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

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

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

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

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

Cymbala's Easter Story  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 31, 2005

CYMBALA'S EASTER STORY Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story: It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 18:15-18, Luke 23:32-34, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, John 13:34-35, Matthew 25:34-45, Psalm 40:1-3, Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 1:1-11, Matthew 18:22-35, Matthew 22:1-14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Second Coming, New Year, Dignity, Body Of Christ, Supper, Work  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Have You Seen The Rabbit - The Race

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 31, 2023

Yet as I prepared this Message ... the Holy Spirit made it clear to me ... that to be all that God has called us to be ... and before we should connect with others ... we first must be abiding with ... and be connected to the Jesus ... to the true vine. To continually abide in the Lord ... to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14, Luke 22:42, Matthew 6:6, John 10:27, John 15:5, Matthew 25:40, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Cost, Race, Prize, Connect, Chase, Endurance, Vine  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

[261]. A Message From A Poem – The Devil Snake

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 10, 2026

[261]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE DEVIL SNAKE Most people hate snakes. They run from them and scream out. Snakes are evil creatures but their cunning is well know. I have a love hate relationship with snakes. I think they are beautifully created which does not surprise me because Lucifer ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 11:8-9, 2 Corinthians 11:3, Revelation 12:9, Genesis 3:14-15, Genesis 3:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Bruise On The Heel, Bruise The Head, Western Brown Snake, Cunning, The Devil, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Cunning Snakes, Satan Is The Serpent, Serpent, Snake  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Animals And Colors In The Bible

Contributed by Pastor Cosmos on Jan 13, 2011

ANIMALS AND COLORS IN THE BIBLE The Bible to teach us to interperet the Bible by using the the Bible to interperet itself Isaiah 28:9-10 "9Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10For precept ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

Denomination: Charismatic

If A Man Is Filled With Anger, Than Anger ...  PRO

Contributed by Emile Wolfaardt on Jul 13, 2001

If a man is filled with anger, than anger controls his life. If a man is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life. If a man is filled with lust, then lust governs his life. If a man is filled with love, then love influences all he does. And if a man is filled with ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18, Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Tags: Emotions, Dominate, Anger, Control, Love Of The Disciples, Greed, Holy Spirit In Believers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: *other

Buried In The Deepest Sea  PRO

Contributed by Rick Stacy on Mar 8, 2002

BURIED IN THE DEEPEST SEA Several years ago Rick Stacy baptized a man in Lake Superior. It was late October and about 9:00 PM. Rick had been talking with Myron and his wife about accepting the Lord as their personal savior and sealing that decision with baptism into Jesus. Myron was hesitant ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:3, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:11-15

Tags: Grace, God's Forgiveness, Forgiveness, Born Again, Baptism, Atonement, Redemption, New Life, Sin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

It Was Pentecost Sunday. As The Congregation ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Mar 23, 2004

IT WAS PENTECOST SUNDAY. As the congregation filed into church, the ushers handed each person a bright red carnation to symbolize the festive spirit of the day. The people listened attentively to the reading of the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts about how the disciples had heard “what ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7, Philippians 4:19, Luke 9:23, Romans 12:1

Tags: Gifts Giving, Giving General, Stewardship, Tithes, Tithing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Wesleyan

Do You Guys Remember The Cartoon With Wiley ...  PRO

Contributed by Ronnie Knight on Nov 24, 2006

Do you guys remember the cartoon with Wiley Coyote and Ralph the sheep dog. I use to love that cartoon. Every morning Ralph and Wiley would meet at the time clock which was mounted on a tree. As they clocked in they would great each other and then they would go to their respective departments. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-9, 2 Corinthians 9:15, Mark 3:7-35

Denomination: Baptist

Gethsemane

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Aug 12, 2017

Several years ago, I began to reflect on the happenings at Gethsemane. It started when I saw some movie in which an actor did an okay job of portraying Jesus, except that he failed abysmally in his attempt to show what I think Jesus' agony at Gethsemane must have been really like. I realized that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46, 2 Corinthians 5:21

Tags: Agony, Sweat, Pass, Thy Will Be Done, Your Will Be Done, Garden, Gethsemane, Cup  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Parable Of The French Fry

Contributed by Doug Fannon on Sep 23, 2019

Once upon a time, last week, I picked up my son after football and he was hungry. So he and I stop at Burger King to pick up a snack. Well I bought for my son two of his basic food groups, Chicken Nuggets and French Fries. After going through the drive through, tossing in the bag of food in front ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:10-15, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Malachi 3:8-10

Tags: Giving, Stewardship, Tithing

Denomination: Baptist

Not A Popular Subject

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Nov 26, 2022

I used to try to teach on giving about once a year and that focused on tithing because I watched my Mom’s life. She never made even enough money to live on, yet God never let her do without. She kept tithing and giving whether she was doing well or doing not so well. You know, the two LEAST ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Luke 6:38, Proverbs 11:24

Tags: Giving, Tithing, Alms

Denomination: Charismatic

The Church: A Place Where Nations And Cultures Are Brought Together.

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 28, 2023

Edgington Young, the first missionary to the native community of Saskatchewan had gone there with the message of the love of God the Father, and they received it like a new revelation. When he told his message an old chief said, “When you spoke of the great Spirit just now, did I hear you say, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:14, 2 Corinthians 5:18, John 10:14-16, Matthew 16:13-21

Tags: Adoption, Good Shepherd, All People, Mission, Racial Barriers, Evangelism, Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Heaven, Not Earth Is My Home.

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 4, 2023

In his book, "The Treasure Principle" Randy Alcorn says that the greatest deterrent to giving is the illusion that Earth is our home. He tells the following story. Suppose your home is in France and you're visiting America for three months, living in a hotel. You're told that you ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:13, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Luke 12:15, Revelation 19:7-9

Tags: Rewards, Treasures, Money, Heaven, Home  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Distorted Christianity

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 7, 2023

Q: What does the Church think of God the Father? A: He is omnipotent and holy. He created the world and imposed on mankind conditions impossible to fulfill; he is very angry if these are not carried out. He sometimes interferes in an arbitrary way with judgments and miracles, distributed with a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:1-6, 2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-6

Tags: Distortion, Misconceptions, Ignorance, Slander, Dorothy Sayers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[108]. A Message From A Poem – Grace Is The Key To Holiness

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 18, 2025

[108]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GRACE IS THE KEY TO HOLINESS This is a poem that has to be read carefully for understanding because of the construct of the poem. The subject is certainly GRACE, but grace can never be in isolation. There is a strong but harmonising relationship with LOVE, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:9, Revelation 22:21, Ezra 9:8, Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Peace, Holiness, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Grace, Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[191]. A Message From A Poem – My Saviour Called Me Unto Him

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 8, 2025

[191]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – MY SAVIOUR CALLED ME UNTO HIM This is a generic poem, that it, it is a testimony of one coming to salvation, but it is not exactly mine for I was saved when 10 or 11. If you like, it is a synthesis of the elements contained in salvation. Certain aspects must be ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 95:7-8, John 12:32

Tags: A New Creature, Effectual Calling, A New Creation, Christian Poems, Faith, Salvation, Repentance, Conviction, Believing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational