In Sermon Illustrations: "True Crime"

Faith And Works  PRO

Contributed by David Parks on Aug 26, 2010

FAITH AND WORKS There was once a Scotsman who rowed people across a river. On one oar he had carved the word 'faith' and on the other oar he had carved the word 'works'. One day as he was rowing, one of the passengers noticed the carvings and asked him about them. The Scotsman did not reply but ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:3-4

Tags: Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Stolen Art  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 16, 2011

STOLEN ART I was surprised to learn that if you had a museum that contained the world’s stolen art, it would be one of the biggest in the world. It would contain 174 Rembrandt’s, 43 Van Gogh’s, over 500 Picassos, and works by Renoir and da Vinci. You may remember that a few years back someone ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:23

Tags: Surrender, Jesus Christ, Right, Caesar, Render, Don't Give Up  (view more)  (view less)

God's Only 'forgotten' Son

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 24, 2011

GOD'S ONLY 'FORGOTTEN' SON There's a true story told about a revival that was held in a small town. The crowd had dispersed, when a woman came down front and asked to speak with the preacher. She cried uncontrollably as she explained to the minister that she wanted to become a Christian, but she ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: God's Love

Pretender Dr. Nick

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 24, 2011

PRETENDER DR. NICK What does it take to be turned around if you are a pretender? Dr. Nick Yphantides can help us. Although he was a true Christian he was living part of his life in a purely hypocritical manner. Dr. Nick’s specialty was preventative medicine. Every day he was trying to help ...read more

Tags: Hypocrisy

Denomination: Lutheran

Gollum And Sin

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 19, 2011

GOLLUM AND SIN Tolkien’s character - Gollum. What a great name. Just from the sound of it, you can tell that it is attached to a ne'er-do-well. Gollum is the slimiest character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you are a true-blue fan of the books, you know that originally this ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Can Make Him Drink

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

YOU CAN MAKE HIM DRINK Howard Hendricks, one of my professors at Dallas Theological Seminary, sometimes talked about his days when he was a student at the same seminary. In one of those stories, he tells about the time he was invited to preach in west Texas. "You've all heard of Nowhere? Well," ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Tags: Evangelism How To

History Of Israel Stands As A Witness...

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Nov 27, 2011

History of Israel stands as a witness... About 300 years ago, the King of Sweden was having personal doubts about God’s existence and the Bible's divine nature. He called for Count Von Zinzendorf, who was the bishop of the Moravian Church, to provide evidence about God’s existence and Divine ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth

Denomination: *other

God's Word Described  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 14, 2012

GOD’S WORD DESCRIBED An unknown writer said, "This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:16-176

Tags: Bible Truth

Bertoldo De Giovanni Is A Name Even The Most ...

Contributed by Perry Greene on Aug 2, 2012

Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Story To Tell

Contributed by Bobby Jenkins on Feb 2, 2013

A STORY TO TELL (A poem to honor our military veterans ) By Pastor Bobby W. Jenkins Jr. A story to tell, one we can’t fully understand One of sacrifice and bravery of so many men A story to tell of a perilous fight That cost so many their lives and gathered such might A story to tell of the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 33:12

Tags: Military, America, Soldier, Veterans, Holidays Civic  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Martyrdom Of John ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2013

MARTYRDOM OF JOHN DENLEY One day, on the way to visit some friends, John Denley was stopped and searched by the authorities, who found his written confession of faith. Denley believed the Church was built upon the apostles and prophets, with Christ as its head, and that the present state church, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12

Tags: Faith, Persecution, Martyr

A Teacher With Morals

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2013

A TEACHER WITH MORALS It's a true story; only the names have been changed to protect the embarrassed. Little Tommy attended first grade Sunday School faithfully. He loved his teacher, Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith told great Bible stories, and she would always end the story by saying, "And, boys and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-23

Tags: Morality, Parable Sower And Seed

Robes Of Righteousness

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Feb 28, 2015

Dr Ravi Zacharias came up with a true witty story of a New Zealand Shepherd who was happy on a Christmas morning, sad in the afternoon but once again happy in the evening. What exactly contributed to his mood swings? Here goes…in the morning two of his ewes’ “A” and “B” gave birth to two lambs “a” ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:10

Tags: Grace, Gratitude, God's Righteousness, Grimy

Denomination: *other

When Good Intentions Go Wrong

Contributed by Jeremiah Menyongai on Mar 15, 2016

Illustration 2: In Tanzania, two guys went for an interview. One was smarter than the other but they were good friends and willing to work together so the less smarter could pass. The educated one said if he went first, he would come back with the answers to the interview questions. It happens that ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 26:1-33

Tags: Examine, Follower, Repeat, Mess, Ignorant, Stupid, Independent, Intention, Dull, Dummy, Ax, Evaluate, Test  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

The First And Second Great Revival

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 24, 2018

The first recorded revival in Christian history happened from a prayer meeting that took place with a handful of disciples in the upper room (Acts 1:14). The result of that prayer meeting was that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:2-4, Acts 4:23-24

Tags: Prayer, Revival

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ten Word Sermon

Contributed by Kevin Barron on Aug 31, 2018

The shortest sermon I know is only ten words. It was preached by my grandfather to a small, country congregation on the story of the Good Samaritan (Mark 10:35-45). He read the account of an outsider who demonstrates true neighbor love by stopping on the road to care for a bleeding and badly ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45

Tags: Compassion, Good Samaritan

Denomination: Methodist

God's Miracle Book

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

The Bible is referred to in many different ways. We speak of it as God's Word, the Good Book, the Holy Scriptures, and the Sword of the Spirit. It is also known as the Book of books and the Living Word. Some call it simply THE Book, for nothing else seems necessary. It stands alone, towering ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Miracles, Inerrancy, Inspiration Of The Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Stop Offering A Comfortable Christian Message

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

Most evangelistic appeals today pitch the gospel as the way to have an abundant life. “Jesus came to offer you abundant life. Trust in Him and He will give you peace, joy, and a truly happy life.” While all of those claims are true if properly defined, what the salesman hasn’t told the potential ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:12, Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 1:16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Commitment, Discipleship, Truth, Suffering, Greasy Grace, Comfortable Christianity  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Recognizing The Value Of The Gospel Offer

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 20, 2021

It’s a sad day when people are offered the kingdom of heaven, but they don’t see its value. They set it aside as a common thing and go their way. Image going to an antique store and finding a priceless antique there. The seller has priced it as a common item. But it is worth many times more than ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46, Philippians 3:7-11, Matthew 6:19-34, Psalm 90:12, Proverbs 4:7, Luke 14:33  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, Value, Invitation, Choice, Kingdom Of Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Chuck Swindoll Tells About A Study Of Teenagers ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Chuck Swindoll tells about a study of teenagers and peer pressure. The design of the study was simple. They brought groups of ten adolescents into a room for a test. Each group was instructed to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the longest line on three separate charts. What one person ...read more

Tags: God's Provision