In Sermon Illustrations: "Bad News"

This Old House

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 2, 2023

This old house once knew my children This old house once knew my wife This old house was home and comfort As we fought the storms of life This old house once rang with laughter This old house knew many shouts Now it trembles in the darkness When the lightning walks about Ain't gonna need this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Tags: Resurrection, Heaven, Body, Temple Of God, New Body, Songs  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You Tired? I Am.

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 22, 2023

Can you believe it? Another year is in the books. I don’t know about you, but as magical and wonderful this time of year is, it is exhausting. I’m tired! And the fact is that it’s not just this time of year. I find myself getting weary and tired often. Life is like that. It can wear you down. ...read more

Scripture: James 4:7, Matthew 4:1-11

Tags: Perseverance, Endurance, Temptation, Discouragement, Weariness, New Years, Tiredness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

What God Told Me At 4 A.m. In Guangzhou, China

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 13, 2018

Note: this story is told by me - Jim Butcher of Madison WV. I want to tell you a story about an insight that God gave me into John 14:1-4, the passage where Jesus speaks of going to prepare a place for us. This is the story of something that happened to me several years ago while I was in ...read more

Tags: China, Adoption, New Jerusalem, Eternity, Father, Family, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

You Are Who He Says You Are

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 18, 2020

Because you are in Christ, EVERY ONE of these statements is true of you. • I am loved. 1 John 3:3 • I am accepted. Ephesians 1:6 • I am a child of God. John 1:12 • I am Jesus' friend. John 15:14 • I am a joint heir with Jesus, sharing His inheritance with Him. Romans 8:17 • I am united with ...read more

Scripture: John 1:12, John 15:14

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Identity, New Creation, Position In Christ, In Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Auctioneer And The Old Violin

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 20, 2020

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer Thought it scarcely worth his while To waste much time on the old violin, But held it up with a smile. ‘What am I bidden, good folks,’ he cried, ‘Who’ll start the bidding for me? A dollar, a dollar,’ then ‘Two; Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, John 3:1-7

Tags: Cross, Redemption, Change, Transformation, New Birth, Jesus, Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Motherhood And Compassion

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 19, 2022

Motherhood and Compassion. A few days ago, I made a marvelous discovery. In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament the word for “compassion” comes from the root word, “womb.” The picture is of a birthing. It is also the picture of a faithful mother giving all she's got to bring a little ...read more

Tags: Children, Compassion, Women, Mothers, Mother's Day, New Birth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Resurrected Body Is Free From The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The Resurrected Body is Free From the Restriction on Lifespan 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; I read with interest Internet accounts on how long living creatures live. Let’s start with creepy crawlies. The ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Bullet-Proof Vest Of Righteousness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

BULLET-PROOF VEST OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Terry Schafer, a young wife, lived with her husband in the small city of Moline, Illinois. She had a special gift she wanted to give to her husband for Christmas but was afraid that they would not be able to afford it. She started shopping for it in September, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:14

Tags: Righteousness

Apollo 11 Was A Tribute To Modern Technology: No ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2001

Apollo 11 was a tribute to modern technology: No foul ups; no glitches. Man had accomplished the impossible without a hitch. In fact Apollo missions 11 and 12 were so error-free they seemed almost routine. The world resumed breathing. The television ratings for moonwalks began to decline. When ...read more

Tags: Fig, Tree

Clutching My Cane--Straightening The Derby!" ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 25, 2004

“Clutching My Cane--Straightening the Derby!” Acts 8: 18-25 Key verse(s): 24: “Then Simon answered, ‘Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.’” There’s an old East Texas saying: “It doesn’t matter how much milk you spill just so long as you don’t lose the cow.” To ...read more

Scripture: Acts 8:18-25

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Welcome And Do-Si-Do, Citation: Cartoonist Sandy ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Aug 17, 2001

[Welcome and Do-Si-Do, Citation: Cartoonist Sandy Silverthorne in Leadership, Vol. 11, no. 4]. "And now here’s the point in our service where I’d like you all to rise, turn to the person on your right, shake hands, turn ...read more

Tags: Church Small Groups, Church Body Of Christ, Friendship New Friends

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Was A Church That Had A Young Lady That Had ...  PRO

Contributed by Dennis Jones on Jun 10, 2003

There was a church that had a young lady that had started attending the church. She had more than a checkered past to say the least. She had turned her life over to the Lord and had dedicated the rest of her life to serving and following Jesus. She had worked very hard to not let her past get in ...read more

Tags: New Creation, God's Provision, God The Father, Forgiveness, Born Again  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

Cymbala's Easter Story  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 31, 2005

CYMBALA'S EASTER STORY Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story: It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 18:15-18, Luke 23:32-34, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, John 13:34-35, Matthew 25:34-45, Psalm 40:1-3, Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 1:1-11, Matthew 18:22-35, Matthew 22:1-14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Second Coming, New Year, Dignity, Body Of Christ, Supper, Work  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Clinker Bricks  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2010

CLINKER BRICKS Although at times it seems as though the church is in ruin and rubble, God sees it as a beautiful building. Clinker bricks are bricks that did not quite make it. For some reason or another, they come out of the kiln misshapen or deformed. I read about a Presbyterian Church in New ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-21

Tags: Atonement, Redemption, New Life, Born Again, Church Body Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

[205]. A Message From A Poem – One Hair Here And One Hair There

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 17, 2025

[205]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – ONE HAIR HERE AND ONE HAIR THERE Well, well, well! How many of us are bald? How many are heading that way? I remember when I was a kid my mother used to say to me, “Tell the barber to thin out your hair.” There used to be some sort of clippers that would do ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:20-21, Luke 12:7, 2 Kings 2:23

Tags: Numbered, Glorious Bodies, Alopecia, Falling Out, Hair, New Bodies  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is It Like On The Other Side?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 22, 2022

Kansas City, Missouri is separated from Kansas City, Kansas by the Missouri River. Years ago, there was a farmer who lived on the Kansas side of the river. He had a farm, a wife and a beautiful daughter. The farmer and his family had never been across the river. They had lived their whole life on ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Tags: Death, Revelation, Heaven, Hope, Eternal Life, New Jerusalem, Funerals  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Benjamin Franklin Hoped For A Resurrection

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 25, 2024

In one of his lighter moments, Benjamin Franklin penned his own epitaph. He didn't publicly profess to be a born-again Christian, but it seems he must have been influenced by Paul's teaching of the resurrection of the body. At least he had hopes of eternity. Here's what he wrote: ...read more

Tags: New Life, Glorified Body, Faith, Death, Resurrection, Heaven, Hope  (view more)  (view less)

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

In 1899 Four Newspaper Reporters From Denver, ...  PRO

Contributed by Ted Sutherland on Feb 11, 2001

In 1899 four newspaper reporters from Denver, CO, set out to tear down the Great Wall of China. They almost succeeded. Literally. The four met by chance one Saturday night, in a Denver railway depot. Al Stevens, Jack Tournay, John Lewis, Hal Wilshire. They represented the four Denver papers: the ...read more

Scripture: James 3:1-18

Tags: Faith, Truth

Denomination: Baptist

Knowing Scripture

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Sep 11, 2024

A bit of an aside, when we were in Sri Lanka, I had the opportunity to attend the opening of one of the well projects in the east. Rochelle went to all of them because she ran the projects. The reason these wells were being placed in villages was because many people in the East didn’t have a good ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 10:17

Tags: Scripture, Belief, Support, Encouragement, Life Change, Opportunity, Eternal Change, Disease, Drought, Projects, Good Water, Bad Water, The Afflicted  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army