In Sermon Illustrations: "Confirmation"

Racism And The Gospel

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 1, 2023

Benjamin Watson, who plays for the NFL New Orleans Saints posted the following on his Facebook page: "At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28, John 3:16, James 5:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 10:9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Sin, Gospel, Hope, Racism

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Wasn't Supposed To Live...

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 13, 2024

I believe that God called me to preach in the summer of my freshman year in high school. He gave me a dream about one of my best friends who was somewhere in eternity screaming in pain: He was crying out to me, "You never told me. You never told me! Larry, you talked to me about baseball. ...read more

Tags: Pastors, God's Call, Miracle, Fathers, Preachers, Death, Healing, Prayer, Purpose, God's Will, Testimony  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[062b]. A Message From A Poem – Does Suffering Cancel Out A God Of Love?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[062B]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DOES SUFFERING CANCEL OUT A GOD OF LOVE? THE POEM AS IT IS WILL NOT FIT IN THE ILLUSTRATION SPACE AVAILABLE. I HAVE SPLIT IT INTO THREE PARTS. THIS IS THE SECOND PART THE INTRODUCTION FOR THE POEM IS IN PART 1. PART 2 SECTION B - PART 1 (THE CHRISTIAN ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 45:6-7, John 3:16, Exodus 34:6-7

Tags: Hurt, Pain, Love, Compassion, Comfort, Suffering, Tragedy, God Of Comfort, God Of Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[065]. A Message From A Poem – Earth Is Going To Reap Its Sinfulness

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 22, 2025

[065]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – EARTH IS GOING TO REAP ITS SINFULNESS “You will get what you deserve!” “I hope you get into lots of trouble.” These may be the sayings of children and the thoughts of adults. What they are all looking to is retribution. Retribution is usually associated with ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Matthew 16:27, Hebrews 2:2-3

Tags: Retribution, Recompense, Revenge, Accountability, Sinfulness, Sowing, Reaping, Vengeance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[237 H] [8]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 8

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 11, 2025

[237 H] [8]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 8 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13, Matthew 16:1-6, Matthew 13:31-32, Matthew 3:1-17, John 1:19-36, Mark 10:17-23, Mark 10:46-52  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Hypocrites, Signs Of The Times, Constantine, Sell What You Have, Blind, Bartimaeus, Lamb Of God, John The Baptist, Rich Young Ruler, Good Teacher, Sight, Gain, Pharisees, Baptize, Sadducees, Mustard Seed  (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 Sit On Me, Lord!  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 24, 2005

"DON'T SIT ON ME, LORD!" Romans 6:8-14 Key verse(s): 6: "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the bod of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin...” There are many things that a dog does not like. Chief among them for many dogs is the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:8-14

Tags: Disciplines, Holiness, Holy Spirit Attributes, Growth, Sanctification  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

God's Plan For Pain!" Matthew 16:21-28 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 6, 2005

“God’s Plan for Pain!” Matthew 16:21-28 Key verse(s): 25:“‘For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.’” “And whatever you do, make sure you don’t hurt yourself!” The tractor tire was heavy; definitely a two man job. Perched on the back of his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:21-28

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Lutheran

Finding Grace  PRO

Contributed by Johnathan Hester on Jun 15, 2008

FINDING GRACE If you want to learn the meaning of faith, get down to a child's level. "What could this possibly be?" I thought to myself. "Why would someone place that sign so low? No one could read it." You see them everywhere. Small signs promoting yard sales, cars, and business opportunities ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-2

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Baptist

[054]. A Message From A Poem – Day Is At Hand

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 12, 2025

[054]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DAY IS AT HAND This poem is figurative in a sense. I look at the early glimmer of light in the east as the sun soon will rise. Then it increases until it is full day with the bright shining sun. What the poem does is begin with the harbinger of the dawn in ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-2, Isaiah 11:6-9, Romans 8:19-22, 2 Peter 1:19, Malachi 4:1-3  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: The Lion, Poetry, Set Free, Poem, Morning Star, Millennial Kingdom, Sun Of Righteousness, Messiah, Nature, Prophecy, Second Coming, Rapture, The Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Gold Watch- Lucille Wales' Husband Henry ...

Contributed by Lloyd Ludwick on Jan 15, 2007

The Gold Watch- Lucille Wales’ husband Henry retired from his job as a mechanic at the local Ford dealership he was given a gold watch inscribed with his name. Henry was so proud it became his greatest treasure. "Now I have something special I can leave to our son" he would tell his wife. But the ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Smell The Rain

Contributed by Richard Goble on Nov 26, 2007

Smell The Rain A cold March wind danced around the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room of Diana Blessing. Still groggy from surgery, her husband David held her hand as they braced themselves for the latest news. That afternoon of March 10, 1991, complications ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

From One Turkey To Another

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 23, 2019

As a child, my favorite holiday was Christmas, second only to my birthday. These holidays were important because of the gifts I received. Oh, did I look forward to those holidays and all the presents I was going to delight in. And delight, I certainly did to the extreme. Then slowly things ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:10

Tags: Thanksgiving, Hoiliday

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Whoever Gets The Son, Gets All The Father Has!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 3, 2022

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:10-13

Tags: Evangelism, Faith, Heaven, Salvation, Gospel, Invitation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unwanted-Zimri, The King For Seven Days

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 2, 2025

Introduction: Some kings in Old Testament days had very long reigns, like Uzziah (52 years), Manasseh (55 years) and Jeroboam II of the Ten Northern Tribes (Israel, 41 years). The reigns of others were sometimes very short, but nothing like the week-long reign of Zimri, one of history’s most ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 16:8-20

Tags: Palace Coups, Zimri, Suicides

Denomination: Baptist

[326]. Poem - Victory Through Sorrow’s Deep Sea – Easter Poem – Part 1

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 27, 2026

[326]. POEM - VICTORY THROUGH SORROW’S DEEP SEA – POEM FOR EASTER – PART 1 SPECIAL NOTE – This poem is too long for SermonCentral’s limited space for Sermon Illustrations, so I have had to cut it in half but don’t really want to do that. THIS IS PART 1. This is a serious poem. It covers the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 22:13-16, Psalm 69:14-15, Isaiah 53:6-7

Tags: Easter, Suffering, Victory, Gethsemane, Sorrow, Calvary, The Cross, Golgotha, Man Of Sorrows, Jesus Before Pilate, The Crucifixion, Easter Message, Christian Poems, Poem For Easter, Jesus Dies For Sins, The Lamb On The Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Room  PRO

Contributed by Ely Lambert on Aug 19, 2002

The Room In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

An Atheist Defends Evangelism In Africa

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 31, 2008

AN ATHEIST DEFENDS EVANGELISM IN AFRICA I would like to conclude by reading you an article – that Andrew sent to me - from the Sunday Times dated 27th December 2008 written by Matthew Parris: December 27, 2008 (full article) As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God Missionaries, not aid ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Anglican

[055]. A Message From A Poem – Death For The Christian

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 12, 2025

[055]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DEATH FOR THE CHRISTIAN We deal with a subject today we often like to forget about. When we are young we give it little thought but when we are old, it tends to preoccupy our minds a lot more. This poem is not so much about the subject of death itself, as it is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 1:18, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Hebrews 9:27

Tags: Death, Fear, Egypt, Poetry, Poem, Christian Death, Absent From The Body, Keys Of Death And Hades  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Mickey Mantle's Salvation Story

Contributed by Tom Feola on Feb 4, 2012

MICKEY MANTLE'S SALVATION STORY The #7 is for the Mick, or Mickey Mantle, who played for the New York Yankees.    Why do I bring this out about Mickey Mantle.  Well 1st of all without a team playing with Him Mick would have won zero World Series.  But because of a team effort Mickey played in 12 ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational