In Sermon Illustrations: "Wonderful Things"

How Far Was Jonah Running Away?

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 14, 2011

HOW FAR WAS JONAH RUNNING AWAY? Let me give you a little perspective on how far Jonah was running away. Joppa was on the far eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Tarshish was on the western side of the coast of Spain bordering the Atlantic Ocean. That is approximately 2,200 miles away. That ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Fasting Before The Great Awakening

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 22, 2011

FASTING BEFORE THE GREAT AWAKENING Jonathan Edwards was a man used by God in the First Great Awakening. I have read that he preached in a weak, squeaking, monotone voice and held his tiny manuscript so close to his face that people could not see his expressions. When he preached, "Sinners in the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 13:2-3, Matthew 9:14-15, Mark 2:18-20, Luke 5:33-35, Acts 14:23, Luke 2:37, Matthew 6:16-18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Prayer, Fast

Denomination: Baptist

Your First Love

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Oct 28, 2011

YOUR FIRST LOVE Jesus' first remedy for the Church in Ephesus was too "REMEMBER." Rev. 2:5 says, "Remember therefore from where you are fallen..." Remember what it was like during the honeymoon stage? Go back in your mind to a time when passion prevailed in your spiritual life. Relive it and ...read more

Tags: Love For God

Denomination: Baptist

Once Shaved  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 7, 2011

ONCE SHAVED A fellow got up one morning and decided he no longer was going to shave himself; he was instead going to the barber for his morning shave. The town barber also happened to be the local preacher in town. When the guy walked into the barber shop the barber/preacher was not there, he was ...read more

Tags: Calvinism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Gift Of A Cross

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Nov 29, 2011

THE GIFT OF A CROSS Story: Woman Led to Christ through an Act of Kindness Craig Groeschel, The Christian Atheist (Zondervan, 2011). p. 210 It's amazing what a difference the little things will make. For example, years ago when I was a new believer, I always wore a tiny cross pin on my shirts. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Came Upon My 3rd Grade Report Card From A Small ...

Contributed by Brad Henry on Dec 9, 2011

I came upon my 3rd grade report card from a small school in Western Pennsylvania. The teacher wrote, "I feel Bradley could do so much better. Inattentive." Well not much has changed. ADD started early. But I was not inattentive when it came time for sports. Why the disconnect? It is because I was ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

The Lord's Game Plan

Contributed by Eugene Morell on Jan 7, 2012

THE LORD'S GAME PLAN After I had been a Christian for a while, I felt that I was being called ton the ministry. I figured that the Lord had made just about his biggest mistake by calling me. When I told Barbara about what I felt, I rejoiced when she told me that I couldn’t be a pastor because all ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Greed: The Cat And The Vase  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Feb 9, 2012

GREED: THE CAT AND THE VASE A man wanders into a small antique shop in San Francisco. Mostly it's cluttered with knickknacks and junk. On the floor, however, he notices what looks like an ancient Chinese vase. On closer inspection it turns out to be a priceless relic from the Ming dynasty whose ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:15, Luke 14:7-14, Luke 14:1-6, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Daniel 6:1-28, Luke 10:38-42, Romans 6:1-4, Isaiah 7:10-14, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 10:1-11, 1 Samuel 12:1-41, John 20:18-31, 2 Thessalonians 6:1-10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Greed

Denomination: Baptist

Shannon's Sacrifice

Contributed by Greg Nance on Feb 25, 2012

SHANNON'S SACRIFICE It was March 24, 1998 in Westside Middle School near Jonesboro, Arkansas. A total of five people, four female students and a teacher, were killed at a school shooting. Ten people, nine students and one teacher, were injured. The perpetrators of the shooting were two students, ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Changing Our Lives Due To The Harshness Of This ...

Contributed by Michael Hahn on Apr 14, 2012

Changing our lives due to the harshness of this world - Coming or going: leaving or staying? Which one will we be happy doing? The psalmist wrote: "Happy is the man who does not go in the company of sinners, or take his place in the way of evil-doers, or in the seat of those who do not give honour ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-4

Tags: Self

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Horse Sense

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on May 7, 2012

HORSE SENSE I like horses okay, but I am not a horse-person. But for much of history, horses were crucial. As a result, we have developed a lot of idioms involving horses. "Many terms and phrases in the English language harken back to a time not so long ago when horses were of extreme ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Independent/Bible

William Randolph Hearst's Fear Of Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 7, 2012

WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST'S FEAR OF DEATH William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men of the 20th century. At the height of his media career he was worth over $500 million. He built an enormous castle in the hills near San Simeon, California. At more than ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-18

Tags: Fear And Worry

You Have Inherited The Divine Nature, Says Peter ...(2 Peter 1:4)

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jun 16, 2012

You have inherited the Divine nature, says Peter (v.4), now turn your attention to add good habits. Be diligent and concentrate and work on your character. No man is born either naturally or supernaturally with character, he has to make character. Nor are we born with habits; we have to form ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-20, 2 Peter 1:4

Tags: Service, Discipleship

Denomination: Anglican

Call Sin Something Else, Please?

Contributed by Eugene Morell on Jul 1, 2012

CALL SIN SOMETHING ELSE, PLEASE? There is a story about a Methodist preacher who often spoke on the subject of sin. He defined sin as that abominable thing that God hates. One day some of the leading laymen came to urge their pastor to stop using the word sin. The laymen told their pastor that ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Father's Legacy

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 30, 2012

A FATHER’S LEGACY Ken Hemphill tells the story of what took place at his church when he was pastor of FBC of Norfolk. He was out on the sidewalk welcoming people as they got out of their cars. About 3rd in line was a father & his teenage son. The father had a golf shirt on, and he evidently was ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Father's Day

Statistics On Prayer

Contributed by Troy Borst on Sep 8, 2012

STATISTICS ON PRAYER Barna research says slightly more than four out of five adults in the U.S. (84%) claim they had prayed in the past week. That has been the case since Barna began tracking the frequency of prayer in 1993. A Newsweek poll titled "Is God Listening?" indicated that, of those who ...read more

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Death And Resurrection

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

Our son, John learned a valuable lesson about death when he was a child. One day he took aim with his new BB gun at a little bird sitting on a limb near our back deck. He aimed and fired and hit his target and the bird collapsed to the ground. Dead. At first there was the excitement of being a ...read more

Scripture: John 14:19

Tags: Death, Resurrection

Denomination: Christian Church

There Was A Little Canadian Bird Who Decided Not ...

Contributed by Sylvester Fergusson on Jan 26, 2013

There was a little Canadian bird who decided not to fly south for the winter. "If other animals can stay," he reasoned, "why can't I?" Against the better advice of his elders, the little bird stubbornly decided to stay. Very soon, however, he realized his mistake. The ...read more

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 16:8

Tags: Preparation, Procrastination, Temptation Pride, Presumptiousness

Denomination: Adventist

The Boat Is On Fire

Contributed by Jerry Thorpe on Mar 8, 2013

THE BOAT IS ON FIRE Robert E. Lee pleasure boat. Steamed out of Vicksburg. Hundreds of people were aboard. After midnight the boat caught fire. The captain discovered it and told his first mate to rush down through the saloon and down every corridor to wake everyone up. He didn't have time to ...read more

Tags: Rapture, Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Church Of God

Remove The Hate — Be Pure  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on Mar 30, 2013

REMOVE THE HATE -- BE PURE "And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood (Hebrews 13:2)." Three years ago, Chris Simpson led a white pride march. Two years ago, he abandoned the white supremacist movement. This past April (2012), he was ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:2

Tags: Holiness

Denomination: Nazarene