In Sermon Illustrations: "Core Values"

The Pickle Jar As Far Back As I Can Remember Sat ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Nov 13, 2001

The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents’ bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God, Family, Giving General

Denomination: Lutheran

The Event Occurred Back In The Early 60's When ...  PRO

Contributed by Steven Pace on Apr 11, 2002

The event occurred back in the early 60’s when Abortion was not a legal option. She was a young High School student. She met a boy that was everything that she dreamed of. She allowed him to have his way with her and she became pregnant. He told her that he had no desire to marry her and was going ...read more

Tags: Abortion

Denomination: Baptist

La Televisión, Internet, Cine, Video, Etc. ...

Contributed by Major Gerardo Balmori on Feb 23, 2008

La Televisión, Internet, Cine, video, etc. (Translation follows) * La televisión describe un mundo donde existen diversos modos de vivir, nos “invita a escoger” el modo que mas nos acomode. En el programa “Friends” La familia se compone de varias parejas en unión libre y amigos que tienen ...read more

Tags: Family

Denomination: Salvation Army

God Is With The Righteous

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Feb 19, 2012

GOD IS WITH THE RIGHTEOUS Listen to a partially embellished STORY of the SERVANT who escaped to Abraham... The sun was just rising in the east. Abram's entourage had grown significantly since Lot departed. They had settled in the land of Mamre the Amorite, finding water and shade in the forest, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 14:1-16

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Devastating Power Of Criticism

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 25, 2014

"Go where you’re celebrated, not where you’re tolerated." - Author Unknown I know a number of people whose lives have been profoundly affected by the criticism of others. For some, it was being cruelly taunted at school by their peers, for others, a close family member who criticized or ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:15

Tags: Criticism, Judgemental, Evil Tongue

Denomination: Charismatic

Sudden Tragedy

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” - Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha In the early hours of a January morning in Texas years ago, a man was jolted awake to a nightmare; his friend was rushing ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Tragedy, Adversity, Fire, Enduring Trials

Denomination: Charismatic

Death

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

IN LATE WINTER DURING THE FIFTY-NINTH YEAR of his life, John Donne braved the weather and rough roads of the English countryside to keep his final preaching engagement before the king in London. He had spent most of that winter, what would be his last, battling “consumption,” and on several ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Tags: Death, Dying

Denomination: Baptist

[121]. A Message From A Poem – From Where Did God Originate?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 5, 2025

[121]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FROM WHERE DID GOD ORIGINATE? The real title of this poem is HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS, AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER but the title is too long for SermonCentral to accept, so I changed the title. This is a dialogue poem. There are 4 speakers. Speaker 1 is a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:16-17, Colossians 2:20-23

Tags: Existence Of God, Rationalist, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Jesus, Atheist, All Things, Agnostic, Gnostics, Gnosticism, Christian, Creation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[267]. A Message From A Poem – The God Of Circumstances

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 17, 2026

[267]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE GOD OF CIRCUMSTANCES Among my favourite sayings, there are two that are special to me. One is, “What God desires from us is Faithfulness and Commitment.” The other one is, “Our God is a God of Circumstances.” It is this second one that the poem is built ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:7-8, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:11-13

Tags: All The Way, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Fortunate, Led By God, Circumstances, Leading, Lucky, Chances, Savior  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[344]. A Message From A Poem - Why, Lord, Why? The Lament For My Birds

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 1, 2026

[344]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WHY, LORD, WHY? THE LAMENT FOR MY BIRDS This poem is in blank verse because I just did not feel like any rhyme. It is written “as is”, just giving out my feeling. I very rarely write blank verse; I think maybe 2 or 3 times. The subject is about the terror of ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:1, Jonah 4:6, Romans 8:20-22

Tags: Compassion, Understanding, Lament, Sorrow, Cunning, Unfairness, Snakes, Finches, Brown Tree Snake, Boiga Irregularis, Evil Snake, Sly, Night Tiger, Snake Of Satan  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The False Foundations In The Kinsey Report  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 7, 2002

THE FALSE FOUNDATIONS IN THE KINSEY REPORT Almost 50 years ago, Alfred Kinsey, a quiet Midwestern Zoology professor, published the 1st of 2 volumes that would shake American culture to its foundations. His 1948 book, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male - like its 1953 sequel, Sexual Behavior in ...read more

Tags: Fornication, Addiction, Sexuality, Population, Temptation Sex  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Was Fortunate To Grow Up In A Home Where My ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 22, 2004

I was fortunate to grow up in a home where my father was both a loving and disciplining presence. I guess I would have to say that if there is anything I really remember about my dad is this, he possessed a presence unlike any other person in my life. To me he was always larger than life. He ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 16:1-12

Tags: Father's Day, Parenting

Denomination: Lutheran

Let God Do The Watering!" Mark 4: 1-20: Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 4, 2004

“Let God Do the Watering!” Mark 4: 1-20: Key verse(s): 11-12 “He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and every hearing but never understanding; ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:10-20

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Lutheran

Healed But Not Cured!" Hebrews 12: 5-12: Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 26, 2004

“Healed But Not Cured!” Hebrews 12: 5-12: Key verse(s): 6 “...because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Sickness! There isn’t a life that hasn’t been touched by it. And, when we count our blessings at the end of the day, we aren’t likely to ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:5-12

Tags: Poverty, Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Lutheran

Merely Mode!" Job 38:1-41 Key Verse(S): ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 15, 2005

“Merely Mode!” Job 38:1-41 Key verse(s): 1ff:“Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.” When tragedies happen, do you marvel at their randomness? Seven people are gunned down in a church on a Saturday evening. A young boy of 15 and an old man of 74. The newspaper headline called it ...read more

Scripture: Job 38:1-41

Tags: God's Forgiveness, God's Provision

Denomination: Lutheran

[237 F] [6]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 6

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Nov 24, 2025

[237 F] [6]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 6 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: Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 18:23-35, Matthew 14:22-32, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 5:1-11, Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Large Number Of Fish, Take My Yoke, My Yoke Is Easy, Ten Thousand Talents, Three Hundred Denarii, Wicked Slave, Washing Nets, Forgiveness, Peter, Nard, Alabaster Box, Jesus Walks On Water, Expensive Perfume, Mary  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[333]. A Message From A Poem - What Do You Think Of Jesus Christ?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 16, 2026

[333]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WHAT DO YOU THINK OF JESUS CHRIST? This poem is a challenge to the non-committed soul. It is a mix of explanation, preaching and challenge. What do you really think of Jesus Christ? Who is He? Where do you stand in relationship to this fact? {{Matthew ...read more

Scripture: John 3:36, John 5:40, Matthew 16:13-15

Tags: Decision, Preaching, Neglect, Challenge, The Gospel, The Gospel Message, Christian Poems, Unwilling, Accept Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

John Powell, A Professor At Loyola University In ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 9, 2002

John Powell, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago writes about a student named Tommy in his Theology of Faith class: Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith. That was the day I first saw Tommy. ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

From Homeless To Home

Contributed by Sean Harder on Nov 19, 2008

FROM HOMELESS TO HOME A young woman about 20 years old had been living on the streets of a suburban neighborhood for about five years because of her severely abusive alcoholic parents. She was a pleasant-looking young woman behind the tattered and dirty clothes, oily hair, and dirty makeup-free ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

A Parable From The Chilean Mining ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Oct 16, 2010

A PARABLE FROM THE CHILEAN MINING DISASTER Once upon a time there was a wise, good and powerful King. His kingdom was known as the kingdom of Hope and it was the richest kingdom in the world. He ruled his people with love and justice. The kingdom of Hope was known throughout the world and other ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational