In Sermon Illustrations: "Demon Cast Out"

Misapplied Scriptures, Numbers 5:11ff: Abortion?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 27, 2023

Introduction: By now we’ve seen a few examples where selected (!) Scriptures are taken out of context and used in ways the writers never intended. There are some people who flat-out either twist or attempt to misapply the Scriptures in a much more devious way. They’ll take or quote a passage that, ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 5:11-31

Tags: Spirit Of Jealousy, Abortion, Adultery, Misapplied Scriptures

Denomination: Baptist

Encourage: Plant A Tree

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Mar 6, 2024

There was a man that looked around the barren community where he lived. The man wanted to do something to help the lifeless areas around his community. The man decided there was nothing he could do to help his neighbors. He prayed and asked God to help him help his family and his friends to bring ...read more

Scripture: Jude 1:22, Ezekiel 11:19

Tags: Help, Encourage, Make A Difference

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Unwanted Items-Fresh Meat On The Street?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 2, 2025

Introduction: This illustration is the first in a series about things that either aren’t wanted, left behind, or otherwise abandoned. Here’s hoping some of these illustrations will be useful! Text: 2 Kings 7:7, KJV: 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 7:7

Tags: Caution, Meat, Unwanted, Abandoned Things

Denomination: Baptist

[094]. A Message From A Poem – Forgetting The Past, Look Ahead

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 1, 2025

[094]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FORGETTING THE PAST, LOOK AHEAD Someone posted to a Christian forum I was on, a four line stanza once, that in effect said that you can not go back and fix the past, i.e. to go back and alter the beginning but you can start from here and make a brand new end. I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Regret, Hope, Past, End, Failure, Start, Look Ahead  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[104]. A Message From A Poem – God’s Attributes

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 8, 2025

[104]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GOD’S ATTRIBUTES Some people dispute the term Attributes of God. They say it can only be applied to statements such as God IS love. Others look at it in a wider sense taking in the qualities of the Godhead. In this poem, I took 4 words to make 4 stanzas ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:4-5, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 2:4-5, Ephesians 2:14, Colossians 3:12, 1 Thessalonians 3:13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Character Of God, Attributes Of God, Grace, Love, Mercy, Peace, Compassion, Holiness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[106]. A Poem Message – Golgotha – With Jesus In The Midst (Easter Poem)

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 8, 2025

[106]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GOLGOTHA – WITH JESUS IN THE MIDST Easter Poem This poem is an Easter poem constructed around the events played out at Golgotha. I called it Golgotha (the place of the skull) and not Calvary in the title because of this reason – The word Calvary occurs in the ...read more

Scripture: John 19:17-18, Matthew 27:33-34

Tags: Place Of The Skull, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Easter Poem, Calvary, Golgotha, Lamb Of God, Three Crosses, Jesus Crucified  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[153]. A Message From A Poem – Jesus Christ Is Lord And King

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 3, 2025

[153]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – JESUS CHRIST IS LORD AND KING There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and the writers of the Psalms, and Jeremiah, made use of what we call “Alphabetic Poems”. That is where you begin each new paragraph with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. I think ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11, John 20:20, Matthew 27:37, Matthew 2:2

Tags: Jesus Is Lord, Jesus Is King, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Lord, King  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[192]. Message From A Poem – No Contradiction Found Here

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 8, 2025

[192]. MESSAGE FROM A POEM – NO CONTRADICTION FOUND HERE I am not sure if I should explain each of these or let you work them out for yourselves. I was going to explain what seems to be contradictions, then I changed my mind. I will decide on that tomorrow! Well, I have decided to let you ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:10, John 3:7, 1 Peter 1:3, Titus 2:13

Tags: Christian Poems, Born Again, The Blessed Hope, Paradoxes, Contradictions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Outward Pressure And Inward Pleasure

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Sep 12, 2025

Outward Pressure and Inward Pleasure Cross bearing is an indispensable part of a Christian’s life (Luke 9:23), so that work of molding a person into a Christ-like image which begins at the point of re-generation is completed in all respects (2 Cor 3:18) by the time of Rapture or one’s departure ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:7-8

Tags: Outward Pressure, Inward Pleasure

Denomination: *other

Be An Encourager, Fathers Day - My Relationship With My Son

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 25, 2025

God the Father ... Loves His Children ... and He is also quick to .... encourage His children. (Long Pause) And ... I learned that ... the hard way. As a father ... you want the best for your children ... you want them to succeed. To succeed ... at everything they do. Kristin ... our first ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:9, Ephesians 4:29, Romans 8:38-39, Romans 5:8

Tags: Prayer, Encouragement, Friend, Encourage, Father, Children, Son  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Shoveling Snow

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 3, 2026

It was frigid—bone-chilling—and we had another heavy snowfall. When I opened my garage door, I quickly realized that looking at the big picture wouldn’t be helpful. Instead, I needed to focus on just one shovel of snow at a time. Blinders would have been useful, so that I wouldn’t see to the left ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:16-21

Tags: Slow Down, Trials

Denomination: Methodist

Story: In March 2004, I Was In The Second ...

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Nov 8, 2008

Story: In March 2004, I was in the second bookshop in Dymchurch rummaging through the books when I came across a second hand Jerusalem Bible. As I opened up the Bible, a number of loose leaf papers fell into my hand. And on one of them was written a story. It was obviously very meaningful to ...read more

Tags: War

Denomination: Anglican

The Matters Of The Heart

Contributed by Segun Omole on Jan 14, 2009

Judge 16: 1-31 I have heard and read quite a number of analysis of the weakness of Samson, his lack of self control and his inability to resist the power of a woman...well, guess these are all correct in their own ways but I would like to look at this man of God from another perspective. I believe ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Denomination: Pentecostal

On ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

ON PRAYER Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer told a story on the subject of prayer. A certain minister was in the habit of profound prayers, oftentimes resorting to words beyond the understanding of his simple flock. This went on week after week, to the dismay and frustration of the congregation. At last, a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15

Tags: Prayer How To

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

Washington Bureau: Terry Mattingly's Religion ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

WASHINGTON BUREAU: Terry Mattingly’s religion column for 11/07/2001 It’s hard to miss the Big Idea when an artist puts it right on a painting in bold letters. "He That Believeth Not Shall Be Damned. Not A Crown But Hellfire And Brimstone," wrote Howard Finster, using his unorthodox spelling and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:1-14

Tags: Becoming A Christian, Basics Of Christianity

Shorted-Sightedness  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 16, 2001

SHORTED-SIGHTEDNESS "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." --Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949 "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 "I have traveled the length and ...read more

Tags: Post Easter, Memorial Day, Leadership General, Reason, Purpose, Endurance, Emmaus Road, Answer, Workplace Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Walter Cronkite Or God?" Joshua 1:1-9 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Feb 21, 2005

“Walter Cronkite or God?” Joshua 1:1-9 Key verse(s): 5:“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Why is the world such a fearful place? It seems these days people are afraid of more ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-9

Tags: Promises Of God, God's Omniscience

Denomination: Lutheran

John Balca Was One Of The Early Apostolic ...  PRO

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Feb 8, 2006

-John Balca was one of the early Apostolic pioneer missionaries in Eastern Europe. He was particularly focused in the country of Yugoslavia in the 1930-1950’s. In his autobiography, he writes of the many difficulties that God helped him to overcome in the establishing of an Apostolic church in ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Pentecostal

My Wife And I Recently Saw A Television Show On ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Ferris on Aug 26, 2006

My wife and I recently saw a television show on The History Channel titled, “The Man Who Predicted 911.” We were both moved by this hour presentation and its focus on one man by the name of Rick Rescorla. Long before September 11th, Rick Rescorla, the 62-year-old head of security at the Morgan ...read more

Scripture: James 5:19-20, Mark 13:1-2

Tags: Lost, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Baptist