In Sermon Illustrations: "Sermon Preparation"

There Was Once A Man Who Lived In A Deep ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 17, 2004

There was once a man who lived in a deep valley. It was dark, desolate, cold and foreboding. At the edge of the mountain was a massive mountain, towering into the sky. The man had become so obsessed with the thought of escaping the valley that he finally decided to climb the face of the ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 3:13-14, Nehemiah 3:13-14

Tags: Human Body

An Invitation (And A Rejection Form)  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2004

AN INVITATION (AND A REJECTION FORM) Dearest (your name), You are cordially invited to come and enjoy the delicious banquet of my salvation. Serving will begin at My House and will continue for eternity. I’d love for you to come and get to know Me personally–and join my Family. This feast is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-24

Tags: Grace, Salvation, Parable Great Banquet

Built By Grace  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2004

BUILT BY GRACE Years ago, late on a stormy night in Philadelphia, an elderly couple walked wearily into a hotel. They approached the night clerk at the desk and practically begged him for a room. Apparently there were three conventions in town, and every hotel was filled to capacity. "Are there ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-24, Luke 19:11-26

Tags: Parable Great Banquet, Grace

One's As Good As Another  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2004

ONE’S AS GOOD AS ANOTHER Did you hear about the farmer who asked his neighbor if he could borrow a rope? The neighbor said, “Sorry, I’m using the rope to tie up my milk.” “Milk?” said the farmer. “You can’t tie up milk with a rope.” The neighbor replied, “I know, but when a man doesn’t want to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-27

Tags: Parable Great Banquet, Apologetics General

Who's The Guy With George

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2004

WHO’S THE GUY WITH GEORGE George had a friend with an inflated opinion of himself. As a friend should, George decided to help his friend lose this quirk. Subtly, George mentioned that he knew Johnny Carson. The friend said, "Oh, yeah, prove it." In a few minutes, they were in front of a large ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-24

Tags: Parable Great Banquet, Humility

The Reason It Happened...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2004

THE REASON IT HAPPENED... The Metropolitan Insurance Company has published this list: Reasons/Excuses for Auto Accidents: (1) “An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished.” (2) “The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.” (3) “I had been driving for ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-24

Tags: Apologetics General, Parable Great Banquet, Kingdom Of God

When I Was Young Boy, My Brother Planted Brussels ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 21, 2004

When I was young boy, my brother planted brussels sprouts in his garden. We lived in a climate where the Brussels sprouts did not grow and so they just came up and never produced fruit. However a big leafy weed grew in the midst of the sickly Brussel sprouts row. Since the Brussel Sprouts row was ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ, Assurance Of Salvation

Two Sisters I Know, Joanne And Linda Who Have ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2004

Two sisters I know, Joanne and Linda who have since become lovely ladies with families of their own,while they still were young girls were playing one day. Joanne the older of the two sisters by three years became at one point very angry with her little sister and said to her in frustration and ...read more

Tags: Children

One Husband Said, "Every Time My Wife And I ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 24, 2004

. One husband said, “Every time my wife and I have an argument she gets historical.” “You mean hysterical?” his friend replied. “No, ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

J. One Rainy Afternoon I Was Driving Along One ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 24, 2004

J. One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I’m thinking of something." This announcement usually meant she ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Like Limbaugh And Clinton  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2004

LIKE LIMBAUGH AND CLINTON In the story of the “The Good Samaritan,” these men weren’t physical neighbor. The Jews & the Samaritans hated each other. Generations earlier, when the Jews were in Babylonian captivity, the Samaritans had taken over the land … and mixed their religion with the Jewish ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-27

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan, Christian Love

Hero In Black  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2004

HERO IN BLACK Victor Yap tells this story: A few years ago I saw a truck in front of me roaring fiercely about to turn the corner into the freeway ramp. In the driver’s seat of the humongous truck was a man in his late 20s ramming his engine and blasting his stereo. The guy had dark glasses and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Compassion, Forgiveness General, Parable Good Samaritan

Throwing A Life Away?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2004

THROWING A LIFE AWAY? Lost behind the story of Seabiscuit, the most celebrated racehorse of the 20th century, and the jockey played by Spiderman’s Tobey Macguire was the story of its peculiar trainer, Tom Smith. When the rich man played by Jeff Bridges decided to turn to horse racing, he needed ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan, Forgiveness General, Compassion

Defining A Neighbor  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2004

DEFINING A NEIGHBOR It’s been said, "One cannot define one’s neighbor; one can only be a neighbor." Haddon Robinson said, "Your neighbor is anyone whose need you see, whose need you are able to meet." A neighbor is someone who says, "What is mine is God’s and what is God’s belongs to my ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Compassion, Forgiveness General, Parable Good Samaritan

The Compassionate Catch  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2004

THE COMPASSIONATE CATCH On Aug. 8, 2004, the Vietnamese community of Westminster, California, celebrated one of the kindest and bravest acts performed by a stranger on them. On Nov. 13, 1985, ninety-six Vietnamese refugees despaired for their lives and their families' lives when the engine of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan, Forgiveness General, Compassion

A Neighbor On The Other Side Of The World  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2004

A NEIGHBOR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD Pastor David Jeremiah tells a story about Bob Pierce. Pierce had advanced leukemia. But he went to visit a friend in Indonesia before he died. As they were walking through a small village, they came upon a young girl lying on a bamboo mat next to a river. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Would That Get Me Into Heaven  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 27, 2004

WOULD THAT GET ME INTO HEAVEN "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked the children in my Sunday School class. "NO!" the children all answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-20

Tags: Heaven

16,743 Yards Of Persistence  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

16,743 YARDS OF PERSISTENCE God has always honored persistence. I have always appreciated Emmitt Smith. I was glad to see him set the NFL rushing record last Sunday. He isn’t as flashy as Walter Payton or Barry Sanders, and he never possessed true break-away speed. But his strength lies in his ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1, Luke 20:27-38, Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Prayer General, Prayer Persistence, Parable Widow

The Quitters Club  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

THE QUITTERS CLUB One of the largest organizations in America is the Quitters Club. The reason you’ve never heard of the Quitters Club is because they never meet–the members quit coming. There are no dues–the members quit paying them. The Quitters Club is comprised of people who faced a tough ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8, Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Parable Widow, Prayer Persistence, Prayer General

Persistent, Tenacious Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 1, 2004

PERSISTENT, TENACIOUS PRAYER Our praying should be like the story of Jacob wrestling the angel in Genesis 32. They wrestled all night and toward morning, Jacob had the angel in a full Nelson grip. The angel said, “Jacob, let me go.” Now, I think it was like WWF, it was a fixed fight. The mighty ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 10:1, Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Prayer Persistence, Parable Widow