In Sermon Illustrations: "Thoughtfulness"

When My Son Was 5, He Wanted To Be A Fireman. ...

Contributed by Tony Klinedinst on Mar 9, 2009

When my son was 5, he wanted to be a fireman. That Halloween, we all new what his costume choice would be. So we got him a bright yellow fireman costume and set out for trick-or-treat. As we went his insisted that we go to the local firehouse. I thought that was a fine idea. They would pass out ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

Because One Gave

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

BECAUSE ONE GAVE Former seminary and pastor, George Gaston tells the following story that speaks to the value of attitude in giving. Years ago, I pastored a church that decided to build a worship center. The old building had suffered a major fire. Even so, our decision to build a new facility ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Dead Fathers Better Than Absent Fathers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

DEAD FATHERS BETTER THAN ABSENT FATHERS According to the New Jersey Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, in 1960 the total number of births to teenagers was 11,636. In 2000, the number of births to teenagers was 8,219. At first glance, we would say we are doing something right, yet a little more ...read more

Tags: Father's Day

Luther On Salvation By Good ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

LUTHER ON SALVATION BY GOOD WORKS If anyone could ever have achieved salvation by his own effort, it was Martin Luther. In 1505, when he was twenty-one years old, Luther abandoned a promising career in law and entered the monastery of the Augustinian hermits at Erfurt. As he later said, this was ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Salvation

A Few Years Ago I Had The Opportunity To Travel ...

Contributed by Tyler Edwards on Sep 22, 2009

A few years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Italy on a Mission trip to work with some local missionaries and help them get their church developed. It was a great trip we got to go to Rome which I was really excited about. On our way back we had an 18 hour layover in Munich. So rather than ...read more

Tags: Misconceptions

Denomination: *other

Prejudice Comes From An Unclean ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

Prejudice Comes from an Unclean Heart I like this thought posted by Mike Atkinson in his daily email humor list some time ago. If you can start the day without caffeine; if you can get going without pep pills; if you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains; if you can resist complaining ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:14-15

Tags: Racism

The Golden Rule And The Holocaust  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

THE GOLDEN RULE AND THE HOLOCAUST Living the Golden Rule is pretty simple isn’t it? It’s just being considerate, mindful, and thoughtful but sometimes to live the Golden Rule requires great moral courage. It requires a willingness to sacrifice. In March of 1943, Bulgaria which had aligned with ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12

Tags: Christian Witness

Sinners Need Restoration Like Cast Sheep Need ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

Sinners Need Restoration like Cast Sheep Need Rescued One of the dangers facing a sheep is that it becomes ‘cast’ and one of the challenges facing a shepherd is to make sure that his sheep do not become cast. A cast sheep is one that has turned over on its back and is, become of it lack of agility ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6

Tags: Restoration

Christian Character Saves A Muslim

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 27, 2009

CHRISTIAN CHARACTER SAVES A MUSLIM From Betty Lukens--Nabil Kareen was a truck driver in the army of his country. But Nabil was more than a truck driver; he used his truck for smuggling, which was against Army rules. Nabil carried watches and quinine pills wrapped in bundles and hid them under the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Soldier Lies To Napoleon About Heroism, Israeli ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 8, 2009

Soldier Lies to Napoleon About Heroism, Israeli Woman Lies About Age Napoleon often told this story: Once, while visiting a province he came on an old soldier with one arm severed, dressed in full uniform. On his uniform the proud fighter displayed the coveted Legion of Honor. “Where did you lose ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:17

Tags: Lies

Elementary School Student Doubts President's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 1, 2009

Elementary School Student Doubts President’s Identity On March 11, 1991, eight-year-old Anthony Henderson upset the distinguished leader of our nation, President George Bush. President Bush was visiting Anthony’s school and had sat down beside Anthony to read him a book. Suddenly in the midst of ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Tags: Christian Witness

What Is The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2009

What is the Church? They tell me the story that long ago there was a small church, in a small town, in a small county, where a small congregation had tried for years to get the biggest “sinner” in town, Sam, to come to church. Sam the sinner would have nothing to do with the church. He wouldn’t ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:22-23

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

How Satan And The World Are Like A Pack Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2009

How Satan and the World are Like a Pack of Dogs While visiting Loretta’s parents in Indiana last summer I spent each morning walking several miles. They live in the middle of farm country. The roads are straight and long with corn and bean fields lining them. There are few houses and fewer cars. As ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8-11

Tags: Satan

Homeless Man Comes Home To His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 1, 2010

Homeless Man Comes Home to His Mother In 1988 there was a story in the LA Times entitled “A Mother’s Search for Russell Love.” It told of a woman in Houston named Beverly Elliott. She had not seen her son, Russell Love, for four years and had not heard from him in two years; but she knew he was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son

Shoes Pave The Way To The Kingdom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

SHOES PAVE THE WAY TO THE KINGDOM Because Vance is an African American living in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, he stands out. But what really sets Vance apart is that he is a servant-hearted father who cares not only for his own kids, but also for the many other kids who play in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism How To

Reason Why Helicopter Pilot Stopped A Massacre In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2010

Reason Why Helicopter Pilot Stopped a Massacre in Vietnam I would like to close with another quote from Thomas Long, who relates an illustration that many of us hear this morning can recall. Long writes, and I quote: “The school where I teach gave an honorary degree several years ago to a man named ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12

Tags: Christian Values

Rene' Gets Lost

Contributed by Paul Kendall on Apr 23, 2010

RENE' GETS LOST In her freshman year of college, my daughter Rene’ agreed to take some friends to the Tampa airport as they returned home for Christmas break. They showed her the way there-—and to get back-—she would simply follow the same route backwards and then come on home to celebrate ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:8

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: *other

Music To Raise The Dead

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on May 10, 2010

"MUSIC TO RAISE THE DEAD", an album from a Christian Rock group called Resurrection startled the Christian world with it's intensity in the 1970's. They did this in a day when many conservative pastors and evangelists actively thundered their warnings from the pulpit against the evils of rock music ...read more

Tags: Gifts Healing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Uses Tragedy To Draw Couple To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2010

God Uses Tragedy to Draw Couple To Himself Cathy’s story: A few years ago a woman and a man who were living together started coming to the church I pastor. She had gotten pregnant and was expecting. Though they weren’t saved, they were beginning to seek the Lord. I was much in prayer for them. When ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:21-22

Tags: Tragedy, God's Sovereign Will

Enemigos Destruidos  PRO

Contributed by Rolando Delgado on Sep 22, 2010

ENEMIGOS DESTRUIDOS Se cuenta que cierto emperador chino, cuando le avisaron que en una de las provincias de su imperio había una insurrección, dijo a los ministros de su gobierno y a los jefes militares que lo rodeaban: "Vamos. Seguidme. Pronto destruiré a mis enemigos." Cuando el emperador y ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Pentecostal