In Sermon Illustrations: "Sharpening Your Ax" showing 301-320 of 10,707

How To Build A Ladder To Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

How To Build A Ladder To Your Dreams Years ago a young African-American child was growing up in Cleveland, in a home which he later described as "materially poor but spiritually rich." One day a famous athlete, Charlie Paddock, came to his school to speak to the students. At the time Paddock was ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Sports

Keep Your Fire Hot  PRO

Contributed by John Perry on Feb 8, 2010

Keep Your Fire Hot A pastor went to visit a man who had been absent from church for some time. When the pastor arrived at the house of his wayward parishioner he found him sitting by a fire of glowing coals. The man fully expected his pastor to rebuke him for his tardy attendance at services. But ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Loving Your Enemies In Rwanda  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 8, 2010

Loving Your Enemies in Rwanda Rwanda is a tiny country in Central Africa, a bit bigger than Northern Ireland, with a population of over 8 million people, and thousands of hills. Rwanda is a beautiful country of hills, mountains, forests, lakes, laughing children, markets full of busy people, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

What's Left Of Your Heart

Contributed by Gregg Barbour on Feb 8, 2010

What's Left of Your Heart Anna's wedding day was finally here. She planned for months and months, and in the small church with her family and friends, she was ready to take the vow's with her fiancé, David. He gently took her hand and they turned toward the altar. But, as the minister began to ...read more

Tags: Dating

Denomination: *other

If You’re An Average Australian ...

Contributed by Noel Atkinson on Mar 23, 2010

IF you’re an average Australian you’re worth just over $250,000 have a house valued at $458,488, a mortgage of $341,000 , credit card debt of $3085 and earn $1124.50 a week. Mortgage stress According to the experts if you’re an average Aussie, then chances are you’ll technically be experiencing ...read more

Tags: Money, Debt

Denomination: Baptist

Why Be Buried With A Fork In Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

Why Be Buried With a Fork in Your Hand There was a woman who had been told she only had 3 months to live. Her doctor recommended that she start making preparations to die. And so, she contacted her Pastor to talk about her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral, what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Heaven

Take Up Your Cross

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Jul 5, 2010

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS People in Jesus’ day knew what it meant to "take up" a cross. They saw scores of criminals bearing the cross to the place where they were to be executed, and they witnessed scores of crucifixions, some even by the side of ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:1-15

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Baptist

Withholding Your Best Wine  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

WITHHOLDING YOUR BEST WINE There is a story about an old village in Spain. The people of this village heard the king planned to visit there. No king had ever done that. So naturally, they became excited and wanted to offer a great celebration that would show their adoration and that would honor ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 29:13

Tags: Honor, Hypocrisy, Dishonor

Build Character Into Your Children  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2010

BUILD CHARACTER INTO YOUR CHILDREN David Kraft was a big, strong man -- all muscle. At the age of 32, he was six feet, two inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He had been to seminary and ended up working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, because of his athletic background. Then he was ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

Tags: Father's Day

Light Up Your World  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2010

LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD There is a mere strip of sand called Castle Island near the eastern end of the Bahamas archipelago. Few people are aware of it - and, as tiny and isolated as it is, Castle Island is important for the lighthouse that is its sole source of humanity! One day, a young man was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Make Your Home In Me

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 13, 2010

MAKE YOUR HOME IN ME If I’m not abiding in Jesus, then where is it that I abide? I once asked myself. I began to notice that when I was tired or anxious, there were certain sentences I would say in my head that led me to a familiar place. The journey to this place would often start with me walking ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Anxiety

Pray As If Your Life Depends On ...

Contributed by Aurora Alonso on Sep 2, 2010

"Pray as if Your Life Depends on ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Tags: Faith, Hope, Prayer, Persistence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why You're Tired

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 27, 2010

WHY YOU'RE TIRED In a 24-hour period, if you’re an adult of average weight, here is what you accomplish: • Your heart beats 103,689 times • Your blood travels 168,000,000 miles • You breathe 23,040 times • You inhale 438 cubic feet of air. • You eat 3.25 pounds of food • You drink 2.9 quarts ...read more

Tags: Human Body

Denomination: Brethren

Who Needs Your Help?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 17, 2011

WHO NEEDS YOUR HELP? Of the 2,000 passengers on the Titanic, 1517 were lost. At the time the Titanic went down, another ship, the California was only 30 miles away. The Titanic’s operator frantically sent out SOS repeatedly; but the wireless set on the California was closed because there was only ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Be Found Doing Your Duty

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2011

BE FOUND DOING YOUR DUTY The time was the 19th of May, 1780. The place was Hartford, Connecticut. The day has gone down in New England history as a terrible foretaste of Judgment Day. For at noon the skies turned from blue to gray and by mid-afternoon had blackened over so densely that, in that ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:8-11

Tags: Judgment

What Gets Your Attention?

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Feb 19, 2011

WHAT GETS YOUR ATTENTION? Two friends were sitting together in a café when a noisy car alarm interrupted their conversation. One friend said: "What good are car alarms when no one pays any attention to them?" The other friend said "Some are quite effective. Last summer, my teenager spent a lot ...read more

Tags: Miscellaneous

Denomination: Brethren

Covering Your Own Sin

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2011

COVERING YOUR OWN SIN "Adam, where are you?" God cried as a now sin-tainted Adam and Eve vainly attempted to hide from Him. Adam had a plan: The fig leaves-an easy quick fix, a cover-up. They represent man fixing his sin on his own terms, the quick and easy way. Grab some leaves, cover it quickly. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:6-13

Tags: Sin Exposed

What Will Your Grandchildren Say?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2011

WHAT WILL YOUR GRANDCHILDREN SAY? Max Lucado shared this in Outlive Your Life: A few years back, three questions rocked my world. They came from different people in the span of a month. Question 1: Had you been a German Christian during World War II, would you have taken a stand against ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 16:49-50

Tags: Poverty

Does Your God Bleed?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2011

DOES YOUR GOD BLEED? A little boy went up to a missionary Sunday School leader in a pagan country. The boy said, "I like what you say about the God of the Bible but I can’t see him. But if I go to the temple I can see my God." The missionary said to the little boy, "Listen, does your God ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:19-20, 1 Peter 3:1-12

Tags: Blood Of Christ

What Occupies Your Heart

Contributed by Scott Carroll on May 20, 2011

WHAT OCCUPIES YOUR HEART I squirmed a bit as I forced myself to listen to my friend cataloging her problems. After three hours, I interrupted her gently to ask, "If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center? She thought a moment, then said, "My problems." My ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational