In Sermon Illustrations: "Sermon Intros" showing 941-960 of 25,046

In Phillip Yancy's Book Entitled "Church: Why ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In Phillip Yancy’s book entitled “Church: Why Bother”? he quotes a Pulitzer Prize winning writer named Annie Dillard. She described Church Worship this way: Week after week I was moved by the pitiful worship service in which no follower of Christ cheered. We had fatigued Bible readings and a laggy ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

What God Looks Like

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Jun 16, 2009

WHAT GOD LOOKS LIKE A preacher once asked the preschoolers in Sunday school to draw pictures of God. He intended to use them as an illustration for his Sunday sermon. Toward the end of class the children were excited to show him their work. They came up with rainbows and men with big hands. ...read more

Tags: Father's Day

Denomination: Christian Church

You Can Worry To Death  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

YOU CAN WORRY TO DEATH Chronic worry can cause serious physical problems, such as ulcers, heart attacks, and high blood pressure. Dr. Charles Mayo, of the famous Mayo Clinic, wrote, "Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands and the whole nervous system. I have never met a man or known ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34

Tags: Anxiety

You Do Not Pull The Shore To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

YOU DO NOT PULL THE SHORE TO YOU Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-10

Tags: Prayer, Prayer Supplication

Christ's Presence: A Fact, Not A Promise

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

CHRIST'S PRESENCE: A FACT, NOT A PROMISE Dr. G. Campbell Morgan told about an experience in his early Christian life. He would visit several ladies once a week to read the Bible to them. When he came to the end of Matthews Gospel, Morgan read, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Great Commission

Seductive Idols

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

SEDUCTIVE IDOLS "The seductiveness of a nearby idol for the Christian is that it promises to get things done, to be powerful, to make good changes -- but by means that conflict with God's means." pg. 44, Richard Keyes, No God, But God by Os Guinness "Idols are not just on pagan altars, but in ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:5

Tags: Idolatry

Elderly Woman Endures Arthritic Pain To Attend ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 29, 2009

Elderly Woman Endures Arthritic Pain to Attend Church An elderly Christian lady, who was crippled with arthritis, used to hobble to the services of the church on crutches. It was a great ordeal and required of her a considerable amount of toil and pain. A friend of hers observed her regular and ...read more

Scripture: John 19:46-51

Tags: Endurance

Martin Luther And Corrie Ten Boom On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

Martin Luther and Corrie Ten Boom on Loss Corrie ten Boom: “I’ve learned that I must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!” Martin Luther: I have held many things in my hands and I have lost them all; But ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:37-39

Tags: Trust

On Regret

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

ON REGRET John Greenleaf Whittier, one of our most astute poets, wrote: For of all the sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: 'It might have been.' That is what Regret is all about. The world is full of people who Regret having thoughtlessly chosen the wrong path. Life is a series ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:10

Tags: Disappointment

King Becomes A Peasant

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2009

KING BECOMES A PEASANT King James V of Scotland would on occasion lay aside the royal robe of king and dress as a peasant. In disguise, he could move freely about the land, making friends and entering into their difficulties, appreciating their handicaps, sympathizing with them in their sorrow. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

What The Name

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

What the Name "Hoover" means in Finland At the end of World War I, Herbert Hoover, later to become President of the United States, led the allied relief efforts in Europe. He kept hundreds of thousands from starving, and a new word entered the Finnish language. In Finland, to “HOOVER” means to be ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12

Tags: Kindness

The Church: The Balm Of Healing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

THE CHURCH: THE BALM OF HEALING In the book, The Empowered Communicator, Calvin Miller says that most people we come in contact with are silently thinking: • I am loneliness waiting for a friend • I am weeping in want of laughter • I am a sigh in search of consolation • I am a wound in search of ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

Tags: Church Purpose Of

When To Begin Influencing One's Child For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 9, 2010

When to Begin Influencing One’s Child For Christ In a mothers’ meeting there was a big discussion on the theme: “How early in a child’s life ought one to begin to influence him toward God?” After a much spirited debate, a visiting grandmother was asked to make a comment. In essence, she said: “I ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Tags: Parenting

How To Gather A Crowd To Preach ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2010

How to gather a crowd to preach to A cattle rancher got saved and surrendered to preach. He went to a Bible conference which was all about how to build a crowd. Asked about it later, he said, "It was strange. In all my years as a cattle rancher, I never had to go to a conference to learn how to get ...read more

Scripture: John 21:15-19

Tags: Preaching

Baseball Manager Demonstrates Humility After ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2010

Baseball Manager Demonstrates Humility After Winning the Pennant When the Florida Marlins baseball team won their first trip to the WORLD SERIES, the press began to shower praise on manager Jim Leyland. When congratulated on winning his first National League Pennant, Leyland responded, “I didn’t ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:5

Tags: Humility

The Fearless Lion Tamer

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2010

THE FEARLESS LION TAMER A 1st grader stood in front of his classroom to make a speech about "What I want to be when I grow up." He said, "I'm going to be a lion tamer and have lots of fierce lions. I'll walk into the cage and they will roar." He paused for a moment, thinking through what he had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4-6

Tags: Fear And Worry

Brand New Start  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

BRAND NEW START An angry newspaper subscriber stormed into the reporter’s office and demanded an apology because he had been mistakenly put in the obituaries. The reporter said, "I never write retractions, but what I will do tomorrow is list you in the birth column and give you a brand new ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 57:14

Tags: Revival

The Triumph Of Ordinary Folk  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 27, 2010

THE TRIUMPH OF ORDINARY FOLK A SCOTTISH MINISTER was known for his love and encouragement of the people of his church and village. When he died, someone commented, "There is no one left to appreciate the triumphs of ordinary folk." Love appreciates the triumphs of ordinary folk. Our children are ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:6-8

Tags: Christian Love

Just Words

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 21, 2010

JUST WORDS Samuel Clemens (better known by his alias Mark Twain) attended a Sunday morning service. He met the pastor at the door afterward and told him that he had a book at home with every word he had preached that morning. The minister assured him that the sermon was an original. Clemens still ...read more

Tags: Words

Denomination: Brethren

The Colonel Who Served As Inspector General In A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 21, 2011

The colonel who served as inspector general in a particular base paid close attention to how personnel wore their uniforms. On one occasion he spotted a junior airman with a violation. "Airman," he bellowed, "what do you do when a shirt pocket is unbuttoned?" The startled airman replied, "Button ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:3-8

Tags: Humility