In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Samuel 21 22 1"

Love Of Money

Contributed by David Swanger on Jan 19, 2024

One day a certain old, rich man of a miserable disposition visited a rabbi, who took the rich man by the hand and lead him to a window. “Look out there,” he said. The rich man looked into the street. “What do you see?” asked the rabbi. “I see men, women and children,” answered the rich man. Again, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Money, Riches

Ben Hooper

Contributed by David Swanger on Jan 19, 2024

In Rising Above the Crowd, Brian Habour tells the story of Ben Hooper. When Ben was born in the foothills of East Tennessee, little boys and girls like Ben who were born to unwed mothers were ostracized and treated terribly. By the time he was three years old, the other children would scarcely play ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9

Tags: Christian, Encouragement

Spiritual Maturity

Contributed by Barry O Johnson on Feb 5, 2024

1 Timothy 3:6 - "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." Recently, a father sat down with his four-year-old son and asked him if he would like the $10 in his right hand or the two Oreo cookies in his left hand. His son immediately chose ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:6

Tags: Talent, Maturity, Novice

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Rich Man And The Mirror

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 10, 2024

One day a certain old, rich man of a miserable disposition visited a rabbi, who took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. He said, "Look out there my wealthy friend." The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see"? asked the rabbi. "I see men, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Gold, Selfishness, Silver, Money, Wealth, Greed, Riches  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lasting Lessons On Prayer From Elijah's Small Cloud

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 17, 2024

The passage from 1 Kings 18:41-46 offers profound lessons on persisting in prayer, as demonstrated by the prophet Elijah. Here are some key takeaways: Expectant Faith: Elijah prayed with the expectation that God would answer. He told Ahab to prepare for rain even before there was any sign of it, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:41-46

Tags: Elijah, Faith, Humility, Prayer, Miracles, Trusting God, Persistence, God's Timing, Watchfulness, Answers To Prayer, Bowing Before God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Our (Lawyer) Advocate

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Jun 10, 2024

I would like for you to picture a scene. There is a court room. The judge is seated behind the bench. The jury is in place. There are people watching the proceedings. There is someone on trial sitting before the judge. And that person is you! The charge against you is that you are a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2

Tags: Forgiveness, Advocate, Judgment Seat, Lawyer, Court Room  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Bottle That Didn’t Take The Heat!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 5, 2024

Text: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, KJV: 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Tags: Rewards, Tests, Plastic Bottles

Denomination: Baptist

Thank You, God, For Sending A Professional!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 8, 2024

As I was gathering my sermon, I couldn’t help thinking about a story of a little girl who was home alone and ill. She called her mother at work and told her, “Momma, I need you and I need you really bad.” This mother asked to get off work and frantically rushed down to the corner drug store to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Prayer, Thanks, Humor, Miracles, Gratitude, Thieves, Answered Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Cost Of Giving In To Temptation

Contributed by Edward Hardee on Aug 14, 2024

Illustration: Cost of Giving in to Temptation There is a cost when we give into temptation. Here I have a sample of a wall. This is a wall of sheetrock. Looks good when painted. Most houses are made of this. What do you think would happen if I take this hammer and knock a hole in it? ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13

Tags: Temptation, Character, Damage

Denomination: Church Of God

Cheering For Clothes

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 28, 2024

I love sports. Lately, I have been unable to watch sports so instead I go to ESPN and look at the stats for my favorite teams. Chicago Cubs (this year they are pathetic), North Carolina Tarheels basketball, Indiana Pacers NBA and now the Indiana Fever (Love Caitlin Clark). Been to several of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 29:11

Tags: Worship, Sports

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

What Happened To My Little Piggy Bank

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 7, 2024

This week, I had to do something I hadn't done before: go to the bank and deal with fraud in my checking account. Someone tried to write a check for $1800 from my account. Fortunately, I didn't have that much money in my account, and I was a little provoked by this incident. How dare ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Money, Banks, Savings

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroes: Elijah’s First Servant

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 26, 2024

Introduction: One of the least-known unsung heroes was Elijah’s first servant. He’s only mentioned in a couple of Scripture passages, but he was faithful to Elijah. We need more such men with that spirit even today. First, this servant is not named, and besides that, we don’t know anything about ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:41-46

Tags: Elijah, Servants, Unsung Heroes

Denomination: Baptist

Fake News Or Truth?

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Sep 30, 2024

Donald Trump has often spoken of what he calls, “fake news” when describing what he considers biased reporting. And it is true that most reporting about Trump is negative, while his opponents receive more favorable treatment. But did you know that the phrase “fake news” was first coined by ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:6-12

Tags: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Fake News, Sure Witness, Jesus Is Son Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Where Do All My Nasal Fluids Come From?

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 5, 2024

I am finally, in what I think is the last phase of my recent health confusion. My nose is dripping, and I think I use at least one box of tissues daily. I did not know I had so much of this in my body, and I am not exactly sure where it came from. When I was young, I remember having a bad case of ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:4-5

Tags: Overcome, Victory, Sneeze

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

When The Devil Showed Up At Church

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 15, 2024

A few minutes before the services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews and talking. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate. Soon ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:7-9

Tags: Church, Satan, Devil, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation, Humor, Sermon Introductions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Reason To Give Thanks

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Nov 24, 2024

Do you remember Erma Bombeck, the homemaker who spun humorous anecdotes about suburban family life into a column syndicated to about 700 newspapers, television commentary, speeches across the country and books with titles such as “The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank,” “Just Wait Till ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Thankfulness, Assurance, Erma Bombeck

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Do Not Love The World

Contributed by Ken Mckinley on Jan 7, 2025

Now imagine this with me for a second. Let’s say you have a pillow and let’s say the family dog got ahold of that pillow and used it for a litter box… so you took it out and put it in the dumpster, and a family of rats moved into it and used it for a bed. And just before the day the trash truck ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15

Tags: Love Of Jesus, Desire, Love Of The World

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Ugly Is As Ugly Sees

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 11, 2025

Dr. James L. Snyder I was drinking a cup of coffee in the middle of the shopping mall. I don’t like going to shopping malls, but The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage sent me to get a new dress shirt for Sundays. I told her I could wear the same one I wore last year, but she has different ideas ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:3-4

Tags: Beauty, Life

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Conquering Password Memory Issues

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 22, 2025

Am I getting worried about my memory," says 75 year old Rachel to her best friend Sarah. "So why is that?" asks Sarah. "Because every time I go online banking," replies Rachel, "I just don't seem to be able to remember my bank's password. I have to try many ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:6-11

Tags: Memory, Confusion, Complications

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Young Elders Are Okay

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 22, 2025

Timothy was perhaps 35 years old, yet he was above and appointing elders. In the context of first century Israel, the term elder was not connected to age: "During the mishnaic period the name zaken ('elder') was reserved for scholars, and particularly members of the Sanhedrin... ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-13

Tags: Youth, Leadership, Young Leaders, Elders, Qualifications For Elder, Elders And Age  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible