In Sermon Illustrations: "Twelve Years"

He Writhed On The Floor While Men And Women ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Mar 6, 2010

He writhed on the floor while men and women gathered around him hurling their prayers. That’s the best way I can describe it. "Come out in Jesus name!" they said, and he writhed all the more as if in pain, and certainly in turmoil. The voices rose, "Come out you unclean spirit!" I had been ...read more

Tags: Demons

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Reason Why Helicopter Pilot Stopped A Massacre In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2010

Reason Why Helicopter Pilot Stopped a Massacre in Vietnam I would like to close with another quote from Thomas Long, who relates an illustration that many of us hear this morning can recall. Long writes, and I quote: “The school where I teach gave an honorary degree several years ago to a man named ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12

Tags: Christian Values

Rene' Gets Lost

Contributed by Paul Kendall on Apr 23, 2010

RENE' GETS LOST In her freshman year of college, my daughter Rene’ agreed to take some friends to the Tampa airport as they returned home for Christmas break. They showed her the way there-—and to get back-—she would simply follow the same route backwards and then come on home to celebrate ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:8

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: *other

Reflection On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 26, 2010

Reflection on Blindness When I first met PETER SUMNER he was blind. As a young man a terrible accident burned his eyes and left him without his sight. He walked down the aisles of the first Church I served in and his hand knocked the edge of the pew with quite some force. Until that time it didn’t ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:27-31

Tags: Disability, Healing Of Blind Man

Why Be Buried With A Fork In Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

Why Be Buried With a Fork in Your Hand There was a woman who had been told she only had 3 months to live. Her doctor recommended that she start making preparations to die. And so, she contacted her Pastor to talk about her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral, what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Heaven

Phantom Guilt

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Jul 9, 2010

PHANTOM GUILT Amputees often experience some sensation of a phantom limb. Somewhere, locked in their brains, a memory lingers of the nonexistent hand or leg. Invisible toes curl, imaginary hands grasp things, a "leg" feels so sturdy a patient may try to stand on it. For a few, the experience ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Denomination: Baptist

Temporary Castles  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

TEMPORARY CASTLES "A little boy is on the beach. On his knees he scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. "All afternoon he will work. ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17, Luke 12:15-21, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Tags: Death

Salvation From The Rubble

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

SALVATION FROM THE RUBBLE The September 11, 2002 issues of TIME magazine has a touching article about 31-year old Genelle Guzman. Genelle was the last of just four people caught in the debris of the Twin Towers to be found alive. After the planes hit the World Trade Center, Genelle was ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Salvation

The City And Its Crosses

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 20, 2011

THE CITY AND ITS CROSSES Two water towers have always served as landmarks for travelers heading for their homes near Wauconda, Illinois. But especially at the holidays. More than 40 years ago, John Kuester, then village police chief, suggested mounting large twin crosses on the towers to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Grant And Custer  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Apr 21, 2011

GRANT AND CUSTER There is a story of two Civil War Generals: George A. Custer and Ulysses S. Grant. Both graduated from West Point -- Gen. Grant, being the oldest, graduated in the 1840's and Gen. Custer in 1861. Grant fought in several wars and was a field General in every sense of the word. ...read more

Tags: Humility, God's Humility

Denomination: *other

Prayer Transforms A Workplace  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

PRAYER TRANSFORMS A WORKPLACE Brandon A. Bradley told his story in Pray! Magazine some time back about an opportunity in his life: "I am a surgical assistant--the surgeon's right-hand man. At one point in my career, I lost my passion. I wanted a job with spiritual significance, and I prayed for ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Tags: Prayer General

Faith Healing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2011

FAITH HEALING I’ve know people who questioned God’s love for them because God didn’t heal them. I’ve known others who questioned their own faith...they felt like if they’d just had more faith God would have healed them. In fact, I’ve known people who were TOLD by a faith-healer that the reason ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:20-22, Matthew 10:40-42

Tags: Miracles General

God Wants To Pull The Stickers Out  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Jun 6, 2011

GOD WANTS TO PULL THE STICKERS OUT The little girl hopped away screaming. Obviously, the fear of living forever with a sticker in her foot was not as terrifying as the thought of me pulling it out. But a five-year-old could not out-run the preacher. Not hopping on one foot, anyway. After I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:6

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

The Impact Of Fatherlessness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2011

THE IMPACT OF FATHERLESSNESS Several years ago the TV show 60 Minutes ran a segment that tells us something important about fatherlessness. The park rangers at a South African wildlife preserve were concerned about the slaughter of 39 rare white rhinos in their park. It turned out that the rhinos ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21

Tags: Father's Day

The Weak Will Become Strong  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 12, 2011

THE WEAK WILL BECOME STRONG The story is told of a ten-year-old boy who decided to study judo. The problem was he had been in a car accident and had lost his left arm. So he started the lessons and was doing well but he couldn’t understand why after 3 months of lessons that his coach had only ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-5

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Forgive Means "Let Go"  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Jul 14, 2011

Forgive Means "Let Go" In the last few days there was an item on the news about residents in a local neighborhood finding a bobcat in their yard. A story we sometimes hear is about an alligator being found in a drainage ditch. We haven’t heard that this year, with the drought, but sometimes we ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:25

Tags: Forgiveness, Stand, Grievances, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Baptist

Soul Surfer: Fulfill God's Destiny

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 19, 2011

* SOUL SURFER: FULFILL GOD'S DESTINY Soul Surfer is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton. Bethany lost her left arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. Bethany ...read more

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Doubting (Enter Your Name)

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Jul 30, 2011

DOUBTING (ENTER YOUR NAME) The most famous doubter of all time is Thomas. Through history Judas has been the only disciple criticized more than Thomas. Tradition has given him a new name: "Doubting Thomas." He wanted proof that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. But can you blame him? When the ...read more

Scripture: James 1:6-8, Matthew 21:21, Mark 11:23

Tags: Faith, Doubt, Prayer

Denomination: Baptist

Persecution Of Baptists In The Colonies

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

PERSECUTION OF BAPTISTS IN THE COLONIES Throughout their long history as a people of faith, Baptists have consistently opposed any diminution of the rights of the individual to seek and to pursue their own faith, or for each person to decide to be without faith if that is the choice. Though ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:13-17

Tags: Persecution

Just Wanted To Tell You I Love You  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2011

JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU Paul Powell tells the story of a well-known preacher from years ago. His name was Carter Jones. Carter had a small room in the attic of his home that he used as a place of prayer. When he was especially burdened, he would make his way up the winding staircase to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:29-31

Tags: Love For God