In Sermon Illustrations: "The Signs Of The Times"

The Gold Wrapping Paper

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Dec 19, 2014

The Gold Wrapping Paper - An Inspirational Short Christmas Story Once upon a time, there was a man who worked very hard just to keep food on the table for his family. This particular year a few days before Christmas, he was upset with his little five-year-old daughter after learning that she had ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-19

Tags: Christmas Gift, Anger, Patience, Child Rearing

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Beholding The Night Sky

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jan 2, 2015

When our daughter was in Junior High School, she made friends with a group of girls from Olney, Texas, a community about forty minutes to the south of us. And they invited her to a function their school was having on a certain Friday night. So, I drove her over, and, when the time came, I went ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:18-23

Tags: Creation, Doctrine Of God

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Leave You Nickel On The Table

Contributed by Larry Turner on Jan 9, 2015

Everyone who has met my little 4 year old grand-daughter Ava knows she is very witty at times. The things this child says and does often blow me away. Last Sunday she found a nickel on the floor after church. I told her she could keep it. What she did with it was precious and a life lesson. We ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:41-44

Tags: Trusting God, Assurance, Tithes And Offering

Denomination: Foursquare

Its Over, Elijah Came!

Contributed by Coz Von on Mar 7, 2016

”Elijah was physically taken up into heaven in a flaming chariot of fire. God said: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their father. Malachi 4:5-6 ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 4:5-6

Tags: Elijah, Love, Happiness, Future, Prophecy, Elijah And Elisha, Miracles Of Elijah, Elijah And Jezebel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In The 1971 Film Willy Wonka And The Chocolat...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 25, 2016

In the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, chocolateer Willy Wonka (played by Gene Wilder) launches a worldwide frenzy when he inserts five golden tickets into his famous Wonka Bars. Each ticket gives the owner a chance to tour the chocolate factory and win a lifetime’s supply of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16

Tags: Childlike Faith

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Don't Quit

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. It was a high-society extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening was a mother and her fidgety nine-year old. She had brought him in the hopes that when he heard the great composer play, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:9-15, 1 Peter 4:12, Hebrews 11:11

Tags: Perseverance, Discouragement, Disappointment

Denomination: Charismatic

The Word Was Being Made Real In The Back Of His Church

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

Pastor Thomas Tewell tells the story of getting ready for their 11 p.m. Christmas Eve service. As the people were gathering, a man named Jim came in. Jim was a recovering alcoholic, sober just 6 months, but his disease had cost him his family, his job, just about everything. He went in to the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Christmas, Grace, Ministry, The Word Made Flesh

Denomination: Methodist

The Titanic And The Importance Preparing Ourselves For Growth

Contributed by David Simpson on Apr 17, 2018

Growth is a natural part of growing up! The Lord wants us to grow up…to feed on Him and get growing! Ephesians 4:15 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Col. 1:10 "And we pray this in order that you may live a life ...read more

Tags: Immaturity, Be Prepared, Growth, Preparation, Maturity, Selfishness, Disaster  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian Church

Corrie Ten Boom Had To Forgive

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 30, 2020

Corrie Ten Boom's example of forgiveness (from The Hiding Place) in which she describes an unexpected encounter with one of the Nazi guards who had mistreated her at Ravensbruck concentration camp, where her sister had Betsie died and she herself had been subjected to horrible indignities. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Mercy, Forgiveness, Beatitudes, Holocaust

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Inspiration Of Scripture

Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Feb 23, 2020

Consider Bill, who was just a young man at the time. He had tried preaching, but didn’t always feel the power of God or see any results. One of his contemporaries, Charles Templeton, got into academia and started to believe scripture as flawed and outdated. Bill wondered about all of this. A ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21, 2 Timothy 3:16

Tags: Word Of God, Inspired Word, Inspiration Of Scripture, Inspiration Of The Bible

Denomination: Baptist

Giving

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Apr 17, 2022

Henry Parsons Crowell contracted tuberculosis when a boy and could not go to school. His Father and brother died of tuberculosis, and he should have died of it too. He made a contract with God. If he were spared he would use his abilities to amass large sums of money for evangelism. For the next 50 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

Tags: Giving, Purpose Of Giving, Cheerful Giver

Denomination: Baptist

The Agitator

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

Does anyone know what that piece in the middle of the washer is called? The part in the middle that moves back and forth and shakes the clothes back and forth? What is that called? I’m going to call it an Agitator. What is the purpose of the Agitator? As far as I can tell, its sole purpose is to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-24

Tags: Holy Spirit, Sanctification

Facing The Facts About Fear

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 24, 2022

During his 1933 Inaugural Address, President Franklin Roosevelt sought to calm a troubled America in the throes of depression by saying, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself." Fear is a feeling of dread, alarm, panic and anxiety. Fear ranges from mild anxiety to panic attacks. The ...read more

Scripture: Mark 5:21-41

Tags: Faith, Fear, Healing, Satan, Believe, Prayer, Miracles, Lies  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Am I An Enabler?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 7, 2023

Text, Galatians 6:6, KIV: 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Not long ago I had lunch with a pastor friend. We talked about several different things but when I mentioned something I had seen on Sermon Central, he was alarmed! He asked me, ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:6

Tags: Communication, Humor, Pastors

Denomination: Baptist

Stand Strong

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Feb 13, 2023

I want you all to think back with me as we begin this morning. Many of us looked forward to leaving high school behind with all of its challenges. Then we began to experience a whole new set of challenges in college or in the workplace. We began wondering what direction we were going to take in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:1-14

Tags: Dedication, Loyalty

Denomination: Baptist

A Drastic Decline Among Americans Who Live With A Biblical Worldview

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Mar 30, 2023

The year was 1999 and George Barna just wrapped up his latest study on the status of the Worldview of American adults. He was shocked to discover that only 12% of American adults were living their life with a Biblical worldview. He knew that if this trend did not change then it would mean a rapid ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:6, Matthew 9:37-38

Tags: Evangelism, Harvest, Statistics, Biblical Worldview, American Adults  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No More Sin!

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 8, 2023

David Brooks in his book “The Road to Character” says this about sin... Today the word sin has lost it's power and awesome intensity. It’s now used to refer to desserts... fattening desserts. Most people in daily conversation don’t talk much about individual sin. If they talk about human ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23, Romans 1:18-20, Ephesians 2:1-3

Tags: Sin, Salvation, Gospel, Depravity, The Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Counterfeit Preachers

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 10, 2023

Did you know that counterfeiting of money is one of the oldest crimes in history? Here in America it became a serious problem during the 19th century when banks issued their own currency. In fact, by the time of the Civil War, it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was ...read more

Tags: Discernment, Truth, False Teachers, Spirit Of Truth, False Prophets, Spirits, Spirit Of Error  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Freezing To Death Can Actually Make You Feel Warm...

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 22, 2024

The man huddled on the cabin floor was slowly freezing to death. It was high in the Rockies in southwestern Alberta, and outside a blizzard raged. John Elliott had logged miles that day through the deep snows of the mountain passes. As he checked for avalanches and as dusk and exhaustion overcame ...read more

Tags: Messengers, Dogs, Witnesses, Satan, Salvation, Rescue, Lost, Wake Up, Spiritual Death, Death, Sin, Deception  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[144]. A Message From A Poem – In The Manger Laid – Christmas Poem

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 27, 2025

[144]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – IN THE MANGER LAID – CHRISTMAS POEM This was written as a simple Christmas poem. There is not much I want to say about it. My thoughts were that the poem can be used on cards or greetings, or for children’s pageants and that sort of thing. It is not meant to be ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:6-7, Luke 2:15-16, 1 John 4:2

Tags: Birth Of Jesus, Shepherds, Christian Poetry, Christmas Poem, Poem For Christmas, Mary, Christmas, Manger  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational