In Sermon Illustrations: "Shacking Up"

The Wrestler Who Never Gave Up

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2011

THE WRESTLER WHO NEVER GAVE UP Caleb teaches us to never give up on God or His promises. One of my favorite stories is about a scrawny kid from West Texas who attended a small high school. They didn't have a wrestling program, but he read a book on wrestling and asked one of the assistant ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 14:6-15

Tags: Endurance

Worship: It Takes Time To Warm Up

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jul 1, 2012

WORSHIP: IT TAKES TIME TO WARM UP When I was a kid in Kansas City, we lived next door to a family who owned a publishing company. They had an old 4 door Mercedes that they would let their son drive to school. He was 3 years older than me and also named Tim. On those winter mornings when the ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Methodist

Who's Going To Wake Jesus Up?  PRO

Contributed by Christopher Roberts (Barrister) on Nov 12, 2012

Who’s Going To Wake Jesus Up? The bible offers us a variety of types of prayer, which we can offer up to God, depending on what our circumstances are. We can pray for provisions, or lost souls, or that God might bring relief to the suffering. But what kind of prayer should we offer up to God when ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27, Matthew 8:8

Tags: Peace, Trust, Worry, Assurance

Denomination: Christian Church

Successful People Get Up Early!  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 14, 2014

Forbes Magazine states that early risers are the most successful people. The discipline of getting up early produces many positive results, such as: 1. More proactive approach to life 2. The ability to anticipate problems better 3. Better goal-setting 4. Time for exercise 5. Sleep is much better ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-21, Genesis 22:1-19

Tags: Sacrifice, Abraham, Temptation, Trusting God, Success, Successful, Getting Up Early  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Girls Growing Up Too Fast

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2009

GIRLS GROWING UP TOO FAST A study by Girlguiding reveals 3 leading potential "triggers" for serious mental health problems in girls: premature sexualization, commercialization and alcohol misuse. The report reveals a loss of childhood innocence and says girls today experience high levels of ...read more

Tags: Children

Hear O Israel: Listen Up!

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jun 27, 2009

HEAR O ISRAEL: LISTEN UP! I served in a volunteer capacity as an unofficial chaplain to the Redondo Beach (California) police force. About seven or eight of us who were ministers would rotate so that we rode entire shifts with some of the officers. Police work is a contrast between tedium and ...read more

Tags: Leadership Listening

Denomination: *other

Love Doesn't Give Up

Contributed by Paul Green on Oct 28, 2009

LOVE DOESN'T GIVE UP I came across an article in the paper this week that had the heading "A Mother's Love and Determination." And the subtitle "Refusing to give up, Cynthia Teare helped her son to walk again." I caught my attention because out theme today is "Love is... determined." It's the ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Baptist

Giving Up Is Better Than Ecstasy

Contributed by Sean Harder on Dec 4, 2009

GIVING UP IS BETTER THAN ECSTASY Scott Peck writes in his book "The Road Less Traveled: "I spent much of my ninth summer on a bicycle. About a mile from our house the road went down a steep hill and turned sharply at the bottom. Coasting down the hill one morning, I felt my gathering speed to be ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

God Shows Up In The Humblest Dwellings

Contributed by Charles Wallis on Dec 15, 2009

GOD SHOWS UP IN THE HUMBLEST DWELLINGS Tommy Welchel describes the miracles of Azusa Street: "The thought that God visited us in a barn to introduce His Son...confounds the minds of scholars a skeptics. These miracles were happening in and old, run-church that once used to house animals. By the ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Pentecostal

When The Devil Showed Up At Church

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 15, 2024

A few minutes before the services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews and talking. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate. Soon ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:7-9

Tags: Church, Satan, Devil, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Humor, Sermon Introductions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

That Great Getting' Up Morning...

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Oct 30, 2024

And now O Lord – When I’ve done drunk my last cup of sorrow— When I’ve been called everything but a child of God— When I’ve done travelling up the rough side of the mountain— O – Mary’s baby— When I start down the steep and slippery steps of death— When this old world begins to rock beneath my ...read more

Scripture: John 11:25, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26

Tags: Death, Resurrection, Hope, Dying, Funeral  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

Listen To The Words Of A Minister Who Ended Up ...  PRO

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Oct 31, 2000

Listen to the words of a Minister who ended up with a ruined marriage and a ruined ministry after a one night stand "adultery isn’t something that happens with the act -- it happens months beforehand. It’s an attitude. You disconnect ...read more

Tags: Romantic Love, Divorce, Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Wesleyan

Sucked In, Washed Up, And Blown Over  PRO

Contributed by Mark Beaird on Nov 2, 2000

SUCKED IN, WASHED UP, AND BLOWN OVER Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the ...read more

Tags: Faith, Know, Intimacy, Hope, God Brings Hope, God In The Hardships, Relationships  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Man Walked Up To A Vending Machine, Put In A ...  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 19, 2001

A man walked up to a vending machine, put in a coin, pressed the buttons labeled, “coffee, double cream, sugar.” No cup appeared, but the nozzles went into action sending forth coffee, cream and sugar. After the proper amounts had gone down the drain, the machine turned off. “Now that’s real ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

While Waiting To Pick Up A Friend At The Airport ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on May 15, 2001

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people talk about. This one occurred a mere 2 feet away from me. Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me ...read more

Tags: Romantic Love, Marriage Commitment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Growing Up As A Missionary Kid In The De. Rep. ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2001

Growing up as a missionary kid in the De. Rep. of the Congo, we were forced out of our mission station by communist rebels in 1964. I was only 8 years old at the time; but I remember that our family, with 20 others white people on the station had received a radio message that the rebels were close ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Christian Disciplines, Call Of The Disciples

Three Military Recruiters Showed Up To Address ...  PRO

Contributed by Joey Nelson on Aug 6, 2001

Three military recruiters showed up to address high school seniors. Each recruiter - representing the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps - was to have fifteen minutes. The Army and Navy recruiters got carried away, so when it came time for the Marine to speak, he had just two minutes. He walked up and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:3-9, James 5:13, 2 Timothy 4:5

Tags: Discipleship, Commit, Commitment To Christ, Endurance

It’s Not Easy To Step Up Against The ...  PRO

Contributed by Martin Field on Aug 7, 2001

It’s not easy to step up against the authorities. Let me illustrate: During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of his predecessor, Joseph Stalin. Once, as he reproached Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Byron Deel, Grew Up With An Alcoholic And Abusive ...  PRO

Contributed by Ian Biss on Oct 1, 2001

Byron Deel, grew up with an alcoholic and abusive father. Byron had two brothers and three sisters, a large family, but his dad spent the family income on alcohol, and he drank and ranted and raved and hit them. When Byron was twelve, his father walked away from the family, and did absolutely ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:6

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, God The Father

Denomination: Grace Brethren

When Rickey Shive Was A Kid Growing Up On The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002

When Rickey Shive was a kid growing up on the farm, one of the annual jobs he always looked forward to was the "chicken harvest." Apologies should be made in advance for the somewhat graphic nature of this illustration. Nonetheless, he looked forward to the chicken harvest. No, he wasn‘t some ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:12-14

Tags: Fulfillment, God Brings Purpose, Sin Deceptive