In Sermon Illustrations: "Take Off"

I Would Like To Share A Short Story With You ...

Contributed by Kent Mishleau on Apr 5, 2010

I would like to share a short story with you about a young man who was to write a PhD dissertation about the Navajo Indians. He was from Indiana and had never met or seen one of these and so knew little to nothing about them. So it was decided that he would go to live with a family of the Navajo on ...read more

Tags: Trust, Learning

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Australia Is In The Middle Of Grand Final Fever ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Oct 1, 2010

Australia is in the middle of GRAND FINAL FEVER with the NRL - THE DRAGONS VS THE ROOSTERS. What are the characteristics needed for those chosen to be the warriors of this battle? What is it that will win the game and bring victory? What will provide the competitive edge that guarantees success in ...read more

Tags: Restoration

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seeing You For Real

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2011

SEEING YOU FOR REAL Just a few years ago, Leadership Journal did an interview with Saul Cruz, who along with his wife founded Armonia (Harmony) Ministries in Mexico City. They minister to hundreds of poor people all over Mexico today, but they began their ministry by planting a church on the edge ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:17-19

Tags: Servanthood

Getting Your Hands Dirty: Grandma's Apron

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 12, 2011

GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY: GRANDMA'S APRON There are all sorts of "questionably clean" things that spread love and give meaning to our lives. Does anyone this morning remember a grandma or great-grandma swathed in a big all-enveloping apron? Not some perky little decorative thing worn on Christmas. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:25-28

Tags: Love, Servanthood

The Bottom Line

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

THE BOTTOM LINE A dairy farmer went to buy a new pickup truck. He had seen an ad in the paper about discounts and factory rebates, so he decided to trade in his old clunker. He chose a new model and was ready to write the check for the full amount. The salesman said, "Wait, I haven't given you the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24-28

Tags: Discipleship

He'll Always Catch You

Contributed by Bryce Thorpe on May 17, 2012

HE'LL ALWAYS CATCH YOU I love to play with my kids. Even as they have gotten older, they bring me a great deal of joy. But, I confess, it was easier when they were young. Especially my daughter, now 21, used to love it when I threw her in the air. But, as you might guess, that wasn't always ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Baptist

The Holy Spirit In The Movies—the Apostle

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2012

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE MOVIES--THE APOSTLE In 1983 Robert Duvall wanted to make The Apostle because he felt that the motion picture industry had mostly ignored the work of the Holy Spirit. According to Duvall, filmmakers hardly ever made a movie that would actually show the truth about the Holy ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Julie Hadden: Precious To God

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 12, 2013

JULIE HADDEN: PRECIOUS TO GOD Julie Hadden, Winner of Season 4 of the TV show the Biggest Loser, told her story in a 2009 issue of Guideposts: I went to the auditions and made it on the show. Our first challenge was a race across California's Mojave Desert. First two contestants to get to the ...read more

Tags: God's Love, Human Life

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Life Of Pi

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Mar 28, 2013

LIFE OF PI The movie "Life of Pi" is a deeply religious film. The story opens with a discussion between a writer and a man from India who shares a fascinating story. The man has come to Pi because a friend told him that "Pi has a story that will make you believe in God." Pi tells the story of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:38-42

Tags: Apologetics Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

Suffering & The Riches Of His Glory

Contributed by Michael Grant on Sep 3, 2016

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,  even us whom He called, not ...read more

Scripture: Romans 9:22-24

Tags: God's Glory

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Builds The Spiritual House Through Jesus Christ

Contributed by Matthew Redder on May 21, 2018

Have you ever shopped at Home Depot? Lowes? Or some other home repair-improvement type store? If you have you've inevitably seen the piles of lumber tossed aside that are broken, cracked, warped, crooked, or just plain look bad. These piles of lumber go ignored as faithful builders go for the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-5

Tags: Living Stones, Spiritual House, Chosen In Christ, Building, Chosen By God, Chosen People  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Broken

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on May 6, 2019

Broken Windows … (Little improvements can make a big difference) Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones. One ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13

Tags: Community, Hope

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do We Have A Mouse's Heart?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Aug 6, 2021

ABRACADABRA--- THE MAGICIAN AND THE MOUSE… There was a very fearful mouse that heard a very famous and powerful magician was coming to town. The mouse was so happy, his fearful life of worry could change if he could get to the magician. The date arrived and the mouse was so afraid but he ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-6, John 6:5-9

Tags: Attitude, Heart

Denomination: Assembly Of God

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

The Most Incredible Miracle!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 14, 2021

Four police officers who helped rescue a baby from an overturned car in a Utah river in March 2015 claim that they heard an unexplained voice calling from the car. The accident occurred after a car driven by Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, ran off the road and into the Spanish Fork River. Her ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-39

Tags: Healing, Angels, Miracles, God's Will, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cost Of Redemption - Hosea Buys Back Gomer

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 27, 2022

One man started the bidding: “12 pieces of silver!” “13!” Said Hosea. “14 pieces of silver!” Hosea’s bid was “15!” The low bidders were beginning to drop out, but one man continued bidding: “15 pieces of silver and five bushels of barley!” Hosea said, “15 pieces of silver, 5 bushels of barley and a ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 3:1-5, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 8:38

Tags: Hosea, Redemption, Covenant Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Five Thousand Fishes And Two Thousand Loves?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 6, 2022

• A young preacher graduated from Bible College and was invited back to his home congregation to preach a sermon. He wanted to make a good impression. He did his best to prepare to preach to his home church. He wrote his sermon word for word and memorized it. He had a very dramatic beginning to the ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-14

Tags: Jesus, Miracles, Sermons, Preacher Jokes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

Great Britain Followed France's Lead And Closes ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Great Britain followed France’s lead and closes their borders, but once again, they were too late. South Hampton, Liverpool, North Hampton, all reported cases of mystery flu by nightfall. The authorities explain that from all indications a person can be infected for up to a week without even ...read more

Tags: Apologetics The Bible