In Sermon Illustrations: "Respect Her"

Not Location But ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

NOT LOCATION BUT LOYALTY John Hess Yoder writes in Leadership magazine: While serving as a missionary in Laos, I discovered an illustration of the kingdom of God. Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries, the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement on taxation in the border ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 2:1-24

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Little Girl Doesn't Understand Cleansing ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

Little Girl Doesn’t Understand Cleansing Symbolism of Baptism Pastor Bob Beasley shares a true story told by a father in his church: “Our three-year-old daughter, Rena, sat with us during the baptismal service…which was a new experience for her. She exclaimed in surprise, ‘Why did he push that guy ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:38

Tags: Baptism

To Know God's Will, Follow The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

To Know God’s Will, Follow the Guide In A Slow and Certain Light, Elizabeth Elliot tells of 2 adventurers who stopped by to see her, all loaded with equipment for the rainforest East of the Andes. It was the first time they are trekking the forest but they sought no advice, just a few phrases to ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 73:24

Tags: God's Will, Knowing God's Will

Wife Of Pastor E.v. Hill Risks Life To Protect ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2009

Wife of Pastor E.V. Hill Risks Life to Protect Husband from Car Bomb Pastor E. V. Hill was talking about the racial violence in downtown Watts, in the Los Angeles area. He is as a Baptist Preacher and was caught up in that kind of tension. There was another of the black pastors who had already been ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13

Tags: Heroism

If You Go To One Of These Fancy Department ...

Contributed by Tim Adams on Dec 1, 2009

If you go to one of these fancy department stores like Peebles or Nieman Marcus, you can buy a perfume by Marc Jacobs called Essence, that is if you’ve got money to blow. The stuff costs $60.00 for 3 ounces. Why is it so expensive? Because they claim to have distilled from the gardenia flower ...read more

Tags: Worship Definition

Denomination: Baptist

One Meaning Of Christmas—what We Have To Look ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 2, 2009

One Meaning of Christmas—What We Have To Look Forward To A pastor was in his office preparing his sermon. His little daughter came in and said, "Daddy, can we play?" He answered, "I’m awfully sorry, Sweetheart, but I’m right in the middle of preparing this sermon. In about an hour I can play." She ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:3-51

Tags: Second Coming

My Grandmother Lived Until She Was 108. Now That ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 15, 2009

My grandmother lived until she was 108. Now that is a long life! At 90 I remember her going on expeditions with a lapidary club. She loved collecting rocks and climbing mountains and walking for incredible distances. She would talk about the old people in the nursing home in which she lived. They ...read more

Tags: Aging

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Martha Ballard: Revolutionary Helper

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

MARTHA BALLARD: REVOLUTIONARY HELPER Historian Laurel Ulrich received a Pulitzer Prize for her book The Midwife's Tale. The book was based on the diary of Martha Ballard, who lived during the American Revolution. Martha was a midwife who traveled by canoe, horse, or sometimes on foot to assist ...read more

Scripture: John 3:5-8

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

On A Lighter Side Here Are Some Things That Wise ...

Contributed by Greg Wiens on Mar 30, 2010

On a lighter side here are some things that wise people like me like to ponder: 1. Why is there a best before date on Sour Cream? 2. Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"? 3. Why are cigarettes sold in gas stations when smoking is prohibited there? 4. If a cow laughed, would milk ...read more

Tags: Truth, Humor

Denomination: Mennonite

How Amazing Was The News Story Of The ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jul 23, 2010

How amazing was the news story of the 15-month-old boy who survived the train accident in May this year. It all took place in a split second but for the grandmother who looked away for just a moment from the pram she was pushing, it must have seemed like eternity. When she turned back, the pram ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Not Raising Grass But Kids

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2010

NOT RAISING GRASS BUT KIDS Dr. Tony Evans talks about a major league baseball superstar's recollection of his boyhood home. He, his friends, and his father played baseball quite often in their backyard. As a result, the grass had really taken a beating. It didn't look good anymore, unless you were ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

Tags: Father's Day

Cast The First Stone  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2011

CAST THE FIRST STONE A woman named Marilyn Helleberg told about being a teenager at church camp. She said an ugly rumor got started there about two of the counselors and it quickly became the talk of the camp. The next day, at Morning Prayer, the minister read the story of the adulterous woman. ...read more

Scripture: James 3:1-12

Tags: Tongue

I've Got A Flashlight!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2011

I'VE GOT A FLASHLIGHT! Ann Beck of North Carollton, Mississippi, talks about the days when her husband and she taught 2- and 3-year-olds in Sunday school. A Bible verse they helped the pre-schoolers memorize was Psalms 56: "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Their preschool son, Mark, was one ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 56:3

Tags: Fear And Worry

Abandoned

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on May 15, 2011

ABANDONED A little over a week ago I made a pilgrimage over to Wally Mart – I’m sure to get something for dinner. Anyway, while getting out of the car, I noticed that the car in front of me had in it a small child – a baby, sitting in his or her car seat, sleeping away. All the while the baby’s ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Lutheran

Do You Believe The Easter Story?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

DO YOU BELIEVE THE EASTER STORY? I heard a story about a family that tragically lost three of their four children within just two weeks to a deadly, virulent disease. One child was left--a four year old boy. The family had buried the third child just two weeks before Easter. On Easter morning ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:1-49

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Have No Fear Of Sudden Disaster...

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 27, 2011

HAVE NO FEAR OF SUDDEN DISASTER... I was taking Julie and the boys on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville to Boone, North Carolina. First of all let me say we didn't make it. I rounded a corner in the road and all of a sudden you could see down a couple thousand feet. The "Grip" came on, my ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Stalin: Like Steel Toward God

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 6, 2011

STALIN: LIKE STEEL TOWARD GOD According to Svetlana Stalin, as her father, Joseph Stalin lay dying, he was plagued with terrifying hallucinations. He suddenly sat halfway up in bed, clenched his fist toward the heavens once more, fell back upon his pillow, and was dead. The incredible irony of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Independent/Bible

If He Had Different Gods  PRO

Contributed by Perry Greene on Jul 1, 2013

IF HE HAD DIFFERENT GODS James Michener, writing in his book, The Source, tells the story of a man named Urbaal, who, was a farmer living about 2200 B.C. He worshiped two gods, one a god of death, the other a goddess of fertility. One day, the temple priests tell Urbaal to bring his young son to ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 25:1-18

Tags: Idol, Other Gods

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Going Beyond Our Teachers  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 9, 2013

A well-known Bible teacher gives this insight: "Someone on our staff informed me several months ago that a woman had called the ministry office to find out what my 'official position' was on a biblically gray area. When she was told that it's not my policy to make 'official' public statements ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:1-23

Tags: Legalism, Opinion, Spiritual Growth, Debatable

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Smell The Rain

Contributed by Dr. David Hallum on Sep 10, 2015

When my daughter Cynthia was a little girl, we lived in Odessa, TX. We made one of the pilgrimages that we did from time to time to see my wife, Rosemary’s family. Rosemary’s brother, Michael was in town at the time from the Navy. Now in West Texas, rain is a beautiful thing. We got one of ...read more

Scripture: John 12:1-10

Tags: Disciples, Aroma, Smell, Pleasant

Denomination: Baptist