In Sermon Illustrations: "Searching" showing 761-780 of 854

When A Thief Was Surprised At Church!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2023

When I was pastoring in Texas, something strange happened one Christmas that I will never stop laughing about. Because it was a Christmas holiday, we were at home with our family taking a break from our normal ministry schedule. We did not go to the church campus for the weekend. But, while we ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Tags: Stealing, Surprises, Tithing, Robbing God, Pastors, Church, Giving, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[013] A Message From A Poem - Academic Christianity

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 14, 2024

[013] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ACADEMIC CHRISTIANITY If you did a survey in universities and places of higher learning, and in liberal theological colleges in our days, you would find very few Christians. The mind of man today is bent on humanism and the search for rationalism in an existential ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:3, 1 Corinthians 1:18-19, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25

Tags: Faith, Salvation, Foolishness, Humanism, Academic Christianity, Professing Christians  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

To Say The Least, I Was At First Shocked To Read ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 26, 2001

To say the least, I was at first shocked to read the headline, Baby Ate Cocaine Dad Left Nearby. According to the Associated Press a father from Ravenna, Ohio was sentenced to one year in prison for endangering his daughter, who was six-months-old at the time of the incident. He evidently stashed ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:1

Tags: Children, Father's Day, Parenting

Blessed Are The Merciful. I Learned The Truth Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 22, 2002

Blessed are the merciful. I learned the truth of this Beatitude from Henri Nouwen, a priest who used to teach at Harvard University. At the height of his career, Nouwen moved from Harvard to a community called Daybreak, near Tornonto, in order to take on the demanding chores required by his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:5

Let's Imagine A Situation Where A Homeless Man ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 16, 2003

Let’s imagine a situation where a homeless man is begging on the streets of New York. A well dressed man in a long limousine pulls up next to him and offers him a job as vice-president of his company. You might say that is ridiculous; nothing like that would ever happen. But that is exactly ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Methodist

A Parking Spot In Heaven! (06.16.05--The Tie That ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 14, 2005

A Parking Spot in Heaven! (06.16.05--The Tie That Binds--Psalm 51:12 ) What motivates you? Why do you go to work every day? What causes you to get out of a warm bed where you may have been dreaming contentedly and plant those feet down on the hard floor ready to launch into another day? I am an ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 51:12

Tags: Promises Of God

Denomination: Lutheran

If Only We Would Turn Around! ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 26, 2005

If Only We Would Turn Around! (06.28.05--Direction--John 21:7-9 ) It’s a funny thing about life isn’t it that when we find ourselves off course we very seldom consider reversal the right direction to take. I guess it is just human nature to assume that where we’ve been already was a good choice ...read more

Scripture: John 21:7-9

Tags: God Brings Purpose, Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Lutheran

What A Difference A Change Makes  PRO

Contributed by Bob Soulliere on May 5, 2007

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A CHANGE MAKES Once upon a time there was a prince who fell in love with a fair maiden. But his enemy captured the fair maiden and held her captive in a tower. Now the prince had a plan to rescue her, so he recruited the help of two small animals to send a message to the maiden. ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Covering Up A Hole

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Mar 18, 2010

COVERING UP A HOLE Katie and I had arrived in Oklahoma and were getting about the task of settling in. We were living in a cramped two-room apartment and desperately looking for a house to buy. We were looking to purchase our first house ever. As we looked at houses around town, there always ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rejection At The Vending Machine  PRO

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 27, 2015

Vending machines have come a long way since I was a kid. It used to be you slid in a couple of coins and pulled a lever and down would drop your snack or drink. Now there are lights, levers, cranes, codes, and chutes that make the purchase a production of its own. It’s almost worth the price of ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-13

Tags: Judgemental, Favoritism, Prejudice

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Man Who Rejected A Pardon

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 2, 2019

ILLUSTRATION: The man who rejected a pardon. 1.) I found this true story online. United States v. Wilson, 32 U.S. 150 (1833), was a case in the United States in which the defendant, George Wilson, was convicted of robbing the US Mail in Pennsylvania and sentenced to death. Due to his ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:8

Tags: Forgiveness, Pardon

It’s Closer Than I Thought!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 7, 2020

My wife and her parents used a certain brand of ketchup for many things over a long period of time. They hadn’t had any of it, though, in maybe 30 years or so. They believed this brand wasn’t available, locally, so they never got around to finding any more of it. Now, I grew up in a different part ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: God's Will, Discovery, Sharing

Denomination: Baptist

Spellcheck Fail

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Jun 1, 2021

I’m a terrible typist. I’m old enough to have taken typing class in high school when that kind of thing was taught, but I never thought that I would need to be proficient on a keyboard; so I bowed out. Typing was not in my future. But here I am on a keyboard just about every workday hunting and ...read more

Scripture: Judges 21:25, Deuteronomy 12:8, Judges 17:6

Tags: Deception, Wrong, Right, Morals, Judges, Ethics, Morality, Sin, Evil  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Cross Bearing  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Cross Bearing "The Christian's Passion" There is a powerful question that is too often avoided by preachers and church attendees alike, "Who took the rough edges off the Cross?" Modern day Christianity and the world have generally turned the cross into a nice piece of harmless jewelry, all shiny ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Easter Good Friday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Keep Away From Sin!

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Oct 24, 2022

Genesis 4 Devotional Part 2 The first children from Adam and Eve grew up having 2 different interests: Abel took care of animals while Cain took care of plants. When it was time to worship God (how did they learn and why did they worship God?), Cain offered firstfruits from the field and Abel ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:6-15

Tags: Heart, Cain, Sin, Relationship, Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Pappy Was A Pleasant Fellow. His Face Was Quite ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Heartsill on Oct 25, 2000

Pappy was a pleasant fellow. His face was quite drawn from age, but when he smiled, even his wrinkles seemed to smile with him. Pappy owned a pawnshop. Everyone who knew him respected and adored him. There was a room in the back of his shop where he spent time tinkering with his own precious items. ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Parable Prodigal Son, Parenting

Denomination: Baptist

You’re Probably Familiar With The Book ...  PRO

Contributed by Alan Perkins on May 9, 2001

You’re probably familiar with the book "Moby Dick". Even if you’ve never read it, you know the story: Captain Ahab goes in search of a great while whale, and is finally killed when the whale attacks and destroys his ship. But you probably didn’t know that this scene in Herman Melville’s novel was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-20, Matthew 5:21-37, Matthew 5:38, Matthew 5:6, Matthew 22:15-22, Ezekiel 37:12-14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers, God's Omniscience, Knowing God's Will, Jehoshaphat

Denomination: Baptist

The Resurrection Of The Dead  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Nov 26, 2003

The Resurrection of the Dead Avijah Powers felt moderately sure nobody would recognize him when he registered under an assumed name at the little inn. It was more than twenty years since he had left the town--a hard, reckless boy, running away from a good father and a devoted mother because he ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, James 1:9-11

Tags: Confession Of Sin, Repentance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seven Year Old Tommy Had Been Asking His Parents ...

Contributed by Kenneth Trent on Oct 30, 2007

Seven year old Tommy had been asking his parents for a dog but they were not convinced that the family needed one. After Tommy’s repeated pleas, his dad told him if he would help his mother with chores around the house he could earn enough money to buy a dog. Tommy was more than eager to accept ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 46:1-34

Tags: Redemption, Redeemed

Denomination: Baptist

Letter From Camp

Contributed by Richard Goble on Nov 16, 2007

Letter From Camp Dear Mom, Our scoutmaster told us all to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and worried. We are OK. Only 1 of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up on the mountain looking for Chad when it happened. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist