In Sermon Illustrations: "The Way"

Giving Because You Have To

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Oct 16, 2010

GIVING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO One Saturday I was working in the yard, and I came walking around the corner of my house. And there was a boy there, on a bicycle. He was wearing Scout uniform, and I’m guessing he must have been about ten or eleven years old. It didn’t take me long to figure out what he ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Lucado On Alcoholism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 23, 2011

LUCADO ON ALCOHOLISM Max Lucado, one of America's great Christian leaders, found that out earlier in his ministry. He once said, "I come from a family of alcoholism. If there's anything about this DNA stuff, I've got it." For more than 20 years, drinking was not a major issue for Lucado, but about ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-5

Tags: Alcohol

Hope Of Maria

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 5, 2011

HOPE OF MARIA Hope weans God’s people from seeking and trusting this world. The story is told of Maria. She lived in a small town in southern Kentucky. She did not see or hear from her husband for years. Edward was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division during the Korean war and captured when the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:2-3

Tags: Pleasing God, God Brings Hope

Denomination: Nazarene

Relying On Technology

Contributed by Perry Greene on Mar 15, 2012

RELYING ON TECHNOLOGY The following two news stories come from Reuters: "A Ukraine businessman who bought a pager for each member of his staff as a New Year gift was so alarmed when all 50 of them went off at the same time that he drove his car into a lamp post. The unnamed businessman was ...read more

Tags: Men's Day

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Under The Influence

Contributed by Greg Nance on Apr 13, 2012

UNDER THE INFLUENCE David Kupelian's book The Marketing of Evil, published in 2005, is an eye-opening study of what we face today. I wish every parent would read it. Does anyone here remember what happened to Robert Bauman in 1980? He was elected in 1973 as representative of the First ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Ravi Zacharias Tells The Story Of A Man Who Went ...

Contributed by Ken Henson on Aug 7, 2012

Ravi Zacharias tells the story of a man who went to School in Wheaton with Billy Graham and later entered into politics. He was a popular man and rose to become the Prime Minister of Canada. In the process of going down that way, to fame, to popularity and power, he began to sacrifice his ethics ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: *other

The Fear Of The Lord Is The Foundation Of Wisdom

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 8, 2016

In a crazy move, a woman at the Toronto zoo who lost her hat at the tiger enclosure decided that she was going to retrieve it. She climbed the outer fence, dropped over the edge and scrambled around to find her hat. Fortunately for her there was a second fence between her and her hat. A ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 9:10

Tags: Fear, Foundation Of Wisdom, Wise Decisions

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Law, The Whole Law, And Nothing But The Law.

Contributed by Larry Turner on Jun 5, 2016

There is a story about a student at Cambridge University in England who entered the classroom on exam day and asked the proctor to bring him cakes and ale. The proctor refused, expressing astonishment at the young student’s audacity. At this point the student read from the four-hundred-year-old ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 22:5-8

Tags: The Law, Bound By The Law, Judged By The Law

Denomination: Foursquare

The Ugliest Suit Ever

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018

Note: this story is told from my perspective - Jim Butcher of Madison WV. When I was at Southern Seminary in Louisville, there were a few days in the spring when they offered official photos. It was a professional photographer with a nice backdrop and the prices were reasonable. The seminary ...read more

Tags: Change, Transformation, Appearances

Denomination: Baptist

Loss

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Aug 9, 2019

Have you ever had a time in your life when you suffered drastic income loss? In 1995 I had a dream job, I had an office that was 30 foot by 40 foot with my own private bath, no boss on 2nd and 3rd shift and the pay was great, not bad for a blue-collar worker. We based our lifestyle on my wages, and ...read more

Scripture: Joel 2:25-27

Tags: Loss, Recovert

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Building Of Busch Stadium, Skirting Rules.

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Mar 16, 2022

In 1966 the St. Louis Cardinals built a new ballpark and named it Busch Memorial Stadium. There is a story that the owner of the Cardinals, August Busch, wanted to name it Budweiser Stadium, but the city officials would not allow him to name it after a beer. Frustrated by their answer, he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Human Nature, Ten Commandments

Denomination: Lutheran

Fathers Make A Difference

Contributed by John Bright on Jun 15, 2023

According to the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau, 18.4 million children, 1 in 4, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home. That’s enough children to fill New York City twice or Los Angeles four times over. Research shows that a father's absence affects children in numerous ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:21

Tags: Dad, Fathers Day, Reading

Denomination: Methodist

The Bridge Operator

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 5, 2025

There was once a man whose job was to operate a drawbridge for passing trains. Most of the time the bridge stayed raised to allow ships to move freely along the busy waterway. But when a train was scheduled to cross, he would lower the bridge, lock it in place, and signal that the way was ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Grace, Atonement, Sacrifice, Redemption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Proverbs According To Kids: A First Grade ...

Contributed by N A on Apr 5, 2006

Proverbs According To Kids: A first grade teacher collected old, well known proverbs. She gave each kid in her class the first half of a proverb, and had them come up with the rest. As You Shall Make Your Bed So Shall You... Mess It Up. Better Be Safe Than... Punch A 5th Grader. Strike While ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: *other

Have You Ever Tried To Be Two Places At The Same ...  PRO

Contributed by James Wilson on Nov 22, 2000

Have you ever tried to be two places at the same time? In many ways, technology is making that possible. Some parents are setting up a baby cam in the nursery so grandparents can log on the Internet and watch their grandchild sleep. I’ve caught a commercial on TV a time or two where a father ...read more

Tags: Children, Parenting

Denomination: Baptist

The Late Dr. Boice Had Some Interesting Thoughts ...  PRO

Contributed by Nathan Robertson, Jr. on Nov 3, 2000

The late Dr. Boice had some interesting thoughts as to why God’s justice is offensive. In human affairs we rightly value justice and the "wrath" of the judicial system, for they protect us. If by chance we ourselves run afoul of the law, there is always the chance that we can cop a plea, escape on ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:1-12

Tags: Forgiveness General, God's Judgment, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Baptist

A Large Family Sat Around The Breakfast Table One ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2001

A large family sat around the breakfast table one morning. As the custom, the father returned thanks, blessing God for the food. Immediately after, however, as was his bad habit, he began to grumble about hard times, the poor quality of the food he was forced to eat, the way it was cooked, and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:20, Ephesians 2:8-10, Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Prayer General, Joy, Thanksgiving Holiday, Thanksgiving

A Fellow Who Had Been Reared In The City Bought A ...  PRO

Contributed by Kris Young on Feb 15, 2001

A fellow who had been reared in the city bought a farm and several milk cows. In the feed store one day he complained his best cow had gone dry. "Aren’t you feeding her right?" asked the store owner. "I’m feeding her what you’ve been selling me," said the man. "Are you milking her every day?" ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers, Promises Of God, Trinity

Denomination: Pentecostal

Lucas Sibanda, A South Africian Was Walking Along ...  PRO

Contributed by James Wilson on Mar 2, 2001

Lucas Sibanda, a South Africian was walking along a remote path, minding his own business when a python slithered out from behind some shrubs. Sibanda froze. Within a few seconds the snake had wrapped itself around him and began constricting. Pythons, are large snakes that suffocate its victims ...read more

Tags: Temptation Resisting, Satan

Denomination: Baptist

A New Life  PRO

Contributed by Jim Luthy on May 17, 2001

A NEW LIFE In an article for Discovery Publishing, Steve Zeisler wrote: "In many respects the best biological analogy to marriage is the creation of a life. Man and woman each contribute a cell having 23 chromo-somes. The two cells are joined together, and a new human being who has never ...read more

Tags: Weddings, Marriage General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational