In Sermon Illustrations: "Stories"

Can't Wait Until Morning  PRO

Contributed by Steve Gallimore on Aug 28, 2008

Can't Wait Until Morning Dr. W. A Criswell, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas Texas, said on one occasion on an airplane flight he found himself seated beside a well-known theologian. He desperately wanted to start a conversation and they did get to talk. The man told Dr. Criswell about ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:1

Tags: Death, Glory, Heaven, Salvation, Hope, Funeral  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Person God Blesses

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

THE PERSON GOD BLESSES First, what do we notice about the Person God blesses. A. The person God blesses has had a conversion to God's ways. Where do I get this concept? I get it from Abram’s name change. When we first meet him he is known as "Abram." After an encounter with God (Gen. 17:5) he is ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

The Box Is Empty

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

THE BOX IS EMPTY God offers us more than this world does, but most of us never take the time to see it. There was a 15-year old boy named Joey, whose mother died at birth. She was a severe alcoholic, and that had affected his pre-natal development. The result was that he was slightly retarded. ...read more

Tags: Worldliness

See You In The Morning.  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

"SEE YOU IN THE MORNING." Dr. W. A Criswell, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas Texas, said on one occasion on an airplane flight he found himself seated beside a well-known theologian. He desperately wanted to start a conversation and they did get to talk. The man told Dr. Criswell ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:18

Tags: God In The Hardships

Little Ones To Him Belong

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Feb 21, 2009

LITTLE ONES TO HIM BELONG Author Keith Miller tells of an outgoing 40-year-old woman who was part of a sharing group he led. Here is her story: "When I was a tiny little girl, my parents died, and I was put in an orphanage. I was not pretty at all, and no one seemed to want me. But I longed to ...read more

Tags: Adoption

Denomination: Wesleyan

De-Evangelizing The Neighborhood

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2022

A few years ago I heard a story of a church that looked as though they were really thriving. They had about 500 people attending, had many outreach ministries reaching their community, and many people were coming to Christ and to church through their ministry. The problem was that the church was ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25

Tags: Fellowship, Community, Small Groups

God Has To Judge All People But All Have A Choice!

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Nov 6, 2022

Genesis 6:11-22 Devotional v11-12.. original Hebrew word for “corrupt” alludes to “going to ruin” Why was the earth “going to ruin”? • Full of violence….. malicious (a desire to cause harm) and wrong • All the people “corrupted” their ways v13: God calls Noah! Why? – there are many ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 6:11-22

Tags: Love, Salvation, Flood, Judgment, Free Will  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Dying For Treasure

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Aug 11, 2023

Have you ever heard about a man named Forrest Fenn? Forrest Fenn was a pilot in the US Air Force, earning the rank of Major and awarded the Silver Star for his sermon in Vietnam, which flew 328 combat missions within a year. After his service to his country, he ran an art gallery where he made his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24

Tags: Money, Treasure

Denomination: Brethren

Taking Out A Loan To Pay God

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 13, 2023

There was an older man in my church in Texas who came to me with tears in his eyes after a sermon I preached on tithing. He said, "Pastor, thank you for telling our people the truth about how God can bless you when you are obedient to His Word." He wiped a tear and said, "Pastor, I ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Stewardship, Repentance, Tithing, Brokenness, Forgivness, Loans, Giving  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Can't Believe A Single Word He Says!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 4, 2023

A guy sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale." He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees an old black mutt just sitting there. "You talk?" he asks. "Yep," the mutt replies. "So, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:15

Tags: False Teachers, Lies, Liars, Discernment, Truth, Preaching, Last Days  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Celebrate The Victory

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Jun 29, 2024

Opal Stout, of Cottageville, West Virginia wrote, "When the fireworks display began on the Fourth of July, my six-year-old nephew became so frightened I had to take him home. As we drove away, he said, "I bet God is mad at those people shooting at him!" (Christian Reader, "Kids ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:57, Psalm 98:1, 1 John 5:4

Tags: Fourth Of July, Celebrate, Victory In Jesus, Voltaire

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thank You, God, For Sending A Professional!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 8, 2024

As I was gathering my sermon, I couldn’t help thinking about a story of a little girl who was home alone and ill. She called her mother at work and told her, “Momma, I need you and I need you really bad.” This mother asked to get off work and frantically rushed down to the corner drug store to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Prayer, Thanks, Humor, Miracles, Gratitude, Thieves, Answered Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Good Man Wants To Get Into Heaven

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 21, 2024

I was recently at the gym having a conversation with someone I just met. Within a matter of 10 minutes, I realized that this man was a better man than me. He had volunteered in more countries than I could count in 10 minutes of our conversation. He was a teacher, he served the poor in many ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 3:23

Tags: Grace, Justification, Good Works, Works Righteousness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Sin Of Achan

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 3, 2025

We struggle with someone suffering for the actions of another. In that day, they were not so individualistic as we are in this Western World. Whenever I share the Sin of Achan from the book of Joshua, modern folks like to protest. Here’s the story: The Israelites are given a great victory over ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 7:5, Joshua 7:24-26

Tags: Sin, Consequences

Denomination: Methodist

The King Who Humbled Himself

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Dec 1, 2025

In John's Gospel, Jesus shared these words: BIBLE "If I your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash each other's feet." Jesus did this as an example. Then Jesus took the bread and the cup and set another example. "Do this, in remembrance of me." ...read more

Scripture: John 13:14, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:27

Tags: Blood, Body, King, Visit, Humbled  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

[303]. A Message From A Poem - They Did This To My Saviour Lord - Easter

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 3, 2026

[303]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THEY DID THIS TO MY SAVIOUR LORD This is not a complex poem and is written with Easter in view. It recounts some of the events of the Trial and hearing before Pilate. I have put a refrain into this poem, but I am not sure if it is one to be sung. Here and there ...read more

Scripture: John 19:1-3

Tags: Jesus Mocked, Jesus On Trial, Christian Poem, The False Trial, Jesus Scourged, The Crown Of Thorns, Easter, Pilate, Jesus Before Pilate  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

After Church…  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 20, 2001

AFTER CHURCH... There he stood, in the midst of the Golden Corral restaurant, with Thousand Island dressing dripping from his hair, over his glasses, down his face, all over his jacket, pants, & shoes. And I’m not talking about a little bit of Thousand Island dressing, I’m talking about 2 gallons ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-17

Tags: Children, Hypocrisy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Robert Fulghum In It Was On Fire When I Lay Down ...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Sharpes on Dec 18, 2001

Robert Fulghum in It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, tells a story involving his daughter, Molly. One day, as Fulghum was ready to leave for work, Molly handed him two brown paper sacks. In one was his lunch. What was in the other was a mystery. When Fulghum asked Molly what was in the mystery ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Nazarene

Sowing Seeds Of Peace  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Feb 11, 2002

SOWING SEEDS OF PEACE In Europe, 1934, Hitler’s plague of anti-Semitism was infecting a continent. Some would escape it. Some would die from it. But eleven-year-old Heinz would learn from it. He would learn the power of sowing seeds of peace. Heinz was a Jew. The Bavarian village of Fourth, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:11-15

Tags: God Brings Hope, Peace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Praying For Reagan  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 29, 2002

PRAYING FOR REAGAN Peggy Noonan, in her book "When Character Was King" shares a facinating story about President Reagan and his belief in Prayer: "'Do you know about his ulcer?' Nancy Reagan asked me. We were talking about his early days in the governship. He came home a few months into ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence, Worry, Prayer Adoration, Prayer General