In Sermon Illustrations: "Followers Of Jesus"

Over The Past Several Weeks I've Had The ...

Contributed by Emilia Florio on Feb 15, 2008

Over the past several weeks I’ve had the opportunity to have conversations with a young man, in his early 20’s, who’s really struggling with the question of “Is God real?” Matt is a self-proclaimed atheist, a sweet young guy, really. But he picks up the newspapers, and he switches on the TV, and ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Love To Cook. The Only Problem Is That Many Of ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Mar 1, 2008

I love to cook. The only problem is that many of the things I like to cook are things that my wife does not particularly care to eat. I like to cook things in a crock pot or in a pressure cooker. One of my favorite things to cook is ham hocks and beans. My dad taught me to cook it and we used ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

Proclaiming ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Proclaiming God’s Word A Necessity in Corporate Worship Congregational worship opens the door for the Holy Spirit gift of proclaiming God’s Word. Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Knowing exactly what the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:4

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Walking In The Confidence Of God

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Walking in the Confidence of God Marks of Contentment "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:5-6

Tags: Helper, Fear, Confidence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Power Of A  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

The Power of a Christ Centered Ministry In Galatians chapter five the apostle Paul writes about the fruit that comes out of mankind. First there are those who produce fruit that comes by living according to the sinful nature and second, there is fruit that is produced as one lives under the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Actions Speak Louder  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Dec 10, 2008

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER Andy Stanley tells the story of when he was 13 and learning the meaning of the phrase, "Actions speak louder than words." His dad was the Associate Pastor of First Baptist in Atlanta when the senior pastor was asked to resign. Charles Stanley was asked to preach on Sundays ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-23

Tags: Character

Denomination: Methodist

Rough Road Revival

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Dec 17, 2020

Psalms 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. Things going badly or the road is rough? Need revived? David had that relationship with God that in the midst of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 138:7

Tags: Revival, Trouble

Denomination: Baptist

Callous, Cold And Conniving Or Restored, Revived And Redeemed?

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 23, 2021

(Presented on weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day before the invitation hymn, hymn of decision) Unlike Jesus, David was not sinless on his way to the wilderness or in the wilderness but he is described as a man after God’s own heart. Something David did that was good is that he attended a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19

Tags: Culture, Racism, Civil Rights, Prophetic Zeal

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Crickets And Crosses

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Mar 30, 2023

Early one Easter morning I stood before an old church graveyard. The crickets were chirping their morning melody for me. I saw three crosses that had been placed there by the congregation, erected as a reminder of the crosses on the hill called Calvary. Calvary, where Jesus was crucified between ...read more

Tags: Easter, Resurrection, Morning, Sunrise, Nature, Sunrise Service, Resurrection Day  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Epiphany

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Jan 11, 2025

When I was in High School, I had a teacher named Miss Mary Bartram. She taught English and Literature. One day she read a poem to us by Robert Frost, entitled “The Road Not Taken”. She read it with such commitment and passion that I believe she changed a lot of lives that day, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Tags: Faith, Choice

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[068]. A Message From A Poem – Established Now And Changed

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 28, 2025

[068]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – ESTABLISHED NOW AND CHANGED This poem is made up of couplets and each couplet is a contrast. What we were, to what God has made us to become. For example, in the first stanza, a member of the world system, but now, a member of the Body of Christ. The last two ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:25

Tags: Poetry, Poem, Established, Changed, Rhyming Couplets  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[149]. A Message From A Poem – It’s The Gospel Truth

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 31, 2025

[149]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – IT’S THE GOSPEL TRUTH In this poem I use the word “gospel” in a wider sense than the four Gospels. It examines a number of truths from the bible. I am talking about the good news of the gospel. Each of the 8 stanzas has some truth in it from the bible, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:3-5, Romans 1:16

Tags: Christian Poems, Truth, The Gospel, Gospel Truth, Not Ashamed Of The Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Moved Christian Across Pond To Save Him From Drowning

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 25, 2025

God Moved Christian across Pond to Save Him from Drowning One of my favorite miracle stories is from Jan Ramsey. My wife Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with Jan. She was a member of First Baptist in Swartz. Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad, James, and I think he was 81 at the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-24

Tags: Solomon's Temple, Mother's Womb, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, King David, Fearfully Made, Wonderfully Made, Nathan The Prophet, Creation, Light, Darkness, Presence, Omniscience  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[298]. A Message From A Poem – The Word Of God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 27, 2026

[298]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE WORD OF GOD This poem concentrates solely on the bible, the Word of God. Many images and metaphors are used for the bible and taken from God’s word. STANZA 1. The introduction and the requests for living and teaching. Psalm 119 could fit into this. STANZA ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2, Jeremiah 23:29, Ephesians 5:26, Psalm 119:105

Tags: Fire, Water Of Life, Hammer, Word, The Word Of God, The Bible, Milk Of The Word, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Poem About The Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[062b]. A Message From A Poem – Does Suffering Cancel Out A God Of Love?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[062B]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DOES SUFFERING CANCEL OUT A GOD OF LOVE? THE POEM AS IT IS WILL NOT FIT IN THE ILLUSTRATION SPACE AVAILABLE. I HAVE SPLIT IT INTO THREE PARTS. THIS IS THE SECOND PART THE INTRODUCTION FOR THE POEM IS IN PART 1. PART 2 SECTION B - PART 1 (THE CHRISTIAN ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 45:6-7, John 3:16, Exodus 34:6-7

Tags: Hurt, Pain, Love, Compassion, Comfort, Suffering, Tragedy, God Of Comfort, God Of Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[237 A]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 1

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 31, 2025

[237 A]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 1 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:26-39, Luke 15:11-32, John 2:1-11, Luke 10:38-42, Matthew 14:22-31, Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Stories, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Poetry Reading, Parables  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

This Past Thursday, I Had The Opportunity To Ride ...  PRO

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Nov 8, 2004

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to ride with 2 deputies in the Oviedo area. That night, I rode with a deputy as he patrolled his area and one of the things we did was drive around behind many of the stores and shopping centers to make sure there were no problems there. Of the patrol ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 6:8, Isaiah 6:9

Tags: Repentance, Salvation, Confession Of Sin

Denomination: Baptist

The Quarter Of Remembrance By Mike Cope ...

Contributed by Philip Cunningham Iii on Dec 23, 2007

The Quarter of Remembrance by Mike Cope (reprinted) http://preachermike.com/2007/12/21/two-bits-of-memory I actually got to meet Dr. Channing Barrett, though I don’t remember the meeting because I was too young. But that doesn’t change my picture of him as a young man walking a marathon of miles ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Read A Recent Magazine Article About A Pastor ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Apr 10, 2005

I read a recent magazine article about a pastor and his encounter with some unbelievers while having breakfast. Here is how he tells the story: “My wife and I were vacationing in Estes Park, Colorado, and had breakfast in a coffee shop. It was empty except for four men at another table. One was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:17-31, John 13:34-35, Jude 1:3-16, Galatians 5:6, Luke 16:1-15, Acts 2:1-4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith, Determination, Surrender, Truth Of Christ

Denomination: Methodist

Many Turns–one Road! (07.01.05--Direction--John ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jun 29, 2005

Many Turns–One Road! (07.01.05--Direction--John 21:20-25) Like life, most highways that we find ourselves on aren’t always straight and true. In fact, what makes some highways fun to drive is that they give you the opportunity to make a turn here and there from time to time, just to break up the ...read more

Scripture: John 21:20-25

Tags: Knowing God's Will

Denomination: Lutheran