In Sermon Illustrations: "Finish Well"

[241]. A Message From A Poem – Christmas Glory

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 22, 2025

[241]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTMAS GLORY This little poem was written for a short Christmas Meditation that is on SermonCentral. As you can see it is an acrostic. I have always been thrilled with this verse from Luke – {{Luke 2:9 “An angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them and THE ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:9, Matthew 17:1-3, Acts 9:3, Philippians 3:21

Tags: Christian Poems, Moses On Sinai, An Acrostic Poem, Christmas, Meditation, Glory Of The Lord, Shepherds, Mount Of Transfiguration  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[302]. A Message From A Poem - They All Forsook Him And Fled

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 3, 2026

[302]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THEY ALL FORSOOK HIM AND FLED Did the disciples really forsake the Lord, or was it a natural, human action of fear? The Gospels are clear on this. Their peace and happiness of three years was shattered when their Lord was taken by the vile religious leaders to be ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:26-29, Zechariah 13:7, Mark 14:49-50, Matthew 26:56

Tags: Betrayal, Scattered, Christian Poetry, Fled, Christian Poems, Fear, Disciples, Sheep  (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: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Provision

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No Jacket Required  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 27, 2004

NO JACKET REQUIRED I shook my head in disbelief. This couldn’t be the right place. After all, I couldn’t possibly be welcome here. I had been given an invitation several times, by several different people, and had finally decided to see what this place was all about. But, this just couldn’t be ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Chillin Ain’t What I Thought It Was

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 3, 2020

Last week the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came up with a brilliant idea. At least, at the time, it seemed brilliant. “Why don’t we,” she began, “take Monday off and just chill?” Since it's been a long time since I did any chillin, I had to ask her, "What do we chill ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Humor, Vacation, Day Off

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroines-Rhoda Of Jerusalem

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 13, 2022

Introduction: She’s only mentioned in one passage, and often for what she didn’t do. But this unsung heroine knew what she had seen, and nothing was going to change her mind! Text: Acts 12:11-17, KJV: 11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:11-17

Tags: Unsung Heroines, Prayer, Peter, Rhoda

Denomination: Baptist

Who Invented The Autocorrect?

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 15, 2023

The other day I recognized something that had been happening for quite a while. As I was texting, I noticed that there was AutoCorrect. So whenever I spelled a word, it would finish the spelling before I was done. And, if I was spelling it wrong, it corrected me. A few times, I am typing a word, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Correct, Errors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Knowing Everything Is A Blessing And A Curse

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 5, 2023

If you ever spent more than five minutes with me, you would conclude that I do not know everything. I would agree 100%. It is not bad that I don't know everything. I know today more than I knew ten years ago, if that is any consolation. The thing that is surprising to me is that I do not ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5

Tags: Blessing, Curse

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Getting Old Is Not As Bad As I Thought

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 6, 2026

Dr. James L. Snyder I was celebrating and eating an Apple Fritter. I'm not sure what I was celebrating at the time, but it doesn't matter as long as I'm celebrating with an Apple Fritter. Life has its way of opening up doors of celebration. While I was in this celebratory mood, I ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 20:29

Tags: Old Age, Grey Hair

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Getting Away With It Is Half The Fun

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 19, 2020

I must admit I don't get away with very much, and I never have. It's not that I never try. It's just that whenever I try to get away with something, it always backfires. I wish there were a class somewhere entitled, "How You Can Get Away with Anything." I certainly would sign ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 32:23

Tags: Sin, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

What’s Pete Got To Do With Anything?

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 20, 2021

If there's anybody that can be conned, it's Yours Truly. It's not so much that I'm stupid; I'm just naïve. I believe when somebody says something, they mean exactly what they say. So, if you can't swindle me, you might as well hang it up and get a real job. I must ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:12-13

Tags: Blame, Accusations

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroines-The Widow Of Zarephath

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 4, 2022

Introduction: this widow woman probably wasn’t even an Israelite but she believed the words of Elijah, the prophet of the LORD, God of Israel. She received much more than she gave Elijah! Text: 1 Kings 17:8-16, KJV: 8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:8-16

Tags: Widow Of Zarephath, Unsung Heroines, Elijah

Denomination: Baptist

In His Book The Renew Mind (Bethany House, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In his book The Renew Mind (Bethany House, 1981), Larry Christiansen tells a story that is a perfect illustration for our sermon text for today. I’d like for you to imagine that you live in a run down apartment. As I describe this, I actually picture in my mind my apartment in St. Paul I shared ...read more

Tags: Jesus Temptation

Practice Makes Perfect Tjbts

Contributed by Blake Henson on Jun 6, 2023

Practice makes perfect shows that without good practice you can't expect to succeed in sports, but the same is true in your Christian life also. You can't just half prepare and expect to be a successful Christian. URL: https://youtu.be/eI92sWLcDIo SUMMARY In this video we see two teams. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 5:14

Tags: Christian Walk, How To Get Stronger

Unsung Heroes: Nebuzaradan Of Babylon

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 7, 2024

Introduction: Many unsung heroes in the Bible were Hebrews or Israelites. That wasn’t always the case, though. There were some people who were not even Jewish or from Israel, but they did some very noble things indeed. Here’s the story of one such unsung hero: 1 His kindness towards the people of ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 39:8-14, Jeremiah 40:1-6

Tags: Jeremiah, Unsung Heroes, Nebuzaradan

Denomination: Baptist

Unwanted Items—the Ark Of The Covenant

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 16, 2025

Unwanted Items—The Ark of the Covenant Introduction: To “frame” this illustration, we’d need to look at a couple of chapters in 1 Samuel. In chapter 4, the writer tells us of Israel’s decision, foolish as it was, to bring the Ark of the Covenant out of the Tabernacle and down to the battlefield. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 5:1-12

Tags: Philistines, Ark Of The Covenant, Unwanted Items

Denomination: Baptist

[179]. A Message From A Poem – Lost Three Things - Lost One Coin

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 27, 2025

[179]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LOST THREE THINGS - LOST ONE COIN In this trilogy of poems we are looking at three objects lost – a sheep, a coin and a son. All three were loved and precious and the owners knew stress at the lost. When each was found it resulted in great rejoicing. These three ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 11:8, Genesis 6:6, Luke 15:8-10

Tags: Lost And Found, Rejoicing, Heart Of God, The Heart Of God, Grieved, Christian Poems, Parable, Lost, Lost Coin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[195]. Message From A Poem – Not In Degrees Or Pedigrees But On Your Knees

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 10, 2025

[195]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – NOT IN DEGREES OR PEDIGREES BUT ON YOUR KNEES One thing that used to frustrate me in teaching was to see really good teachers who did not get recognition because they did not have a string of degrees. The Education Department thinks the more qualifications, the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:4-8, Acts 4:13, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Apostle Peter, Poison, Equipped, Qualifications, Academic Degrees, Pedigrees, Holy Spirit, Pride, Appointment, Ability  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[240]. A Message From A Poem – Smothering Of Delusional Creep

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 20, 2025

[240]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – SMOTHERING OF DELUSIONAL CREEP This is a very serious poem. It is about delusion that is now a feature of this world in many ways. What does the title mean? Well first of all we have delusion that creeps along like a snail, but creeps steadily. As it goes it ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 12:9, 2 Timothy 3:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, Colossians 2:4

Tags: Homosexuality, Delusion, Climate Change, Marxism, Evolution, Deception, Islam  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In England, Most Radio And Television Stations ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Fox on Dec 6, 2005

In England, most radio and television stations are run by the government-operated British Broadcasting Service (the BBC). There are some independent stations today, but 40 years ago, the BBC ruled the airwaves alone in England. In 1965, a free-spirit named Roy Bates, decided to set up his own, ...read more

Scripture: Judges 6:1-17

Tags: Death, Kingdom Of God

Denomination: Baptist