In Sermon Illustrations: "Take Stock"

British Clergyman Repudiates The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

British Clergyman Repudiates the Church’s Traditional Understanding of the Cross The Very Reverend Dr. Jeffrey Philip Hywel John believes that the church’s traditional understanding of the cross of Christ is both “repulsive” and “insane.” His comments in the spring of 2007 about the cross ignited a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Tags: Cross, False Doctrine

Thought Control.  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jun 2, 2010

Thought Control. What thought? Every thought. The one I have about the Ford Mark One Zephyr that I would like to one day own, the one about how angry I get with repeating a request that someone shuts the door behind them, the thought about how I’d like that last slice of chocolate cake that is for ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:5

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Salvation Army

Eileen's Story  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 25, 2011

EILEEN'S STORY "In an article in Campus Life a young nurse writes of her pilgrimage in learning to see in a patient the image of God beneath a very 'distressing disguise.' "Eileen was one of her first patients, a person who was totally helpless. 'A cerebral aneurysm (broken blood vessels in the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:10-17, Luke 18:18-30, Mark 12:38-44

Tags: Compassion, Sanctification, Impossible

The Empty Gift

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2011

THE EMPTY GIFT 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 ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Christmas

How Much Land?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2011

HOW MUCH LAND? In his 1886 short story "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" Leo Tolstoy shows how a continual desire for more can ultimately cause us to lose everything. The main character of the story is a peasant named Pahóm, who at the beginning can be heard complaining that he does not own ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Tags: Greed

The Lost Son

Contributed by Brent Kirby on May 27, 2011

THE LOST SON A young boy, around the age of eight, lived in Alaska with his parents. His dad was the Boy Scout leader of the area. The troop of the young boy decided to go mountain climbing up a two mile high mountain called Bald Eagle. The boy loved to climb and made a competition with the other ...read more

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son

Denomination: Wesleyan

Airport Security And The Presence Of God

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 23, 2011

AIRPORT SECURITY AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD Airport inspections are more thorough than they used to be, and lines are longer. They also have X-ray machines for the checked baggage. Fortunately the standards aren't so stringent for that category, so you may arrive at the other end still owning a ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:2

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Ant, The Prayer, And The Contact Lens  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

THE ANT, THE PRAYER, AND THE CONTACT LENS A true story: Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 7:7, Revelation 2:8

Tags: Prayer Answered

Faster And Faster  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

FASTER AND FASTER Does anyone here know who "Million Dollar Bill" is? If you guessed Bill Gates, then you would be wrong. Another nickname is "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville." In the year 1987, at Talladega Motor Speedway, Bill Elliot set the fastest recorded speed for a qualifying lap at 212.809 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:3-9, John 20:1-11

Tags: Forgiveness, Patience, Time

Facing Down A Mountain Lion  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 14, 2011

FACING DOWN A MOUNTAIN LION Did you know that in the United States, mountain lions are the number one predator of human beings? So says author and naturalist, Craig Childs. On one occasion, he was doing research on the lions in Arizona’s Blue Range Wilderness. As he approached a water hole from ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7

Tags: Satan

Small Things With Great Love

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE Gary Morsch is the founder of Heart to Heart in Kansas City. As a physician, he has done magnificient work around the world taking medical supplies to low income people. Several years ago, he took a trip to Calcutta and Mother Teresa's House for the Destitute Dying. He ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Methodist

One Life At A Time: Rudy's Story

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

ONE LIFE AT A TIME: RUDY'S STORY Rudy Rasmus learned the family business from his father when he was just five years old. His dad brought home a set of blueprints and unveiled his business plans. He said, "This a motel and other people's husbands are going to come and give us money to spend time ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-31

Tags: Conversion, Testimonies About Jesus

Denomination: Methodist

The Heaviest Loads

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 30, 2011

THE HEAVIEST LOADS N. T. Wright, in writing about this passage (Mt 23:1-12), tells the story of trying to prepare for a hiking and camping trip. He went to an outfitter who took him around the store showing him everything he would need. The salesman recommended a good sleeping bag and a durable ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Methodist

Simple Solutions

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 1, 2011

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10

Tags: Ambition

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 27, 2012

THE CONSCIENCE A. Quotes on the Conscience J. I. Packer—There are two sorts of sick consciences, those that are not aware enough of sin and those that are not aware enough of pardon. Anonymous—‘Let your conscience be your guide’ is only valid if God’s Word is guiding your conscience. Elton ...read more

Scripture: Acts 24:14-16

Tags: Conscience

Brett Favre's Perseverance

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2012

BRETT FAVRE'S PERSEVERANCE The man, the myth, the legend was born in a tiny rural Mississippi town called Kiln, population 2,040. As a grandson of a Choctaw Indian, he played strong safety, kicker, punter, and quarterback for his high school team that passed less than five times a game. Favre ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Tags: Endurance

The Story Of Bertha Smith

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 27, 2013

Bertha Smith is a name that we are not familiar with. Bertha Smith was a missionary many years ago in China. There was an uprising throughout China at that time and the Christian missionaries were forced to leave their congregations and flee to coastal cities for safety. Many of them, while ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hand Motions For The 10 Commandments  PRO

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 10, 2016

HAND MOTIONS FOR THE 10 COMMANDMENTS Here are some easy to learn hand motions I have learned as I started my new teaching series on the Ten Commandments ("The Big Ten"). I believe it will help you and your church family remember the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20: COMMANDMENT #1 You shall have ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17

Tags: Exodus, Ten Commandments, Memorizing The Word

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gift Of Grace And Forgiveness In Our Time Of Greatest Need

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Julian Silva tells the story of working in a Volunteer Corp’s Chaplain Office in Frankfurt, Germany where he met a German named, Carl Scholtz. During WW II, Carl served as a Nazi soldier but not believing in what he was doing, he tried to desert. He failed in his attempt, was captured and thrown ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Denomination: Methodist

A Little Thing Caused A Big Problem!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 7, 2020

My car was due for an oil change so I drove it to the same place where I had gone for several years. After all, they knew me and I trusted them and I’ve never had a problem. A few minutes later, the car was tasting some fresh oil and I was good to go for a while! Except—something happened in the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8, Hebrews 12:1

Tags: Alertness, Consequences, Sins

Denomination: Baptist