In Sermon Illustrations: "First Fruits"

Corrie Ten Boom On Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Corrie Ten Boom had her entire family killed in a Nazi concentration camp for hiding Jews in their home. In her book, “The Hiding Place” she writes: It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, a former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:13

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Evidence For The Resurrection Is Reliable And True

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Apr 3, 2023

It was the middle of the 1800s and a man by the name of Simon Greenleaf was teaching a class on evidence of law at Harvard University. Greenleaf was considered by many to be the greatest expert on evidence of law the world has ever known. He had been praised for his knowledge and when it comes to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Matthew 28:1-10, 1 Peter 1:3

Tags: Reliability Of Truth, Jesus The Risen Savior, Easter, Resurrection, Evidence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Dying For Treasure

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Aug 11, 2023

Have you ever heard about a man named Forrest Fenn? Forrest Fenn was a pilot in the US Air Force, earning the rank of Major and awarded the Silver Star for his sermon in Vietnam, which flew 328 combat missions within a year. After his service to his country, he ran an art gallery where he made his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24

Tags: Money, Treasure

Denomination: Brethren

Taking Out A Loan To Pay God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2023

There was an older man in my church in Texas who came to me with tears in his eyes after a sermon I preached on tithing. He said, "Pastor, thank you for telling our people the truth about how God can bless you when you are obedient to His Word." He wiped a tear and said, "Pastor, I ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Stewardship, Repentance, Tithing, Brokenness, Forgivness, Loans, Giving  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Is Still In The Healing Business Today.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 11, 2024

JAMES CHAPTER 5 - our pathway to healing in time of need Larry Miley grew up in the northeast corner of the Ivory Coast, where his father was a missionary physician. When he was 14, he was laid low by a bout of malaria, and his father gave him an injection. All seemed well at first, and Dr. Miley ...read more

Tags: Faith, Healing, Obedience, Prayer, Miracles, Sickness, Elders, Fasting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Sovereign God Has Fixed The Time For My Death

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 10, 2024

There is a scene in the Civil War motion picture, "Gods and Generals", that is telling. The movie follows the rise and fall of Civil War hero General Thomas Jackson, and does not try to hide his Christianity. Throughout the picture, Jackson's dependence on God is shown, but never ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 21:1

Tags: Death, Chosen, Election, Free Will, Calling, Sovereignty Of God, Man's Choice  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Power Of Forgiveness

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 10, 2025

Our sins, transgressions, and iniquities can manifest in our physical bodies. In Matthew 9:2, Jesus tells a paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven. Take up your bed and go." He got up! In 30+ years of ministry, I have seen plenty of folks receive healing from physical problems caused ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:2, Ephesians 4:32

Tags: Forgiveness, Healing

Denomination: Methodist

[116]. A Message From A Poem – Having A Chat With God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 27, 2025

[116]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HAVING A CHAT WITH GOD There is nothing pretentious here. It is a simple prayer mixed with thoughts of the Lord. This poem is a meditation, one that I hope you can relate to in your life. Some make prayer a sanctimonious affair and it is about as dead as a ...read more

Scripture: Titus 3:7, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, 1 John 4:19

Tags: Grace, Love, Hope, Prayer, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Chat  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How The Philippian Jailer Got Saved - Crisis

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Oct 2, 2025

How the Philippian jailer got saved - Crisis This Philippian jailer was saved! He was saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And if you have never trusted in the Lord, He wants to save you the same way. But let's take a closer look at how the Lord touched the jailer's ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:16-34

Tags: Crisis, Christian Service, Philippian Jailer, Demon Possession, Spiritual Transformation, Evangelism, Paul, Salvation, Missions, Silas  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Listen To This True Story. Rabbi Michael ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Jan 28, 2001

ILL. Listen to this true story. Rabbi Michael Weisser lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. And for more than 3 years, Larry Trapp, a self-proclaimed Nazi & Ku Klux Klansman, directed a torrent of hate-filled mailings & phone calls toward him. Trapp promoted white supremacy, anti-Semitism, & other ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:20, Galatians 3:1-14

Tags: Racism, Pearl Harbor, Forgiveness For Others, Compassion

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Let Me Give You An Example To What I’m ...  PRO

Contributed by Bill Lobbs on Nov 4, 2000

Let me give you an example to what I’m saying by sharing with you a story that I recently read in one of the history books in my library. I read how on July 3l, 1838 on the Island of Jamaica, a man named William Knibbs, gathered 10,000 slaves for a great praise gathering. They were celebrating ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:12, Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Freedom, Great Commission, Gospel, Lordship Of Christ, Ignorance, What Is Evangelism?  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

After Church…  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 20, 2001

AFTER CHURCH... There he stood, in the midst of the Golden Corral restaurant, with Thousand Island dressing dripping from his hair, over his glasses, down his face, all over his jacket, pants, & shoes. And I’m not talking about a little bit of Thousand Island dressing, I’m talking about 2 gallons ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-17

Tags: Children, Hypocrisy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Josh Mcdowell, A Dedicated Christian ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 23, 2001

Josh McDowell, a dedicated Christian intellectual, wrote, "I was invited to speak in a university in South America. Because of the university’s Marxist leanings, I was the first American to speak there in four years, & it was a tense situation. "Big photographs of me had been posted all over ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Faith General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

My Eternal Real Estate  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mavis on May 21, 2001

MY ETERNAL REAL ESTATE Years ago, radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller announced that he would speak the following Sunday on “Heaven” and that it would also be aired over the radio. During that week he received a letter from an elderly man who was very ill. Here’s a part of his letter: “Next ...read more

Tags: Heaven, Funerals Christian, Death Nearness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Men's Thesaurus  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jul 10, 2001

THE MEN’S THESAURUS (men don’t always say what they mean) – excerpts: When a man says: "IT’S A GUY THING" He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical" When a man says "CAN I HELP WITH DINNER" He means: "Why isn’t it ...read more

Tags: Marriage General, Dealing With Conflicts, Father's Day

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Worship In Spirit And In Truth, By Leann Gabel ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Aug 3, 2001

[Worship in Spirit and in Truth, by Leann Gabel of Amarillo, TX] In Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, it didn’t take long before their conversation turned to worship. I would guess that was as hot a topic then as it is today. The woman’s question was sincere, "I know there are two ways to ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:5

Tags: Church Practices, Bible Truth, Holy Spirit General, Woman At Well

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

: "Scarred Hands” (James S. ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 21, 2001

Illus.: “Scarred Hands” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, pp. 119-120) A small orphaned boy lived with his grandmother. One night their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to rescue the little boy asleep upstairs, perished in the smoke and flames. A crowd gathered around the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Christian Disciplines, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Wesleyan

A Preacher Recalls One Such Instance During ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Oct 11, 2001

ILL. A preacher recalls one such instance during the Sunday evening service. When he finished speaking, he asked, "Is there anyone else who would like to say something?" At that, a rather dignified visitor stood up & said, "Yes, sir, I’d like to say something. This is the first time I’ve been ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Repentance, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Imagine A Group Of People Coming To Your Home And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2002

Imagine a group of people coming to your home and interrupting your Twinkie-eating, TV-watching routine with an urgent message: “Good News! We’re from the United States Olympic Committee. We have been looking for someone to run the marathon in the next Olympics. We have statistics on every person ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:24, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1, James 1:1-4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Race, Discipleship, Disciplines

Sowing Seeds Of Peace  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Feb 11, 2002

SOWING SEEDS OF PEACE In Europe, 1934, Hitler’s plague of anti-Semitism was infecting a continent. Some would escape it. Some would die from it. But eleven-year-old Heinz would learn from it. He would learn the power of sowing seeds of peace. Heinz was a Jew. The Bavarian village of Fourth, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:11-15

Tags: God Brings Hope, Peace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational