In Sermon Illustrations: "The Facts Of Life"

The Tin—untold Riches

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 7, 2009

THE TIN--UNTOLD RICHES In the late nineteenth Century in South Africa, an old man was digging for gold in a river bed. He had been at it for many years. Every now and then he found a little bit of gold, not enough to make him rich – but just enough to maintain his interest. The part of river in ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:2-3

Tags: Christmas

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

Can't Miss

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 20, 2011

CAN'T MISS Every so often, in the world of high school boys' basketball, there comes a player with incredible talent and skill. He and his team become the focus of a lot of media attention. That player becomes one of the most talked about high school athletes in the nation. Recruiters from the ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 1:9

Tags: Humility

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

At What Age Should A Pastor Retire?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jun 3, 2020

AT WHAT AGE SHOULD A PASTOR RETIRE? TEN DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS There are a lot of Baby Boomer pastors and Christian leaders around. And it’s cliché, but they aren’t getting any younger. It’s a quiet question that many are asking, but they are asking it nonetheless: What age should I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Retirement, Aging, Pastors, Missionaries, Paul And Timothy, Baby Boomers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Vineyard Caretaker

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Jan 29, 2008

THE VINEYARD CARETAKER Mark 11:27-12:12 In high school I was on the track team – I was a sprinter. Our coach would make us sprinters run long distance as well as run sprints for practice. We hated running long distance, it was so boring, it was so tedious, we felt it was against our nature. But ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Our Family Pet, Happy The Saint Bernard, Really ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Feb 8, 2008

Our family pet, Happy the Saint Bernard, really doesn’t eat as much food as one might think she would for such a large dog but just because she doesn’t eat as much food as one might think doesn’t mean she does not have good taste! Happy is not such a big fan of dry dog food. If you fill her bowl ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

The Key … After 29 Floors

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Apr 12, 2008

5411 The Key … After 29 Floors Three men, John Newton, Louis Weatherford, and Samuel Preston, were out to find the best that this life had to offer. Willing to try anything, they were now on their way to New York City to “to the Ambassador Hotel, a twenty-nine floor building. Upon entering the ...read more

Denomination: Other

The Wise ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2008

The Wise Fool There is an old, corny story about the young man who was the first in his family to go to college. In fact, he was the first in his small town to go to college. And so when he came home after his freshman year, he was the apple of his father’s eye. His dad, who had never in his life ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Joy To The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

JOY TO THE WORLD Sadly, our period in history is not, by any means, the first to argue, fight or shoot at one another over our opinions about what does and does not make a worthy song of worship. Nor is ours the first in which there were scores of people in the congregations who sang the words of ...read more

Scripture: John 4:22-24

Tags: Worship General

Mtv Gave Us Our First Ever "Reality Show", A ...

Contributed by Jay Winters on May 30, 2015

MTV gave us our first ever "reality show", a thing called "The Real World" that came out in 1992. The first "Real World" cast sought to show us what happens when you put seven strangers in a house together, and quote, "people stop being polite, and start being real". And the world sat there, glued ...read more

Tags: Reality, Pop Culture

Denomination: Lutheran

[178 ]. A Message From A Poem – Lost Three Things - Lost One Sheep

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 26, 2025

[178 ]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LOST THREE THINGS - LOST ONE SHEEP What are the best-known parables the Lord Jesus gave? I suppose there could be some debate about that but for me, I think The Prodigal Son, The Sower and The Good Samaritan. The Lost Sheep is near the top. Two of those I have ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1, Psalm 23:4, Luke 15:3-7, John 10:11, John 10:14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Shepherding, The Lost Sheep, The Shepherd Psalm, One Sheep Lost, Sheep, Search, The Good Shepherd  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We Are To Work While We Wait. A Gardener For A ...  PRO

Contributed by E. Lee James on Oct 19, 2001

We are to work while we wait. A gardener for a large estate in northern Italy was conducting a visitor through the castle and the beautiful, well-groomed grounds. As the visitor had lunch with the gardener and his wife, he commended them for the beautiful way they were keeping the gardens. He ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Baptist

Why Worship?  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on Apr 9, 2002

WHY WORSHIP? We need to let go of our intellectual idea of worship and realize there is more to worship than a sermon; we have to let go of our evangelistic notion of worship and reckon with the fact that worship is not primarily directed toward the sinners who need to be converted; we must let ...read more

Tags: Church Practices, Worship General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Disillusion  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Aug 11, 2001

DISILLUSION Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs during his baseball career and was playing one of his last full major league games. It was the Braves versus the Reds in Cincinnati. But the great Ruth was no longer as agile as he had once been. He fumbled the ball and threw badly, and in one inning ...read more

Scripture: Acts 26:16-20

Tags: Children, Excellence, Ripe Fruit

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Imagine That We Are Putting Together A 1,000 ...  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on May 30, 2002

Imagine that we are putting together a 1,000 piece puzzle. In turn we each put pieces into place; slowly the beauty of the picture begins to take shape. As we continue putting the puzzle together we talk about what it would be like to be a part of the scene before us. As the final pieces are ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Assembly Of God

How To Turn A Disagreement Into A Feud

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Jun 12, 2001

How to turn a disagreement into a feud: 1. Be sure to develop and maintain a healthy fear of conflict, letting your own feelings build up so you are in an explosive frame of mind. 2. If you must state your concerns, be as vague and general as possible. Then the other person cannot do anything ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Anger, Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Problem Of Goodness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2003

THE PROBLEM OF GOODNESS "The simple fact is that for all our moral hesitation and stuttering, many people know goodness and excellence when they see it and they are overwhelmed by the magnetism of goodness. Goodness attracts. Goodness is proclaimed so that the circle of adulation can widen. So we ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Christian Love, Christian Values

The Meaning Of Thirst  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jun 6, 2003

THE MEANING OF THIRST Do you know the importance of water to our physical bodies? When our bodies fail to retain the right amount of water, dehydration sets in. It is the water in our body that determines the vitality, strength, and energy associated with daily living. Think about these facts ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 42:1-5, John 4:10-15, John 4:10-15, John 4:10-15

Tags: Easter Good Friday, Jesus Christ

Denomination: Pentecostal

This Parable (Of The Wedding Garment) Has ...  PRO

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Jul 29, 2003

This parable (of the Wedding Garment) has something to tell us of the attitude we should have in coming to worship. The way we approach anything demonstrates the spirit in which we come. Is it willingly or do we begrudge the time out of our lives? If we go to visit in a friend’s house, we don’t ...read more

Tags: Submission, Worship Purpose

Denomination: Baptist