In Sermon Illustrations: "Thinking Ahead"

What A Waste...??  PRO

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jul 8, 2011

WHAT A WASTE...?? There was a young man who grew up just down the block from my wife Jan. I never met him; I can’t even remember his name. But I know about him. I think about him every time I’m in the neighborhood. This boy didn’t attract much notice as he was growing up. He studied mostly. He ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

No Atheists Among Heathens

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

NO ATHEISTS AMONG HEATHENS Leith Samuel writes in HIS magazine, "Many missionaries point out that the heathen know more than we think. They know that there is a God. There are no atheists among heathen tribes. There has never been discovered upon earth a tribe of people, however small or depraved, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-32

Tags: Guilt

Help Yourself First

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 16, 2011

HELP YOURSELF FIRST When an airliner loses cabin pressure the oxygen masks drop. You are told by the flight crew to put the mask on yourself before putting it on your child. You would think the child would be first. But if you pass out before you get the child’s mask on then both of you are ...read more

Tags: Power

The Glue Trap Of Lust

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

THE GLUE TRAP OF LUST Adam Hamilton tells the story of moving into his house after it was built only to discover that it was infested with mice. So he got glue traps which have a scent that attracts the mice. They step on it and then are stuck. Then the mice need to be killed and disposed of. He ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Methodist

Time To A Pig

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 7, 2011

TIME TO A PIG Reminds me of a man who was walking past a farm, and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most extraordinary manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another ...read more

Tags: Time

Denomination: Baptist

Years Ago I Read An Autobiography Of A Lady ...

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 2, 2012

Years ago I read an autobiography of a lady named Patty Roberts. She had been the wife of Richard Roberts and the daughter in law of Oral Roberts. She and Richard were often the musical portion of Oral Roberts television specials. Patty had a simple faith and struggled with the financial aspect ...read more

Tags: False Teaching

Plenty Of Time

Contributed by Perry Greene on Feb 13, 2013

PLENTY OF TIME William Sangster was a hard-driving 19th Century preacher. He wrote about his life, "A busy life, no time to think. No time for rich, rewarding meditation and prayer. No interior life. No quietness and poise. Hence, rush invades restlessness. Repetition. No new thoughts of ...read more

Tags: Affliction, Time, Abiding In Christ

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Life's Challenges

Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Apr 18, 2017

Whenever I think about how difficult life is, I'm always reminded and encouraged by these two verses, especially this week. Imagine this: Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and God's only Son, who is about to be arrested and crucified for me ... prays for me. What if we treated one another like this ...read more

Scripture: John 17:11-12

Tags: Life Challenge, Servanthood, Faith In Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Intruder

Contributed by James Dorman on May 11, 2017

One night I was certain that I was about to become the victim of a home invasion. Something had awakened me. I heard a strange noise and became even more alert. As I slowly looked around with my heart thumping I saw him! He was standing there looking at me. I wasn’t sure what to do. I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:6-7

Tags: Fear, Perception

Denomination: Baptist

A Wrist Watch And A Big Bang

Contributed by Ron Freeman, Evangelist on Mar 24, 2019

Shake it together! If we placed the parts of a wrist watch in a bag and began to shake it; how long do you think it would be, before it came together, and function properly? Both the world and the watch had a creator, designer, and maker. The world did not begin as a result of a big bang. God ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:1, Hebrews 1:10, John 1:1-3, Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Big Bang, Darwins Theory, Evolution Theory, Wrist Watch Created, Creation, God Created  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Is It A Weight Or A Wing?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

“The race of the Christian life is not fought well or run well by asking, "what's wrong with this or that?" but by asking, "is it in the way of greater faith, greater love, and greater purity? Not: “Is it a sin?” But: “Does it help me run the race! Is it in the way? ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1

Tags: Purity, Christian Life, Running The Race, Habits, Weights, Hindrances  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Losing

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 13, 2021

Read a book by Pat Conroy entitled My Losing Season. In that book Conroy recounts the season in 1967 when he played point guard for the Citadel college basketball team. In his book Conroy contrasts the lessons from winning from those learned from losing. “Winning,” he writes, “makes you think ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:35, John 12:23-33, John 12:25

Tags: Character, Winning, Losing

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Marriage Insight

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Nov 15, 2021

Destructive to marriage is the self fulfillment ethic that assumes marriage and the family are primarily institutions of personal fulfillment, necessary for us to become whole or happy. The assumption is that there is someone just right for us to marry and that if we look closely enough we will ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33

Tags: Relationships, Love, Marriage

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Can't Take His Eyes Off Of Me!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 13, 2022

There were 2 boys playing one day when they got bored. Little Johnny turned to his buddy, Billy, and said, "You know something, I'm bored. Let's go to the store and steal some candy!" Billy says: "Oh no! I can't do that! God is watching me!“ Little Johnny replies: ...read more

Tags: God's Love, Dishonesty, Heavenly Father, God's Providence, Children  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Parable From A Peanuts Cartoon

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2022

We need another revival like Pentecost! It will come when walking and working together! As Vance Havner said, “Snowflakes are fragile things, but when they stick together... they can stop traffic!” In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist ...read more

Tags: Unity, Jokes, Cartoons, Church, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Revival, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

George Foreman: "The Truth Is, My Relationship ...

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Aug 27, 2008

George Foreman: "The truth is, my relationship with God is the reason I have such a positive outlook on life. Before I found Christ I was blind...but when Jesus came into my life, He opened my eyes and started showing me all the good things that I couldn't see previously. God changed my heart and ...read more

Tags: Attitude General

Denomination: Wesleyan

What Is Christmas Is Really About? I Would Say It ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Dec 15, 2008

What is Christmas is really about? I would say it is not about simply being filled with joy and singing and family and relationships as the Whos seem to think Christmas is about. In fact Christmas is about a person: Jesus. It is about the one who was born as an outcast. His mother and father ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Church Of God

He's Alive!

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 21, 2008

He's Alive! One church I read about put on a Christmas program that included a manger scene with their children. There was a little 5-year-old boy on the drama team, I think he was a shepherd that year. He was energetic to say the least! This little boy was a handful. During rehearsals he was all ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

One Life

Contributed by Bledar Valca on Dec 29, 2008

ONE LIFE One single life has value and is important to God. Think of how God saved the world (or His people) through one person: Noah found favor in the eyes of God when the whole world thought evil all the time. God raised Joseph from the prison to save the world from famine. God used Moses to ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

If You Build It, Will The Football Come?

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Jan 6, 2009

IF YOU BUILD IT, WILL THE FOOTBALL COME? In downtown San Antonio sits the Alamodome, a 65,000-seat facility that opened in 1993 for a cost of 186 million. Following the field of dreams philosophy, the city, eager to have a professional football franchise pushed to complete the Texas size facility, ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational