In Sermon Illustrations: "Starting The Year"

A Father's Duty Never Ends

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Feb 23, 2009

A FATHER'S DUTY NEVER ENDS I went to a Saturday matinee showing of that great Sidney Poitier movie, "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?" and I reveled in that confrontation between Poitier’s world-renowned doctor character and his inner-city postman father. The postman father plays the "I sacrificed ...read more

Tags: Father's Day

Denomination: *other

Alcoholics Anonymous

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 23, 2009

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS By 1934, alcoholic Bill Wilson had ruined a promising Wall Street career because of his constant drunkenness. He was introduced to the idea of a spiritual cure by an old drinking buddy Ebby Thacher. While in a hospital, Wilson underwent what he believed to be a spiritual ...read more

Tags: Alcohol

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Same Gospel For The Same ...

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Feb 26, 2009

“The Same Gospel for the Same Needs” Some months after our arrival in China, an old experienced missionary came to my husband with the following advice: “Do not attempt to speak of Jesus the first time on preaching to a heathen audience. The Chinese have a prejudice against the name of Jesus. ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Christian Church

Don't Tape The Trees

Contributed by Hugh W. Davidson on Mar 13, 2009

DON'T TAPE THE TREES I was talking to a man a few years back, and he told me how he used to have a farm and how he had tried to grow different things to make money. Well, one day he said he hired a young guy to mow his lawn ,but he explained to him that he had just planted about fifty Christmas ...read more

Tags: Lies

Denomination: Baptist

Best Speeding-Ticket Excuse

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 16, 2009

BEST SPEEDING-TICKET EXCUSE A convention of Arkansas State troopers was asked to submit the best excuse they’d ever heard for someone trying to get out of a speeding ticket. The winning entry was submitted by a trooper who clocked a semi-tractor truck speeding down the interstate. The trooper ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jesus The Perfect Man  PRO

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 3, 2016

Harry Ironside, the Bible teacher, told of a visit to Palestine years ago by a man named Joseph Flax. He had an opportunity to address a gathering of Jews and Arabs and took for the subject of his address the first Psalm. He read it and then he asked the question: "Who is this blessed man of whom ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-6

Tags: Wisdom, Perfection

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Cross Is The Attraction

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Sep 8, 2016

The famous first national Salvationist here in Sri Lanka, Arnolis Weerasooriya whose picture we all walk past every day said something about the cross. Can you remember reading it, it is on his picture. That’s right he said, “Cross is the attraction.” He died from cholera some years later on the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:20-28

Tags: Suffering, Enduring Suffering, Proclaiming

Denomination: Salvation Army

Overcoming Evil With Good; David, Saul, And God

Contributed by Nickolas Kooi on Aug 30, 2017

King Saul tried to kill David numerous times. When Saul would be in David’s hand, David would refrain from showing him evil. Instead, he would spare Saul. He showed respect for his office of king, which led him to showing the mercy that Saul didn’t deserve. Sometimes, this led Saul to seeing ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:17-21

Tags: Mercy, Revenge, Good, Overcome Evil

Denomination: Lutheran

Lesson In Giving

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Dec 27, 2017

Many years ago I took my wife to Walmart Christmas shopping. I can’t keep up with her. It was a beautiful, warm day so I went outside and sat on a bench and waited. There was a large wooden box and it had TOYS for TOTS painted on the side. A brand new large Lincoln Continental pulled up and a boy ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8

Tags: Giving, Leftovers

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Ugly Woman

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Jul 25, 2018

Main Idea: God was willing to pay a high price to redeem you because He thinks you are valuable. Verse: “You are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31 NKJV). Illustration: In Africa, a groom must pay a bride price to a woman’s father in order to marry a woman. Usually, this dowry ...read more

Tags: Valuable, Value To God, You Are Valuable

Denomination: Charismatic

Why Its Called An Idiot Light

Contributed by Larry Hinkle on Jun 12, 2020

Six months after I bought my first car, the "service engine" light came on. I called my dad from college, "What does that service engine light mean? Can I still drive it, or do I need to fix something?" He chuckled and said, it was an idiot light, "It is set to trigger ...read more

Scripture: John 16:8, Acts 2:38

Tags: Discipleship, Warning, Conscience, Conviction, Maintenance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

No One Thanked Him.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 2, 2020

Back in 1860, an excursion boat on Lake Michigan collided with a freighter and began to sink less than a mile from the shore. Hundreds of passengers began screaming as they leaped into the icy water. Edward Spencer was a student at a nearby seminary, and he ran down to the beach to see what he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Selfishness, Depression

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Obstacles To The Goal

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 29, 2021

COLLEGE: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE HIT REAL HARD. ROY RIEGELS WILL FOREVER BE KNOWN AS “WRONG WAY ROY.” Roy played for the University of California from 1927 to 1929. Back then freshmen and sophomores never played on varsity. On January 1, 1929 Roy played in the ROSE BOWL. The GOLDEN ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:12-15, Matthew 13:45

Tags: Goal, Obstacle

Denomination: Assembly Of God

A Great Thanksgiving Illustration

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 14, 2021

Back in 1860, an excursion boat on Lake Michigan collided with a freighter and began to sink less than a mile from the shore. Hundreds of passengers began screaming as they leaped into the icy water. Edward Spencer was a student at a nearby seminary, and he ran down to the beach to see what he ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving, Gratitude

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Trust Issues

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jul 18, 2022

John 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. As I ...read more

Scripture: John 2:23-25

Tags: Trust, Opposition, Betrayal, Brethren, Opposers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Brooklyn Bridge Scam

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 13, 2022

The greatest con artist in American history was George C. Parker. After the Brooklyn Bridge opened in NYC in 1883, George C. Parker saw a tourist admiring it, so he decided to try selling it to him. It was so easy, he decided to sell it again. Over a period of years he averaged selling the Brooklyn ...read more

Tags: Sin, Deception, Cheating, Fraud, Liars, Bewitched  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Powerful Illustration For A Funeral

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 13, 2022

There is an old story of a king and his clown or “jester” who sometimes said very foolish things. One day the jester had said something so foolish that the king handing him a staff, said to him: “Take this, and keep it till you find a bigger fool than yourself.” “Some years later, the king lay on ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 14:1

Tags: Evangelism, Death, Salvation, Lost, Time, Fools, Funerals  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Praying For Enemies

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

I once invited a guest lecturer to speak to a counseling class I was teaching and asked him to specifically discuss the topic of forgiveness. He told a powerful story from his own life that day to illustrate his point that we should forgive. His brother had many struggles, and one day there was a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-45

Tags: Death, Forgiveness

The Amazing Story Of The Waldorf-Astoria

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 12, 2023

One stormy night an elderly couple entered the lobby of a small hotel and asked for a room. The clerk said they were filled, as were all the hotels in town. "But I can't send a fine couple like you out in the rain," he said. "Would you be willing to sleep in my room?" The ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Sacrifice, Holy Spirit, Faithfulness, Rewards, Fruit Of The Spirit, Spirit Filled Life, Unselfishness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Percentage Will Go To Heaven?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 21, 2023

[Pastor Clendennen speaking:] For many years, in the church I pastored, we had an all-night prayer meeting the last Friday night of every month. One such Friday night, out of four-hundred members, there were forty-one of us present. As I was praying, I heard this Word from the Lord: “You are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:40-42, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Revelation 1:7

Tags: Rapture, Bride Of Christ, Return Of Jesus

Denomination: Charismatic