In Sermon Illustrations: "Thinking"

Let Loose

Contributed by Ferdinand Funk on Sep 29, 2008

LET LOOSE In his drama The Trial of Jesus, John Masefield has the centurion Longinus report to Pilate after the crucifixion of Jesus. Longinus had been the officer in charge of the execution, and after his official report, Pilate's wife calls the centurion to come and tell her how the prisoner ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Mennonite

Noah's Message From The Steps Going Up To The Ark ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Oct 22, 2008

Noah’s message from the steps going up to the Ark was not, “Something good is going to happen to you!” Amos was not confronted by the high priest of Israel for proclaiming, “Confession is possession!” Jeremiah was not put into the pit for preaching, “I’m O.K.; you’re O.K.!” Daniel was not put ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Pentecostal

Attitude Of Gratitude

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Nov 26, 2008

Attitude of Gratitude God loves a cheerful giver. God will make you rich if you are generous in every occasion. Somehow I think that God sees this richness in more than just money and material possessions. Don't you? And generosity results in a thankful attitude and even a cheerful attitude. You've ...read more

Tags: Gratitude

Denomination: Church Of God

Rejoice

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 16, 2008

REJOICE I can recall a memorable moment many years ago when Susan and I were taking Kimberly, age 2, and her slightly younger cousin, Able, to church in the car. Kimberly was in a foul humor that morning, but her smily faced cousin decided it was time for a word of exhortation. Though he could ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How Great Is Our God

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jan 12, 2009

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD If this doesn't inspire you worship God with every millimeter of your being, if thinking about this ginormous God does not compel you to shout for joy and sing His praises with all of your being, then I don't know what will. Probably nothing. Chris Tomlin wrote these words ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Church Of God

Buying Your Way To The King

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Mar 2, 2009

BUYING YOUR WAY TO THE KING A wealthy American made a trip to London. He was all taken up with Buckingham Palace, where the king lived. So one morning he went to the gates, expecting to go right in, but two soldiers stuck out their bayonets and stopped him. They said, "Where do you think you’re ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Help Of God

Contributed by Rev. Duraimony Dickson on Nov 20, 2020

Alex Haley, the author of "Roots," had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, "Why is that there?" Alex Haley answered, "Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words and think ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:1

Tags: God, Help, Assistance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Creative Prisoner

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jul 6, 2021

An old farmer wrote to his son in prison: “This year I wont be able to plant potatoes because I can’t dig the field. I know if you were here you would help me.” The son wrote back:”Dad don’t even think of digging the field because that’s where I buried the money I stole.” Police read the letter and ...read more

Tags: Remote Work, Creativity, Solution, Cunning

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Refugee For Thanksgiving  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 17, 2002

A REFUGEE FOR THANKSGIVING In her book entitled "It’s Not in the Ministry Manual," Mary Ann Cejka relates a time when her students welcomed a refugee for Thanksgiving dinner one year. The following is an excerpt from this story: , taken from the Fernando did not look like what I thought a ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday, Joy, Compassion

Building A Relationship With God (Running The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 19, 2009

Building a Relationship with God (Running the Race) It was the summer before my Senior year at Jamestown College. I had taken up riding my bike several times a week and had gotten up to riding 10-20 miles in a single go. Needless to say… I was feeling pretty good about myself. So when school ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Tags: Sports

Maybe We Should Go Back To Smoke Signal Communications

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 30, 2022

I must admit that communication is an essential part of my life today. The longer I live, the more sophisticated those communications become, and it’s challenging to me. Recently, I was working on my latest book using my latest computer and its programs. As I was working, I remembered that I did ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:6

Tags: Communication, Computer, Media

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Who’s The Clown Now?

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 5, 2022

As a young person, I was fascinated with clowns. My first encounter was at a circus I attended with my family. The main character in the circus was the clown. When I first saw those clowns, I was scared almost to death. I've never seen anything as scary as those circus clowns. That began my ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-20

Tags: Humor, Clowns, Circus

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What A Wacky World We Live In

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 1, 2023

I like the old saying, “Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does.” This is the kind of world we live in today, and I’m still not adjusted to this sort of thing. I’m not sure I will ever adjust to the world around me. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I will be watching the ...read more

Tags: David, Crazy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

As If I Really Could

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 24, 2023

Have you ever had the feeling that you've been hoodwinked? You can't point out the specifics, but something deep inside suggests you have been. The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I had a wonderful vacation at St. Augustine, one of our favorite places to go. Something happened ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:17

Tags: Fixing, Hoodwink

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Life Can Be A Series Of Dreams

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 7, 2023

Lately, I’ve been having some fascinating dreams at night. Usually, I don’t give much thought to dreams, but lately, I’ve been thinking more about them. Last night, for example, I had this exciting dream, and everything seemed to be coming in my direction, and then I woke up before the end. Once I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

Tags: Dreams, Fanasty

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Nothing Is More Satisfying Than Doing Nothing

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 26, 2024

We were facing a very severe hurricane, and everything was being shut down. The hurricane was to hit us on a Wednesday night. Because we were in the center of where that hurricane was supposed to come, we were not allowed to get out and drive on the streets. I knew that I had to finish all my work ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:2

Tags: Hurricane, Planning

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Who Has The License To Drive Me Crazy?

Contributed by James Snyder on May 24, 2025

I will confess that I am crazy, but I didn’t get there by myself. Somebody has been driving me crazy. When I use the word “somebody,” I mean a lot of people. I didn’t always know I was crazy until a few years ago The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage looked at me and said, “Are you crazy or ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:9

Tags: License, Crazy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

When Everything Fails, It’s Over

Contributed by James Snyder on May 9, 2020

During this time of seclusion, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and Yours Truly has spent some significant time binge-watching some of those Hallmark mystery movies. After a while, they all look alike, but my wife loves them, therefore, so do I. The other night as we were watching, one of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6, Job 2:9, Job 13:15

Tags: Attack, Humore

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If I Had A Nickel For Every Blunder I Made…

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 18, 2020

I am not very agile when it comes to finances. Do not get me wrong, I know how to spend money; it is just that I do not know how to save money. Somewhere I lost my little piggy bank. One of my father's favorite quotes was, "A penny saved is a penny earned." It never made sense to me, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:8-9

Tags: Remember, Mistakes, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

All In Due Time, So She Says

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 17, 2020

For several weeks, or has it been years, I’ve been waiting for an important package to come through the mail. I don’t know why they call it snail mail because I have seen snails crawl faster. With all our technology today, you would think that mail could come in on a particular schedule, and ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Tags: Time, Humor, Patience

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance