In Sermon Illustrations: "Wholeness"

Resentment: Swing At Everything  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

RESENTMENT: SWING AT EVERYTHING One year Dave Hagler was working as an umpire in a rec-baseball league in Boulder, Colorado. Unfortunately, Dave got pulled over for speeding one day. He tried to talk the officer out of giving him a ticket. Dave asked for leniency since it could make his insurance ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37-38, Colossians 2:16-18

Tags: Umpire, Forgiveness For Others

Atheist Thankful For A Beautiful ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2009

Atheist Thankful for a Beautiful Morning One morning a woman who was a known atheist stepped out of her home on the hillside and was taken back by what a beautiful morning it was. The Cook Inlet sparkled, the air was fresh and crisp, the sky was a blue as she had ever seen it and Denali loomed over ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:17-19

Tags: Thanks, Thanksgiving Holiday

Canadian Figure Skater - Joannie ...

Contributed by Brian Buriff on Mar 1, 2010

Canadian Figure Skater - Joannie Rochette 1. Her mother said these words 1 week before they traveled to Vancouver : "I always encouraged her to have confidence in herself, to believe in her dreams . . . The hurdles she faces motivate her to rise above them, Joannie has always been naturally ...read more

Tags: Sports

Denomination: Church Of God

In The Whitsundays In Australia On The Mainland ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Apr 1, 2010

In the Whitsundays in Australia on the mainland sugar cane is the main crop. Around harvest time you will see a whole field set on fire, flames reaching into the sky at night. It is quite spectacular. The fire is not an accident but INTENTIONAL BURNING BEFORE HARVESTING. Fire sweeps throughout the ...read more

Tags: Sanctification, Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Millionaire Leaves It ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2010

A Millionaire Leaves It All A famous millionaire died of cancer. For weeks he suffered intolerable agony. Although surrounded by every luxury and receiving every possible care, he died as wretchedly as a pauper. There was the usual publicity, flowers, telegrams, an expensive bronze casket and a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Tags: Death

The World Is Without Hope

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jun 5, 2011

THE WORLD IS WITHOUT HOPE In Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Cat’s Cradle, an important book comes to light. It is titled, "What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experience of the Past Million Years?" The chief character is anxious to read it. But when he does, he finds that it ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:12

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: Nazarene

Spiritual Carcinogens

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jun 20, 2011

SPIRITUAL CARCINOGENS When the Challenger went down nearly 20 years ago, the whole country went around draped in a dark cloud of mourning. Soon the shock gave way to outrage and scandal when it was discovered that cost-cutting and carelessness components that didn’t quite meet the required ...read more

Tags: Heresy

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Guilt Of Their Deaths

Contributed by Troy Borst on Aug 17, 2011

THE GUILT OF THEIR DEATHS The movie "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) is a movie that many of us have seen and is quite a memorable movie because of its portrayal of the D Day invasion of Normandy in World War II. The movie begins and ends with an elderly man visiting the Normandy memorial. The ...read more

Tags: Guilt

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Adam And Eve Virus

Contributed by Daniel J. Little on Nov 15, 2011

THE ADAM AND EVE VIRUS The Genesis narrative (chapter 3) tells us how God gave Adam and Eve His wisdom as well as His authority, and then how they pursued a counterfeit authority and an alien wisdom—actually satanic wisdom. The moment they introduced that dark wisdom into their lives a radical ...read more

Tags: Sin Fall Of Man

Denomination: *other

The Style Of Indiana Jones In Discovering ...

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Dec 20, 2011

The style of Indiana Jones in discovering "Biblical treasures"!!! Yes, Indiana Jones stories are juicy and spicy, for they stoke the fires of inherent sense of discovery in all of us. Add to that breathtaking stunts and adventure, you have a heady mix guaranteed to give one some goose bumps. ...read more

Tags: Bible Study, Indiana Jones

Denomination: *other

No Faith In The Future, No Power For The Present

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2012

NO FAITH IN THE FUTURE, NO POWER FOR THE PRESENT Years ago, a small town in Maine was proposed for the site of a great hydroelectric plant. Since the dam would be built across the river, the entire town would be submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:10-14, 1 John 3:3

Tags: Future

Guy In The Glass

Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 15, 2020

“The Guy in the Glass,” source unknown. When you get what you want in your struggle for self and the world makes you king for a day, Then go to the mirror and look at yourself and see what that guy has to say. For it isn’t your father, mother or wife whose judgement upon you must pass. The fellow ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:3

Tags: Clear Conscience, Pure Motives

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Mothers

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Sep 13, 2020

Mothers are so wonderful and all are different and all are the same. Loving, caring, sacrifice and dedication to Children and family. Mother’s Day was started when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Everyone doesn’t have a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31

Tags: Mothers Day, Mothers

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Easter Service Mishap

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 12, 2021

One year, a bunch of friends and I decided to go to a sunrise service at a super fancy church. This church looks like a European cathedral and we were all dressed up for 5 a.m. singing around a huge fire outside and then going inside for service. Everyone had candles and the whole service is by ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:38-40

Tags: Easter, Resurrection, Funny, Sunrise Service

Denomination: Independent/Bible

We Are Sinners. (The Ache In The Human Heart)

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 4, 2023

There is in each of us a dis-ease, a sense of unfulfillment of some high destiny unmet, of some lofty vow broken and shattered. We are sinners! We long for some word of forgiveness which will make us whole. We sense we have a homeland, but we are exiles. We perceive that we are of royal ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1

Tags: Depravity, Disobedience, Sin

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

He Still Brings The Dead Back To Life

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 20, 2025

A friend shared this story with me on Resurrection Sunday, it happened on the same day 20 years earlier. Proof God is still bringing the dead back to life - I wanted to share a resurrection Sunday testimony from around 20 years ago, I bought a very used small pickup and the seller claimed the AC ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:20

Tags: Resurrection, Miracles

Denomination: Charismatic

Still Standing

Contributed by David Dunn on Dec 16, 2025

When I was in ninth grade, I was chosen to recite the Declaration of Independence in a high school patriotic play. I had the whole thing memorized. Every word. Every pause. I had practiced it until it lived in my bones. What I didn’t know — and wouldn’t discover until later — was that my zipper ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Corinthians 1:27

Tags: Grace, Weakness

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Power Steering

Contributed by Kelly Benton on Feb 3, 2026

Before power steering, turning a car was basically CrossFit. Two hands on the wheel. Face red. Whole body involved. You didn’t turn—you wrestled that thing like it owed you money. Then power steering came along. And suddenly a pinky finger could do what used to take a full upper-body workout. Same ...read more

Tags: Faith, Obedience, Power

Denomination: Other

We Get A New Family  PRO

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Feb 20, 2008

#3 – We Get a New Family Ephesians 2:19-22 November 4, 2007 NOTE: THE ME/WE/GOD/YOU/WE FORMAT USED IN MY MESSAGES IS BORROWED FROM ANDY STANLEY’S BOOK, "COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE." Introduction We’ve been looking at different benefits or blessings of following Christ – living for Him, and not ...read more

Tags: Faith, Thanksgiving, Blessing, Revival

Denomination: Wesleyan

Alexander Solzhenitsyn  PRO

Contributed by John Gullick on Dec 22, 2000

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a prisoner in Russia. he was on a program of hard labour and slow salvation. One day he felt like giving up. He felt his life could not make a difference. He sat down on a bench knowing that when he was spotted by a guard he would be ordered back to work when he failed ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6, Ephesians 5:4-7, Job 2:9, 1 Kings 19:4

Tags: God Brings Hope, Peace

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed