In Sermon Illustrations: "Three"

Real ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

REAL LISTENING The story is told of a grandmother, a mother and a little boy--three generations--who went into a restaurant and sat down to order. The waitress took the grandmother’s order, the mother’s order, then turned to the little boy and said, "What would you like?" The mother immediately ...read more

Tags: Leadership Listening

Who Has Abortions?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

WHO HAS ABORTIONS? Fifty-two percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 33 percent of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 19 percent. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2 1/2 times as ...read more

Tags: Abortion

The Brooklyn Bridge Scam

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 13, 2022

The greatest con artist in American history was George C. Parker. After the Brooklyn Bridge opened in NYC in 1883, George C. Parker saw a tourist admiring it, so he decided to try selling it to him. It was so easy, he decided to sell it again. Over a period of years he averaged selling the Brooklyn ...read more

Tags: Sin, Deception, Cheating, Fraud, Liars, Bewitched  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Do You Still Live As A Slave?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 15, 2023

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln presented what came to be known as the Emancipation Proclamation, an official document condemning human slavery. Abraham Lincoln, realizing that slavery is completely against human dignity, officially abolished it from the United States on ...read more

Tags: Grace, Holy Spirit, Freedom, Legalism, Racism, Liberty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Everybody Ought To Know!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 17, 2023

I had a friend who pastored in Texas years ago who was going door-to-door to invite people to church and to know Christ. The pastor knocked on one door and an elderly woman answered. He said, “I am here to invite you to our church and to tell you about Jesus Christ. “ The woman said ...read more

Tags: Demons, Rebellion, Lucifer, Spirits, Hell, Satan, Devil, Spiritual Warfare, Angels  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Churches In Competition Against Each Other

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 5, 2023

Three churches, located on different corners of the same intersection, didn't get along together. One Sunday each of them opened their meeting with a rousing song service. It was a warm day and all the doors and windows were wide open. One congregation began singing the old hymn, "Will ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-7, Philippians 2:5-11

Tags: Critical Spirit, Hymns, Enemies, Division, Church, Worship, Competition, Rivalry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Encounters With Christ

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Oct 13, 2023

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon interprets part of Micah’s prophecy to refer to pre-New-Testament sightings of Jesus. He gives the examples of Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, and the three heroes of Babylonian Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Observe for a moment here, that each of these four great ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 32:24, Revelation 22:9, Daniel 3:25, Joshua 5:14, Genesis 18:22, Micah 2:13, Micah 5:2-4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Duty, Crisis, Courage

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

George W. Bush Meets Moses!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 22, 2024

George W. Bush was walking through an airport last week, when he saw an old man with white hair, a long white beard, wearing a long white robe and holding a staff. He walked up to the man, who was staring at the ceiling, and "Excuse me sir, aren't you Moses?" The man stood perfectly ...read more

Tags: Moses, Wilderness, Miracles, Voice Of God, Burning Bush  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Basketball Theology

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 18, 2026

Basketball theology Center/forward — Where nobody usually sits on Sunday mornings. Free throw — A toddler's toss of toys. Timeout A sermon gone too long. On the bench — The organist (pia- nist). Three-point play The structure of any good sermon. Offensive foul — A newly discov- ered baby's ...read more

Scripture: John 4:23-24

Tags: Worship, Sermon

Denomination: Methodist

Duckswaddle?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 3, 2026

Hear a lesson: THERE WAS A GROUP OF DUCKS THAT LOVED THE LORD, THEY LOVED THEIR DUCK CHURCH AND THEY LOVED THEIR DUCK PASTOR. The ducks waddled to church three times a week. Their duck preacher had heard from the Lord and the duck preacher had a revelation. So the duck preacher preached ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 4:9, Galatians 6:9

Tags: Heavy, More, Fly High

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Grace Story/Joke

Contributed by Bruce Blythe on Apr 13, 2021

There are not many stories/jokes that illustrate Grace (plenty of definitions of Grace though!) so I made this one up for my sermon on Romans 11 (Reciprocity No, Grace Yes). Hope people find it helpful. Blessings. Bruce A Jew, an Islamic and a Christian were drinking coffee on a ship. Then the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Grace Alone, By Grace We Are Saved, Reciprocity

Denomination: Baptist

Our Weakness

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Apr 13, 2021

When I was in my early 20s and a student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, I was, believe it or not, in pretty good shape. I jogged regularly. I was a karate student. I went to the gym 4-5 times a week. I truly was in good shape. Now that I’m older, I’m realizing that I’m not what I used to ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:29-31

Tags: Weakness, God's Strength, God Sustains

Denomination: Baptist

Plant The Seed And Wait For The Harvest

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 4, 2022

D.L. Moody made an covenant with God that he would witness for Christ to at least one person each day. One night, about ten o- clock, he realized that he had not yet witnessed; so he went out in to the street and spoke to a man standing by a lamppost, asking him, "Are you a Christian?" ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, Mark 4:1-20

Tags: Evangelism, Harvest, Gospel, Faithfulness, Word Of God, Witnessing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Clutching My Cane--Straightening The Derby!" ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 25, 2004

“Clutching My Cane--Straightening the Derby!” Acts 8: 18-25 Key verse(s): 24: “Then Simon answered, ‘Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.’” There’s an old East Texas saying: “It doesn’t matter how much milk you spill just so long as you don’t lose the cow.” To ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:18-25

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Like Blind Beggars! (08.15.05--Envy!--John 21: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 11, 2005

Like Blind Beggars! (08.15.05--Envy!--John 21: 20-23) “No one has done a better job of portraying envy than Dante, In his Purgatory . . .the envious sit like blind beggars by a wall. Their eyelids are sewn shut. the symbolism is apt, showing the reader that it is one of the blindest sins--partly ...read more

Scripture: John 21:20-23

Tags: Envy

Denomination: Lutheran

Bullet-Proof Vest Of Righteousness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

BULLET-PROOF VEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Terry Schafer, a young wife, lived with her husband in the small city of Moline, Illinois. She had a special gift she wanted to give to her husband for Christmas but was afraid that they would not be able to afford it. She started shopping for it in September, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:14

Tags: Righteousness

Speaking The Same Language

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jun 10, 2011

SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE Back in 1991, I went on a mission trip to the former Soviet Union. Twenty-or-so of us arrived on a snowy November day in Samara, a city of more than a million people located on the Volga River. We were there for about ten days, and our mission was to help start a ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Want To Share A Story That Has Changed The Way ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I want to share a story that has changed the way I view compassion. If I was a Hollywood film producer, I would make a movie out of it. It is a true story about a man named Bulus Tsetu. He and his family felt the call of God to start a Bible school in Nigeria, Africa. So after they had been there ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Thy Great ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Thy Great Salvation “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” (Romans 1: 16) Christians, like the apostle Paul, are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has chosen to offer a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Father's Legacy  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Father's Legacy Jim Berg wrote about the state of the family: "The family, which should be the greatest refuge for the child, has become a domestic battlefield where a child is often caught in the crossfire of his parents' warfare. The time and energy that should be spent giving him the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:17-18

Tags: Father's Day

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational