In Sermon Illustrations: "We Are Frail"

Before The Water

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Nov 15, 2018

Scott Harrison, founder of charity:water, shares this story: "I recently had the chance to visit charity:water's very first project. It was a well that we had funded on my thirty-first birthday and then built in the IDP camp of Bobi, Uganda. "The sprawling camp of 31,000 people had cleared out, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

Tags: Easter, Crucifixion, Birth Of Christ, Christmas, Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Stop Offering A Comfortable Christian Message

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

Most evangelistic appeals today pitch the gospel as the way to have an abundant life. “Jesus came to offer you abundant life. Trust in Him and He will give you peace, joy, and a truly happy life.” While all of those claims are true if properly defined, what the salesman hasn’t told the potential ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:12, Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 1:16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Commitment, Discipleship, Truth, Suffering, Greasy Grace, Comfortable Christianity  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

His Rightful Place

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 11, 2022

I have a dog named Simba. I named him Simba because he is the color of a lion and he has the personality of a lion even though he is a chihuahua. One afternoon, we were really tired and I decided to take a quick nap with Simba. Simba has a certain place on the bed beside me where he always lays. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33, Luke 10:41

Tags: Putting God First, Resting, Making Room For God, Making Time For God

Denomination: Charismatic

Gorilla And Lion

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 13, 2022

There is a story about a college student who was desperately in need of a summer job. He discovered the local zoo was looking for help. He couldn’t think of a more creative way to spend the summer, but he wasn’t prepared for the job description. When he went to apply, the zookeeper explained ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8

Tags: Lion, Gorilla, Zoo

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Love At Last!!!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 20, 2022

George, age 92 and Edith, age 89 are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and on the way, they pass a drugstore. George suggests they go in and he addresses the man behind the counter. "Are you the owner? "The pharmacist answers, ...read more

Tags: Love, Marriage, Humor, Old Age, Weddings, Senior Adults  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Self Control - The Conductor Of Your Orchestra!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 27, 2023

Let’s face it. We’ve been created with a multitude of moods, passions, and desires. They all need managing. They must be under control or they will end up controlling us. Lewis Smedes says that self-control is like the “conductor of a symphony orchestra.” Under the conductor’s baton the multitude ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Works Of The Flesh, Self Control, Spirit Filled Life, Holy Spirit, Lust, Spiritual Warfare, Fruit Of The Spirit, Spiritual Victory, Desires  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do You Want To Play Beethoven's Piano?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 5, 2023

J Vernon McGee offers the following illustration of humility of mind and adds a practical application. The story is told of a group of people who went in to see Beethoven’s home in Germany. After the tour guide had showed them Beethoven’s piano and had finished his lecture, he asked if any of them ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-11, Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Humility, Spiritual Gifts, Position, Servants, Lowliness Of Mind, Service, Honor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why The Grasshoppers?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 3, 2026

THERE WAS A SUCCESSFUL CORN FARMER THAT LEARNS ABOUT THE VALLEY. In the mid-west there was a very successful corn farmer. He grew many acres of corn and made his living by selling corn. One spring he plowed, fertilized and planted hundreds of acres of corn. Later that year a swarm of millions of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-5

Tags: Restoration, Valleys

Denomination: Assembly Of God

[055]. A Message From A Poem – Death For The Christian

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 12, 2025

[055]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DEATH FOR THE CHRISTIAN We deal with a subject today we often like to forget about. When we are young we give it little thought but when we are old, it tends to preoccupy our minds a lot more. This poem is not so much about the subject of death itself, as it is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 1:18, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Hebrews 9:27

Tags: Death, Fear, Egypt, Poetry, Poem, Christian Death, Absent From The Body, Keys Of Death And Hades  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

C.s. Lewis, In His Classic Book, Mere ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Luthy on Sep 7, 2001

C.S. Lewis, in his classic book, Mere Christianity, said, "The whole purpose for which we exist is ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, God The Father, Creation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Highest Condition Of The Human Will Is When, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

The highest condition of the human will is when, not seeing God, not seeming to grasp Him at all, we ...read more

Tags: Faith, Doing God's Will

Paul Newman Has Said, "The Worst Thing About Our ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Henes on Jun 23, 2004

Paul Newman has said, "The worst thing about our disposable society is that we can get ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Oprah Winfrey Is Quoted As Saying, "One Of The ...  PRO

Contributed by John Shearhart on Sep 7, 2006

Oprah Winfrey is quoted as saying, “One of the biggest mistakes we make is to believe that there is only one way. ...read more

Tags: Truth Absolute

Fundamentally, All Writing Is About The Same ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

"Fundamentally, all writing is about the same thing: its about dying, about the brief flicker of time we have ...read more

Tags: Books And Literature

Let Us Have Faith That Right Makes Might, And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

I Love To Think Of Nature As An Unlimited ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system, through which God speaks to us ...read more

Tags: Creation

Nature Holds Out Her Hands Brimming With Gifts, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Nature holds out her hands brimming with gifts, and we buzz about in the shadow of them, heads ...read more

Tags: Creation

In The Long-Run Every Government Is The Exact ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"In the long-run every government is the exact symbol of its people, with their wisdom and unwisdom; we have ...read more

Tags: Government

Persistent Failure Of One Sort Or Another Job ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Persistent failure of one sort or another job failure among them is, we have come to recognize, a not ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Good People Are Good Because Theyve Come To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Good people are good because theyve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life