In Sermon Illustrations: "Unknown People"

A Dying Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2011

A DYING CHURCH An artist was once asked to put on canvas what he considered to be the picture best symbolizing a decaying and dying church. After several months, he returned and reported that he had finished the task. The hour finally arrived when the painting was to be unveiled. Several people ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Tags: Church Growth

Who Will Do The Need-Meeting?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 11, 2011

WHO WILL DO THE NEED-MEETING? One preacher told of shopping at the supermarket when a lady came down the aisle heading straight for him. She screeched to a halt within a few feet of him, wagged her finger, and said, "I left your church. I left your church". So I said, "Well, if it’s my church, I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-5

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

What Occupies Your Heart

Contributed by Scott Carroll on May 20, 2011

WHAT OCCUPIES YOUR HEART I squirmed a bit as I forced myself to listen to my friend cataloging her problems. After three hours, I interrupted her gently to ask, "If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center? She thought a moment, then said, "My problems." My ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Non-Christians Can Be Happy  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 23, 2011

NON-CHRISTIANS CAN BE HAPPY I didn't say that non-Christians can't be happy or that they can't be content. Sure they can be happy...as long as life goes the way they want it to go. As long as our health is good, we enjoy our job, people love us and the sky is blue, anybody can be fairly content ...read more

Tags: Happiness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

One Scheme Of The Devil Is To Create A Twisted ...

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 25, 2011

One scheme of the devil is to create a twisted view of God. USA Today ran an article on a very comprehensive religion survey conducted by Baylor University. This survey showed that 96% of Americans believe in some view of God. But of this group 40% , or almost half, believe in a God who does not ...read more

Tags: False Teaching

Denomination: Lutheran

Singing For The Girls

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Jun 22, 2011

SINGING FOR THE GIRLS Last Sunday night I preached in a town called San Miguel. It was known for witch doctors and demonic things going on. We had a constant string of problems happening one after another. The church was crowded with every seat taken and faces looking through the back doors and ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

The Story Of Justice

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jul 28, 2011

THE STORY OF JUSTICE We all know the story; the bad guys, lead by Ugly Nasty have robbed the bank, the savings of the people of Rattlesnake Gulch have been taken to the abandoned mine. But before Jake and his henchmen left they abducted the school teacher, (the stunningly beautiful, even in black ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Honesty, Justice, Law Abiding, The Wild West

Denomination: Salvation Army

Reducing The Glare

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2011

REDUCING THE GLARE Just a few years ago (2004), Frank Gehry finished his landmark creation of the 274 million dollar Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Now, with all that money you'd expect the building to shine, and it does. The shimmering stainless steel concert hall is truly marvelous to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Tags: Holiness

Believing In Anything  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Aug 8, 2011

BELIEVING IN ANYTHING G.K. Chesterton once said, "It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing. Alas, it is worse than that. When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything." Without God the only standard of TRUST - of right and wrong - is what ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:2-11

Tags: Trust

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Beautiful Sounds Of The Stradivarius

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

THE BEAUTIFUL SOUNDS OF THE STRADIVARIUS Years ago, there was a master violinist in Europe. He would play in concerts, and he had a magnificent Stradivarius violin, extremely expensive. He would play the Stradivarius violin in concert and everyone would whisper in the crowd, "Listen to the ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 38:20, Isaiah 38:1-8

Tags: Born Again

The Blame Game

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

THE BLAME GAME Wayne Dyer writes: "All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you...You may succeed in making another feel guilty of something by blaming him; you won't succeed in changing whatever it ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:8-13

Tags: Guilt

Stay Out Of The Stagnant Water

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

STAY OUT OF THE STAGNANT WATER Palmer Chinchen, in his book, True Religion, talks about traveling to the western edge of Zimbabwe with his brothers to raft the Zambezi River, starting at the base of the Victoria Falls. The falls are the largest in the world, more than a mile wide and three hundred ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Tags: Church Practices

No Shortcuts

Contributed by Brad Henry on Aug 26, 2011

NO SHORTCUTS Now that the New Year is right around the corner there are those infomercials that tout great fitness. It seems that each year the machines get weirder. Hang upside down, spin 360 degrees then throw up. That loses about 5 lbs. Then there are those that bend you like a pretzel while ...read more

Tags: Change

St. Helens Vs. Krakatoa

Contributed by Scott Spencer on Nov 3, 2011

ST. HELENS VS. KRAKATOA May 18, 1980. You might remember that on that day there was an incredible explosion which was estimated at 500 times more powerful than the force of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. This explosion was so powerful that it ripped 1,200 feet off the top of a 9,700 ...read more

Tags: Strength

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

I Came Upon My 3rd Grade Report Card From A Small ...

Contributed by Brad Henry on Dec 9, 2011

I came upon my 3rd grade report card from a small school in Western Pennsylvania. The teacher wrote, "I feel Bradley could do so much better. Inattentive." Well not much has changed. ADD started early. But I was not inattentive when it came time for sports. Why the disconnect? It is because I was ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

The Blob: A Thriving Environment

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Feb 10, 2012

THE BLOB: A THRIVING ENVIRONMENT Years ago, there was a movie called The Blob. This cosmic Jell-O had come down from space, fell into a little crater, and cracked open. An old man came and had a little stick in his hand and was playing with it, and it ran up on his arm and began to consume him. ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

The Salvation Of Karla Faye Tucker

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Mar 29, 2012

THE SALVATION OF KARLA FAYE TUCKER Many of you probably remember Karla Faye Tucker. She was the first woman to be executed in the US since 1984. She was an accomplice to a brutal ax murder of two people in the early eighties. Soon after being imprisoned, Tucker took a Bible from the prison ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Lutheran

Call Sin Something Else, Please?

Contributed by Eugene Morell on Jul 1, 2012

CALL SIN SOMETHING ELSE, PLEASE? There is a story about a Methodist preacher who often spoke on the subject of sin. He defined sin as that abominable thing that God hates. One day some of the leading laymen came to urge their pastor to stop using the word sin. The laymen told their pastor that ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Missionary Service Of Henry ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 16, 2012

THE MISSIONARY SERVICE OF HENRY MARTYN Henry Martyn had already done more than his share of missionary service in India by his late 20s when he announced he was going to Persia. Doctors had told him that the heat would kill him if he stayed in India, and the heat in Persia was worse. Martyn ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:42-45

Tags: Servanthood

A Father's Legacy

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 30, 2012

A FATHER’S LEGACY Ken Hemphill tells the story of what took place at his church when he was pastor of FBC of Norfolk. He was out on the sidewalk welcoming people as they got out of their cars. About 3rd in line was a father & his teenage son. The father had a golf shirt on, and he evidently was ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Father's Day