In Sermon Illustrations: "Visitors"

Freedom

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

In the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA, there’s a special display for a rickety, home-made aluminum kayak. This tiny, makeshift boat seems oddly out of place in the midst of displays for impressive Navy vessels and artifacts from significant battles on the sea. But a bronze plaque tells museum ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2

Tags: Freedom, Persecution

Denomination: Methodist

The Love Of My Life  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 2, 2004

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE Rick Warren’s wife Kay has cancer. [He wrote "The Purpose Driven Life] Rick sends out a letter every week through his web site, and this is what a recent one said: “So many of you have asked about Kay’s progress in her treatment for cancer, so we wanted to give you an update. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:18-24, Proverbs 18:22, Ephesians 5:22-33

Tags: Perseverance, Marriage Commitment, Marriage General, Unity

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sowing The Seed: A Comparison  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

SOWING THE SEED: A COMPARISON In the 13th Century, Nicolo Polo (father of Marco Polo) was visiting the court of the grandson of Ghengis Khan - Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was the Emperor of China and he had never met Europeans before. He was delighted to meet this visitor from Venice AND he was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15, Psalm 1:1, Numbers 1:11

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed, Happiness

Who Is The Shepherd?

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 6, 2011

WHO IS THE SHEPHERD? Keith Miller writes, "Years ago, when our daughters were very young, we'd drop them off at our church's children's chapel on Sundays before the eleven o'clock service. One Sunday, just as I was about to open the door to the small chapel, the minister came rushing up. He said ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:14-17

Tags: Arrogance

How Not To Market The Church

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2011

HOW NOT TO MARKET THE CHURCH When we speak of marketing the church (writes David Wells) we are not referencing such things as advertising church events, providing excellence in church programming, being kind to visitors, or providing ample parking. No one is arguing the importance and value of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Tags: Church Practices

Washington Monument Setbacks

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 18, 2012

WASHINGTON MONUMENT SETBACKS In the pursuit of our dreams, there are often setbacks along the way. In 1836, the fledgling Washington National Monument Society announced that they had chosen Robert Mills' plans for the construction of a monument to our nation's first president. Mills had slaved ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-13

Tags: Endurance

The Big Turkey In The Freezer

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 21, 2023

A Christian woman went into the local pet shop to buy a parrot for company. She selected a beautiful bird, but the pet store owner said he didn't think that she'd be happy with this particular parrot because he had belonged to a salty old sailor who used very bad language. She replied ...read more

Tags: Birds, Parrots, Holidays, Food, Profanity, Punishment, Discipline, Cursing, Thanksgiving  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Walt Disney’s Vision

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Mar 22, 2026

You may not know this, because he wasn’t highly vocal about his faith, but Walt Disney was raised in a Christian home, and baptized in a Congregational Church. Near the end of his life, Walt Disney wrote an essay [for the book Faith is a Star] in which he credited his faith and his lifelong ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1

Tags: Faith, Vision

Denomination: Baptist

Gladyce, A Widow, Attended Church Faithfully ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Gladyce, a widow, attended church faithfully every Sunday. She would get there about 20 minutes early to sit and pray. This was her ritual. Just her and Jesus. She had been doing this for years. Then one Sunday a new family sat behind her. This was disturbing. She said, “Oh, well, they’re visitors ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:18

Tags: Salvation

History Of The Ship Mv ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 27, 2010

History of the ship MV Doulos When built for the White Star Line in 1912 the Titanic was the marvel of her age. At nearly 883 feet in length, Titanic was longer than the tallest structures on Earth at the time. Over 1800 people left England on the “unsinkable ship”, but only 675 arrived. After ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-13

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Radical Faith  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jan 24, 2011

RADICAL FAITH I want to read to you the opening story from David Platt's book "The Radical Question" (Multnomah Press). Imagine a scene that took place in Asia not so long ago: A room in an ordinary house, dimly lit, all the blinds on the windows closed. Twenty leaders from churches in the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 12:10-17

Tags: Persecution, Better Together

Denomination: Nazarene

A True Church Family

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

A TRUE CHURCH FAMILY Fred Sigle, preaching minister at Garfield Christian Church in Indianapolis tells about Mark Knutson. On August 28, 1993, he was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of cancer. When diagnosed, he was already in the late stages and was only given a short time to ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Sometimes We Need A Steward

Contributed by Francis Balla on Nov 15, 2012

SOMETIMES WE NEED A STEWARD If you ever get to Venice, one of the places to see is Saint Mark's Square, the spot Napoleon called "the drawing room of Europe." But if you go there, make sure your belly is covered up. It’s not that there's exactly a dress code, but there is an expectation of ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Buddha's Finger  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Mar 30, 2002

BUDDHA'S FINGER In 1981 there was a devastating flood in central China. During the flood an ancient pagoda collapsed at Famen Temple. A few years later, archaeologists were digging through the rubble when they made a startling discovery. Sealed in a miniature stone casket, they found what ...read more

Tags: World Religions, Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Methodist

If You Ever Happen To Listen To Positive 89.3 On ...  PRO

Contributed by Jonathan Twitchell on Oct 26, 2006

If you ever happen to listen to Positive 89.3 on Saturday nights, you know that Joe Polek and I often enjoy sharing humorous stories from the news between the songs that we play. If you listened last night, you would have heard us talking about a variety of mistranslations with humorous results. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:44-53

Tags: Commission, Communication General

Denomination: Nazarene

Indian Legend Adds "Spook" To Phenomenon

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2007

Indian Legend Adds "Spook" to Phenomenon This isn’t your typical pay-at-the-gate attraction. In fact, there is no admission charge — it’s free! Some might not even call it an attraction, but don’t say that to the locals of Lake Wales, Florida. Spook Hill is proudly recognized by the town. The ...read more

Grasping Your Place Greet One ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Grasping Your Place Greet One Another A Necessity in Corporate Worship Christians who get the most out of congregational worship services have learned the joy of greeting their brothers and sisters in Christ. At least four times in the New Testament Christians are told to “Greet one ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:16

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Einstein And Emmy  PRO

Contributed by Joe La Rue on Apr 28, 2008

EINSTEIN AND EMMY When Einstein fled Nazi Germany, he came to America and bought an old two-story house within walking distance of Princeton University. There he entertained some of the most distinguished people of his day and discussed with them issues as far ranging as physics to human rights. ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-4, Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 40:1-5, 2 Kings 20:1-5, Matthew 13:1-9, Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 24:32-44, Romans 8:20-39, Romans 12:1-2, John 12:23-26  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Children, Welcome, Gift, Funeral, Follow, Persistence, Deny, Share, Prayer General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Walter Wilson Story

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Jun 3, 2009

THE WALTER WILSON STORY Walter Lewis Wilson was an American doctor born towards the end of the 19th century. He was a faithful Christian who often hosted visiting missionaries to his church. One visitor from France didn't mince words, asking him, "Who is the Holy Spirit to you?" Wilson's answer ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Anglican

Location, Location, Location

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Apr 15, 2010

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Back in 1991, I did an internship as a hospital chaplain in Philadelphia. At that time, AIDS was a new thing, and honestly, the hospital wasn’t sure how to handle people with AIDS, they were not sure what precautions to take when treating AIDS patients, so they took ...read more

Tags: Affliction

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational