In Sermon Illustrations: "Christian Maturity"

Don't Get Caught  PRO

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Dec 3, 2008

DON'T GET CAUGHT So often people do what is wrong as long as they know they won't get caught. I've seen surveys where people were asked about doing certain things like stealing and having an affair if they were assured they would never get caught. Would they do them? Amazingly, some of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:1-4

Tags: Love, Christian Love, Secrets, Serving

Denomination: Church Of God

Beware Of Dog!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2011

BEWARE OF DOG! Upon entering a little country store a stranger noticed a sign saying "DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG!" posted on the glass door. Inside, he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor near the cash register. He asked the store’s owner "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:17-35

Tags: Giving, Receive, Blessed, Christian Witness

Pastor! Tell Them!

Contributed by Fred Parker on Oct 23, 2014

Written by Pastor Fred Parker Sat, 21st January, 2012 Proverb 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: [and] a good report maketh the bones fat.KJV Frankie was a dynamic woman. Her whole life has been spent in ministering to others in her quiet gentle way. As she sat in her wheel chair ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:30

Tags: Kindness, Christian Love, Godly Thinking

Denomination: Pentecostal

Community

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 2, 2015

Dr. B. adds, “Christ desired that his church would be the earthly community of oneness modeled after the eternal community of oneness. Jesus went on to declare that he had provided his followers with everything they needed to bring about this oneness. He prayed, “I have given them the glory that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Tags: Connection, Church Community, Christian Community

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Being Committed To Christ

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Nov 2, 2016

Being Committed to Christ Matthew 4:18-25 , 1 Corinthians 1: 10-18 Last summer Becky and I visited the Biltmore mansion in Ashville North Carolina. It is the single largest home ever built in America. Let me tell you it is something to see. It proved so large and so expensive to maintain, that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:18-25

Tags: Riches, Christian Values, Being Comitted

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Practice Makes Perfect Tjbts

Contributed by Blake Henson on Jun 6, 2023

Practice makes perfect shows that without good practice you can't expect to succeed in sports, but the same is true in your Christian life also. You can't just half prepare and expect to be a successful Christian. URL: https://youtu.be/eI92sWLcDIo SUMMARY In this video we see two teams. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:14

Tags: Christian Walk, How To Get Stronger

[107]. A Message From A Poem – Gospel Reflections

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 9, 2025

[107]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GOSPEL REFLECTIONS This poem begins with reflections them moves to creation, then the death of the Lord followed by salvation and ends with a very pleasant scene in peaceful waters and sunlight. The inspiration for this was recall of the tropical scenery around me ...read more

Scripture: John 1:3, Psalm 23:2

Tags: Salvation, Reflection, Waters, Sunlight, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Atonement, Creation, Beauty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[124]. A Message From A Poem – He’s Leading As My Head

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 8, 2025

[124]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HE’S LEADING AS MY HEAD How many are lost in this world? I don’t mean unsaved, but I mean who don’t know where they are going or what lies ahead, or what life is about; those who feel life is meaningless and has no purpose? I know it is a lot of people. The ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:15, John 10:10, John 12:46

Tags: Christian Poetry, Christian Poem, Direction, Leader, Guide, Life, Meaningless, Leading, Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[152]. A Message From A Poem – Jesus Christ Is All In All In All Matters

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 1, 2025

[152]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – JESUS CHRIST IS ALL IN ALL IN ALL MATTERS This is the only poem I have written this way. It is quite unusual as you see with scattered words that rhyme, and play on words. I think of it as one long thread with all these points hanging from it. I don’t expect ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 15:28

Tags: Friend, Christian Poetry, Christian Poem, All In All, Pain, Believe, Gift, Cost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[231]. A Message From A Poem - Reflections In Older Life

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 18, 2025

[231]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - REFLECTIONS IN OLDER LIFE This poem was completed in 2020 when I was 77 years old. I don’t think I am unique in any way. I believe as people get older and know that most of their life has already gone, there comes a time for reflection on one’s life. That is what ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:31, Psalm 71:17-18, Isaiah 46:4

Tags: Grey Head, Old, Old Age, The Shepherd, Reflections, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[113]. A Message From A Poem – Have You Seen A Gouldian Finch?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 20, 2025

[113]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HAVE YOU SEEN A GOULDIAN FINCH? I keep finches including the gouldian finch, one of the most beautiful finches in the world, if not the most beautiful. If you have not seen one, go do a search on the internet. This poem covers a number of subjects. When you look ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:8, Acts 17:30-31, John 1:3

Tags: Christian Poems, Gouldian Finches, Wise Designer, Creation, Evolution, Repent, Colors, Christian Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[130]. A Message From A Poem – How Can I Give You Up, O My Son?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 12, 2025

[130]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HOW CAN I GIVE YOU UP, O MY SON? This is a serious poem because it is based on a serious verse, one that has strong application to the cross. Here is the passage – {{Hosea 11:7-8 “My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call them to the One on high, ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 11:7-8, Acts 2:23

Tags: Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Easter, Heart, Compassion, Calvary, The Cross, Another Way, Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[196]. A Message From A Poem – Not Worthy To Be Compared

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 12, 2025

[196]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED This poem has its basis in a few scriptures. This is one of them – {{Romans 8:18 “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”}} Those who are like me ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:14-15, Philippians 3:12, Philippians 3:8, Romans 8:18

Tags: Christian Poems, Golf, Rubbish, Comparison, Press On, Goal, Christian Poetry, Glory, Worthy, Loss  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Will You Wash My Dishes?  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Aug 10, 2001

[Will You Wash My Dishes?] Sometimes we get a distorted idea about what love is. One night, a man decided to show his wife how much he loved her. After dinner he began to recite romantic poetry, telling her he would climb high mountains to be near her, swim wide oceans, cross deserts in the burning ...read more

Scripture: James 5:1-12

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Patience, Servanthood, Romantic Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

: "Scarred Hands” (James S. ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 21, 2001

Illus.: “Scarred Hands” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 119-120) A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Disciplines, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Wesleyan

Shakespeare Wrote Of A Dying King And His Son, ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Milton on Aug 29, 2001

Shakespeare wrote of a dying king and his son, who was hovering over him and speaking to him, "thou hast a thousand daggers in thy thoughts against me." So, did ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Christian Love, Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Oyster  PRO

Contributed by John Edmerson on Sep 13, 2001

The Oyster There once was an oyster whose story I tell, Who found that sand had got under his shell; Just one little grain, but it gave him much pain, For oysters have feelings although they’re so plain. Now, did he berate the working of Fate Which had led him to such a deplorable state? Did ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2

Tags: God In The Hardships, Human Body, Christian Love

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Some Of You Might Have Heard Of The Late Malcolm ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Milton on Sep 25, 2001

Some of you might have heard of the late Malcolm Muggeridge. He was a British journalist and a noted atheist for many years of his life. But in his sin, in the very midst of about to commit yet another vile act of wickedness, he came face to face with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He repented and ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Basics Of Christianity, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

In 1863 The Emancipation Proclamation Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Berkley on Oct 9, 2001

In 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was proclaimed in America. The word spread from Capitol Hill down into the valleys of Virginia, and the Carolinas, and evens into the plantations of Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. The headlines read, ’Slavery Legally Abolished!’ However, the greater ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Sin Bondage To, Becoming A Christian

Denomination: Baptist

In England, There Is A Paper Factory That Makes ...  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Oct 10, 2001

In England, there is a paper factory that makes the finest stationery in the world. One day, a man touring the factory asked what it was made from. He was shown a huge pile of old rags and told that the rag content was what determined the quality of the paper. The visitor couldn’t believe ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God, Forgiveness In Jesus, Becoming A Christian

Denomination: Independent/Bible