In Sermon Illustrations: "Take No Thought"

The Artist And The Gardener

Contributed by Matthew Carpenter on Apr 1, 2011

THE ARTIST AND THE GARDENER Both the artist and the gardener begin with contemplation, paying close attention to what is already there. The gardner looks carefully at the landscape; the existing plants, both flowers and weeds; the way the sun falls on the land, and so on. The artist regards their ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Baptist

Carnival Christians

Contributed by Major Gerardo Balmori on Apr 2, 2011

CARNIVAL CHRISTIANS What’s a "Carnival Christian?" A Carnival Christian is someone who enjoys the fun. Someone who gets caught up in the excitement of cheering for Jesus, but sometimes has a hard time taking a personal stand for him when the crowd isn’t around. Commitments for them are difficult ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Salvation Army

Proof Of Who He Is

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 14, 2011

PROOF OF WHO HE IS This reminds me of the three lunatics in an insane asylum: The first lunatic said to the second, "Did you know that I'm Napoleon Bonaparte?" Indignantly, the second lunatic replied, "I beg your pardon! It just so happens that I am Napoleon Bonaparte!" The first one said, "Oh ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Baptist

Living Stones

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on May 22, 2011

LIVING STONES I have to tell ya, I’m so proud of my baby girl. She's working on a project for the school’s science-fair by growing citrine crystals in the basement. What normally takes thousands of years to do in nature; chemists have somehow been able to reproduce in a matter of weeks. I think ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Lutheran

Trapped On A Tram

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Jun 1, 2011

TRAPPED ON A TRAM It was a beautiful sunny day in Ostrava, Czech Republic, a city of 300,000. It was 1995, and I had just moved there to take an intense Czech language course. After half a day of Czech grammar, I was tired. I got on the tram and spaced out for my 20-minute ride to the suburbs ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Lutheran

Revenge In Witnessing

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jun 10, 2011

REVENGE IN WITNESSING Yubis was filled with grief and didn't know where to turn. Yubis' husband--a pastor--was brutally murdered as a martyr in Colombia for his faith and teachings of Jesus Christ. As a result, their two-year-old daughter was despondent--and she stopped speaking. She would only ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Disposable Guilt Bags

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

DISPOSABLE GUILT BAGS Several years ago a new product called "Disposable Guilt Bags" appeared in the supermarkets. It consisted of a set of ten ordinary brown bags on which were printed the following instructions: "Place the bag securely over your mouth, take a deep breath and blow all your guilt ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-5

Tags: Guilt

Picking The Wrong Door

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 31, 2011

PICKING THE WRONG DOOR Stuart Briscoe, in his book Everyday Discipleship for Ordinary People, tells the story about a fellow pastor who was officiating at the funeral of a war veteran. The dead man’s military friends wanted to have a part in the service at the funeral home, so they requested that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-5

Tags: Leadership General

The Agenda Of The Coach

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

THE AGENDA OF THE COACH LSU tackle Drake Nevis was the anchor of the defensive line for LSU last year. Listen to what Defensive Coordinator John Chavis said about Nevis before the draft: "Folks are going to fall in love with him. When you get a guy that has the athletic ability he does and ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Methodist

Time To A Pig

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 7, 2011

TIME TO A PIG Reminds me of a man who was walking past a farm, and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most extraordinary manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another ...read more

Tags: Time

Denomination: Baptist

Years Ago I Read An Autobiography Of A Lady ...

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 2, 2012

Years ago I read an autobiography of a lady named Patty Roberts. She had been the wife of Richard Roberts and the daughter in law of Oral Roberts. She and Richard were often the musical portion of Oral Roberts television specials. Patty had a simple faith and struggled with the financial aspect ...read more

Tags: False Teaching

First-Century Fire

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on May 16, 2012

FIRST-CENTURY FIRE Billy Graham, that great and uncompromising preacher, once in a Revival meeting held at Los Angeles, shared a passionate message on the Early Church, outlining what needs to be done for the Churches of modern era to become more effective. While many were moved by it, some ...read more

Tags: Pentecost

Denomination: *other

Worship Warrior  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 17, 2012

WORSHIP WARRIOR I like the way songwriter and worship leader, Brian Doerksen, puts it. He says, "Becoming a worshipper means becoming a warrior... And by toning that down...we have sent men and women away from the church in droves. It's time to call them back," Doerksen says, "as worshiping ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Worship Definition

What Will Your Legacy Be?  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Van Wyk on Feb 24, 2013

WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE? I visited the home of Elvis in Graceland, Tennessee. After so many years after his death, I was amazed at the crowds of people that take the tour and listen to his life’s story. The sad thing is, the story will never change, because he has lived his life and what he has ...read more

Tags: Opportunity

Denomination: Charismatic

Nasa, Britons And The Chicken

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 4, 2013

Sometimes it DOES take a rocket scientist. 
 Scientists at NASA have developed a gun built specifically to launch dead chickens at the windshields of airliners, military jets and the space shuttle, all traveling at maximum velocity. The idea is to simulate the frequent incidents of ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Little Things Can Change The Direction Of Big Things

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2014

Tim George gave the example of two warships that had the largest full-load displacement in the world: U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. The USS Nimitz and Dwight D. Eisenhower each weigh about 91,000 tons. They are over 1,000 feet long and can travel over 30 knots per hour, powered by engines that can ...read more

Scripture: James 3:1-12

Tags: Ship, Tongue

Forgiveness For Everyone?

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

Lloyd Prator writes, “Take Adolph Hitler or better Joseph Stalin because he killed more people. What if, at the last minute, as Stalin lay dying, he turned his heart to Jesus and confessed his sins? Suppose he repented at the last minute, repented of the 14 million Russians Stalin killed… Would he ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Tags: Forgiveness, Repentance

Denomination: Methodist

Door Of Hope

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2015

There is a small metal door painted white in the side of a tiny mission church in Johannesburg South Africa. This door is changing lives. On it are painted the words “door of hope.” That is exactly what it is for various babies within the city. On average some forty to fifty babies were being ...read more

Scripture: John 10:7-10

Tags: Hope, Jesus The Door, Rescuing Babies

If Marriage Is That Much Work.......lol

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 24, 2016

IF MARRIAGE IS THAT MUCH WORK........LOL Because of a shortage of maids, the minister’s wife advertised for a male servant to help around the house. The next morning, a nicely dressed young man came to the front door of the parsonage. The minister opened the door and jumped right into the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:1-23

Tags: Marriage, Humor, Husbands And Wives, Jokes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Smelly Man

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

Main Idea: The only thing that can wash away sin is the blood of Jesus. Verse: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV). Illustration: A smelly man came to visit me. He needed a bath so bad. He wanted to hug me and talk to me. I ...read more

Tags: Blood Of Jesus, Wash Away Sin, Sin

Denomination: Charismatic