In Sermon Illustrations: "Artificial Lives"

Impersonating A Christian

Contributed by Shawn Miller on Jan 16, 2015

In her recently published book “Dance with the Devil” Barbara Bentley shares her experience with former husband, John Perry, a mysterious man, whose father was supposedly portrayed by John Wayne in a World War II movie. She fell in love with him when He dazzled her and her friends with his heroic ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21-23

Tags: Hypocrisy, Day Of Judgment, False Believer, Imposter

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sleepless Dads!

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Oct 4, 2015

You’ll probably not get six continuous hours of good sleep ever again. And if you do, you’ll never admit it because it will make your wife mad for the broken-up sleep she got when she got up and took care of the teething child. Dads, there is nothing more comforting to your little one than to have ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 4:6

Tags: Fatherhood, Sleeplessness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Loving Neighbour

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

A Little Pointer on Keeping a Balance Here’s a little bonus tip that I’ve found helpful to keep my wits about me as I live next to these wild Vikings we call sinners, pagans, and wacko unbelievers while keeping my vertical relationship with God strong. It’s called “whimsical holiness,” which is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:34

Tags: Witnessing Tools, Loving Neighbor

Denomination: Baptist

Human Ingenuity And The Genius Of God

Contributed by Jerry Stephens on Mar 26, 2016

Recently, I was watching a documentary about the top 101 inventions of all time. Pretty cool stuff. Human ingenuity is pretty amazing. We’ve figured out how to do all kinds of things. What are some of the best things human imagination has come up with? I have to tell you, they may not be very ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-29

Tags: Faith, Trusting God, Eternal Life, Human Wisdom

Denomination: Vineyard

The Fear Of The Lord Is The Foundation Of Wisdom

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 8, 2016

In a crazy move, a woman at the Toronto zoo who lost her hat at the tiger enclosure decided that she was going to retrieve it. She climbed the outer fence, dropped over the edge and scrambled around to find her hat. Fortunately for her there was a second fence between her and her hat. A ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 9:10

Tags: Fear, Foundation Of Wisdom, Wise Decisions

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Boost For Not Boasting!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Oct 21, 2016

A Boost for not Boasting!!! Probably you have heard this story before but here it goes again...a tale involving a frog prone to self-boasting and his two crane friends who planned to “live happily together ever after” inhabiting as they were a pond overflowing with rich flora and fauna but that ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 9:23-24

Tags: Power, Prudence, Boasting In Christ

Denomination: *other

Isaiah's Prophecies And The Dead Sea Scrolls

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Jan 14, 2017

There was a time when skeptics claimed that the prophecies in Isaiah 53 were too detailed, too specific, too accurate to be mere coincidence. I agreed. But then the skeptics argued that the ONLY logical explanation was that Isaiah was written after the gospels and patterned the suffering Servant ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:1-12

Tags: Reliability Of Bible, Fulfilled Prophecy, Dead Sea Scrolls, Prophecy

Denomination: Baptist

Uncle Otto Calls In The Cows

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,” (John 10:4 paraphrase) When I was growing up, my uncle Otto was my favorite uncle. He lived on a big farm and milked about 100 cows every morning and evening. One day he had all the cows out in the far back pasture he called the “back forty.” It was the ...read more

Tags: Sheep Hear My Voice, My Sheep

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

God Is Your Father

Contributed by Barry O Johnson on Jul 25, 2018

As a child, before my brothers and sisters and I would sit down for breakfast, we would ask our father what we could do to please him so that he would let us eat breakfast. He’d tell us. If we wanted lunch money for school we would ask our father what would please him. He’d tell us. At supper time, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24-33

Tags: Father, God, Kingdom, Master, Seek, Gentiles, Reap, Take No Thought, Lillies  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Saint Or Sinner?

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Sep 23, 2019

Saint or Sinner? Lord, I'm not sure what I am or what I ain't. Am I a saint playing sinner or a sinner playing saint? I love your truth, but I am not good at obeying, as you know. I can run with the sinners, but feel guilty when I go. Some of the things I crave are sin, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:7-25

Tags: Nature, Sinner, Saint, Two Natures

Denomination: Baptist

Maybe It's Good News......maybe It's Bad News.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 15, 2019

Many times we really don’t know what we should specifically pray for. We are not omniscient. We don’t know everything, nor can we see into the future. So we don’t know whether the things we’re asking for will turn out good or bad for us. An old story illustrates: A Chinese gentleman lived on the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Prayer, Will Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It's Never Too Late To Start Over

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Oct 28, 2019

At age 5 his father died. At age 16 he quit school. At age 17 he had already lost four jobs. At age 18 he got married. Between ages 18 and 22, he was a railroad conductor and failed. He joined the army and washed out there. He applied for law school, he was rejected. He became an insurance sales ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-7

Tags: New Birth, Don't Quit, Never Too Late, Success

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Some Thoughts About The First Easter

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 25, 2019

Before the first Easter, the world was under a number of separations: --Political distinctions: various nations, but in that time, Roman Empire. Provinces, leaders --Geographical: some traveled far, others stayed near their home territory; Jewish males had to make three trips to Jerusalem ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:20, Daniel 12:1-3

Tags: Easter, The Afterlife

Denomination: Baptist

There Are Many Mysteries

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Aug 25, 2021

There are 12 or 13 diseases that Doctors know nothing about or very little. They are Mystery's. One such mystery disease is “the sleeping sickness”. From 1917 to 1928, half a million people were afflicted with a ghastly condition that could be part of the plot-line of a horror film. The ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

Tags: Mystery Of God Can Be Found, Mysteries

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Kiss That Changed A Prodigal Into A Preacher!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 15, 2022

The late Joe Bayly was a gentle, godly Christian leader. I once heard him tell how one of his sons rebelled back in the days of the hippie movement. He grew his hair long and moved into a communal flophouse. Late one night, Bayly received a call informing him that his son was being held at one of ...read more

Tags: Prodigal Son, Fathers, Fathers And Sons, Luke 15, Parables, Lost, Father's Love, Unconditional Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We’re Not Always Headed In The Direction We Think We Are

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on May 30, 2022

Once while living in Dallas, I witnessed to someone I worked with who proceeded to tell me they believed they just needed to be a good person to go to Heaven. Though I explained what the Bible says about being saved, they rejected my witness and went on with their life. It was clear to me they were ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 1:17, Proverbs 3:6

Tags: Deception, Truth, Right Path, Wrong Doctrine

Denomination: Charismatic

The Marathon

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Oct 17, 2022

On Sunday, October 16, 2022 my daughter, aged 25, ran her first marathon – the Toronto Waterfront marathon. Though I’m currently living 3000 kms away in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada – I was there at the race to cheer her on. I was not prepared for the emotional intensity of the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Philippians 3:14

Tags: Salvation, Perseverance, Gospel, Discipleship, The Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Patience Makes It Happen

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 12, 2023

"The history books are full of stories of gifted persons whose talents were overlooked by a procession of people until someone believed in them. To name a few ... "Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read". Einstein became one of the greatest ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Long Suffering, Flesh Vs Spirit, Endurance, Patience, Fruit Of The Spirit, Spirit Filled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Give Thanks

Contributed by Jonathan Meade on Nov 18, 2023

At 16, a mission to Honduras with my father was an eye-opening experience that left an incredible mark on my soul. I found myself in a foreign land, surrounded by poverty and heart wrenching realities that I had never encountered before. One particular night, our bus pulled into a dimly lit gas ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Tags: Thanksgiving, Missions, Gratitude

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Dolphins Sleep With One Eye Open

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 28, 2023

Did you know that dolphins sleep with one eye open? It’s true. They do so because they can only ever let one side of their brain sleep at a time. When the left side of the brain sleeps, the right eye will close, and vice versa. This isn’t some weird, ambidextrous stunt they’re pulling. Rather, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 14:1-3

Tags: Revelation, Church, Vision, Sight, Prophecy, Second Coming, Rapture, Focus, Eyes, End Tiimes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational