In Sermon Illustrations: "The Prodigal Son"

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

Astray

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Sep 23, 2019

Astray They sing, Farther along we'll understand. Oh, how I wish I'd been a holy man, But I wandered so far astray Now all I can see is Judgment Day. I fell on my knees and begged for Your grace, Then turned around and spat in Your face. I walked along in my foolish will, Now I fear ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:14

Tags: Sin, Repentance, Backsliding

Denomination: Baptist

Bless Assurance: Fanny Crosby

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 16, 2021

ASSURANCE: free from doubt, a positive declaration intended to give confidence, a sure promise, in a religious sitting it means salvation by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit that we are justified. No harm will come, with great faith. FANNY JANE CROSBY was born in 1820 and died in 1915 at the ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, John 14:27, John 14:1-3

Tags: Assurance, God Can

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Spirit Of Fear

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 31, 2022

There was a lady who died in 1916 named Hetty Green. She has been called “America’s greatest miser.” When she died in 1916, her estate was valued at $100 million. But she was so miserly that she ate cold oatmeal in order to save the expense of heating the water. When her son had a severe leg ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-7

Tags: Fear, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Spirit Of Fear

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When 53-Year-Old Danny Anderson Was Feeding His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 1, 2008

When 53-year-old Danny Anderson was feeding his horses Monday night, a 5-foot rattler slithered onto his central Washington property. Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head with a shovel. A few more strikes to the head left it ...read more

Tags: Satan

Thomas Edison Invented The Microphone, The ...

Contributed by Rommel Samaniego on May 16, 2008

Thomas Edison invented the microphone, the phonograph, the incandescent light, the storage battery, talking movies, and more than a thousand other things. In December 1914 he had worked for ten years on a storage battery. This had greatly strained his finances. This particular evening, ...read more

Tags: Disappointment

Denomination: Baptist

In The End, What Is It That Honestly, Really ...

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Jun 25, 2008

IN THE END, WHAT IS IT THAT HONESTLY, REALLY MATTERS? When I was a student chaplain at a hospital in Philadelphia, I spent a great deal of my time in the geriatric wing. The general routine was to start the shift by checking in with all the patients on the floor to see if anyone needed to talk or ...read more

Tags: Anxiety

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Remember Me ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

REMEMBER ME NOT... Marilyn Anderes tells the story of a devoted Christian named Cheryl Stephens. Cheryl was a young mother who struggled with cancer, but was determined to keep ministering to others. She went home to Jesus on Nov. 19, 2003 at age 44. Cheryl’s friends say she lived out Phil 1:21 ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:21

Tags: Suffering Joy In

A Change In Hope

Contributed by Fred Schaeffer on Nov 20, 2008

A CHANGE IN HOPE Ben was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 16 years old. Hope is the one thing that kept his parents, Kevin and Laura moving forward. Hope is what kept them from giving up. His younger sister, Bethany, always kept her sights on the silver lining. He went through a series ...read more

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When 53-Year-Old Danny Anderson Was Feeding His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

When 53-year-old Danny Anderson was feeding his horses Monday night, a 5-foot rattler slithered onto his central Washington property. Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head with a shovel. A few more strikes to the head left it ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Head Of A Dead Snake

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

HEAD OF A DEAD SNAKE When 53-year-old Danny Anderson was feeding his horses Monday night, a 5-foot rattlesnake slithered onto his central Washington property. Anderson and his 27-year-old son, Benjamin, pinned the snake with an irrigation pipe and cut off its head with a shovel. A few more ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

The Lost Ladle

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

THE LOST LADLE Helen was a wonderful Christian woman, She was a single mother raising her only son Tom as best she could to love God. But Helen was very worried when Tom told her he was moving to the Big city. A year went by and all seemed well, when Tom called his mother one day and told her his ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Why Did God Become A Man?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

WHY DID GOD BECOME A MAN? Why would the Son of God want to become human? What would possess Him to leave His eternal home to enter this world plagued by pain and sorrow? Why would He give up the worship of angels to endure abuse at the hands of sinful man? Why did God become a man? Max Lucado in ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Would Your Child Write ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2009

WOULD YOUR CHILD WRITE THIS? Bub Roussel was only 17 on Sunday morning in 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed. A few weeks later, he was drafted and ended up in the Army Air Corps, assigned as a radio operator on a B-29 bomber. The youngest in his crew, Bub and many like him had to grow up fast ...read more

Tags: Parenting

We Talk A Lot About Serving And Worshiping Jesus. ...

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Mar 6, 2009

We talk a lot about serving and worshiping Jesus. But to be able to serve Him, or worship Him, we must know exactly who He is and what He offers. Here is the Jesus I know: ···· Jesus is Christ. He is the living Son of the living God. ···· He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: *other

Contagious Anger

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 12, 2009

CONTAGIOUS ANGER Baseball coach Billy Martin told about hunting trip he had in Texas with baseball legend Mickey Mantle. Mickey had a friend who would let them hunt on his ranch. When they reached the ranch, Mickey told Billy to wait in the car while he checked in with his friend. Mantle’s friend ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:24

Tags: Anger

Commitment Or Convenient?

Contributed by Terry Blankenship on Oct 14, 2009

COMMITMENT OR CONVENIENT? Deacon Wives author Diana Davis writes about Angie and her commitment. Let’s take a look at Angie. She loves her church and is committed to its ministry. She considers herself to be a faithful worshipper. If you take a careful look, however, you’ll find a few gaps in ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:3-5

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Terah And The Gods

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Oct 26, 2009

TERAH AND THE GODS There is a Jewish midrash (not Scripture) that tells a funny story about Terah being a merchant who sold idols but had a son named Abram who wasn’t convinced about the validity of the gods because the real God had been speaking to him. Since it isn’t actually Scripture, I’m ...read more

Tags: Idolatry

Denomination: *other

From Betty Lukens- A Roman Soldier's Letter To ...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 26, 2009

From Betty Lukens- A Roman soldier’s letter to his parents in the 1st century AD. “But the most shocking experience I’ve had lately was over 40 men who denounced the gods to become Christians. They have really caused a stir. Nothing our priests could do, nothing they could offer them, nothing ...read more

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

You Have To Love Him Into It

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 1, 2010

"You Have To Love Him Into It"--A Stock Assistant Learns a Big Lesson A stock assistant was working at a grocery store on Christmas Eve. One of the things he was responsible for was the display in one of the aisles which was a pyramid of canned products. He had to rebuild this display many times ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Tags: Unconditional Love