Sermon Illustrations

Each of the illustrations included in this section comes from presentations given during the first National Conference on Preaching (NCP), held February 21-23 at the First Baptist Church of Tampa, Florida.CHRIS... Continue Reading...

BIBLE -- Power to change livesYoung Jacob de Shazer was one of those who participated in Jimmy Doolittle's raid over Japan in April 1942. He was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese, and in the coming months... Continue Reading...

CHARACTER - Christ produces in usGutson Borglum was the sculptor who carved the massive figures of four American presidents -- Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt -- on Mt. Rushmore in South D... Continue Reading...

APOLOGIES"An apology is much like a burnt offering: serve it up half-cooked and you haven't really accomplished anything." (Lawrence Shames, quoted in Esquire)APPEARANCE -- Important to usThe important executiv... Continue Reading...

ALCOHOL -- Cost to nationPaul Harvey recently reported that Americans spend $28 billion annually on alcohol, and another $35 billion counteracting its effects: rehabilitation programs, crime, lost productivity,... Continue Reading...

AGE - Changes perspective"At age 20, we worry about what others think of us. At 40, we don't care what they think of us. At 60, we discover they haven't been thinking about us at all." (Jock Falkson, Frontline)... Continue Reading...

AGEA man called on Sir John Gielgud after a performance to extend his congratulations. Recognizing the name, Sir John welcomed him with the words, "How pleased I am to meet you. I used to know your son; we were... Continue Reading...

AGING -- Continue to learn"When I was young," W. Somerset Maugham once observed, "I was amazed at Plutarch's statement that the elder Cato began at the age of eighty to learn Greek. I am amazed no longer. Old a... Continue Reading...

BLAMEA new pastor had been called to a "preacher-eater" church that ran through pastors frequently. As he searched the desk drawers in his new study, he found a large manila envelope containing a note from the ... Continue Reading...

ATTITUDE -- Importance ofA young man enrolled in a course on positive attitudes. The first session, the teacher asked him why he was taking the course, and he said, "I'm having problems with my wife." The class... Continue Reading...