In Sermon Illustrations: "1 Thessalonians 16:1-12"

Fear And Division

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 3, 2026

A Simple Game Teaches Kids About Fear and Division One of my friends told me about a powerful lesson in her daughter's high school class recently. They're learning about the Salem Witch Trials, and their teacher told them they were going to play a game. "I'm going to come ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10, Ephesians 4:3

Tags: Fear, High School, Division, Salem Witch Trials

Denomination: Methodist

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

The Plimsoll Line!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Mar 4, 2026

For the uninitiated, a Dictionary definition of the term “Plimsoll line” is that it is a line drawn on the lower end of ships, marking the maximum level to which the ship can sink into water after its tare capacity is full. Simply put, it is an indication of the vessel’s maximum loading capacity. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13, Romans 5:3-4

Tags: Temptations, Capacity

Denomination: *other

Hymns And U2

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Mar 5, 2026

For a man who spends so much time in the future, Edge always carried some deep past in his soul, likely an obscure village in Methodist Wales. Edge's father, Garvin, was a mechanical engineer, a churchgoing one. Edge's mother was a schoolteacher, a churchgoing one. Science and faith were ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:26, Philippians 4:4-10

Tags: Church, Worship, Praise

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

[310]. A Message From A Poem - Though The Fig Tree Does Not Blossom

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 13, 2026

[310]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THOUGH THE FIG TREE DOES NOT BLOSSOM There is a poem called “I Will Still Praise God My Saviour” which is longer than this one. This one may have been the first part and got added to it just later. It is the same but the last stanza is added to the other ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13, Habakkuk 3:17-19

Tags: Praise, Faithful, Fail, Exalt, Fig Tree, Blossom, Fruitless, Olive, Despondent, Setbacks, Crops, Christian Poems, Exalt The Lord  (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

Jonathan Edwards On Spiritual Pride And Judging Others

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Mar 29, 2026

Jonathan Edwards, the preacher of the First Great Awakening in America, wrote this: , “The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints, that they are low in grace; and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are; and being quick to discern and take notice of their ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:3-6, John 14:23-24

Tags: Spiritual Pride, Judging Others

Denomination: Baptist

Passing It On

Contributed by David Dunn on Mar 30, 2026

I visited a friend for Thanksgiving. Nothing formal. Just one of those homes where you walk in and immediately feel like you belong. The kitchen was already alive—warm, a little crowded, full of movement. You could hear things happening before you even saw them. Pots shifting. Laughter from the ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6-7, 1 Corinthians 11:1

Tags: Tradition, Influence, Formation

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

The Id That Almost Wasn't Good Enough

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

The year we moved to Tennessee was an election year. Cassy and I went to go vote. We waited in line, got to the front, and I reached in my wallet without even thinking about the fact that we hadn't switched our driver's licenses over to Tennessee yet. They told us we needed a Tennessee ...read more

Scripture: Jude 1:4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Tags: Identity, Authority

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When The Door Opened

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 18, 2026

Before Cassy and I moved to Middle Tennessee, we were in West Texas. I was running a pretty small graphic design business and driving for Uber and Lyft in the evenings, and I was frustrated overall. Not because anything was particularly wrong, but because I kept feeling like I wasn't doing what ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:8, 1 Corinthians 16:9

Tags: God's Timing, Calling

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[346]. A Message From A Poem - Willy Willy Wagtail, You Sweet Bird

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 11, 2026

[346]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WILLY WILLY WAGTAIL, YOU SWEET BIRD This may seem an unusual poem. It is about an Australian bird that belongs to the Wagtail or Fantail family. The identification for this bird is “Rhipidura leucophrys” and you may hear its call on this site - ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:41-44, James 5:12

Tags: Praise, Bird, Joyful, David And Goliath, Black And White, Singing, Cast Down, Christian Poems, Downcast Christians, Wagtail  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[347]. Poem Message - Wisdom Of This World Is Foolishness With God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 12, 2026

[347]. POEM MESSAGE - WISDOM OF THIS WORLD IS FOOLISHNESS WITH GOD There is a huge line of division between God and man; between God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom. Man is dominated by a sinful, fallen nature and his associated human wisdom is absolutely flawed. It is flawed so much that it ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:21-22, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Tags: Wisdom, Foolishness, Humanism, Wisdom Of God, Fools, Wisdom Of The World, Christian Poems, The Wisdom Of Men  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Break Ranks: Four Biblical Keys To Keeping Unity Alive

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 13, 2026

I’m starting a new study this week from a dark period in the history of Old Testament Israel. After the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon — a season in which Israel experienced a good deal of success and influence — the nation does something tragic: it divides. What follows is a troubled and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:3, 1 Peter 3:8

Tags: Compassion, Humility, Unity, Sympathy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jesus In Every Book Of The Bible

Contributed by Garris Hudson on May 19, 2016

JESUS IN EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE In Genesis – He is the seed of woman. In Exodus - He is the Passover Lamb. In Leviticus- He is Our High Priest. In Numbers- He is the Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. In Deuteronomy- He is the Prophet like unto Moses. In ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:1-7

Tags: Bible, Jesus, Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Graduate's Call  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

A Graduates Call (Lord, teach us to pray) Once Christian Graduates are continually feeding on the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will move them to be like the disciple who came to Jesus and said, "...Lord teach us to pray..." (Luke 11:1) A popular term used today is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Talmud From Babylonian Talmud, Tractate ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 4, 2007

"The Talmud from Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin page 96b which is the beginning of the major section in the Talmud that deals with the teachings of the Rabbis about the Messiah. The first section deals with Bar Nafle, the Son of the Clouds, which is a name that is given to the Messiah. This ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

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

An Older Couple Had Trouble Remembering Common, ...  PRO

Contributed by Pat Cook on Sep 2, 2003

An older couple had trouble remembering common, day-to-day things. They both decided that they would write down requests the other had, and so try to avoid forgetting. One evening the wife asked if the husband would like anything. He replied, “Yes. I’d like a large ice-cream sundae with chocolate ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 12:1, Exodus 12:1, 1 Corinthians 11:24, 1 Corinthians 11:24, Exodus 12:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Christian Values

Denomination: Baptist