In Sermon Illustrations: "Short Sermons"

Fighting ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2008

FIGHTING SIN Poet Carl Sandberg once said, "There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud." Colorful, old-time evangelist Billy Sunday said of sin, "I’m against sin. I’ll kick it as long as I’ve got a foot. I’ll fight it as long as ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Prayer: Specific ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2008

PRAYER: SPECIFIC DIRECTION The late great English writer, journalist, philosopher, poet, biographer, and Christian apologetic Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936) and several other literary figures were asked one evening what book they would prefer to have with them if they were stranded on a ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Shallow ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

SHALLOW LIVES A few statistics clarify a problem. The figures I have are from five years ago, but I believe the comparisons are still the same. Americans gave $2.9 billion dollars to overseas missions. That sounds pretty good until you find out that we spend $8.4 billion to see movies, $13 billion ...read more

Tags: Materialism

Who's Side

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

WHO'S SIDE During WWII a parade of well-trained soldiers was marching through downtown. The soldiers were trained and now preparing to leave for war. As they marched by one old lady's house she was so proud of the men. She grabbed her broom stick, placed it on her shoulder and started marching ...read more

Tags: Encouragement

Tenth Hours

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

TENTH HOURS Napoleon said that in every battle there [is] a period of ten or fifteen minutes which decides the issue of the conflict. Certainly in the battle of life there are moments and hours which, so far as we can tell, determine our history: hours when the spirit in which we lived, the step ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Climate At Church Compared To Jewelry Store Grand ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 11, 2009

Climate at Church compared to Jewelry Store Grand Opening John Bisagno former Pastor of Houston’s First Baptist Church tells the story of his coming as a candidate for the position of pastor many years ago. He said that as he entered the auditorium it was dimly lit, with just a few people huddled ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:14-30

Tags: Pastors

I Heard A Story One Time About A New, Cocky ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I heard a story one time about a new, cocky young preacher, straight out of seminary. He was going to preach his very first sermon in a big, old Presbyterian church. The church had an elevated pulpit with a long flight of stairs leading up to it. This kid was about as prideful as he could be. All ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Set Free  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

SET FREE A man said to his pastor: “I am a miserable sinner and there is no help available for me. I have prayed to God, I have tried to be good and I have tried to do the right thing at the right time, but I always seem to fail.” The pastor asked him: “Do you believe in the life, the death, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-17

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

They Don't But You Do  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

THEY DON’T BUT YOU DO Consider the story of Oswald Golter. After ten years service as a missionary in China, Oswald Golter was on His way home. His ship stopped in India, and while waiting for the connecting boat home he found a group of refugees living in a warehouse on the pier. They were ...read more

Scripture: Romans 9:1-5

Tags: Evangelism How To

Just As You Are  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

JUST AS YOU ARE Jesus affirms that many would come to Him in faith and partake of Him as the Bread of Life, because of the Father. Man’s blindness does not keep God’s grace from working. When they come, they find that God does not turn them away nor cast them away later. CHARLOTTE ELLIOTT learned ...read more

Scripture: John 6:25-40

Tags: Grace, Bread

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

Incarnation  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2002

INCARNATION The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding. Martin Luther, SOURCE: ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Humanity Of Christ

General Oglethorpe Once Said To John Wesley, "I ...

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Apr 20, 2009

General Oglethorpe once said to John Wesley, "I never forgive, and I never forget." To which Wesley replied, "Then, Sir, I hope ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Wesleyan

Will Rogers Said, "You Can Summarize American ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

Will Rogers said, "You can summarize American History into two great movements: the passing of the Buffalo and The passing of the buck." (From a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:24-25

Tags: America, Others, Seeing Jesus

Os Guinness On Staying Relevant

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2011

OS GUINNESS ON STAYING RELEVANT Os Guinness wrote: "To be always relevant, you have to say things which are eternal." (From a ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:19-20

Tags: Truth Absolute

Preserving Liberty

Contributed by Richard Tow on Nov 1, 2021

Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded. By Friedrich August von Hayek. Quoted in a ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 1:18-21

Tags: Freedom, America, Government, Liberty, Coronavirus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

P.t. Forsyth Stated, "Unless There Is Within Us A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2008

P.T. FORSYTH STATED, “UNLESS THERE IS WITHIN US A YEARNING FOR THAT WHICH IS ABOVE US, WE SHALL SOON YIELD TO THAT WHICH IS ABOUT US” From Gene ...read more

John Curzon And The Watch  PRO

Contributed by Greg Yount on Oct 28, 2001

John Curzon, a Polish mechanic, who was presented with a gold medal for his inventions, performed a most extraordinary thing when he succeeded in manufacturing a complete watch in the space of 8 hours from materials on which most watchmakers would have looked with contempt. It appears that the ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Baptist

When I Was Growing Up My Parents Raised Chickens. ...  PRO

Contributed by Jonathan Busch on Jan 13, 2003

When I was growing up my parents raised chickens. Chickens have a very interesting social life. Bill Hybels notes: "Take ten chickens, any ten. Put them in a pen together, and spread a little chicken feed. In short order, you will witness an amazing phenomenon. In a matter of minutes, the ...read more

Tags: Leadership General, Giving Yourself

Denomination: Pentecostal

I Remember In High School Track I Ran The Last ...  PRO

Contributed by James Chandler on Apr 6, 2003

I remember in high school track I ran the last leg of the 2 mile relay. At a huge invitational meet we were competing in the 2 mile relay. When I got the baton, we had dropped to 8th place and it wasn’t looking good. I ran the first of two laps around the track. I thought to myself, I cannot go ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ