In Sermon Illustrations: "Sharpening Your Ax" showing 281-300 of 10,707

What's Your Life Worth?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2009

WHAT’S YOUR LIFE WORTH? It’s worth $50,000, according to the international standard used most private and government-run health insurance plans to determine whether to cover a new medical procedure. More simply, insurance companies calculate that to make a treatment worth its cost, it must ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:31

Tags: Creation

Thank You For Your Time  PRO

Contributed by Tony Abram on Apr 18, 2009

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME A young man learns what’s most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush ...read more

Scripture: John 15:14-15, Psalm 126:1-6

Tags: Faith, Proverbs, Parents, Wisdom, Valuable, God's Creation, Letter, Unopened Letter, Friendship General, Jesus' Healing, Happy, God Cares, Integrity, Goals, Dreams, Fight, Belief, Trust, Happiness, Joy, Shepherd, Treasure  (view more)  (view less)

Object Lesson: Your Reputation

Contributed by Sherm Nichols on Apr 27, 2009

OBJECT LESSON: YOUR REPUTATION (Light a candle on stage.) It’s easy to keep a fire going. What do you do to it? Not much. You work to get it started, and then it pretty much burns on its own. You may have to protect it, maybe do a little maintenance on it. But the fire is automatic. But if ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Love Your Neighbor's Broccoli

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S BROCCOLI A little girl stayed for dinner at the home of her friend. The vegetable was buttered broccoli, and the mother asked if she liked it. The child replied very politely, "Oh, yes, I love it." But when the bowl of broccoli was passed, she declined to take any. The hostess ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48

Tags: Christian Love

Marriage And Guns: Protect Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2009

MARRIAGE AND GUNS: PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT Charlie Shedd wrote his son a series of letters to give some practical advice about marriage. They were published in a book called Letters to Phillip. Here is one of the most moving chapters: Dear Phil, I used to hunt ducks with a man who had a "thing" ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33

Tags: Marriage, Marriage General

Ask Jesus To Come To Your ...

Contributed by Tim Harlow on May 13, 2009

ASK JESUS TO COME TO YOUR MARRIAGE Some years ago on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson an 8 year old boy from West Virginia and who was rescued from a coal mine was a guest. Through their conversation it became obvious he went to church a lot, so Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday school ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Honor Your Mother And Father

Contributed by Jim Blevins on May 15, 2009

HONOR YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER One Mother's Day I was preaching in another state and during the Sunday School class I told about one of the two times that I sassed my mother. Now my mom is about 4 foot 11 inches tall and I was approaching 6 feet so I towered over her. She had told me to do something ...read more

Tags: Commandments Parents

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Go Get Your Own

Contributed by Louis Pantelis on May 21, 2009

GO GET YOUR OWN One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come along way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said "God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you; We’re ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Denomination: Church Of God

Your Grumbling Goes With You

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jun 15, 2009

YOUR GRUMBLING GOES WITH YOU There was a boy named Grumble Tone who ran away to sea, "I’m sick of things on land," he said, "as sick as I can be; A life upon the bounding wave will suit a lad like me!" The seething ocean billows failed to stimulate his mirth, For he did not like the vessel, nor ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:14-18

Tags: Complaining

Denomination: Other

Remember Who Your Daddy Is

Contributed by David Hodgin on Jun 24, 2009

REMEMBER WHO YOUR DADDY IS George Foreman is famous for many things: boxing champion, pitchman, grill guru, television celebrity, and, he named all five of his sons, George. When asked why he gave all his sons the same name, he usually quips something like, "If you’d been hit in the head as many ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Sleeping The Night Before Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

SLEEPING THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR EXECUTION In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake because of his witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley’s execution, his brother offered to remain with him in the prison chamber to be of assistance and comfort. Nicholas declined the offer and replied ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:7

Tags: Peace

Your Secret Sins Will Come To ...

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Jul 11, 2009

“Your Secret Sins Will Come to Light” The newspapers of Cincinnati recorded that a poorly dressed woman went to Dr. George Herman asking him to make an X-ray examination of her heart free of cost. She claimed that she was very poor and couldn’t pay. The doctor consented to do the work. But when ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Denomination: Christian Church

Get Off Your Horse, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

GET OFF YOUR HORSE, CORPORAL A rider on horseback, many years ago, came upon a squad of soldiers who were trying to move a heavy piece of timber. A corporal stood by, giving lordly orders to "heave." But the piece of timber was a trifle too heavy for the squad. "Why don’t you help them?" asked ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 4:1-23

Tags: Leadership General, Servant Leadership

Because You're My ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

"BECAUSE YOU’RE MY DAD!" Author Tim Hansel writes: One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and then yelled ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 20:7

Tags: Trust

What Is Your Money Doing To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

WHAT IS YOUR MONEY DOING TO YOU? On their way to church on Sunday, a mother gave her child a one-dollar bill and a quarter. "Sweetheart," the mother said, "you can place either one in the offering plate. It’s entirely up to you." As they were driving home, the mother asked the daughter what she ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Money

Keep Up Your Spiritual ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

Keep Up Your Spiritual Guard The 4,000-mile-long Great Wall of China was built to keep invaders from the north. The first wall was constructed by Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China, who lived between 259 - 210 BC. But in AD 1644 the Manchus broke through the Great Wall and overran China. They ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 4:16-23

Tags: Nehemiah

Be Found Doing Your Duty  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 27, 2009

BE FOUND DOING YOUR DUTY "Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come"(Matt 24:42). A man named Col Davenport was speaker of the Connecticut house of representatives in the late 1700s. On May 19, 1780, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:42

Tags: Obedience

Your Pain In My Heart

Contributed by Bob Marcaurelle on Dec 7, 2009

YOUR PAIN IN MY HEART Until we walk where others walk, we usually don’t care much about what they are going through. This is why so many people who experience tragedy, start support groups to help others like themselves. Until we hurt we are not much help. We are like the Queen, who, when told ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Baptist

Carrying Hope In Your Heart

Contributed by Luis Marquez on Jan 17, 2010

CARRYING HOPE IN YOUR HEART Vaclav Havel expresidente de Checoslovaquia dijo: "No soy un optimista porque no estoy seguro de que todo vaya a acabar bien; tampoco soy un pesimista porque no estoy seguro de que todo vaya a acabar mal. Yo solo llevo esperanza en mi corazon... y le doy gracias a Dios ...read more

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Baptist

Crab Grass Within Your ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Jan 25, 2010

ILLUSTRATION: Crab grass within your soul. Crab grass if gotten early in the spring can be eliminated from your yard but if you allow it an inkling of room to grow, it will take over your yard. That is what arrogant pride will do in your soul. Just as you need to apply grab grass preventative to ...read more

Tags: Sin Hurtful To God

Denomination: Baptist