In Sermon Illustrations: "Responding"

Saying

Contributed by Jeffrey Dillinger on Apr 30, 2010

Saying “Good-bye” to Mom It is Mother’s Day weekend and my mom is dying from pancreatic cancer. She is only 65 and I will miss her very much. We are a family who believes in and loves God very much. Faith is the victory that overcomes. Right now, faith is what is needed to overcome my grief. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:15

Tags: Mother's Day, Death Of Believers

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thought Control.  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jun 2, 2010

Thought Control. What thought? Every thought. The one I have about the Ford Mark One Zephyr that I would like to one day own, the one about how angry I get with repeating a request that someone shuts the door behind them, the thought about how I’d like that last slice of chocolate cake that is for ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:5

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Salvation Army

Take A Young Man From A Wealthy Family, Strip Him ...

Contributed by Tobin Crenshaw on Aug 15, 2010

Take a young man from a wealthy family, strip him of all of his money until he finds himself homeless and has to beg on the street, hold him in a cell as a prisoner of war in a foreign land, and turn his family against him and what are the odds you would give for him to impact the world? Or ...read more

Tags: Sports, Trust God

Denomination: Brethren

God: "I Have Time For You"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

GOD: "I HAVE TIME FOR YOU" There’s a great story about a California lady named Francis Green. She was 83 years old. She lived on Social Security. She had little money, but for eight years she’d been sending one dollar a year to the Republican National Convention. Then one day Frances got an RNC ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:14-26

Tags: Gratitude

Armor That Holds Up

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

ARMOR THAT HOLDS UP I came across what I thought was a rather interesting story this week as I was preparing for this message. It was a story detailing a class action law suit aimed at a company called Second Chance Body Armor. Second Chance manufactures bullet proof vests for police officers and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Security

I Didn't Save You. God Did.

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

"I DIDN'T SAVE YOU. GOD DID." Fireman Edward Cushing tells the story of an old frame house burning on the southside of Chicago. He ordered the hoses to start fighting the fire and then dashed inside and pulled three people out. When the blaze was over, the Chief came over and told him he did a ...read more

Tags: Dreams

Denomination: Methodist

The Brother's Song

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Apr 13, 2012

THE BROTHER'S SONG Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for his sister. Day after day and night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Christian Church

In His Book, "Leadership Pain: God’s Classroo...

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

In his book, “Leadership Pain: God’s Classroom for Growth,” Sam Chand writes, “Pain isn’t the enemy. The inability or unwillingness to face pain is a far greater danger.” He then tells the story of Dr. Paul Brand who was treating a four year old named Tanya at the national leprosy hospital in ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-32

Tags: Pain, Thankful For Pain

Denomination: Methodist

At What Age Should A Pastor Retire?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 3, 2020

AT WHAT AGE SHOULD A PASTOR RETIRE? TEN DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS There are a lot of Baby Boomer pastors and Christian leaders around. And it’s cliché, but they aren’t getting any younger. It’s a quiet question that many are asking, but they are asking it nonetheless: What age should I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Retirement, Aging, Pastors, Missionaries, Paul And Timothy, Baby Boomers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thanksgiving Turkey

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Jun 19, 2020

We are celebrating this week; its Thanksgiving in our Country. I hope Americans truly understand why we have this great country and where the many blessings come from. I hope we are giving to God what is God's. 91% of Americans have turkey for Dinner. And so... I was thinking about Butterball ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 9:3

Tags: Turkeys, Cooking

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Growing Through Pain

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Oct 2, 2020

Paul Tournier, the famous Swiss physician and counselor, reported his surprise in his book Creative Suffering upon reading an article entitled “Orphans Lead the World.” The article appeared in a respected medical journal and surveyed the lives of 300 leaders who had an impact on world history. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:14-27

Tags: Holy Spirit, Suffering

Denomination: Baptist

Psalm 119 - The Testimonies Of The Lord

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Psalm 119 repeatedly refers to the testimonies of the Lord (Meditate on these uses [Ps 119:99] - Especially ask how does the psalmist respond to God's testimonies?) 2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart. 14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your ...read more

Tags: Testimony, Lovingkindness, Faithfulness Of God, Sovereignty Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Entranced  PRO

Contributed by Cajun Pauley on Jun 23, 2007

Entranced <i> By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was going.– Hebrews 11:8 HCSB </i> There once was an old Christian who was often entranced by his love for the Lord. One summer evening, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Does God's Voice Sound Like?  PRO

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Feb 4, 2009

WHAT DOES GOD'S VOICE SOUND LIKE? Erwin McManus, a pastor in Los Angeles, tells a great story about recognizing God's voice. My son, Aaron, was five or six when he began asking me, "What does God's voice sound like?" I didn't know how to answer. A few years later, Aaron went off to his first ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-21

Tags: Hard Heart, Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

What Is A Witness?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

WHAT IS A WITNESS? I once heard a story about a prosecuting attorney from a small Texas town who called his first witness to the stand in a trial. She was a grandmotherly type, and he asked her, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?" She said, "I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Stay In The Refuge For Protection

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

STAY IN THE REFUGE FOR PROTECTION As long as the accused remained within the refuge, they were safe and protected. [CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS, ST. AUGUSTINE, FL] Castillo De San Marcos- Spanish fort, made of stone, protected town, during battle, all towns people ran to the fort, the town was ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 35:6-34

Tags: God In The Hardships

Christmas In The Great War  PRO

Contributed by James Jack on Apr 10, 2009

CHRISTMAS IN THE GREAT WAR A famous incident from WWI illustrates the nature of the Christmas season very well. It was December 1914, the first Christmas of the war. Already the stalemate along the western front in France had begun to set in. British, French and German troops faced each other in ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Anglican

Unsung Heroines-The "sinful Woman" At Simon's House

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 4, 2022

Introduction: We don’t know her name, or much of anything else about her, except for one incident where she’s featured. What she did, and to whom, qualifies her to be an unsung heroine! Text: Luke 7:36-39, KJV: 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

Tags: Unsung Heroines, Parables, Forgiveness

Denomination: Baptist

Cuckoo Birds Live In Cuckoo Clocks, Right?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

One day they had a contestant o WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE who made it all the way to the last question. Her name was Debra. Debra has made it to the final plateau. If she answered the next question correctly, she would win $1,000,000. If she answered incorrectly, she would pocket only the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22

Tags: Clocks, Birds, Pastor's Wives, Sermon Introductions, Pastor Jokes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Did I Just Call Myself?

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 8, 2020

I am old enough to remember those days when there was nothing like cell phones. Oh, those quiet, golden silent days. At the time, I did not realize just how wonderful that time was. Every time you needed to make a phone call, you had to go to where a phone was. Those were the days of the telephone ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:2

Tags: Superman, Pnone, Telemarketers

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance