In Sermon Illustrations: "Sermon Preparation"

Leaders Learn From Their Mistakes  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 2, 2002

Leaders Learn from Their Mistakes In his book Managing People is Like Herding Cats, leadership guru Warren Bennis observes that "Almost invariably, great leaders have had a significant setback, crisis or failure in their lives. Many of the leaders I studied faced adversity early in their lives. ...read more

Tags: Leader, Leadership General

Not That Winning Is Wrong But Somebody Has To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Not that winning is wrong but somebody has to lose and it is important to recognize this fact, accept it as a reality ...read more

Tags: Death

A Good Education Is Not So Much One Which ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"A good education is not so much one which prepares a man to succeed in the world, as one which ...read more

Tags: Culture

A Communist Is Like A Crocodile: When It Opens ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

A communist is like a crocodile: when it opens its mouth you cannot tell whether it is trying to ...read more

Tags: Government

Books Are The Compasses And Telescopes And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us ...read more

Tags: Books And Literature

Thanksgiving Dinners

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 19, 2017

“Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve ...read more

As Long As God Is Awake  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2009

AS LONG AS GOD IS AWAKE A mother and her little four-year-old daughter were preparing to retire for the night. The child was afraid of the night. The child was afraid of the dark, and the mother, alone with the child, felt fearful also. When the light was out, the child caught a glimpse of the ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:9, Joshua 1:6-9

Tags: Fear And Worry

The Slightest Wish  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 18, 2012

THE SLIGHTEST WISH During the War Between the States, General Lee one day sent word to Stonewall Jackson that the next time he rode in the direction of headquarters the Commander-in-Chief would be glad to see him on a matter of no great importance. General Jackson received the message and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:46-49

Tags: Obedience

A Preacher Extols A King Instead Of The King Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2009

A preacher extols a king instead of the King of kings There was a preacher in 19th century Scandinavia who, in the vestry one Sunday morning, heard that the King would be present at worship. Understandably rattled he ditched his well prepared sermon and spoke on and on about the Christian virtues ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20

Tags: Worldliness

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

Although Douglas Macarthur Graduated From West ...  PRO

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Nov 7, 2002

"Although Douglas MacArthur graduated from West Point at the top of his class, he continued to prepare himself for service to his country. He studied every military textbook he could get his hands on. He visited battlefields and personally reviewed the tactics which the victors and the losers ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:11-14, Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Discipleship, Second Coming

Denomination: United Methodist

Soul Food

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 8, 2025

A certain man who had been absent from church for a long time received an inquiring visit from the Pastor. The man told the Pastor, "I've attended nearly every Sunday for 30 years. In that time, I have heard something like 1,500 sermons. In all of those years, people were shouting ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5, Isaiah 40:31, John 6:35

Tags: Worship, Faithfulness, Nourishment

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

He Never Went Fishing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

He never went fishing Let me close with this thought. I was reading on the Internet last week. Once, a man got ready to go fishing. He assembled everything you need to be a good fisherman. He bought poles, and nets, and bait, and a boat. He got very well prepared. And he knew how to fish. But he ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

The Avoidance Of Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

THE AVOIDANCE OF DEATH I read a great book called The Art of Dying, by Christianity Today editor Rob Moll. In the forward, by Lauren Winner, we read: "We no longer allow people to say that they are dying – rather, they are “battling” an illness. Far from encouraging the perilously ill to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:23

Tags: Death Nearness

Great Opportunities Come To All, But Many Do ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Great opportunities come to all, but many do not know they have met them. The only preparation to take advantage of them ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Our Greatest Obligation To Our Children Is To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

Our greatest obligation to our children is to prepare them to understand and to deal effectively with the world in which they will live and not with the ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Less Than 1/3 Of American Women Are Studying In A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 3, 2006

Less than 1/3 of American women are studying in a field that will prepare them for work in science, engineering, or information technology. ...read more

Tags: Women

Either You Have To Face Up To It And Tell ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Either you have to face up to it and tell yourself you're not going to be 18 all your life, or be prepared for a terrible ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

If I Am To Speak Ten Minutes, I Need A Week For ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation. If fifteen minutes, three days. If half an hour, ...read more

Tags: Communication Speech

The Educator Becomes Gods Mind At Work To Help ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The educator becomes Gods mind at work to help grow the best possible plants in Gods garden. He exists to prepare the soil, to sow the ...read more

Tags: Learning