In Sermon Illustrations: "Scams" showing 1-20 of 23

To Scam Or Not To Scam That Is The Phone Call

Contributed by James Snyder on May 22, 2021

One day this past week, I decided to stay home and catch up on a little bit of reading. It's not often that I take a day and not go to the office and just pander around the house. Sometimes it's necessary to do such a thing, and I don’t do it often enough. The Gracious Mistress of the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7

Tags: Scam, Reading

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Was Scammed!

Contributed by Paul Robinson on Mar 7, 2023

It was the summer after my freshman year of Bible college. On this particular day, I was lounging at home, when all of a sudden, my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered anyway. The man on the other end said, "Congratulations! You've won the Dreams Come True ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:10

Tags: The Devil's Tricks, Scams, Wasted Life

Denomination: Baptist

The Brooklyn Bridge Scam

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2022

The greatest con artist in American history was George C. Parker. After the Brooklyn Bridge opened in NYC in 1883, George C. Parker saw a tourist admiring it, so he decided to try selling it to him. It was so easy, he decided to sell it again. Over a period of years he averaged selling the Brooklyn ...read more

Tags: Fraud, Deception, Bewitched, Cheating, Sin, Liars  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

New Normal: If It's Free, It Ain't For Me

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 13, 2021

Once when I wore a younger man's suit I would take anything free. I assumed it was my right to get something free. Then I had a conversation with my grandfather. If anybody knew how to squeeze a buffalo out of a nickel, it was my grandfather. But you couldn’t trick him by offering him ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 7:1

Tags: Free, Scam

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Don’t Knock On The Door If You Like Breathing

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 23, 2024

I’m unsure if this is a new phenomenon or I’m just starting to catch up on the culture. I know I have a lot to catch up on, and I’m slowly doing it. Lately, there’s been a lot of activity at our front door. That’s not to diminish the activity at the back porch door. That activity has to do with a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 118:8

Tags: Trust, Scams, Confidence

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Between 1984 And 1989, About $450 Million Was ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 19, 2007

Between 1984 and 1989, about $450 million was stolen in non-church based religion-related scams; by ’01 the total hit ...read more

Between '98 And '01, At Least 80,000 People Lost ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Between ’98 and ’01, at least 80,000 people lost $2 billion to religious scams in the U.S. vs. $450 million lost by 15,000 people between ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Saving Their Assets

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Aug 10, 2009

SAVING THEIR ASSETS I’m amazed when I read about these people that were swindled by that investor banker, Bernard Maddoff. Famous celebrities, head of sates, high ranking officials, charities, universities,… invested their money and overnight their lifetime savings gone, vanished in a Ponzi scam. ...read more

Tags: Ambition

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Online Fraud ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

ONLINE FRAUD STATS Americans reported $240 million in online fraud losses in ’07 to the FBI (an increase of $40 million from ’06). Median dollar loss in ’07 per complaint was $680. Men lost on average $1.67 to every dollar women lost. Men accounted for 75.2% of reported perpetrators and 57.6% of ...read more

Tags: Technology

Accepting The Good News  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

ACCEPTING THE GOOD NEWS A promotion by H. R. Block Inc. in 2001 offered walk-in customers a chance to win a drawing for a million dollars. Glen and Gloria Sims of Sewell, New Jersey, won the drawing, but they refused to believe it when an H. R. Block representative phoned them with the good ...read more

Scripture: John 5:45-47

Tags: Unbelief

Buyer's Remorse And A Dead ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

BUYER’S REMORSE AND A DEAD DONKEY A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died." Kenny replied, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:10

Tags: Lies

[021] A Message From A Poem - Artificial People Living Artificial Lives

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 26, 2024

[021] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ARTIFICIAL PEOPLE LIVING ARTIFICIAL LIVES They say you can’t trust funeral directors, real estate agents (relators) and used car salesmen. That may be a generalisation but I think it does contain an element of truth. Anyway, moving to the core of the subject here ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:3

Tags: False, Fake, Artificial, Pretence, Artificial Lives, Hypoctites, Rolex, Play Actor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Prisoner Who Just Couldn’t Take Any More ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2001

A prisoner who just couldn’t take any more pulled a daring escape from the county jail in Fordyce, Arkansas. He would have been better off staying put: as the man was escaping, a county judge was ordering his immediate release because he had been locked up too long due to a clerical error. The ...read more

Skeletons In Our Closets

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

SKELETONS IN OUR CLOSETS The Rockefeller family is considered to be one of the most philanthropic families in the world, helping humanity globally in issues like economics, religion, education and environmental affairs. Yet the Rockefeller family tree is filled with many skeletons. William Avery ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Methodist

When Is It Okay To Be Snarly?

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 6, 2022

Normally, whatever normal means, I don’t get agitated by many things. I can keep my cool under the most bizarre circumstances. Nothing gets under my skin, and I can take everything with a grin. I can’t remember the last time I lost my temper and got mad. I’ve been married for over 50 years, so I ...read more

Scripture: John 8:44

Tags: Humor, Aggitation, Telemarketers, Snarly

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Thief Gets The Bird  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 30, 2002

THIEF GETS THE BIRD A man in Ontario, Canada returned home one evening to find his more valuable and easily-fenced goodies stacked neatly beside the door. When the homeowner saw the living room was also spattered with blood, he feared the worst for his beloved house pet, a large African parrot. The ...read more

Object Lesson: Egg Osmosis

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Jun 4, 2011

OBJECT LESSON: EGG OSMOSIS Osmosis is the process by which water enters our tissues. All of our cells are surrounded by a membrane that selectively allows in anything the cell needs but prevents unwanted molecules from entering. Weigh a couple of uncooked eggs and carefully place them into a ...read more

Tags: Basics Of Christianity

Denomination: Baptist

Free Pizza — Ten Dollars

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Jul 19, 2010

FREE PIZZA - TEN DOLLARS Way back in the day when Katie and I were dating, I got this phone call from her. She was very excited. She had just purchased a discount coupon book for discounts on various restaurants in town, for only $25.00. If you are familiar with the Entertainment Coupon Book, ...read more

Tags: Food

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It’s Not Always What It Seems

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 11, 2020

There are times when my bad hearing is a blessing. I'm not sure if I'm not listening or not hearing. It’s hard for me to tell. For example, the other night, right after midnight, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were pretty much sound asleep. There was more sound on the other ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 21:2

Tags: Humor, Storms, Rioting

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Knock, Knock; Someone’s In Trouble

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 27, 2021

For some reason, the last several weeks we have been getting many visitors at our door. I'm not sure if this is a general trend or if it is just our door. Some of them have been salesmen, religious people, scam artists, and a host of other people. They only had one goal in mind, and that was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:31

Tags: Money, Telemarketers, Knocking On Doors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance