In Sermon Illustrations: "We Are Frail"

A Defensive Programming Problem

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2012

A DEFENSIVE PROGRAMMING PROBLEM In the 1982 war in the Falkland Islands between England and Argentina, the Royal Navy’s 3,500-ton destroyer HMS Sheffield was sunk by a single missile fired from an Argentine fighter jet. This caused some people to wonder if modern surface warships were obsolete. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:27-28

Tags: Judgment

Charles Dickens And Reviving Christmas  PRO

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Dec 23, 2012

Two hundred years ago, in the early 19th Century, as astonishing as it may seem, Christmas in Great Britain had become almost extinct. The Times newspaper did not mention Christmas once between 1790 and 1835. Not once! However, Charles Dickens was instrumental in reviving Christmas during the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

Tags: Christmas, Losing Christmas

Denomination: Anglican

Purity

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 1, 2015

A mother was concerned when she heard that her son had a live in girlfriend. She went to his house. Her son was the only one home. The son said, “It’s not what you think, Mom. She needed a place to stay. She has her bedroom and I have mine.” The son then showed his mother the guest bedroom ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Tags: Cohabitation, Shacking Up, Sexual Purity, Living Together

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Missing The Obvious!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Dec 29, 2015

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson went on a camping trip. After sharing a good meal and a bottle of Petrie wine, they retire to their tent for the night. At about 3 AM, Holmes nudges Watson and asks, "Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see?" Watson said, "I see millions of ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Humility, Charity

Denomination: *other

The Infinite Can Penetrate The Finite!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 1, 2016

Herbert Spencer, one of the popularizes of agnosticism over a century ago, observed accurately that a bird has never been known to fly out of space. Therefore, he concluded by analogy that it is impossible for the finite to penetrate the infinite. Even if God does exist, we can never know Him ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14

Tags: Jesus, Creator, Infinite, Agnosticism

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Flies In The Perfume

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 13, 2019

Perfume maker Many years ago, there was a perfume maker who made the best perfume. He had been working on his latest creation for over a month. All his work was beginning to pay off, this was the best perfume he had ever created. He couldn’t wait to show it to the queen, she would be impressed. In ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 10:1-3

Tags: Sins, Dead Flies

Denomination: Pentecostal

When Are You Going To Talk About Sin?

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Jun 28, 2019

It was early in the year, and I asked myself, “What is the most important things my congregation needs to know.” I had decided to preach a series on what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, or the Plain, if you go by Luke. I mapped out the series, then I began to talk about what Jesus had to ...read more

Tags: Judging Others, Sermon On The Mount, Judgement, Forgiveness, Sin, Forgive  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Strength Through Interconnectedness

Contributed by Richard Tow on Oct 5, 2020

Years ago, Jeanie and I visited the Redwood National Park in northern California. We stood in awe as we looked up to trees reaching over 350 feet. These trees have endured storms for over 1,000 years. The surprising thing is that their roots are very shallow—only about 10 to 12 feet deep. How does ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:2-3

Tags: Community, Church, Perseverance, Unity, Cooperation, Difficulties, Storms  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Do Not Let Others Discourage You

Contributed by Shawn Drake on Apr 18, 2021

Over the last few Wednesdays, we have been studying how to make wise choices in who are your close friends. One of the main points is- To have a close friend, you have to be a close friend. We live in a time where people enjoy destroying other people and leave them discouraged. In our sermon ...read more

Scripture: Acts 18:1-28

Tags: Be The Church, Encourager

Denomination: Baptist

Funny Church Feuds

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 14, 2021

Church feuds are not uncommon, especially among cliques in the congregation. But when the pastor and choir director get into it, stand aside. One week, the preacher preached on commitment, and how you should dedicate yourselves to service. The director then led the choir in singing, 'I Shall ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Unity, Hymns, Division, Church Fights

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Billy Graham On Hell

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 19, 2022

BILLY GRAHAM ON HELL: "It isn’t fashionable today to talk about Hell—but the Bible is clear: God created us with a soul that will live forever and when we die, we will continue to exist—either in the place the Bible calls Heaven or in the place it calls Hell. Hell, the Bible says, is ...read more

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, Truth, Judgment, Invitation, Billy Graham, Evangelism, Hell, Death, Sin, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Inspect Versus Expect

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Feb 13, 2023

There was a young boy who was notorious for cleaning according to what his parents would inspect, but not necessarily what they would expect. In other words, he would do things like fold and put away the dirty laundry, and put away the dirty dishes thinking they were clean. Things looked tidy on ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Expectations, Cover Up

Denomination: Baptist

The Volunteers

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Sep 2, 2023

THE VOLUNTEERS This poem is dedicated to all faithful volunteers. We could not make it without your willingness to serve. Thank you, Loyd C Taylor, Sr. The Volunteers There are some special people that we know Found in needy places across this land; They’re people that selflessly serve others, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:41, Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 14:23, John 6:27

Tags: Volunteers, Helpers, Service, Sacrifice, Support, Servant, Labor Day  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Here's Your Thanksgiving Joke!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 15, 2023

In Budapest, a man goes to the rabbi and complains, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one small apartment. What can I do?" The rabbi answers, "Take your goat into the apartment with you." The man is totally upset when he hears this, but the rabbi insists. ...read more

Tags: Griping, Thanksgiving, Gratitude, Perspective, Complaining, Attitude  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Achilles' Heel

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 15, 2024

The ancient Greeks told a story of a warrior named Achilles. His mother had been warned that he would die of a wound, so she dipped him as an infant in the river Styx. That was supposed to make him invincible. THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM -- she held him by one heel which the protective waters did not ...read more

Scripture: James 1:9-15

Tags: Evil, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Trials, Lust  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Has A Good Sense Of Humour

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

The Lord has a good sense of humour. In 1992, I was working as a patent attorney in a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company called Sandoz. I had been asked to fill out a form, in which Sandoz had asked me where I would be prepared to go and live - if the company wanted to send me abroad to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:10

Tags: Humor, True Story

Denomination: Anglican

Hope For The Return Of Christ

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 15, 2026

Hope is interesting because it depends on a person's circumstances. Around the world, there are literally millions of persecuted Christians. They often to the end of the Bible for hope: Revelation 22:20 “20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 22:20, 1 Corinthians 16:22

Tags: Hope, Rapture, Maranatha, Return Of Christ, Persecuted Christians  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

It Is Not The Body's Posture, But The Heart's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 9, 2006

“It is not the body’s posture, but the heart’s attitude that counts when ...read more

Tags: Prayer How To

God's Road Is All Uphill, But Do Not Tire: ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

"God's Road is all uphill, but do not tire: Rejoice that we may ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

If Children Never Asked Questions, They Would ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

"If children never asked questions, they would never learn how ...read more

Tags: Children