In Sermon Illustrations: "Track"

Jack Canfield Tells About A Young High School ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

Jack Canfield tells about a young high school student whose father was a horse trainer. Because the family had to follow the horse-racing season, the young boy had to change schools throughout the year. During his senior year he was asked to write a paper about what his dreams for the future were. ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Shopkeeper Seeks Revenge On Bitter ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Shopkeeper Seeks Revenge on Bitter Rival What you believe about Jesus determines what you do with him. Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other’s business. If one got a customer, he ...read more

Scripture: John 11:45-53

Tags: Bitterness

How To Build A Ladder To Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2010

How To Build A Ladder To Your Dreams Years ago a young African-American child was growing up in Cleveland, in a home which he later described as "materially poor but spiritually rich." One day a famous athlete, Charlie Paddock, came to his school to speak to the students. At the time Paddock was ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Sports

Under Authority

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

UNDER AUTHORITY I used to be a substitute teacher. Most of the time, I had good classes. Sometimes I had bad classes. But one day, I had a horrible class. Kids were running around the room, throwing paper wads, screaming and yelling. One kid ran out the side door into the courtyard and came back ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:18-22

Tags: Authority

Supreme Sacrifice

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2011

SUPREME SACRIFICE In January 2001, Seiko Sakamoto, a Japanese plasterer in a Tokyo subway station, fell into the path of an oncoming train. Lee Su Hyun, a Korean student in Japan, leaped down on the tracks to save Sakamoto. Both Hyun and Sakamoto were killed. This selfless act by the Korean ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:7-9, Hebrews 1:3-4

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

The Inner Need For Excellence

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Apr 3, 2012

THE INNER NEED FOR EXCELLENCE Years ago during a speaking engagement, I stayed in a hotel in Dallas. It was late at night, and after flipping channels for a while, I landed on ESPN, which is how I learned that tennis legend Martina Navratilova had just won a grueling match in Florida earlier that ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 1:7-8

Tags: Attitude General

Denomination: Baptist

Abraham Lincoln And Criticism

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 2, 2013

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND CRITICISM A practicing lawyer loved to attack his opponents through scathing letters printed in newspapers. In 1842, he ridiculed the wrong man. James Shields did not take kindly to the anonymous writer who lampooned him in the Springfield Journal. Mr. Shields tracked down ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Criticism, Tongue

Christmas Humor

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 21, 2020

A Sunday School was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was pretty ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Coming Of Christ, Christmas, Christ, Manger, Birth Of Christ, Mary And Joseph  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If We Could Only See From God's Perspective

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 7, 2022

A man was walking along a railroad track on a very dark night when he came to a bridge.  He had gotten halfway across when he heard a train whistle up ahead.  He quickened his pace, but soon could see the light of the oncoming locomotive approaching.   With nowhere ...read more

Tags: Faith, Fear, Jesus, Obedience, Peter, Miracles, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Hilarious Christmas Story!!!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 19, 2022

• A Sunday School was putting on a Christmas pageant which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. One boy wanted so very much to be Joseph, but when the parts were handed out, a boy he didn’t like was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn-keeper instead. He was ...read more

Tags: Mary, Nativity, Christmas, Bethlehem, Children, Joseph, Pageants  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Church That Voted God Out!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2024

The story is told about a poor woman who lived across the tracks and wanted to join a very fashionable church. She talked to the pastor about it, but he sought to discourage her. He suggested she go home and think about it carefully for a week. At the end of the week she came back. He said, “Go ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-12

Tags: Church, Revival, Favoritism, Pastors, Membership, Partiality  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Train For Christmas

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

When I was a little boy, Christmas was really exciting. Sears Roebuck and Company would send toy catalogs out to my mom because she had an account with them. I would spend hours every Christmas looking at every item in the catalog. The catalog was filled with every kind of toy a boy could think ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Jesus Came, Unto Us A Child, A Son Is Given

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

They Took It Away!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 3, 2020

My parents used to operate a true “Mom and Pop” grocery store before I started school. I still remember some of the good times—and some of the bad times, too, unfortunately—from those days gone by. Some of the items they had for sale were plastic models. These were mostly Revell, Lindberg, or ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:22, 1 John 5:18

Tags: The Will Of God, Take It Or Leave It

Denomination: Baptist

Dr. Harry Iornside Tell The Story Of The Yellow ...

Contributed by Larry Jacobs on Jul 19, 2005

Dr. Harry Iornside tell the story of the YELLOW GOSPEL. Some years ago a terrible railroad accident occurred, killing many people. A commuter train had stalled on the tracks just a few minutes before a fast freight was due to arrive. A conductor was quickly sent to flag down the ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist

I Use To Read Mysteries Stories. The Problem I ...  PRO

Contributed by Larry Jacobs on Aug 1, 2005

I use to read mysteries stories. The problem I had with them was I would be reading and it would get late. I had to work the next morning. It was after midnight. The problem was it was just about that time in the book where the Villain would have the pretty young thing tied up on the saw ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, Apologetics The Bible

Denomination: Baptist

You Know, If You Want To Dabble In Fiction, You ...  PRO

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 5, 2005

You know, if you want to dabble in fiction, you can do some great things with a door. When I was a high school missionary kid living in Singapore, we all got to take a tour once on the U.S.S. Nimitz. And I now have a sci-fi film in my collection, about a time-travel portal that opens up and ...read more

Tags: Narnia

Denomination: Adventist

1956 National Championship In Melbourne…in The ...

Contributed by Roger Nelmes on Jan 10, 2007

1956 National Championship in Melbourne…in the third lap, Ron Clarke (Australian and World Junior Mile record holder) and John Landy moved forward at a strong pace. They were shooting for a new world record! Then Alec Henderson tried to squeeze between the two runners and the inside edge of the ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

If You Ask Anyone In My Family If They Have Ever ...

Contributed by Doris Sparks on Apr 5, 2007

If you ask anyone in my family if they have ever seen an angel; they would tell you the story that occurred on winter Sunday. We were driving up a very steep hill in town in a van. This was before mini-vans and this big 9-passenger van was not good on slippery roads. The road was snow packed and ...read more

Denomination: Lutheran

The Corporate Structure  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2002

THE CORPORATE STRUCTURE A print-and-save guide to how this outfit really works CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDleaps tall buildings in a single bound Is more powerful than a locomotive Is faster than a speeding bullet Walks on water Talks with God PRESIDENT Leaps short buildings in a single bound Is more ...read more

Opening Illustration With Marshmallows: Invite ...  PRO

Contributed by Bill Sullivan on Aug 12, 2004

Opening illustration with marshmallows: invite three or four from congregation who really like marshmallows - give each one a marshmallow. Ask them to hold it, wait until you’ve walked all the way around the auditorium. If they can wait until you’ve walked all the way around the auditorium, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:1-19

Tags: Temptation General, Temptation Resisting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational