In Sermon Illustrations: "Turned Away"

Last Week During Fellowship, I Told Some Of You ...

Contributed by Curt Cizek on Aug 9, 2008

Last week during fellowship, I told some of you about a scene from the Dark Knight, the new Batman movie. Have any of you seen the movie? The Joker threatens the city of Gotham, so the mayor decides to begin evacuating the city. The prison is emptied and put on a ferry to carry them away so that ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Lutheran

Allison Was An Upbeat, Enthusiastic Teen. She ...

Contributed by Brian Matherlee on Sep 4, 2008

Allison was an upbeat, enthusiastic teen. She was positive, eager, and energetic. She was one of the teens in my group and was always a joy. It was terrible the day I got the call about her dad. Allison’s dad died suddenly of a massive heart attack sitting in his office at work one day. I got ...read more

Tags: Love For God

Denomination: Wesleyan

We Used To Live In This Small Farming Town North ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on Sep 22, 2008

We used to live in this small farming town north of Manhattan. Down the street from our house was a sweet-natured and friendly family with a strange habit. They never seemed to throw anything away. They had completely filled their front porch with bags of trash and it wasn't long before their yard ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:37-38, Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22

Tags: Change, Transformation, New Life, Born Again, Wineskin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: United Methodist

Our Apartment In Romania Was Close To The Train ...

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Oct 16, 2008

Our apartment in Romania was close to the train station. And one of our distant relatives, Emil, who happens to run a small business two hundred miles from us, discovered how convenient is to have a place to stay for free while he was around shopping for his business, in our area. So from time to ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Redeemed, Redeemed, Redeemed...

Contributed by Bob Gillchrest on Dec 1, 2008

REDEEMED, REDEEMED, REDEEMED... A.J. Gordon was the great Baptist pastor of the Clarendon Church in Boston, Massachusetts. One day he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, "Son, where did you get those birds?" ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus The Rosetta Stone

Contributed by Stephen Collins on Dec 11, 2008

JESUS THE ROSETTA STONE Do remember the Rosetta Stone from history class in school? What was it? It was a tablet that was discovered that allowed archeologists to translate ancient, Egyptian hieroglyphics to modern-day languages. Without the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, all the ancient ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Church Of God

Where Is Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

Where Is Your Treasure Intro: Long ago, in a kingdom far, far away, a rich king hired a “fool” to entertain him and make him laugh when he was sad. He gave the fool a golden scepter and told him that when he met a greater fool than he, to pass the golden scepter to that person. Years passed ...read more

Tags: Money

The Heart Of Worship

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

THE HEART OF WORSHIP In late 1990's in Watford, England, Matt Redman's church had a high caliber praise band and worship team, yet the pastor knew that the congregation had lost its way in worship. So the Pastor asked "When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your ...read more

Tags: Worship Definition

The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2009

THE SHEEP-CHASER A guide on a tour bus that traveled through Israel’s countryside had the crowd engaged as he explained the history, the scenery and the lifestyle. In his description, he included a heart-warming portrayal of the ancient shepherd/sheep relationship. He told of how the shepherd ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-15

Tags: Leadership General

God's Wise Design

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Feb 14, 2009

GOD’S WISE DESIGN Because nature is clouded by sin, it gives only an indistinct picture of God. Much of His great wisdom and marvelous design, however, can still be clearly traced. For instance, the earth rotates on its axis at approximately 1000 miles per hour. If that had been 100 miles per ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience

Denomination: Baptist

I Give Up!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Many years ago, executives of the Time-Life publishing organization discovered that the company’s profit margin had shrunk to an alarmingly low level. To cut costs, they decided to eliminate hundreds of works to be replaced with machines. The name of each subscriber was put on a separate little ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

The Cheapest Way To Park A Rolls Royce!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 26, 2023

In Mattew 25, Jesus taught the Parable of the Talents to His disciples. The parable shows the value of investing wisely by those who took their talent and multiplied it through wise negotiation. The one who buried his talent and did not invest was scolded by the Lord. Here is a funny ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Investing, Business, Talents, Saving Money, Money Management, Kingdom Of God, Parables  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Redemption - Doctor Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 3, 2023

This story is reported as true ... though true or a parable ... it speaks to the importance ... of the One ... of one who can save. It was almost 1:00 in the morning... when the phone rang. Dr. Leo Winters, ...a highly acclaimed surgeon... was abruptly awakened ...from his nights sleep. There ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:21, Ephesians 1:7, John 8:36, Matthew 26:28, 1 John 1:9, Isaiah 43:25  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Blood, Lamb, Salvation, Sin, Redeemed, Redemption  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

There Is No Record Of A Rolls Royce Ever Breaking Down!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 19, 2023

Warren Wiersbe tells the story about a man who purchased a Rolls Royce and decided to tour through Europe. As he was enjoying his drive looking at the sights, suddenly his Rolls Royce broke down with no one around who could fix it. He sent a cable to the company in England and they flew a man over ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23, 2 Corinthians 5:21

Tags: Justification, Position, New Life In Christ, Sinful Nature, Sini, Salvation, Redemption, Blood Of Jesus, Cleansing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Love Of God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 12, 2023

Several years ago, John MacArthur had the opportunity to spend several days traveling with the well-known gospel musicians, Bill and Gloria Gaither. At one point, he asked Bill what, in his estimation, were the greatest Christian lyrics ever written, aside from the inspired Psalms. Without ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Cross, God's Love, Hymns, Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Be Like The Llama And Face Your Enemy!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 8, 2024

Reports the DENVER POST: "Like many sheep ranchers in the West, Lexy Fowler has tried just about everything to stop crafty coyotes from killing her sheep. She has used odor sprays, electric fences, and 'scare-coyotes.' She has slept with her lambs during the summer and has placed ...read more

Scripture: James 1:10-15

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Stand, Spiritual Armor, Temptation, Satan, Running, Lust, Fear, Battles, Defeat, Victory, Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Generosity

Contributed by Anitha Jabastion on Aug 17, 2024

There was once a wealthy woman who was known for her miserly ways. Each time she gave to the offering at church, she only dropped a few coins into the box. One night, she had a vivid dream. In her dream, she passed away and was taken up to heaven. As she arrived, she was amazed to see many grand ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Matthew 6:19-21

Tags: Giving, Generosity

God Moved The Mountain

Contributed by Rev. Duraimony Dickson on Aug 7, 2025

A small church was growing very fast. Every Sunday, more and more people were coming to worship. But there was one big problem—there was no proper parking lot. Many people had to park far away and walk a long distance to the church. The pastor and the church members started praying. They asked God ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:20

Tags: Faith, Prayer

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

One Of My All-Time Favorite Movies Is "Mr. ...  PRO

Contributed by Mary Lewis on May 11, 2001

One of my all-time favorite movies is “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” It’s the story of a musician who really just wants to be a composer. Rather grudgingly, he takes a job teaching music at the local high school, supposing it will give him time to write music while providing an income for he and his wife. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:20

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers, Holy Spirit Attributes

Denomination: Baptist

Football Practice Was Over, And Denny Was Sore ...  PRO

Contributed by Lynn Floyd on Apr 26, 2002

Football practice was over, and Denny was sore from head to toe. Slowly he climbed the graffiti-laden stairway of the aging apartment building. Suddenly, his mother’s chilling screams pierced the cold, still air. He had heard the sound many times before. Still, a sickening knot formed in Denny’s ...read more

Tags: Children

Denomination: Baptist