In Sermon Illustrations: "Sermon Opener"

You Gotta Look At It!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2012

YOU GOTTA LOOK AT IT! A man was seated on a park bench when a little chap of about five sat down beside him and started winding what appeared to be a most prized possession--a watch. "My, what a pretty watch," remarked the man. "Does it tell you the time?" "No sir," replied the boy; "you gotta ...read more

Scripture: John 17:17

Tags: Hold, Bible Truth

Tozer On Ambition To Lead  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2013

A. W. Tozer said, "A true and safe leader is likely to be one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into a position of leadership by the inward pressure of the Holy Spirit and the press of the external situation." He continued to elaborate, "I think there was hardly a great leader from Paul to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-13

Tags: Leadership General

"I Love You, Daddy. Amen."

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 14, 2014

James Dobson tells of the time he was away on a business trip. While he was away, and his wife and 2 children were sitting down to eat, his wife turned to their two year old son Ryan and asked if he would like to pray before he and sister ate. The invitation startled the little boy, but he folded ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Tags: Thanksgiving, Children, Fathers Day, Prayer Before Meals

Pretty Good Preaching For A Dollar!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 20, 2022

A man and his ten year-old son were on a fishing trip miles from home. At the boy’s insistence, they decided to attend the Sunday worship service at a small rural church. The father forgot to bring any cash, so he reached in his pocket and gave his son a dollar to drop into the offering plate as ...read more

Tags: Giving, Stewardship, Complaining, Tithing, Critical Spirit, Cheating God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Preacher's Kid Brags On His Daddy!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 12, 2024

Bragging Boys Three boys in the schoolyard were bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he then calls it a poem, they give him $50.00.” The second boy says, “That’s nothing, My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22

Tags: Pride, Bragging, Churches, Fathers, Pastor's Kid, Father's Day Jokes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Death

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

IN LATE WINTER DURING THE FIFTY-NINTH YEAR of his life, John Donne braved the weather and rough roads of the English countryside to keep his final preaching engagement before the king in London. He had spent most of that winter, what would be his last, battling “consumption,” and on several ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Tags: Death, Dying

Denomination: Baptist

Take Hold Of Every Moment  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2002

TAKE HOLD OF EVERY MOMENT A friend of mine opened his wife’s drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package: "This, - he said - isn’t any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box. "She got this the first time we went to New ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment, Fulfillment

Sin Complicates Life  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2002

SIN COMPLICATES LIFE Let us lay aside the weight and sin that so easily entangles… Hebrews 11:2 I was supposed to get money from the ATM sometime during my work day. That’s all my wife asked of me that day. But for one reason, then another, I failed to do it. I know I went out to lunch that ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive, Faith

For Years I Have Seen And Heard About The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2002

For years I have seen and heard about the division in churches over "correct" and "incorrect" forms of worship. I have seen it all from "you shouldn’t smile in church because you should fear the Lord" to the Ringling Brothers Circus service. Each group seems to think the other has missed the mark ...read more

Tags: Church Practices, Worship Definition

E. There Is A Sylvie Dosrosiers Play That Ran On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

E. THERE IS A SYLVIE DOSROSIERS PLAY THAT RAN ON BROADWAY IN 1995 ENTITLED, "THE LONG SILENCE" THAT SAYS IT ALL, “AT THE END OF TIME, WHERE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE SCATTERED ON A GREAT PLAIN BEFORE GOD’S THRONE. MOST SHRANK FROM THE BRILLIANT LIGHT BEFORE THEM, BUT SOME GROUPS NEAR THE FRONT TALKED ...read more

Tags: Promises Of God

Baseball For Our Family Is A Loved And Cherished ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Baseball for our family is a loved and cherished sport. All three of four children played, beginning with t-ball. The baby of the family, Rowdy, started playing ball in the front yard with his daddy at the age of two years old. So by the time he was four, Rowdy was more than ready to play. I ...read more

Tags: Peace

Amy Was Very Close To Her Grandmother. They ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Amy was very close to her Grandmother. They visited often and shared some of the most memorable moments. When she was very small, they played together, walked together and when Amy was sick Grandma would stay with her so Mom and Dad could go to work. So they loved each other in all situations and ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

A Ship Is Safer In The Harbor, But That's Not ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2007

“A ship is safer in the harbor, but that’s not what a ship was made for.”-Dad The truth of those words sunk into my heart… and I believe they’ve helped to direct the course of my life. Imagine a beautiful ship… built with the best wood, and decorated with great sails and flags honoring the ships ...read more

Tags: Flag, War

The Beginning Of Lee  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

THE BEGINNING OF LEE Lee, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and a self-professed atheist was sitting at his desk on Christmas Eve. A slow news day he found himself reminiscing about the Delgado family that he had featured while writing a series of articles about Chicago’s neediest people a few ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:17-22, Luke 23:43, Luke 24:13-35

Tags: Christmas, Evangelism How To

The Rules And The Ruler

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 28, 2009

THE RULES AND THE RULER Back in the day of one-room school houses, a story is told about a little girl named Mary. Mary was so excited because it was the first day of school! Miss Tomlin was the new teacher and since it was the first day, Miss Tomlin thought it a good idea to lay some ground ...read more

Tags: Atonement

The Beltway Of Grief And Guilt

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 31, 2009

THE BELTWAY OF GRIEF AND GUILT Just a few days ago we celebrated, if that’s the right word, the thirtieth anniversary of something we all love to hate. Imagine observing the anniversary of something that has cost us dearly in dollars and also in blood and tears. Something we cannot live without, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4

Tags: Guilt

Forgiveness And Reconciliation In South ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2010

Forgiveness and Reconciliation in South Africe Phillip Yancey stated in his book “Finding God In Unexpected Places”, “The job of a journalist is, simply, to see. We are professional eyes. As a Christian journalist, I have learned to look for traces of God. I have found those traces in unexpected ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Who Are You Rescuing?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2010

WHO ARE YOU RESCUING? Jesus, help us to control our desires. May a thirst for knowing You and a longing to please You become our strongest passion, like it was for Mary Frances Housley. Let me tell you a true story. MARY FRANCES HOUSLEY was born October 12, 1926 in Knoxville, Tennessee. She grew ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-13

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

The More Excellent Way

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Jul 22, 2011

THE MORE EXCELLENT WAY I remember a sermon – years ago, in fact I think I may have preached it during my time here as an intern – where my opening illustration was the difference between the way my father chopped wood and the way I chopped it. You may remember the scene – me as a skinny 18 ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Jesus Is Hard To Ignore And Easy To Miss

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 19, 2022

In a Christmas sermon, David Devine relates a story that appeared in the Washington Post last year... “He emerged from the Metro at the Plaza Station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved ...read more

Tags: Mary, Christmas, Bethlehem, Manger, Angels, Prophecy, Joseph, Birth Of Christ, History, Spiritual Blindness, Shepherds  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational