4 weeks after finishing up some BUSINESS, but with the exception of his wife he never saw ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

A Pastor Shared Recently That He Has A Habit Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A Pastor shared recently that he has a habit of taping football games and watching them again—and again and again, if the game turns out right. He said, “Super Bowl 32 is one of my favorites, the one where the Broncos defeated Green Bay 31-24” (he was a Bronco fan.) “The first time I saw the game ...read more

Tags: Worship Benefits

Your Dead-Level Best

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

YOUR DEAD-LEVEL BEST Some years ago in Northwestern University, near Chicago, a rescue crew was organized. Their purpose was the rescue of the drowning on the lake. One day the news came that a magnificent vessel was wrecked just off the shore. The young men hurried at once to the scene of the ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Henri Dunant, Founder Of The Red Cross  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 20, 2012

HENRI DUNANT, FOUNDER OF THE RED CROSS Henri Dunant was a wealthy 19th century Swiss banker when the Swiss government sent him to Paris to work on a business deal with Napoleon. When he got to Paris, they told him that Napoleon was off fighting a war against the Austrians in Solferino, Italy. So ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:13-14

Tags: Compassion

Warning Systems

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

WARNING SYSTEMS I love to watch air crash investigations and other technology programmes; I heard about this: To avoid air disasters, GPS was used; this alerted the pilot to some terrain, but the satellite system alone wasn’t enough. GPWS introduced: A major drop in crash incidents occurred when ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Tags: God's Judgment

It Won't Happen To Us

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2011

IT WON'T HAPPEN TO US We began the week with the story of the Chicago nightclub fire in which 21 people were killed as they rushed to the exit. The club had already been cited for overcrowding and other safety violations--like not enough doors and windows. What happened was that a bouncer used ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:1-12

Tags: Death, Life, Priorities, Choice, Death Nearness  (view more)  (view less)

Just In The Nick Of Time

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME A favorite literary device of authors, playwrights, and screen writers is that of the hero who shows up just in the nick of time. You’ve read books or seen movies like this. Just when everything seems lost and all hope is gone and disaster is imminent, the hero arrives to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-39

Tags: God In The Hardships

New Your City Mayor Admits Mistake And Silences ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2009

New York City Mayor Admits Mistake and Silences Reporters Back in 1980 New York City Mayor Ed Koch appeared on a local news program in the middle of the city’s financial crisis. Koch had spent over a quarter of a million dollars to put up bike lanes in Manhattan, and they turned out to be a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:15-16

Tags: Mistakes

Follow Me

Contributed by Gregory Artz on Feb 17, 2023

Follow Me The United States Army is one of the most powerful forces in the world. The strongest and most trained soldiers in all the world. Each one is a valuable asset in order to have victory over an enemy. Therefore, training requires strict discipline and the ability to follow orders of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Faith, Trust

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ