In Sermon Illustrations: "Start"

The Call To Worship Had Just Been Pronounced ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

“The call to worship had just been pronounced starting Easter Sunday Morning service in an East Texas church. The choir started its processional, singing ‘Up from the Grave He Arose’ as they marched in perfect step down the center aisle to the front of the church. The last lady was wearing shoes ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

When My Wife And I First Got Married, We Moved To ...

Contributed by Curt Cizek on Sep 23, 2007

When my wife and I first got married, we moved to St. Louis where I started seminary. It was a stressful time the first year. I started learning Greek and Hebrew and learned the fine art of being married. I had enough time in my schedule to clean the house, do the dishes and do the laundry while ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

My Maternal Grandfather Who Was A Devout Hindu ...

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Feb 20, 2008

My maternal grandfather who was a devout Hindu by birth did his schooling at a Missionary school in the state of Haryana in the North of New Delhi, India. He had learned about Christ and been invited to accept Him as His personal Savior but shrugged the opportunity. After qualifying as a ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Loose Connections

Contributed by Bruce Landry on Mar 31, 2008

LOOSE CONNECTIONS In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Baptist

Don't Tell Me, Show Me

Contributed by Brian Harvison on Apr 18, 2008

DON'T TELL ME, SHOW ME The young woman was married and had two beautiful children. But one day as she was standing over the sink, washing dishes, she thought 'There must be more to life than this.' When her husband came home, he found a note she'd written and began to weep. She would call him ...read more

Tags: Action

Denomination: Baptist

The Famous Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Faced A Conflict ...

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Jul 17, 2008

The famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin faced a conflict after returning from the moon. He spiraled into a deep depression that ultimately resulted in him being hospitalized, medicated and put through a battery of psychiatric treatments. Ignorant of the depth of his own disability, once the medicine ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Mennonite

Prayer For Future Generations  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

PRAYER FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS In Point Man, Steve Farrar tells the story of George McCluskey. When McCluskey married and started a family, he decided to invest one hour a day in prayer, because he wanted his kids to follow Christ. After a time, he expanded his prayers to include his grandchildren ...read more

Tags: Family

Object Lesson: The Mop Head

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Apr 13, 2009

OBJECT LESSON: THE MOP HEAD I have here a mop head that I recently replaced at the Upper Room. This has been used to mop urine. I know, because I mopped up when this guy urinated all over himself, the couch he was sitting on, and the floor while he was asleep. It has mopped up the filth that was ...read more

Tags: Born Again

Denomination: Church Of God

Deception: The Trojan ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

DECEPTION: THE TROJAN HORSE I doubt you’ll recognize this man. His name is Heinrich Schliemann. In 1871, Heinrich Schliemann began to fulfill a dream he’d had since his youth. He started excavating an ancient city in Turkey. He was looking for the lost city of Troy. And to the amazement of many, ...read more

Tags: Lies

Mordecai Ham Was Born April 2, 1877, In ...

Contributed by Jody Vansickle on Oct 26, 2009

Mordecai Ham was born April 2, 1877, in Scottsville, Kentucky. He came from eight generations of Baptist preachers. He came to Christ by the time he was eight years old and remembers: "At nine I had definite convictions that the Lord wanted me to preach." But after high school, he changed his ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Methodist

Praying In Agreement

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Nov 30, 2011

PRAYING IN AGREEMENT Our individual prayers have great power. But there is even more power when we come together as a church and pray in agreement. Now, we know that in human terms total agreement is impossible. No two people can be in complete agreement … much less a whole congregation of ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Bad Day  PRO

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jan 17, 2012

A BAD DAY Mr. Insured had just purchased a new 7509cc Honda motorcycle. After a few leisurely trips around the block to become acquainted with this powerful new machine, he parked the cycle in front of his home to show it off to his neighbors. It started to rain, however, and not wanting to get ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

That Sounds Like A Cross To Me  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Lee on Feb 13, 2018

That Sounds Like a Cross to Me “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34 A little boy was playing in the yard. He fell and scraped his elbow. It was bleeding a ...read more

Tags: Cross, Suffering, Follow Me

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Growing Potatoes Takes Time

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 24, 2018

Be thankful while you wait. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. My Aunt Grace had a large garden. One time she showed me how to cut seed potatoes so that each piece had at least one eye, and we planted them in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Thankfulness, Patience, Waiting, Being Prepared

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Good Intentions

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 29, 2021

In our younger days, my husband and I sign up for a “boot camp” fitness class. This class costs $300 per person for ten classes. At the start of the first class, our instructor. Tara, does a quick roll-call. She frowns and comments: “Hmm, Susie isn’t here. That’s a shame; attending the first ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:14-33

Tags: Unrealized Intentions, Excuses, Discipline, Follow Through, Explanations  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

: Prayer Life Of General Stonewall ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Oct 10, 2001

Illus.: Prayer Life of General Stonewall Jackson General Stonewall Jackson had in his service a man who had become so accustomed to his ways that he was able to discern whenever the General was about to start on an expedition. Someone asked him how he knew the General was about to depart without ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Wesleyan

Broken Already  PRO

Contributed by Frank Houston on Jan 8, 2002

BROKEN ALREADY At the beginning of a new year, a high school principal decided to post his teachers’ new year’s resolutions on the bulletin board. As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. "Why weren’t my resolutions ...read more

Tags: Endurance, Peace, New Year's Day

Denomination: Baptist

Some Years Back As You Traveled Along I-10 In ...  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Mar 15, 2002

Some years back as you traveled along I-10 in Louisiana there was a large billboard which would catch your eye. It stood high above the city just as you started up the Mississippi River bridge. On it was a picture of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross of Calvary, head bowed. The caption underneath ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Leonard Sweet Writes, "Jesus' World Seemed Over ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Oct 21, 2003

Leonard Sweet writes, “Jesus’ world seemed over peopled with outcasts. Jesus’ table fellowship with real-life low-life’s outraged the pious among the people of his day,..An authentic biblical table culture will similarly outrage the pious of our day, especially when the church starts imitating ...read more

Tags: Jesus' Ministry

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Fewer Absolute Truth Believers: Some 20 Months ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Fewer Absolute Truth Believers: Some 20 months prior to the 9/11 attacks, people were asked if they believed that “there are moral truths that are absolute, meaning that those moral truths or principles do not change according to the circumstances” or that “moral truth always depends upon the ...read more

Tags: Truth Absolute