In Sermon Illustrations: "Earthly Comfort"

I'm No Moses!

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Sep 4, 2008

"I'm No Moses!" When I received my call to go into ministry, I was praying. Immediately, I rejected the call, telling God that I was a business person, not really minister material. I knew how to speak about marketing. I knew a bit about managing people. I could talk about that. On and on I ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

On January 8, 1956 Jim Elliot, Along With Four ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

On January 8, 1956 Jim Elliot, along with four other missionaries was killed while trying to bring this Good News of Christ to the Waodoni people of the Auca Indians in Ecuador. In his journal published in a book titled SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY, Jim wrote these words: “One doesn’t learn to speak ...read more

Tags: Missions

Leslie B. Flynn Told A Delightful Little Story ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Leslie B. Flynn told a delightful little story about how some children worked long and hard on their own little cardboard shack. It was to be a special spot - a clubhouse - where they could meet in solemn assembly or just laugh, play games, and fool around. As they thought long and hard about their ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will

Anti-Semitism Meets Its Match

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 1, 2024

It was a sweltering August day when all three Cohen brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices of Henry Ford, the car maker, "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that will revolutionize the automobile industry." ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 23:4-8, 1 Corinthians 5:7, Romans 11:11-32

Tags: Israel, Hatred, Anti Semitism, Israel's Future

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Ring Around The Roses - Ashes, Ashes We All Fall Down - History

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Feb 24, 2026

Ring around the roses, ... pocket full of poses, ashes, ... ashes ... (Slow) we all fall down. Many of us have sung this little rhyme ... with our children, .... our grandchildren ... or have at least heard the rhyme. We have heard or sung ... a number of these old rhymes ... as young children ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:7, Job 30:19, Isaiah 61:3, Genesis 3:19, Psalm 103:14, Genesis 18:27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Dust, Black Plague, Rhyme, Nursery, Roses, Poses, Death, Flowers, Ashes, Disease  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Staying In Touch...in The Right Way

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 28, 2009

STAYING IN TOUCH...IN THE RIGHT WAY Evangelism issue #1: staying in touch with the world -- in a right way From InternetEvangelismDay.com: "There are two major reasons why we so often fail to touch many non-Christians with the Gospel. Firstly, we frequently present the good news in language and ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Devil Made Me Do It

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Feb 19, 2010

THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT When I served a church in Greenville, Florida, one of our men was Joe Ball Reams; about 6'4" and a man's man! He farmed tobacco, corn and cotton to pay the bills. One of his entrepreneurial ventures is a 600 acre hunting club on family land. He has entertained Southern ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: United Methodist

Church Asks Non-Participants To Leave

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2011

CHURCH ASKS NON-PARTICIPANTS TO LEAVE Just a few years ago, Larknews.com carried the following fictional piece of satire on its website. In the form of a news release, it reported: Julie and Bob Clark were stunned to receive a letter from their church in July asking them to "participate in the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:15-16

Tags: Church Growth

The Avoidance Of Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011

THE AVOIDANCE OF DEATH I read a great book called The Art of Dying, by Christianity Today editor Rob Moll. In the forward, by Lauren Winner, we read: "We no longer allow people to say that they are dying – rather, they are “battling” an illness. Far from encouraging the perilously ill to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:23

Tags: Death Nearness

Free Gas: God Knew

Contributed by Brad Henry on Sep 6, 2011

FREE GAS: GOD KNEW Yesterday we had an "event" at church. We were told to come with comfortable clothes and that was all the direction we received. When we got to church, the pastor said, "OK folks, today we are going to the gas station up the street. We are going to give $25.00 of gas to 150 cars ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

At Christmas All Roads Lead Home

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

AT CHRISTMAS ALL ROADS LEAD HOME Marjorie Holmes writes, "At Christmas, all roads lead home. The filled planes, the packed trains and overflowing buses all speak eloquently of a single destination: home. Despite the crowding and the crushing, the delays, the confusion, we clutch our bright ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

Moody And The Filling Of The Spirit  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on May 27, 2012

MOODY AND THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT One of the great preachers in U.S. history is D. L. Moody. He pastored in Chicago and there is still a wonderful Bible College there that bears his name and values. Mr. Moody was a successful minister, but by his own admission, he lacked the power in his ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 33:1-22

Tags: Pentecost, Blessing, Esau, Isaac, Curse, Spoken Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Nazarene

Falling In Love With His Word

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

The reason God gave us the Bible is that he wants us to know who he is. If you want to know God, read his Book, read His words. Our words reveal who we are. Wayne Hudson tells the story of Ben who had left the East Coast 8 years earlier to head out West in hopes of making his fortune. It was 1898. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:16

Tags: Bible, Scripture, The Word, Bible Reading

Denomination: Methodist

Parachute Illustration

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 2, 2019

SCRIPTURE: James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." ILLUSTRATION: Two men are on a plane, an announcement comes over the loud speakers and says "This plane is going to crash, please put on the parachute that is under ...read more

Scripture: James 2:19

Tags: Faith, Salvation, Repentance

Have You Seen The Movie Antwone Fisher? It's The ...

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on Oct 9, 2006

Have you seen the movie Antwone Fisher? It’s the true story of a young man abandoned at birth by his mother and then raised in abusive orphanages, foster homes, and reform schools. Denzel Washington adapted the story into a movie that was released a few years ago. After his 18th birthday, Antwone ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: United Methodist

Cross Bearing  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Cross Bearing "The Christian's Passion" There is a powerful question that is too often avoided by preachers and church attendees alike, "Who took the rough edges off the Cross?" Modern day Christianity and the world have generally turned the cross into a nice piece of harmless jewelry, all shiny ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Easter Good Friday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus, The Only Way To Heaven  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Jesus, the Only Way to Heaven Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Palm Sunday Is Important

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Mar 26, 2024

In 1997 I traveled to Pittsburgh to attend a Promise Keepers Meeting at Three Rivers Stadium. Men from the Ashland Area Churches rented a bus and traveled there together. Promise Keepers was created to issue a calling to men to live up to their biblical responsibilities to be good Husbands, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:1-11, Isaiah 50:5-7

Tags: Faith, Palm Sunday

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[003] Message From A Poem – A Simple Farmer’s Ditty

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 13, 2024

[003] MESSAGE FROM A POEM – A SIMPLE FARMER’S DITTY You will note that each line of the poem ends with the “ay” rhyme. The following poem is simple in structure but an attempt to relate to the simplicity of the land. I used to spend my holidays as an early teenager on the land with a farming ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 26:23-25, Ezekiel 14:13

Tags: God Keeps Us, Agrarian Society, Nature, Poem, Farming, Farmers, A Ditty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Family Resemblance

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 23, 2025

Family Resemblance *There will always be resemblance in families, and I'm not just talking about our physical appearance. I'm talking about the way we talk, our mannerisms, our quirks, our habits, and our attitudes. Well, what's true about our earthly families is also true about ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 144:1-15

Tags: Deceivers, The Lord Of Hosts, Floods, High Tower, Righteous War, Deliverer, King David, Brevity, Praise The Lord, Mortality, Traitors, Shield, Salvation, Joy, Rock, Fortress, God's Help  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist