In Sermon Illustrations: "Bad Fruit"

Chaffing Under ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2010

Chaffing Under Authority How many of you are ‘rule-keepers’? When you see a rule do you try to do everything possible to not break it? How many of you are ‘rule-breakers’? When you’re faced with a rule, do you find yourself wanting to inwardly disregard it or outwardly disobey it? I was accused of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-2

Tags: Law And Gospel, Authority

There’s No Way He Should Have Been On The ...

Contributed by Brian Buriff on Mar 1, 2010

THERE’S NO WAY HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE MEDAL STAND A. 19 Yr-Old Speed-Skater JR Celski. 1. Going into final turn the 1,500-meter short-track speed skating final 2. J.R. Celski was fifth – skating behind Apolo Ohno who was in 4th 3. The South Korean skaters had a firm grasp on the gold, ...read more

Tags: Sports

Denomination: Church Of God

Sanctity Of Human Life

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 6, 2010

SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE There's plenty of evidence of blatant disregard for human life today. Terrorism and suicide bombers? Capital punishment? Human trafficking. Abortion? So what is God thinking when He asks Abraham to take his only son, the son he loves, and to sacrifice him as a burnt ...read more

Tags: Human Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Story Of Martin Luther

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Jul 17, 2011

THE STORY OF MARTIN LUTHER In 1517, an obscure Catholic priest named Martin Luther placed his life in God's hands when he nailed his 95 theses, his 95 arguments against the Catholic church, on the door of the Wittenberg Church. There was nothing wrong with nailing pages to the door. Everything was ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:1-11

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Baptist

What Would Jesus Buy?

Contributed by Ken Pell on Dec 4, 2011

WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY? Some of you are familiar with the name, Morgan Spurlock. He produced the documentary "Super-Size Me." He has produced another lesser-known production titled "What Would Jesus Buy?" Please note: I am not recommending the movie it is a bit distasteful but it makes a good point. ...read more

Tags: Christmas Advent

Denomination: Nazarene

Suffering & The Riches Of His Glory

Contributed by Michael Grant on Sep 3, 2016

What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,  even us whom He called, not ...read more

Scripture: Romans 9:22-24

Tags: God's Glory

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Two Boys

Contributed by Ray Mckendry on Mar 12, 2019

Two Boys Two young boys are playing happily in the garden and are great companions for some time, but then something bad happens. One boy gets ill and is stunted and is never the same again, while the other one grows to full and healthy mature manhood even though he suffers far more than his sick ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:15, Ephesians 2:16

Tags: Reconciliation, Jesus' Cross

Denomination: Baptist

Danger: Listen

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Aug 21, 2021

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE YOUNG GIRL CUTTING THROUGH THE WOODS TO TAKE HER GRANDMOTHER SOME FOOD? The weather had turned very cold. The snow was coming down. The cold north wind was blowing so hard. The young girl was walking through the field returning home. She heard someone calling to her. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 107:8-9, John 10:10, Judges 20:18

Tags: Listen, Danger, Ready

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Watch?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 18, 2024

I read the story of a young boy that lived on a farm in the mountains. The grandparents, parents, his brothers and sisters lived in the old farm house. Every time the young boy got a chance he told anyone that would listen: HE WANTED A WATCH. His grandfather had a pocket watch, so did his dad. The ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:37, Isaiah 21:11

Tags: Watch, Ready

Denomination: Assembly Of God

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

Have You Seen The Movie Antwone Fisher? It's The ...

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on Oct 9, 2006

Have you seen the movie Antwone Fisher? It’s the true story of a young man abandoned at birth by his mother and then raised in abusive orphanages, foster homes, and reform schools. Denzel Washington adapted the story into a movie that was released a few years ago. After his 18th birthday, Antwone ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: United Methodist

Jesus, The Only Way To Heaven  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Jesus, the Only Way to Heaven Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Want For You To Imagine With Me That We Are Out ...

Contributed by Grant Van Boeschoten on Oct 2, 2009

I want for you to imagine with me that we are out in the middle of a huge storm on a state of the art fishing boat. We are in the middle of the ocean just trying to survive the rain and the wind and to make things work, it is the middle of night and it is almost impossible to see. Suddenly, in ...read more

Tags: Daily Prayer, Prayer General

Keep Away From Sin!

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Oct 24, 2022

Genesis 4 Devotional Part 2 The first children from Adam and Eve grew up having 2 different interests: Abel took care of animals while Cain took care of plants. When it was time to worship God (how did they learn and why did they worship God?), Cain offered firstfruits from the field and Abel ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:6-15

Tags: Love, Sin, Heart, Cain, Relationship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

[020] A Message From A Poem - Arrogance Without Truth

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 26, 2024

[020] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ARROGANCE WITHOUT TRUTH Those of us who are older know very well the great change that has come over our societies from what we lived under in the 1950s to the 1990s at which point it all started to decline. The decline is rapid now as we see lawlessness, riots, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:17-18, 2 Timothy 3:1-2

Tags: Truth, Arrogance, The Me Generation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[084]. A Message From A Poem – For Men - The Three "fs"

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 16, 2025

[084]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR MEN - THE THREE Fs There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the third one in the first set - FOR ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:14, James 4:4, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Friendliness, Fellowship, Faithfulness, Poetry, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Family Resemblance

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 23, 2025

Family Resemblance *There will always be resemblance in families, and I'm not just talking about our physical appearance. I'm talking about the way we talk, our mannerisms, our quirks, our habits, and our attitudes. Well, what's true about our earthly families is also true about ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 144:1-15

Tags: Traitors, Deceivers, The Lord Of Hosts, Floods, High Tower, Righteous War, God's Help, Deliverer, King David, Brevity, Praise The Lord, Mortality, Shield, Salvation, Joy, Rock, Fortress  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[234]. A Message From A Poem - Rigid Trees Are Our Example

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 24, 2025

[234]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - RIGID TREES ARE OUR EXAMPLE Trees are a wonderful aspect of God’s creation and they are the mightiest organic structures on earth, discounting the great coral reefs. This poem is not about trees in general, but specific trees. Those are the ones that are often ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:3-5, Psalm 1:3

Tags: Christian Poems, Melaleuca Trees, Paperbarks, Rigid Trees, Gales, Strong Tree Trunks, Character, Wind, Stand Strong, Trees, Deep Roots  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Easter On The Bench!" Matthew 28:1-10 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 27, 2005

“Easter on The Bench!” Matthew 28:1-10 Key verse(s) 5:“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.’” Spending Easter Sunday alone is no way to spend Easter! Yet, when you have a bad virus and don’t want to infect anyone else, it may ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Lutheran

The Men's Thesaurus  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jul 10, 2001

THE MEN’S THESAURUS (men don’t always say what they mean) – excerpts: When a man says: "IT’S A GUY THING" He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical" When a man says "CAN I HELP WITH DINNER" He means: "Why isn’t it ...read more

Tags: Marriage General, Dealing With Conflicts, Father's Day

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ