In Sermon Illustrations: "Talk"

At Night No One Would See Him (Nicodemus). At ...  PRO

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Feb 18, 2013

At night no one would see him (Nicodemus). At night he would avoid awkward questions from the other religious leaders. At night he could spend time with Jesus without anyone knowing. If he could speak with Jesus at night when no one was around, maybe he could begin a relationship with Jesus ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-18

Tags: Jesus Christ, Chain

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Effective Greeting

Contributed by Richard Tow on Nov 17, 2020

We are to connect with other people in an attractive way. Evangelism depends on it. The unity of the Body of Christ depends on it. When we lived in Kansas City, we visited Impact Church. As we walked into the foyer of that large church, we were greeted by a lady who drew us in immediately. She ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:21-23, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, Romans 15:7  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Outreach, Acceptance, Inclusiveness, Greet, Friendliness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Putting God First

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Mar 18, 2022

I woke up this one morning recently around 7am which is fairly late for me, still very tired, and about 10 minutes into reading the Word trying to drink my coffee to wake up, I knew I would not be able to stay awake through all my prayers at that level of fatigue. But I was trying to make sure in ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:16, Psalm 63:1

Tags: God First, Seek God Early, Word Of God, Priorities

Denomination: Charismatic

I Have A Video Tape Of My Favorite Basketball ...

Contributed by Art Good on Nov 6, 2008

I have a video tape of my favorite basketball player of all time. His name is Larry Bird. The name of the tape is “Winning Basketball”. The tape is all about the various skills that are needed to be successful at the game of basketball. It’s sort of an instructional video to make the viewer ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Denomination: Wesleyan

How Can We Be A Friend To The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

How Can We Be A Friend To The Suffering? 1. We can be there for them. 2. We can feel their pain. 3. We can encourage them. 4. We can listen more than we talk. 5. We can be honest: I don’t know… don’t try to explain everything. 6. We can look beyond their faults and look to their needs. 7. We can ...read more

Tags: Ot Characters

He Turned To Us

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

HE TURNED TO US Some years ago, the news service carried a story about a dramatic rescue. A California Highway Patrol officer received a call. It seems a woman was about to jump off a bridge. Immediately the officer, a woman herself, was confronted with a dilemma. This police officer had an ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Our Topic Today Is Worship And Service. I'd Like ...

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Jan 29, 2009

Our topic today is worship and service. I’d like to begin by telling a true story that happened to Reverend Forrest I. Sears. He writes: Wilma had been a member of our church for many, many years. In her later years she needed the assistance of a cane to help in walking. As she was talking ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Misunderstandings Can Be Hilarious

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 6, 2022

Misunderstandings happen all the time. Here are some: My toddler was about to hit her head on a bar at the playground, so I told her to duck. She quacked at me and then hit her head. A guy ran into a service station and said he needed some 710. They had no idea what he was talking about. So he ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-11

Tags: Humor, Too Literal, Literal, Misunderstanding, Miscommunication  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

John Powell, A Professor At Loyola University In ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 9, 2002

John Powell, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago writes about a student named Tommy in his Theology of Faith class: Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith. That was the day I first saw Tommy. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

The Following Words Come From The Language Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Rick Stacy on Mar 24, 2002

The following words come from THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE, by Gary Smalley and John Trent: His leaving had been abrupt and unforeseen. His wife had come home from shopping one day and found the note on the refrigerator. The words were brief and cold. He was tired of trying to make their marriage work. He ...read more

Tags: Divorce, Marriage Struggle

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Have A Friend Who Works With A Church In ...  PRO

Contributed by Jeremy Houck on Jul 26, 2005

I have a friend who works with a church in Nashville. He was telling us a few weeks ago about a lady at his church who was really convicted by what she had been reading in the scriptures and hearing at church. She felt that she has no other choice but to take the love of God out to a dying world ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Why Is The F*** Word And And The Sh** Word Used ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jan 7, 2010

"Why is the F*** word and and the Sh** word used so freely today? Jesus doesn’t directly include this in what He says about oaths in Matthew 5 but it is there by way of application and other passages enlarge on this area of sin, so I am taking a detour. The spirit of what Jesus is saying in Matthew ...read more

Tags: Tongue, Swearing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Power Of God's Word In The Workplace

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD IN THE WORKPLACE For nine years I had worked with the same group of men on a loading dock, loading and unloading trucks. It was hard physical work, but very mundane and we all found it quite boring. Since the work was so mindless, I would find myself in philosophical ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:24

Tags: Bible Influence

Lee Thomas On Praying For The Lost

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

LEE THOMAS ON PRAYING FOR THE LOST Prayer is really the starting place for all of our evangelistic efforts. We need to be like Paul in Romans 10:1, when he said: "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved." *Lee Thomas is a great teacher on praying for the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 10:1

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Today I Am A Horse, Dear God, Did You Have To ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Dec 12, 2000

"Today I am a horse, Dear God, did you have to make my poor old horse lose his shoe just before the Sabbath? That wasn't nice. It's enough you pick on me, Tevye, bless me with 5 daughters, a life of poverty. What have You got against my horse? Sometimes I think when things are too quiet up there, ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:19

Tags: Finding Fulfillment, Human Body, Peace

Denomination: Lutheran

I Love Jesus—and Buddha Too  PRO

Contributed by Dan Erickson on Nov 21, 2000

I LOVE JESUS--AND BUDDHA TOO I’ve made my choice," wrote the basketball star. "I love Jesus Christ and I try to serve Him to the best of my ability. How about you?" No, those are not the words of David Robinson, A. C. Green or any other Christian currently playing in the NBA. That testimony is ...read more

Tags: Apologetics General, Holiness, World Religions

Denomination: Baptist

88% Of Americans Gamble In Some Form. 95% Lose ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2001

88% of Americans gamble in some form. 95% lose more than they bet. Winners get back less than half of what they bet. No one in his or her right mind would invest in anything with such a loss record. Statisticians have shown that a person is more likely to survive 88 rounds of Russian roulette than ...read more

A Ship's Mate Once Challenged A Chaplain With ...  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 27, 2001

A ship’s mate once challenged a chaplain with the question, “How is it that you are always talking to my men about Jesus Christ? Did you ever see Him?” “No, I never did,” was the reply. “Then how can you tell a man to trust in someone you have never seen? I can’t see any sense in that.” ...read more

Scripture: Judges 21:1-6

Tags: Faith, Faith General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Indian Jones And The Last Crusade Is One Of My ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on Jan 22, 2002

Indian Jones and the Last Crusade is one of my favorite movies—it’s great entertainment but it packs a powerful punch of a message about finding happiness and joy [Show the clip toward the end of the movie when Elsa has fallen to her death grasping for the grail and then Indiana nearly dies as he ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Fulfillment, God's Provision

Denomination: United Methodist

Years Ago When I Was Doing Youth Ministry, We ...  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Rogers on Feb 21, 2002

Years ago when I was doing youth ministry, we received applications from students who wanted to go on a mission trip. The missionary we were helping only had accommodations for a certain number to go, so the applications allowed the youth ministry sponsors to select the final team of students ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ