In Sermon Illustrations: "Time Wasted"

Fire Of Discipleship

Contributed by Brad Henry on Jul 26, 2011

FIRE OF DISCIPLESHIP I love to make a campfire. Many years ago I remember going on a fishing trip in the mountains of Arizona. There were about 10 men from our church and it was a great time of fellowship. It was my duty to get the fire going. Well get it going I did. I had it so hot in that cabin ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Middle Management

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

MIDDLE MANAGEMENT Cyril Barber, in his commentary on Nehemiah, transfers this principle into all of life; "Middle management involves being able to translate the ideals of one’s superiors into practice and, at the same time, knowing how to motivate one’s subordinates. It necessitates keeping ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:13-19

Tags: Leadership General

Running While Weighed Down

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 5, 2011

RUNNING WHILE WEIGHED DOWN David Posman was arrested in Providence, Rhode Island, after allegedly knocking out an armored car driver and stealing the closest 4 bags of money. It turned out they contained $800 in pennies, weighing 30 pounds each, and slowed him to a stagger during his getaway so ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Let Your Adorning Be Hidden

Contributed by David Hodgin on Oct 9, 2011

LET YOUR ADORNING BE HIDDEN Author Jennifer McBride wrote, "Ladies and gentlemen, I exhort you to dress in such a way that does not capture anyone’s gaze, but actually gives others something else, besides your attire, to think about. Discretion is a godly trait. At times, it is better to ...read more

Tags: Beauty

The Paint Covered Its Beauty

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Jan 24, 2012

THE PAINT COVERED ITS BEAUTY A few years ago when I lived in Poland we were at a local museum which had a beautiful sculpture of Mary holding Jesus. For years it stood on a street corner before the city decided to clean it up and restore it. Up to that point no one thought it was anything special ...read more

Tags: Beauty

Denomination: Lutheran

A Breakdown In Communication

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Feb 11, 2012

A BREAKDOWN IN COMMUNICATION My favorite Burns and Allen routine was the time when George was lecturing Gracie about carelessness. Gracie remembered one of her relatives who accidently parked in a red zone. George said, "That was very careless." Gracie responded, "Yes, it really was." "He ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:15, 1 Corinthians 14:1-40

Tags: Communication, Tongue, Communication General

Denomination: Baptist

The Wonder Of The Hummingbird

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

A few weeks ago, a hummingbird came and fluttered in front of my face. I was stunned. I've never seen one up that close and personal. It was so close I counted the number of times it flapped its wings - 25 beats per second - or 1500 flaps per minute! (No I looked it up!) It is the only bird ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:19

Tags: Creation, Wonder

Denomination: Christian Church

Weak Prayer, Weak Faith  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 7, 2013

WEAK PRAYER, WEAK FAITH Bill Hybels, "I used to make excuses for my faint-hearted prayer life. I don’t have any good models of persevering prayer, I told myself. I have too many responsibilities to fulfill, so I don’t have the time to pray properly. But God convinced me that I was not being honest ...read more

Scripture: James 4:2

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The New Guy  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Mar 29, 2013

THE NEW GUY We all need real hope. There were four ladies in a nursing home one time that were sitting there talking, and the nurse brings in a new man to the facility. He was quite dapper for an older man, and one of the ladies asked him where he had been for so long. He responded by saying he ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: *other

Singing In A Storm

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 3, 2021

LET US STUDY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SINGING SONG BIRD: THE THRUSH SPARROW. The THRUSH SPARROW SINGS MANY BEAUTIFUL SONGS. There is one song the Thrush sings that is amazing. THE ONLY TIME THE THRUSH SPARROW IS KNOWN TO SING HER MOST BEAUTIFUL SONG IS WHEN IT IS IN A TERRIBLE, DANGEROUS STORM OR WHEN IT ...read more

Scripture: Acts 27:10-31, Hebrews 12:12-15

Tags: Singing, Storms

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Ignorance Of Sheep

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 16, 2022

City dwellers generally have limited knowledge of sheep; not usually pets. “What are you doing with that sheep? You should take it to the zoo,” the officer said. The following week, the same police officer sees the same man with the same sheep in the front seat, with both of them wearing ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-27, John 10:7-10, John 10:1-18

Tags: Sheep, Ignorance, Shepherd

Denomination: Independent/Bible

During The Us Civil War Abraham Lincoln Met With ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

During the US civil war Abraham Lincoln met with a group of ministers for a prayer breakfast. Lincoln was a man of deep, if at times unorthodox, faith. At one point one of the ministers said, "Mr. President, let us pray that God is on our side". Lincoln’s response showed far greater insight, "No, ...read more

Tags: Faith, Knowing God's Will

The Process Of Sanctification Can Be Compared To ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The process of sanctification can be compared to an iceberg, which is almost 90% under water. As the sun shines on the iceberg, the exposed part melts, moving the lower part upward. In the same way, we are usually aware of only a small part of our sinfulness and need, which is all we can deal with ...read more

Tags: Faith

Dr. Walter Wilson, Ever On The Alert To Speak To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Dr. Walter Wilson, ever on the alert to speak to men about their souls, asked an attendant at a service station who had filled his car with gas: “How did sin get in Sinclair?” pointing to the lighted sign atop the gas pump. “I do not know, sir, how sin got into Sinclair; but, sir, I ...read more

Tags: Divinity Of Christ

One New Year's Eve At London's Garrick Club, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

One New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Seymour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. "You must," Hicks said to Lonsdale. "It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Mistake At The Movies

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Illustration- Mistake at the Movies A young fellow named John had purchased movie tickets for his girlfriend and himself. While he got the popcorn, she went inside to find seats. By the time he was served, the previews were being shown. As he fumbled his way in the dark, he sat down and gave his ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Shhhhh

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Shhhhh There was a patient in the mental hospital, holding his ear close to the wall, listening intently. The nurse finally approaches him and says “What are you doing.” “Shhh" he says. And he keeps listening. And finally the patient beckons the nurse over and says, “Listen.” The nurse presses ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Novelist Ayn Rand Had Mesmerized A Student ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Novelist Ayn Rand had mesmerized a student audience at Yale University with her prickly ideas. Afterward a reporter from Time magazine asked her, "Miss Rand, what’s wrong with the modern world?" Without hesitation she replied, "Never before has the world been so frantically committed to the idea ...read more

Tags: Faith

Mother Teresa: "If You Give What You Do Not ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Mother Teresa: “If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving.” A woman gave her son Billy 2 quarters. One was for his Sunday School offering. The other was for an ice cream cone on the way home from Sunday School. Billy was flipping one quarter in the air and catching it on the way down. ...read more

Tags: Giving General

A Story Is Told In Which An Accountant Answered ...

Contributed by Jimmy Chapman on Sep 27, 2007

A story is told in which an accountant answered an advertisement for a top job with a large firm. At the end of the interview, the chairman asked, "One last question—what is three times seven?" The accountant thought for a ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Knowing God's Will, Workplace Unemployment

Denomination: Baptist