In Sermon Illustrations: "Resting On Your Laurels"

William Doherty On How Marriages End Up Down ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 29, 2010

William Doherty on How Marriages End Up Down River William Doherty begins his book Take Back Your Marriage with a powerfully true illustration. His office is located in St. Paul, Minnesota, not far from the farthest point north on the Mississippi River. He describes the river’s powerful but silent ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Tags: Marriage Struggle

Looking Well Ahead

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jul 14, 2010

LOOKING WELL AHEAD I once did this driving course called an anti-skid driving course. One of the really valuable learnings that I got out of it was that when you drive, you should drive with your eyes looking well ahead maybe a couple of hundred metres ahead, not on the car just in front of you, ...read more

Tags: Future

Denomination: Salvation Army

Catching Up

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 24, 2010

CATCHING UP A woman who had recently moved into a small village in Wiltshire, was in the backyard hanging out the washing on the line when an old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard. She could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home. As she walked into the house, the dog ...read more

Tags: Family

Denomination: Brethren

Time Marches On  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2011

TIME MARCHES ON There was once a middle aged man who was considering going back to school to get that degree he had always wanted. But he was balking at the idea because he was now over 50 and what good would it do him now. He went to his dad for advice and his dad asked him how long it would ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-16

Tags: Wisdom, Wait, Response, Call God's Name, Time  (view more)  (view less)

More Than A Golf Ball

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

MORE THAN A GOLF BALL Curtis Strange, one of the golfers in the Master’s Tournament, teed up on the 12th hole and hit a beautiful shot. It rolled right up and dropped in the cup for a hole-in-one. The crowd went crazy with applause and cheering. Then Curtis Strange did an interesting thing. He ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:22

Tags: Character

We're Supposed To Be Surrounded

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 25, 2011

WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SURROUNDED The television series "Band of Brothers" follows the experiences of a company of paratroopers as they participate in the invasion of Europe. In one scene Lt. Richard Winters is leading his men into the heart of the Battle of the Bulge. Another Lt. is pulling back ...read more

Tags: Tenacity

Denomination: Lutheran

Colors Of Storms

Contributed by Ronnie Miller on Jul 27, 2011

COLORS OF STORMS As I was watching the weather warnings run across the TV screen, I began to think about how we go through life's storms without any warnings. Each one of the storms we go through are painted a different color of severity, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. It could be that a Green ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12, Psalm 34:17-19

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

All By Myself?

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 27, 2011

ALL BY MYSELF? The story is told of an old lady who had moved to the United States from Europe when she was a child, but now she wanted to officially become a citizen of this country. After months of going through all the necessary red tape, she was finally ready to take the required ...read more

Tags: Confidence

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Contaminated

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 22, 2012

CONTAMINATED I'm all thumbs when it comes to band-aids. I know you're not supposed to touch the pad, the part that compresses the wound. If you do, then you contaminate it, and you run the risk of infection. And, of course, you don't want to do that. So, every time I use a band-aid, it's something ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Object Lesson: Lego Bricks

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 26, 2012

OBJECT LESSON: LEGO BRICKS When you came in you received Lego building blocks of differing sizes and shapes. I’ve got a challenge for you; I want you to build something with your Lego blocks but there is one condition, you cannot use anybody else’s Lego block. Now what can you build with one Lego ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Loss Of Joy = Incomplete Obedience

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2012

LOSS OF JOY = INCOMPLETE OBEDIENCE F. B. Meyer: Sometimes a soul comes to its spiritual adviser, speaking thus: "I have no conscious joy, and have had but little for years." "Did you once have it?" "Yes, for some time after my conversion to God." "Are you conscious of having refused obedience to ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15

Tags: Obedience

The Forbidden Fruit  PRO

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Jun 28, 2012

THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT And the first thing God told Adam and Eve was: "Don't." "Don't what?" Adam replied. "Don't eat the forbidden fruit," God said. "Forbidden fruit? We got forbidden fruit? Hey, Eve . . . we got Forbidden Fruit!" "No way!" "Yes WAY!" "Don't eat that fruit!" said ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Christian Church

One Thing

Contributed by Perry Greene on Jul 17, 2012

ONE THING In the movie "City Slickers," Billy Crystal plays a confused, dissatisfied thirty-something character with a vague sense that life is passing him by. Jack Palance- ancient, leathery, wise to the ways of the world ("a saddlebag with eyes") -- asks Crystal if he would like to know the ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bible Marketing ...

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 9, 2012

Bible Marketing Plan An Anglican priest, Roman Catholic priest and Pentecostal minister went on a marketing course selling Bibles in Nottingham to supplement their incomes. Before going on the course, they were asked to go around the week before and see how many Bibles they could sell. The ...read more

Tags: Communication General

Denomination: Anglican

Like A Child

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 17, 2012

LIKE A CHILD Yo-Yo Ma, one of the most famous cellists in our day, once said, "When people ask me how they should approach performance, I always tell them that the professional musician should aspire to the state of the beginner. In order to become a professional," he says, "you need to go through ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:4

Tags: Humility

Only By Sacrifice

Contributed by Perry Greene on Aug 29, 2012

ONLY BY SACRIFICE During World War II, a young paratrooper, David Webster of E Company, 101st Airborne wrote his mother, "Stop worrying about me. I joined the parachutists to fight. I intend to fight. If necessary, I shall die fighting, but don’t worry about this because no war can be won without ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Money Often Comes Between Men And God. Someone ...

Contributed by Chris Edmondson on May 26, 2007

"Money often comes between men and God. Someone has said that you can take two small ten cent pieces, just two dimes, and shut out the view of a panoramic landscape. Go to the mountains and just hold two coins closely in front of your eyes--the mountains are still there, but you cannot see them at ...read more

Tags: Money, Offering, Coin, Mountain

Denomination: Baptist

A Small Child, Not Even Old Enough For School, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A small child, not even old enough for school, went into one of those mirrored mazes at an amusement park. When her father discovered that she had slipped away he saw her trying to find her way out and beginning to cry in fear. She became increasingly con. fused by all the paths, until she heard ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

An Ad For The U.s. Marines Pictures A Sword, And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

An ad for the U.S. Marines pictures a sword, and beneath it the words: “Earned, not given.” If you want to become a Marine, be prepared to earn the right to be called a “Marine” through sacrifice, hardship, and training. If you get it, you deserve it. But if you want to become a Christian, you must ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Evangelism How To

In The Movie Alice In Wonderland, Alice Came To ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In the movie Alice in Wonderland, Alice came to an icy fork in the road. Panic stung her as she stood frozen by indecision. She lifted her eyes toward heaven, looking for guidance. Her eyes did not find God, only the Cheshire cat leering at her from his perch in the tree above. "Which way should I ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Tags: Knowing God's Will