In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Corinthians 9:24-27:27"

Prayer

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 9, 2025

I read where a family bought a PRAYER BOOK for their son. Each night the boy would read a prayer before going to sleep. He was faithful to read a prayer. One night the boy was tired. He turned the light off and crawled into bed. He remember the prayer book. That night he called out to God: ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1, Matthew 21:13

Tags: Faith, Prayer

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Sin No Nym

Contributed by David Dunn on Sep 29, 2025

Sin No Nym Josie loved words. She liked to clap their sounds and spell them out. One day she wrote a big word on her paper: S I N N O N Y M She giggled. “Listen! It sounds like sin–no–name.” --- Word Play at Home Daddy peeked over. “That’s funny,” he said. “What do you think it ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9, Psalm 103:12

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

[222]. A Message From A Poem - Praise Ye The Lord

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 10, 2025

[222]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - PRAISE YE THE LORD This is a praise hymn though no current tune fits the rhythm flow of the lines, and it requires tweaking of the lines for the exact rhythm. I am not doing that right now. There are six stanzas, each one with a new theme set in the first ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 15:2, 1 Kings 19:3-4

Tags: Praise The Lord, Struggle, Works, Despondent, Christian Poems, Praise, Power, Strength, Redemption, Goodness, Majesty, Elijah  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Modern Jericho Road

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 1, 2025

It was just after noon on a gray Thursday. Rick, a young grocery worker, had finished his shift and was heading home when a customer named Ian asked for a favor. Could Rick drive to Toronto to pick up an auto part? He’d lend him his new car and pay him a hundred dollars. Rick said yes. He ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:33-35, 1 John 3:17

Tags: Compassion, Action

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Luther: Asleep In Christ

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 1, 2025

(Martin Luther quotes about death.) “What is our death but a night’s sleep? For as through sleep all weariness and faintness pass away… so at the Last Day we shall rise again as if we had only slept a night.” Source: It’s widely reproduced in quotation databases such as AZ Quotes and Luther’s ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, John 11:25

Tags: Hope, Resurrection

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Stuck In A Rut

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 14, 2025

The U.S. standard railroad gauge—the width between the rails—is 4 feet, 8 ½ inches. Strange number, isn’t it? You’d think something so crucial would be more logical. So why that width? Because American railroads were built by British expatriates, and that’s how they did it in England. Why ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 1:18-19

Tags: Tradition, Transformation

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

[253]. A Message From A Poem – The Artist And The Gypsy Girl

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 7, 2026

[253]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE ARTIST AND THE GYPSY GIRL Created faithfully from a tract of the same name. It was around 1998 that I came to have a gospel tract called “The Artist and the Gypsy Girl” and I was quite impressed by it. I wanted to convert the tract to a poem but maintaining ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:19, Acts 4:12

Tags: Pepita, A Gospel Tract, Witnessing, The Gospel Message, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Stenburg, Crucifixion Painting, Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[255]. A Message From A Poem – The Blue Dragonfly

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 8, 2026

[255]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE BLUE DRAGONFLY Forget about man-made complexities of life, and the intrusion of humanism into people’s lives. Forget about the complications of life that western, and developed societies have made things to be. The Lord does not want us to be burdened by all ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-7, Matthew 6:25-30

Tags: Photography, Insects, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Dragonfly, Anxiety, Contentment, Care, Lilies, God Created  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Standing Up For Truth

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 4, 2026

Both these letters make it clear who is a danger to the house churches. They paint a picture of men whose words and actions need to be challenged and condemned. Do you think it was as hard for them back then as it is for us today? I had a friend who visited a church and attended Sunday School. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-3, Jude 1:4

Tags: Truth, God's Word, Sunday School

Denomination: Methodist

It Is Finished

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 2, 2026

It is finished. In the Nicene Creed, we confess: "On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." (Pause) What does this mean? The Scriptures share with us ... this truth: BIBLE My little ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2, John 19:30

Tags: Finished, Attorney, Pleading Throne, Righteous, Forgive, Defense, Right Hand, Scriptures, Nicene Creed, Mercy, Father, Power, Advocate, Culture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

If There Is No God, Who Decides?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Mar 6, 2026

In 1882, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote a short parable that still echoes through Western culture. He imagines a man running into a crowded marketplace in broad daylight, holding a lantern. He cries out, “Where is God? I will tell you—we have killed Him. You and I. We are His ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17, Judges 2:10-15

Tags: Evil, Culture, Meaning, Good, Values, God Is Dead  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[308]. A Message From A Poem - This Sinful World Faces Reality

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 11, 2026

[308]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THIS SINFUL WORLD FACES REALITY The opening line sets the theme of this poem – “The differential is greater now than ever it was,” and becomes a contrast of what is righteous and what is wicked. The gap is widening and wickedness is growing. The 6 stanzas - each ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:3, Revelation 21:1-2

Tags: World, Judgment, Reality, Decline, Coming Judgment, Sin In The World, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Be Afraid!

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 20, 2026

Another book I would recommend is “The Screwtape Letters” (1942) by C.S. Lewis. This is from the preface: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and ...read more

Scripture: Jude 1:8-10, 1 Peter 2:10-13

Tags: Holy Spirit, Satan, Cs Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Denomination: Methodist

Practice Makes Perfect Tjbts

Contributed by Blake Henson on Jun 6, 2023

Practice makes perfect shows that without good practice you can't expect to succeed in sports, but the same is true in your Christian life also. You can't just half prepare and expect to be a successful Christian. URL: https://youtu.be/eI92sWLcDIo SUMMARY In this video we see two teams. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:14

Tags: Christian Walk, How To Get Stronger

Five Facts About Valleys

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 17, 2017

God designs valleys for His sheep to grow and sometimes He has to "make us lie down" there to teach us how to trust Him. Here are 5 facts about valleys we need to remember: 1. Valleys are INEVITABLE. Jesus promised valleys would come in this world (John 16:33). 2. Valleys are UNPREDICTABLE. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-4

Tags: Character, Tests, Trials, Valleys Of Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Have Heard That Possums Are Smart Animals. You ...

Contributed by Brandon Park on Jan 31, 2010

I have heard that possums are smart animals. You wouldn’t think so because you hardly ever see one except when it’s dead on the road. There’s a joke that goes, “why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the possum that it could be done!” But possums, it turns out, are smart. They won’t enter ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Baptist

When Darkness Is Mentioned In The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 6, 2024

In the Bible, darkness is a powerful metaphor that carries both physical and spiritual significance. Let’s explore its various meanings: Physical Darkness: Genesis 1:4: God separated light from darkness during the creation of the world. Darkness represents the absence of light, ...read more

Tags: Solar Eclipse, Darnkness, Last Days, Rapture, Signs, Return Of Christ, Spiritual Darkness, Kingdom Of Darkness, Evil, Satan, End Times, Prophecy, Judgment  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Should Women Speak In Church?  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on May 9, 2003

SHOULD WOMEN SPEAK IN CHURCH? Catherine Booth, wife of Salvation Army founder William Booth, once responded to a man who argued, "Paul said to the Corinthians it is a shame for women to speak in the church" "Oh yes, so he did;" said Catherine, "but in the first place this is not a church, and ...read more

Tags: Women

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The People With The Roses  PRO

Contributed by Ryan Johnson on Feb 23, 2002

THE PEOPLE WITH THE ROSES John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:38, 1 Samuel 16:7, Matthew 6:33, 1 Samuel 16:7, Matthew 13:24-43  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Compassion, Evangelism Fear Of, Great Commission, Heart, Love, The Organ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Funeral Home Visiting Hours  PRO

Contributed by Erick Riddle on Sep 3, 2004

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 One of the ways to share the comfort you have received from God is to go to the visiting hours and the funeral. In the late ‘80’s I was preaching full time for a small church in Michigan and worked part time in the local funeral home. I frequently saw people from the church ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ