CENSORED PREACHER Reverend Smith, a respected church leader, arrived in a large city to deliver a series of speeches. At a banquet the first evening, he noticed some reporters in the audience. Because he wanted…
Sermon Illustrations
RAISE THE FENCE OR LOCK THE GATE Our attempts at avoiding temptation are not always successful as we take half-hearted measures in dealing with our sin. At times we may want to question our avoidance…
FACING STRAIGHT AHEAD A friend of mine is an avid downhill skier and has been employed as a ski instructor at times. One time when we went skiing together he taught me a very valuable…
BECOMING HOLY Macrina Wiederkehr writes, "If we become holy, meaning whole and mature in Christ...we will be impelled to speak out against injustice. Do you still want to be holy? I blush at my silence…
NO FREE DRINKS When I was in my early teens, my family went to a pig roast with a group that my parents belonged to. Someone kept offering my father a mixed drink, and he…
DISCOURAGING TOOL It was advertised that the devil was going to put his tools up for sale. On the date of the sale, the tools were placed for public inspection, each tool being marked with…
APARTHEID OPPOSITION Nelson Mandela, deciding over time that he personally had to become involved in the struggle against apartheid wrote, "I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation…
WHEN IT'S DARKEST It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal the neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
HOLLYWOOD CONGRATULATES ITSELF Hollywood loves to congratulate itself. The entertainment industry handed out 3,182 trophies at 332 ceremonies in 1999. The number of awards rises every year. In 1997, there were 3,138 trophies at 252…
TEN LITTLE CHRISTIANS Ten little Christians, standing in a line. One disliked the pastor, then there were nine. Nine little Christians stayed up late. One slept in, then there were eight. Eight little Christians on…
TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER TO WORK DAY Here is a spoof on the "Take Your Child to Work Days" that have enjoyed recent popularity. This spoof emphasizes the importance of not only teaching our children but…
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me ... He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives” (Lk. 4:8). A man who conducted a seminar on how to make money (“The Million Dollar Forum”)…
“…do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3). Some debates are won when the opposition makes our point for us. The following scenario describes one…
“When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also” (Matthew 13:26). A man who took great pride in his lawn found himself with a large crop of dandelions. He tried every…
“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do the skins burst, the wine runs out and the skins are lost; no they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are…
“…unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3). There is a little book called “Underside of Heaven” in which the author describes a Nativity Scene…
“Anyone who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40). A pastor was asked about his Church membership. “We have eight hundred members,” he said. “How many active members?” the questioner asked. “All of…
“. . . for the Bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, “There’s no life after…
“My dear people, since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another” (I John 4:11) Christian love is Christ-like — agape love. For a Christian, the word for love is that…
“…hide me in the shadow of your wing…from my deadly enemies who surround me” (Psalm 17:8,9). Ivan Turgenev has written an incident in which responsible, righteous, fierce anger was demonstrated in the context of a…
