In Sermon Illustrations: "Small Group"

Amateur ...

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Aug 19, 2008

AMATEUR COUNTERFEITER------ You may have read in the paper that counterfeit bills have been turning up here and there around town. What you may have not heard about, is the amateur counterfeiter that was operating here in town. It turns out that this amateur counterfeiter accidentally printed a ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We Get A Whole Bunch

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 9, 2008

We Get a Whole Bunch Pastor John R Ramsey once wrote, "For some time I have had a person provide me with a rose boutonniere to pin on the lapel of my suit every Sunday. Because I always got a flower on Sunday morning, I really did not think much of it. It was a nice gesture that I appreciated, but ...read more

Tags: God's Love

I Was Blind, But Now I Can See  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I CAN SEE There were two boys who grew up together. They were close friends as children, but as they entered their teen years their paths began to diverge, and they ended up in very different places. Ernie was always in trouble. He began by shoplifting small things from stores ...read more

Scripture: John 9:25

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

The Ambush Of John Wesley Powell

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

THE AMBUSH OF JOHN WESLEY POWELL John Wesley Powell, lost his arm in the Civil War. This, however, did not stop him from becoming a hero. "Back in 1869 conventional wisdom said that passage through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River was impossible. It couldn’t be done. The back country ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:3, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Endurance

Married But Not Engaged

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jan 6, 2010

MARRIED BUT NOT ENGAGED Years ago, Julie and I began to have difficulty in our marriage. I was spending all my time pastoring a small Church, and our relationship was being neglected. It suffered to the point where I needed to take time out of ministry, and we needed to do some repair work. That ...read more

Tags: Divorce

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Surprise Reward At The End Of Bill Broadhurst's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

Surprise Reward at the End of Bill Broadhurst’s Marathon In July 1981, Bill Broadhurst entered the Omaha, Nebraska, Pepsi 10k. Broadhurst is slowed by a brain aneurysm he suffered 10 years earlier, which left him partially paralyzed on the left side. He made it his goal to finish the 10k despite ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Tags: Sports

General Robert E. Lee Controls His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

General Robert E. Lee controls His Tongue General Robert E. Lee was once asked what he thought of a fellow officer in the Confederate Army, an officer who had made some mean-spirited remarks about him. Lee thought for a moment, then rated him as being very satisfactory. The person who asked the ...read more

Scripture: James 3:1-12

Tags: Tongue

It Is Safe To Die In Jesus

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 12, 2010

IT IS SAFE TO DIE IN JESUS Max Lucado in his book Fearless, says, "There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you." We Westerners might miss the wedding images, but you can bet your sweet chuppah that Jesus' listener's didn't. This was a groom-to-bride ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:5-6

Tags: Death

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Walt Disney's Leadership  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2011

WALT DISNEY'S LEADERSHIP Walt Disney was a remarkable man of vision. He never gave up. Early in his career a newspaper fired him because they thought he had "no good ideas". That just made Disney try harder. When he was starting out in Kansas City he couldn't sell his cartoons. Some hinted that he ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Tags: Faith, Vision, Perseverance, Leadership General

Dream Center

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 26, 2012

DREAM CENTER At age 16, Matthew Barnett dreamed of a church that would be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year serving the inner-city’s physical and spiritual needs and bringing a message of hope to the hopeless. In 1994 at the age of 20, he moved from Phoenix to Los Angeles to pastor a small ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Methodist

The Process Is The Point  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Mar 9, 2012

THE PROCESS IS THE POINT Steven Furtick (Founder of Elevation Church) in SUN STAND STILL, p. 195-96: It's human nature to want to skip straight from the promise to the payoff. Who doesn't want to get right to the good stuff? But the process is invaluable. The process is a time of ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Hoarders And The New Birth

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 1, 2013

The New Birth (John 3 & 2 Cor. 5:17) "Hoarders" Have you ever watched the show, "Hoarders?" It's about people who have a hard time throwing things away. They simply collect and, eventually, the clutter overwhelms them. The thing about a hoarder is that, unless there is a change within, the ...read more

Tags: Born Again

Denomination: Nazarene

Strength Through Humility

Contributed by Gordon Mcculloch on Jul 7, 2014

And I must say here, this does not come automatically, we have to work at it and develop it, and many times we grit our teeth as we think we fail every now and again, but I will end with this analogy, it is the best I can up with, it is crude … but think of yourself when you give your offering, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:16-30

Tags: Humility, Strength

Denomination: Episcopal

Grandma Minnie's Roses

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind." - Henri Frederick Amiel Grandma Minnie never had much. She grew up poor and learned early the art of survival. A very ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Tags: Gift, Cheerful Giving, Encouraging Others

Denomination: Charismatic

Gehenna: The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 17, 2017

The Hinnom Valley was the place Jesus had in mind when He talked about Hell. The Hebrew word for this valley is, "Gehinnom", and the Greek word is, "Gehenna." The Hinnom Valley was located on the south and west side of the city of Jerusalem. It was a very dark place and many believe it is the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Tags: Faith, Hell, Gehenna

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Meditate On The Lord.

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Sep 18, 2021

Where I was Pastoring at the time I got 5th Sunday off. I had a favorite fishing hole. The water wasn’t very deep so I could wade in the water. That was fun for me. It had big trees that hung over the water and the sun would shine through them and made it look beautiful. It was great, this river ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6

Tags: Life Is Rough, God Teaches To Smooth Us

Denomination: Independent/Bible

God Is Bigger Than Our Box

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Mar 20, 2023

(Have 4 boxes of different sizes for illustration) Here is a box. Its a small one. For some people, what they think of God could fit in this box. They have few expectations and limited knowledge of who God is. Here is another box. It is a little larger. Many people would be comfortable ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:20-21

Tags: God Is Able, Power Of God, Limiting God, Bigness Of God

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Memories Of A Magnificent Man

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Jun 12, 2017

My father was born in 1911. His older brother, his only sibling, had already died. His father died two years later. In that era no government programs existed to provide for them, so his mother, an Irish immigrant, moved in with his paternal grandparents. His grandfather was a blacksmith, and his ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:3

Tags: Fatherhood, Parenting, Legacy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In Spite Of The Fun And Laughter, 13 Yr. Old ...  PRO

Contributed by John Gerald on Sep 11, 2004

In spite of the fun and laughter, 13 yr. old Frank Wilson was not happy. It was true, he had received all the presents he wanted, and he enjoyed the traditional Christmas Eve reunions with relatives for the purpose of exchanging gifts and good wishes..........but Frank was not happy because this ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Forgiveness General

Denomination: Methodist

Is It Time Yet!" Psalm 75: 1-10 Key Verse(S): 2: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 28, 2004

“Is It Time Yet!” Psalm 75: 1-10 Key verse(s): 2: “You say, ‘I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly.’” “Is it time yet?” I can’t tell you how often I have heard those words over the years after having raised four children who were always interested in knowing when the “time” was ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 75:1-10

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Lutheran