In Sermon Illustrations: "Excited About Preaching"

Strength Through Interconnectedness

Contributed by Richard Tow on Oct 5, 2020

Years ago, Jeanie and I visited the Redwood National Park in northern California. We stood in awe as we looked up to trees reaching over 350 feet. These trees have endured storms for over 1,000 years. The surprising thing is that their roots are very shallow—only about 10 to 12 feet deep. How does ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:2-3

Tags: Community, Church, Perseverance, Unity, Cooperation, Difficulties, Storms  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Cast Your Bread

Contributed by Rev. Dr. Andrew B Natarajan on Feb 1, 2021

True Story: There was a boy who lost his parents when he was about thirteen years old. He has left an Orphan without hope of continuing his education. He was brought to a care home run by a Pastor. He was given food and education. The Pastor who believed in investing in young boys and girls, ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 11:1-2

Tags: Care For Poor, Give Gospel

Denomination: Methodist

Easter Service Mishap

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 12, 2021

One year, a bunch of friends and I decided to go to a sunrise service at a super fancy church. This church looks like a European cathedral and we were all dressed up for 5 a.m. singing around a huge fire outside and then going inside for service. Everyone had candles and the whole service is by ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:38-40

Tags: Easter, Resurrection, Funny, Sunrise Service

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Do Not Let Others Discourage You

Contributed by Shawn Drake on Apr 18, 2021

Over the last few Wednesdays, we have been studying how to make wise choices in who are your close friends. One of the main points is- To have a close friend, you have to be a close friend. We live in a time where people enjoy destroying other people and leave them discouraged. In our sermon ...read more

Scripture: Acts 18:1-28

Tags: Be The Church, Encourager

Denomination: Baptist

Small Decisions, Huge Consequences

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 3, 2022

1. We make small decisions all the time, and they can affect the direction of our lives. Take this true story: “When I was a kid, my mom, my cousin, my sister, and I were all about to go to my great grandma's house from my grandma's house. It was not a far drive so my mom allowed my sister ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 14:20-25, Hebrews 6:4-6, Acts 16:31, John 3:16

Tags: Providence, Choice, Consequences, Decisions, Important Choices  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Billy Graham On Hell

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 19, 2022

BILLY GRAHAM ON HELL: "It isn’t fashionable today to talk about Hell—but the Bible is clear: God created us with a soul that will live forever and when we die, we will continue to exist—either in the place the Bible calls Heaven or in the place it calls Hell. Hell, the Bible says, is ...read more

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, Truth, Judgment, Invitation, Billy Graham, Evangelism, Hell, Death, Sin, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Way Is The Best.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on May 31, 2022

I read the story about a young woman who had prepared for missionary service on foreign fields. She had been appointed by the mission board and was ready to sail when she received a telegram saying that her sister had died in a western state. She cancelled her reservation and went home. The ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Faith, Trust, Obedience, Purpose, Providence, Will Of God, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Incredible Symbol Of The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 2, 2023

Gordon Brownville's Symbols of the Holy Spirit tells about the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first to discover the magnetic meridian of the North Pole and to discover the South Pole. On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:19-23

Tags: Church, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Acts, Spirit Filled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Going To The Movies With Penguins!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 27, 2023

A truck driver was hauling a load of 500 penguins to the zoo. Unfortunately, his truck broke down, so he waved down another truck and offered the driver $500 to take the penguins to the zoo. The next day, the first truck driver picked up his repaired truck. When he drove into town, he couldn’t ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Evangelism, Communication, Missions, Purpose, Great Commission, Mission  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Faith Becomes Love In Action

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 5, 2023

FAITH IS AN ACTION WORD… Is this real? I place a metal chair in front of the crowd. I talk about how strong the chair appears to be? Then I ask the crowd do you think this chair is strong enough to hold one of us? We discuss why we think this chair could possibly hold a human’s weight. What would ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-9, John 15:13-16, Luke 24:7

Tags: Faith, Love, Action

Denomination: Assembly Of God

We're Not Going To Heaven In A Rowboat!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 12, 2023

A friend gave me the illustration of a man in a rowboat to describe salvation. He told about a man rowing a boat across a lake. In one hand was the oar of faith and in the other was the oar of works. He explained that if he was only rowing with the oar of faith, he would go around in circles. ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, 1 John 5:1-13

Tags: Faith, Grace, Heaven, Salvation, Assurance, Works, Doubts  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Incredible Power Of Aspen Tree Seeds (Facing Trials)

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 21, 2023

Last winter while visiting a natural history museum in Colorado, I learned some remarkable facts about the aspen tree. An entire grove of slender, white-trunked aspens can grow from a single seed and share the same root system. These root systems can exist for thousands of years whether or not ...read more

Scripture: James 1:1-4, 1 Corinthians 10:13, John 16:33

Tags: Faith, Trials, Problems, Tests Of Faith, Joy, Temptation, Tribulation, Difficulties, Spiritual Growth, Perserverance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Balaam's Error,

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Oct 25, 2024

And this from the Revelation to John at Patmos: Jesus words to the angel of the church at Pergamum give us the view of God as to what happened in Numbers chapters 22-25, and why God was angry with Balaam. Balaam was a deceiver. “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 22:1-41, Revelation 2:14, Numbers 25:1-3

Tags: Deception, Teaching, Israelites, Pergamum, Stumbling Block, Sexual Immorality, Idols  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army

The Journey Of A Black Artist

Contributed by Jessie Manuel on Dec 30, 2024

Consider the journey of a fictional Afro American artist named Maya, who grew up in a neighborhood plagued by inequity. Her early life was fraught with challenges—families losing homes, schools underfunded, and dreams foiled by systemic barriers. However, Maya found solace in art, a channel ...read more

Scripture: Joel 2:25

Tags: Hope, Faithfulness, Restoration

Denomination: Methodist

Conquering Password Memory Issues

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 22, 2025

Am I getting worried about my memory," says 75 year old Rachel to her best friend Sarah. "So why is that?" asks Sarah. "Because every time I go online banking," replies Rachel, "I just don't seem to be able to remember my bank's password. I have to try many ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:6-11

Tags: Memory, Confusion, Complications

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Respond Like Jesus

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 20, 2025

I think that God expects us to respond (not react) when the world pushes back like Jesus responded to the folks who were unable to see what He was doing. It won’t make sense. Here’s an example of what Peter’s teaching would look like in his day: “Peter is telling the Christian merchant in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15-16

Tags: Anger, Blessing Others

Denomination: Methodist

Is Bitterness Still In Your Life?

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Dec 1, 2025

Has someone ever said something ... or done something to you ... which you found ... difficult ... to forgive? Every time you hear their name, ... even if the incident happened years ago ... still brings uneasiness ... to your soul. It is ... as though you were reliving the event ... all over ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:15, Ephesians 4:26, Matthew 5:23-24, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 12:15  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Forgiveness, Bitterness, Prisoner

Denomination: Anglican

Be Faithful

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 1, 2026

DO WE UNDERSTAND FAITHFULNESS? Have you heard RHONDA VINCENT’S STORY OF FAITHFULNESS? Rhonda and her family were under contract at SILVER DOLLAR CITY TO DO 5—ONE HOUR MUSIC PROGRAMS A DAY. One day it was raining real hard. No one was in the crowd. No one, but the contract was for 5 shows. Rhonda ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 16:2

Tags: Faithfulness, Choices

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Open Door

Contributed by Samuel Shamaun on Jan 20, 2026

A man once stood outside a house, knocking on the door. He knocked again and again, but no one answered. Finally, he noticed there was no handle on the outside of the door. The door could only be opened from the inside. This illustration reflects the way Jesus approaches our hearts. The Bible says ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

Tags: Salvation, Hope

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Young Girl Grows Up On A Cherry Orchard Just ...  PRO

Contributed by Rick Stacy on Mar 10, 2002

A young girl grows up on a cherry orchard just above Traverse City, Michigan. Her parents, a bit old-fashioned, tend to overreact to her nose ring, the music she listens to, and the length of her skirts. They ground her a few times, and she seethes inside. "I hate you!" she screams at her father ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-32

Tags: God's Love, God's Forgiveness, Forgiveness, Welcome Home, Parable Prodigal Son, New Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ