In Sermon Illustrations: "Run Hard"

Max Lucado On Bethlehem And The Stable  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

MAX LUCADO ON BETHLEHEM AND THE STABLE "They were too busy. The day was upon them. The day’s bread had to be made. The morning’s chores had to be done. There was too much to do to imagine that the impossible had occurred. God had entered the world as a baby. "Yet, were someone to chance upon the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Build Me A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Build Me A Bridge A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer. Suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish." The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7

Tags: Marriage General

Sports And Church

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Mar 13, 2010

SPORTS AND CHURCH Football in the fall. Basketball in the winter. Baseball in the spring and summer. This pastor has been an avid sports fan all his life. But I’ve had it! I quit this sports business once and for all. You can’t get me near one of those places again. Want to know why... Every time ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Baptist

Consider Cornelia, A Woman Imprisoned In A Work ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 23, 2010

"Consider Cornelia, a woman imprisoned in a work camp in Romania during the hard years of Communist occupation. One night, being too tired to undress, she fell exhausted on her bed and immediately went to sleep. She began to dream of a beautiful field full of flowers. There was a soft humming sound ...read more

Tags: Security, Enemies

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

If You’re An Average Australian ...

Contributed by Noel Atkinson on Mar 23, 2010

IF you’re an average Australian you’re worth just over $250,000 have a house valued at $458,488, a mortgage of $341,000 , credit card debt of $3085 and earn $1124.50 a week. Mortgage stress According to the experts if you’re an average Aussie, then chances are you’ll technically be experiencing ...read more

Tags: Money, Debt

Denomination: Baptist

He Claimed To

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Jun 6, 2010

He claimed to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." Sports Illustrated crowned him the "Sportsman of the Century." His nickname was "The Greatest." He was the three-time World Heavyweight Champion, Muhammad Ali. But where is that left hook followed by the hard right to the face that ...read more

Tags: Power

Denomination: Lutheran

Ever Feel Like Job?

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Sep 2, 2010

EVER FEEL LIKE JOB? I have been speaking with a friend on the internet of late who has been saying that GOD IS HARD TO FIND. What do you do when you come to God and all you get is SILENCE, and it feels like He has completely ABANDONED YOU? Have you ever felt like God doesn't care about you because ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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 Magnitude Of The Request

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2011

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE REQUEST Napoleon and his soldiers overcame an island in the Mediterranean Sea. They had fought for many days to take the island and finally succeeded. After the capture of the island at the price of many lives, Napoleon and his generals gathered for a celebration. As they were ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:24

Tags: Prayer How To

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

Eating Vegetables For Love

Contributed by J.d. Tutell on Jun 21, 2011

EATING VEGETABLES FOR LOVE When I was growing up and living at home, my parents couldn’t get me to eat vegetables for anything. They not only tried threats, they followed through. It didn’t work. Then I met Linda, we started dating, her parents had me over for dinner. She would look at me ...read more

Tags: Love For God

Denomination: Baptist

Hit By A Rock

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 28, 2011

HIT BY A ROCK Corrective suffering is tribulation or affliction God allows in our lives to chasten us for unforsaken sin in order to turn us back to Him. In the city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the broken end of a high voltage wire was lying on the pavement, along which the engineer was walking, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-12

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Pride At The Donut Shop

Contributed by Brad Henry on Jul 29, 2011

PRIDE AT THE DONUT SHOP I was living in Phoenix at the time and on my way to work I stopped at a Dunkin Donuts drive through. I said to the woman at the window, "I'll have 3 cake donuts and a cup of coffee." She started mumbling something that I couldn't hear. I thought she may be able to hear me ...read more

Tags: Pride

The Obedient Mule

Contributed by Eugene Morell on Oct 11, 2011

THE OBEDIENT MULE There is a story about a farmer who wanted to sell his mule so The put the add in the local paper. One day a man from another community came to the farm. The two farmers got to talking and eventually they got around to talking about the mule. The farmer who wanted to buy the ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Return To The Right Path

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

RETURN TO THE RIGHT PATH In one section of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Christian and Hopeful are walking the King's Highway to the Celestial City. The path, once smooth and easy, becomes rough and hard. Then they come to an attractive place called Bypath Meadow. They climb over a fence into ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:20-28

Tags: Doubt

The "Group-Think" Impulse  PRO

Contributed by Robert Joseph on Jun 1, 2013

THE "GROUP-THINK" IMPULSE Stand up for the truth. Romans 12:2 says, "...Do not be conformed to this world..." [NKJV] People today show a stong tendency to adjust their opinions to match those of the group. This goes a long way towards explaining why only a fraction of the educated population ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2

Tags: Homosexuality, Peer Pressure, Truth Absolute

Denomination: Pentecostal

Nobody Left Behind

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Sep 13, 2020

We hear the mantra of “No Man left behind” (referring to both men a women) coming from the Military. But the left behind principle has more to do with those living. Although it does pertain to those that are MIA (Missing in Action). The “No Man left Behind” is seen as ---no matter the cost--- that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Tags: Encourage Each Other, Nobody Left Behind

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Come Anyway (No Excuse Sunday)

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Nov 7, 2020

To make it possible for everyone to attend church this Sunday, we are going to have a special "No Excuse Sunday": • We will provide pillows to nap for those who need the extra sleep on Sunday morning. • We will have extra cushions for those who feel that our pews are too hard. ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 24:18

Tags: Commitment, Faithfulness, Attendance, Sunday Morning

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Get Back In The Game!

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 19, 2021

What if God started telling your church to do something we had never done before? How hard would you work against it - unwilling to change? There is an old saying – do you know what they put on the tombstone in front of a closed church? “WE NEVER DID IT THAT WAY BEFORE” If that’s the case, we ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:12-26, Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Sports, Pastor, Basketball, Laity

Denomination: Methodist

I Got You

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Oct 2, 2021

I like to take my dogs places with me. They have their own seats in the back seat of my pickup. I have a small elderly dog named Bambi who has always had anxiety, I think from having to survive on her own when she lived in the streets as a tiny little thing with no one to feed or care for her. A ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 54:4, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Adversity, Assurance, Anxious

Denomination: Charismatic