In Sermon Illustrations: "1 John 15:18-19:23"

Hope For When Christ Comes

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jun 27, 2021

This two-part story can frame a message on heaven, hope or the resurrection. The 1989 Armenian earthquake needed only 4 minutes to flatten the nation and kill 30,000 people. Moments after the deadly tremor ceased, a father raced to an elementary school to save his son. When he arrived, he saw that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 1 Corinthians 15:17, 1 Corinthians 15:23, Romans 6:5-9

Tags: Resurrection, Heaven, Hope

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Memorial Day, A Time For Healing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 19, 2002

MEMORIAL DAY, A TIME FOR HEALING Memorial Day, perhaps more than any other holiday, was born of human necessity. Deep inside all of us lies a fundamental desire to make sense of life and our place in it and the world. What we have been given, what we will do with it and what we will pass to the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 29:1-5

Tags: Holidays Civic, Finding Fulfillment, Amos, Prophet

God's Grace Is Like Lightning And Transforms ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 19, 2009

God’s Grace Is Like Lightning and Transforms Whoever it Strikes Martin Luther found that out. Walking through the forest one day, praying and working through spiritual torment, literally, the lightning did strike close by. And he felt that as the summons of God. Luther came closer, and when God ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:20-39

Tags: Grace, God's Grace

A Praying Mother

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on May 12, 2025

Has your life been impacted by a sacrificial mother who would never give up? Never underestimate the power of a praying mother. Born in 1669, Susanna Wesley raised up two of Christianity’s most gifted leaders, John and Charles Wesley. Daily, as a mother, Susanna prayed, “Dear God, guide me. Make ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 20:20-28, 1 Samuel 1:10-16

Tags: Prayer, Mother, Susanna Wesley

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Mother's Marred Hands  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2011

A MOTHER'S MARRED HANDS There was a teenager who didn’t want to be seen in public with her mother, because her mother’s arms were terribly disfigured. One day when her mother took her shopping and reached out her hand, a clerk looked horrified. Later, crying, the girl told her how embarrassed she ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13, John 15:4, John 15:1-8, Luke 12:1-118, Nehemiah 4:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Mothers, Mother's Day, Motherhood, Time

[043] A Message From A Poem – Christ Upholds The Battling One

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 3, 2025

[043] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRIST UPHOLDS THE BATTLING ONE (Longer Introduction) Do you face battles? Do trials and opposition buffet you and make the way ahead very hard? This poem partly addresses that. Well there is good news for you. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Your Saviour goes with you all ...read more

Scripture: John 10:2, John 10:11, John 10:14, 2 Timothy 3:12

Tags: Battling, Mary Stevenson, Comfort, Dreams, Poetry, Burdens, Footprints In The Sand, I Had A Dream, Grace  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

College Football's Biggest ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

College Football’s Biggest Loss It was the most brutally devastating rout in the history of College Football. On a dark and dreary Saturday in 1916… 1 look at the 2 teams showed the trouble that was ahead… On one side towered Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jackets… The local papers described them as ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Tags: Sports

How To Miss The Treasure Of Pilgrim's Progress ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 7, 2010

How to Miss the Treasure of Pilgrim’s Progress Through Ignorance Ravi Zacharias tells this story: Some years ago, I was visiting the town of Bedford in England. The reason most tourists go to Bedford is because it was the home of the famed 17th Century writer John Bunyan who penned his immortal ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Tags: Ignorance

Theologian Charles Hodge Explained The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2001

Theologian Charles Hodge explained the relationship between divine grace and the human heart. “The doctrines of grace humble a man without ...read more

Scripture: John 1:16-17, Romans 6:14, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Galatians 2:21

Tags: Grace, Hope, Humility, Pride, Slave To Sin  (view more)  (view less)

Do Not Become Deceived By The World With The Top ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 20, 2004

Do not become deceived by the world with the Top Down Attitude management style in your leadership instead be servant leaders. a. Use the leadership style that Jesus role modeled. i. Finzel states, “When it comes to servant leadership there is no better model than that of Jesus Christ. On the night ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-17, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 2 Corinthians 1:23-24

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The World Is In A Crisis Of Confusion Concerning ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 25, 2008

The world is in a crisis of confusion concerning the character and the nature of God. Just as paganism and polytheism tainted the ancient Near Eastern world, our society is influenced by corrupted views of God. The names have changed, but the false gods they represented have not. Instead of Baal, ...read more

Scripture: John 14:16-17, 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, 2 Peter 2:1-22

Tags: Polytheism, Truth, Leadership, Culture, Influence, Idolatry, False Teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Group Of Christians Gathered In A Church ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Willis on Dec 14, 2006

A group of Christians gathered in a church auditorium for an evening Bible Study. Some were talking while waiting for the study to begin. One man began to share with the leader about a church breakfast he’d attended. A well known Bible scholar had been invited to speak at the breakfast. During ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, John 16:13-15

Tags: Wisdom, Tongue

Denomination: Baptist

Moody's Servant's Heart  PRO

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 22, 2010

MOODY'S SERVANT'S HEART A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course ...read more

Scripture: John 13:13-15, Luke 14:16-24, 1 Samuel 18:8-11, Luke 14:49-53

Tags: Celebration, Salvation, Servant, Humble, Servanthood  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Brethren

Hannah And Michael: Finding What Was Lost  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 1, 2011

HANNAH AND MICHAEL: FINDING WHAT WAS LOST Let me tell you what happened to Ted Forbes back in 1984. While walking down a street in Chicago...Ted found a wallet. Being an honest Christian man he wanted to return it to its owner. So he opened it to look for identification. The wallet contained just ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:11-32, 1 Corinthians 13:8, John 17:1-26

Tags: Love, Parable Lost Coin

Prayer And The Motorcycle  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ball on Nov 13, 2012

PRAYER AND THE MOTORCYCLE There was a woman at work when she received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication for her daughter. She returned to her car to find that she had locked the keys inside the car when ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28, John 13:31-38, Proverbs 28:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Tags: Renewal, Alive, Rededication, Prayer Hardship

Denomination: *other

A Drop Or Two Of Bluing?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 25, 2019

How many of you remember bluing solution? Way back in the early to mid ‘60’s, Mom and Grandma would never finish a load of wash (laundry, if you prefer!) without adding some bluing when they did the whites. Now, I never understood why they did this but one of the two explained it kind of like this: ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 64:6, Psalm 51:7, 1 John 1:7

Tags: Forgiveness, Cleansing From Sin

Denomination: Baptist

Paul's Persuasion

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 12, 2023

A pastor asked a dying man, "My friend, what persuasion are you?" The man replied, "I am of Paul’s persuasion." The pastor said, "I am afraid you didn’t understand me. Of what persuasion are you?" The man answered, "Oh, I understood you. I am of Paul’s ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-9, Romans 8:28-39, 1 John 5:1-13

Tags: Assurance, Pastors, Denominations, Faith, Death, Heaven, Salvation, Hope  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love: Needing Or Giving

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 26, 2023

“The typical example of Gift-love would be that love which moves a man to work and plan and save for the future well-being of his family which he may die without sharing or seeing; the second, Need-love, is that which sends a lonely and frightened child to its mother’s arms. And of course Divine ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:29-31, Luke 10:27, 1 John 4:7-8, Matthew 22:36-39

Tags: Love Of Neighbor, Love, Love Of God

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

From Stable To Table

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 11, 2023

From Stable to Table Down from the splendors of Heaven to the lowliness of a stable, Wrapped in swaddling clothes, God’s Lamb lay in a manger cradle. His destiny ordained, Heaven’s loss, mankind to save, through a cross. From the lowly stable, to sitting with his disciples around the table: Do ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:21, Galatians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 1:14

Tags: Lord's Supper, Birth Of Christ, Christmas, Communion

Denomination: Baptist

[030] A Message From A Poem – Beauty From Ashes

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 18, 2025

[030] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BEAUTY FROM ASHES One of the deepest emotions we have is shame. Shame happens when sin has caused havoc in a person’s life, and the realisation of it bursts like a cloud over the person. Shame brings guilt and guilt can affect a person greatly, even causing ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 51:10, Psalm 51:1-2, Psalm 51:12, 1 John 1:7-9

Tags: Ashes, Sinning, Repentance, Guilt, Shame, Bathsheba, Conviction, Poetry, David, Forgiveness, Beauty, Holy Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational