In Sermon Illustrations: "Wanting"

I Want To Conclude With A Clip. This Movie Is The ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jun 16, 2009

I want to conclude with a clip. This movie is the story of a POW camp that was forced to build an important and strategic bridge. In this scene, one man unexpectedly decides to intervene on behalf of another. He does it out of his convictions and the love of God in him. [Show clip: To End All Wars ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Church Of God

I Don't Want To Be A Fireman

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 20, 2011

I DON'T WANT TO BE A FIREMAN I recall a conversation I once had with a precocious little boy we once had in the church I pastored for 10 years in Wiesbaden. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. "Well," he replied, "I don't want to be a fireman." I'd never had a kid tell me what ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

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

God Wants To Live In Your House

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 9, 2011

GOD WANTS TO LIVE IN YOUR HOUSE C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity: "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-5

Tags: Sanctification

What I Don't Want To Be

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2011

WHAT I DON'T WANT TO BE I recall a conversation I once had with a precocious little boy we once had in the church I pastored for 10 years in Wiesbaden. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. "Well," he replied, "I don't want to be a fireman." I'd never had a kid tell me what he was ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:4-5

Tags: Christian Values

Why Would You Want To Be President?

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT? Parker Palmer was offered a job at a university and was wrestling with whether or not to take the job. Parker decided to ask 12 friends to come together to think about whether he should take the job. They began asking him questions. One of them asked, "Parker, ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Methodist

I Don't Want To Be A Saint...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Bayles on Dec 1, 2011

"I DON'T WANT TO BE A SAINT..." So the Bible clearly teaches that everyone who has been sanctified and set apart by God is a saint. I read a story earlier this week about a Wisconsin mom who was trying to teach her kids how God sees them. She told them that when they receive Jesus as Savior that ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:32

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Christian Church

Jesus Wanted His Followers To Be Different!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Mar 3, 2012

Jesus wanted His followers to be different! As someone said, "Winners do not do different ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: *other

Sure You Want To Win The Lottery?

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 1, 2012

SURE YOU WANT TO WIN THE LOTTERY? When William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in a 1988 lottery, one of the first things he did was try to please his family. Unfortunately, his kin was of the unfriendly sort. Post's brother hired a hit man to kill him, hoping to inherit some money. Other family ...read more

Tags: Money

Denomination: Independent/Bible

I Don't Want To Be One!

Contributed by Christopher Gregas on Sep 8, 2012

I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE! There was a pastor that was giving a "children’s sermon" to all the young children. And as they sate before him, a bright-eyed three-year-old girl listened intently as he explained that God wanted them all to get along and love each other. "God wants us all to be one," he ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If We Want To Come To Jesus There Will Be Opposition

Contributed by Ken Henson on Oct 15, 2012

If we want to come to Jesus there will be opposition. John Stott was the pastor of All Saints Church in London. I had a chance to meet John Stott while I was in London. He died last year. He is really credited with starting the evangelical movement in England. Before that movement was started, ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings

Denomination: *other

Insecure Boyfriend Wanted A New Sign!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

Driving through Southern California, a man stopped at a roadside stand that sold fruit, vegetables and crafts. As he went to pay, he noticed the pretty young woman behind the counter was painting a sign. "Why the new sign?" he asked. "My boyfriend didn't approve of the old ...read more

Tags: Marriage, Humor, Jealousy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Empty Agnostic Who Wanted To Believe

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 4, 2022

T.H. Huxley, a well-known agnostic, was with a group of men at a weekend house party. On Sunday morning, while most of them were preparing to go to church, he approached a man known for his Christian character and said, "Suppose you stay at home and tell my why you are a Christian." The ...read more

Tags: Witnessing, Atheism, Great Commission, Agnostics, Evangelism, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Peter Wanted To Walk On The Water

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 7, 2022

Peter said to Jesus, "Command me to come to You on the water !" He wasn't getting out of the boat until the Lord called him to do that. Don't go and jump out of your boat and then expect a miracle from Jesus if He hasn't called you out of the boat in the first ...read more

Tags: Faith, Fear, Jesus, Obedience, Peter, Miracles, God's Voice  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

People Still Want To Be Invited To Church

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 25, 2024

Most Americans say they would visit a church if invited by a family member, neighbor or a friend. A recent study by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and LifeWay Research found that 67 percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to ...read more

Scripture: John 20:21, Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Unchurched, Unbelievers, Wintessing, Evangelism, Church, Easter, Gospel, Missions, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Good Man Wants To Get Into Heaven

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 21, 2024

I was recently at the gym having a conversation with someone I just met. Within a matter of 10 minutes, I realized that this man was a better man than me. He had volunteered in more countries than I could count in 10 minutes of our conversation. He was a teacher, he served the poor in many ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 3:23

Tags: Grace, Justification, Good Works, Works Righteousness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

If Two People Want To Be Married, They Go Through ...  PRO

Contributed by Nathan Eyland on Mar 10, 2005

If two people want to be married, they go through a number of rites or ceremonies as part of a larger ceremony of marriage. They might exchange rings, they take a vow, the sign papers, and they publicly kiss. Depending on the faith tradition in which they get married, they do all things to be ...read more

Tags: Change, Baptism

Denomination: Baptist

The Sign In The Window Read: "Boy Wanted". Young ...

Contributed by Ed Wood on Jun 29, 2005

The sign in the window read: “Boy Wanted”. Young John Simmons, though he was lazy, saw his opportunity and applied. He was quickly hired by elderly Mr. Peters. The pace was leisurely so he enjoyed the job. Toward the middle of the afternoon however, he was sent up to the attic — a dingy place full ...read more

Tags: Responsibility, Servanthood, Hard Work, Little Things

Denomination: Baptist

I Want You To Imagine A Couple Sitting In A ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Lucas on Jul 30, 2005

I want you to imagine a couple sitting in a coffee shop. And you are one table over. Have you ever done this? You just kind of eavesdrop. You know, those coffee shops are small enough; you can hear almost every conversation in the room. You know, just have your laptop open so they don’t know you ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:9-14

Tags: Romantic Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

People Want To Work. People Are Telling Me ...

Contributed by Fred Mueller on Sep 7, 2005

People WANT to work. People are telling me they’d LOVE to go down to New Orleans to help the people in misery there. People woul dgladly enter the smell and danger to do ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed