In Sermon Illustrations: "Result"

As A Pastor I Learned A Valuable Lesson Early In ...

Contributed by Kelly Benton on Nov 10, 2010

Early in my ministry, I learned a hard but necessary lesson. I was deeply concerned about offending people in the congregation. I carefully guarded my words, avoiding anything that might make someone uncomfortable or rub them the wrong way. Part of that came from fear—fear that if I preached tough, ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 1:10

Tags: Preaching, Pleasing The Father

Denomination: Other

The Compass That Wouldn't Cooperate  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2011

THE COMPASS THAT WOULDN'T COOPERATE An old sailor repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it. The next time he went out in his boat, he followed their advice and took the compass with him. But as usual he became hopelessly confused and was unable to find ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:10

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

If He Hadn't Taken My Son

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 15, 2011

"IF HE HADN'T TAKEN MY SON" Imagine the following scenario: Three little boys walk into a large electrical compound in Okinawa when the workmen momentarily walks to his truck to get some tools. One of those boys touches a live wire and is instantly electrocuted to death. The parents are ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

Repentance And Baptism  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 11, 2011

REPENTANCE AND BAPTISM Steve Atkerson states: "John the Baptist explicitly stated the purpose of his baptism when he said, 'I baptize you with water for repentance' (Mt 3:11). Did John baptize them so that they could repent or because they already had repented? That is, was John's baptism a means ...read more

Tags: Baptism

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Memorial Day: Remember The Martyrs

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jun 4, 2011

MEMORIAL DAY: REMEMBER THE MARTYRS It’s honorable and fitting this morning we remember the sacrifice of our nation’s great veterans, who gave their lives on battlefields abroad and here at home. By some estimates, nearly 1.3 million Americans have shed their blood and died for freedom’s cause. ...read more

Tags: Holidays Civic

Denomination: Lutheran

God Redeems A Child's Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 28, 2011

GOD REDEEMS A CHILD'S DEATH These are bad things God allows in order to reveal Himself and accomplish some larger good that supersedes or overcomes the bad. Imagine the following scenario: Three little boys walk into a large electrical compound in Okinawa when the workmen momentarily walks to his ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: God In The Hardships

Spurgeon's Poor Sermon

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 14, 2012

SPURGEON'S POOR SERMON Mr. Spurgeon once preached what in his judgment was one of his poorest sermons. He stammered and floundered, and when he got through felt that it had been a complete failure. He was greatly humiliated, and when he got home he fell on his knees and said, "Lord, God, thou ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:26

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Baptist

Trampled By Shoppers?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

TRAMPLED BY SHOPPERS? In November 2003, a sale on DVD players at a Florida Wal-Mart created a rush of shoppers that apparently resulted in one woman being trampled. Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. announcing the start to the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Tags: Greed

Women And Proverbs

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 16, 2013

WOMEN AND PROVERBS From Chronological Life Application Bible: "Proverbs has a lot to say about women. How fitting that the book ends with a picture of a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the ...read more

Tags: Women

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love Obedience And The Law

Contributed by Roger Whipp on Dec 31, 2014

Anyone that has been zapped by a speed camera or pulled over by the Police and gets a fine and endorsement is likely to be a bit more careful in the future, especially if the loss of their driving licence is threatened. Our obedience to the law doesn’t come about by our love for the policeman who ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15-31

Tags: Love, Law, Obedience

Denomination: *other

When A Moralistic Mission Misfires!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on May 22, 2017

Heard of anecdotes when something done with an apparently good intention but in a wrong way went haywire? Here’s one for starters... Who can forget a school time story told often to emphasize the importance of proper usage of punctuation marks? It is said that on account of a last-minute ...read more

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 13:1-14

Tags: Mistakes, Miscalculation

Denomination: *other

A Gift Of Kindness - You Never Know

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Oct 20, 2018

A number of years ago, my husband and I went to Applebees on our Anniversary for a quiet dinner together. It was, indeed, very quiet, because my husband had just been ordered to undergo an MRI, and we knew that the results might change our future forever. Still, we did what old married couples ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:31, Hebrews 13:2, Matthew 25:39-40

Tags: Do Unto Others, Love Your Neighbor, Loving Acts, Kind Acts

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

America Split Into Three Financial Camps Last ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2008

America split into three financial camps last year that came sharply into focus at Christmas. 1-The Hunker-Down crowd cut back their purchases, uneasy about dwindling dollars and rising debt. Traffic in non-discount retail stores was sluggish as a result. 2-The Full-Speed-Ahead crowd did business ...read more

Tags: Money

Ignoring The Warnings  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 28, 2008

IGNORING THE WARNINGS Listen to this description of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine: "There were two electrical engineers in the control room that night, and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is they were 'playing around' with the machine. They ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:22-25, Ruth 1:1-15

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Pentecostal

Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner Are A Normal Part Of ...

Contributed by Stephen Smarowsky on Jun 26, 2008

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are a normal part of the day. We all revolve our days around eating food. You probably wouldn't think of going without physical food for a week or even a day, would you? Food is necessary for physical life. Without food, we become weakened and eventually become ill. ...read more

Tags: Food

Denomination: Baptist

Even Before You Pray, God ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

EVEN BEFORE YOU PRAY, GOD WORKS Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story. "A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So ...read more

Tags: Prayer Supplication

God's Strategy Or Ours

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 26, 2008

GOD'S STRATEGY OR OURS Several years ago, I was visiting with two young men from Nagaland, a northeastern region of India. God had moved in a mighty way in the region sending revival to the area. Almost the entire population of the region had come to faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit blew through ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Baptist

Scientists Were Studying The Impact Of A ...

Contributed by Dennis Selfridge on Sep 5, 2008

Scientists were studying the impact of a high-cholesterol diet on heart disease. To measure this effect, they fed a group of genetically similar rabbits the same high-cholesterol diet. To their amazement, half the rabbits developed heart troubles, while the others were normal, with no noticeable ...read more

Tags: Unconditional Love

Denomination: Wesleyan

But That’s Not What Peace Is. That’s Just A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

But that’s not what peace is. That’s just a truce. General McArthur said "A truce just says you don’t shoot for awhile. Peace comes when the truth is known, the issue is settled, & the parties embrace each other." Peacemakers don’t just try to stop conflict. They’re doing something far ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Be Content To Speak In A Cottage

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

BE CONTENT TO SPEAK IN A COTTAGE January 6, 1850, was bitterly cold in Colchester, England, a hard-biting blizzard keeping most worshipers at home. At the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Artillery Street, only about a dozen showed up. When it became apparent that even the pastor would not arrive, an ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To