In Sermon Illustrations: "Forgive Your Enemy"

I Thought We'd Talk More About God

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Feb 11, 2011

I THOUGHT WE'D TALK MORE ABOUT GOD Some years ago, a woman came to me for counseling. Her husband had died suddenly from a rapidly growing cancer, and she was overcome not only with grief but with fear regarding her future. She did not now know who she was or where she was to go. She was beside ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Armor That Holds Up

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2011

ARMOR THAT HOLDS UP I came across what I thought was a rather interesting story this week as I was preparing for this message. It was a story detailing a class action law suit aimed at a company called Second Chance Body Armor. Second Chance manufactures bullet proof vests for police officers and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Security

Servanthood And Spiritual Growth  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 16, 2011

SERVANTHOOD AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH I surveyed my church to see if people saw a relationship between ministering to others and spiritual growth. When asked, "To what extent has your ministry or service to others affected your spiritual growth?," 92 percent answered positively. None responded that ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:3-8

Tags: Servanthood

The Disease Of "Me"

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

THE DISEASE OF "ME" Basketball coach Pat Riley in his book The Winner Within tells about the 1980 World Championship Los Angeles Lakers. They won the NBA Championship that year, and they were recognized as the best basketball team in the world. They began their 1980-1981 season considered likely ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:18

Tags: Pride

Mama's Prayers  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

MAMA'S PRAYERS E. V. (Ed) Hill, who pastored Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, tells the story of how "Mama’s" love and prayers changed his life. During the height of the Depression, Hill’s real mother, who had five children of her own, didn’t have enough food to go around, so ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13

Tags: Mother's Day

The Circle Maker

Contributed by Antonio Silveira on Dec 4, 2011

THE CIRCLE MAKER Pastor Mark Batterson wrote a book called "The Circle Maker". He tells the following. The Book of Legends, is a collection of stories from the Jewish Talmud, when I discovered the true legend of Honi the Circle Maker. It forever changed the way I pray. I pray more. I pray with ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Baptist

God Is Absolute

Contributed by Tim White on Apr 4, 2013

GOD IS ABSOLUTE If we bought a new piano or a new organ and moved it into the sanctuary, we would need to tune it, or everything else, typically. The impression is that there are differences in how the instruments are tuned. If the new piano is tuned a little higher than the old equipment, then ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Baptist

The Story Of Bertha Smith

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 27, 2013

Bertha Smith is a name that we are not familiar with. Bertha Smith was a missionary many years ago in China. There was an uprising throughout China at that time and the Christian missionaries were forced to leave their congregations and flee to coastal cities for safety. Many of them, while ...read more

Tags: Repentance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Atitudes

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 6, 2016

YOU CHOOSE? YOUR CHOICES WILL CONTROL THE OUT GOING AND IN COMING 120 years ago there was a family moving from Georgetown to Johnstown. A new opportunity farming was before them. So they loaded up their covered wagon, hitched up the horses, said farewell and away they went. The journey from ...read more

Scripture: Job 2:9-10

Tags: Attitude, Choices

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Weeping Over Others

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 15, 2020

Do you weep for your family, friends, church, nation and world? 1) Jesus did- Jesus wept over the sins of others, over their bitter consequences in judgment and death, and over Jerusalem which would not receive him. Jesus was a Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53). Why? Because he took our sins upon ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Intercession, Beatitudes, Lost, Weeping, Mourning, Evangelism, Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Does It Mean To Be Real?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 18, 2020

Excerpt from the Story of the Skin Horse “The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8, John 3:16

Tags: Love, Children, Marriage, Family, Relationships, Real, Unconditional Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Reprove An Erring Brother, Do Not Reproach Him

Contributed by James Dina on Oct 7, 2020

REPROVE AN ERRING BROTHER, DO NOT REPROACH HIM Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning." (Proverbs 9:8-9) We should have respect ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 9:8

Tags: Correct In Love, Reprove

Denomination: Pentecostal

Christmas Hope

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Feb 13, 2023

The hope of Christmas. When you think about it, that is what we have. HOPE. Listen to what the Apostle wrote in his letter while he was imprisoned in Rome. Romans 3:24-25 - 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:24-25

Tags: Hope, Christmas Hope

Denomination: Baptist

Leading With Wisdom

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Sep 22, 2023

Leading with Wisdom Nelson Mandela, an icon of leadership, stands as a beacon of inspiration in the annals of history. His remarkable journey from tribal beginnings to global acclaim offers valuable insights into the art of leadership. Unlike many leaders whose legacy is shrouded in varying ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19, Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 15:28, James 3:17

Tags: Gentle, Peaceable, Learn To Listen, Leadership, Team  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[032] A Message From A Poem – Before The Lord We Are His

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 21, 2025

[032] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BEFORE THE LORD WE ARE HIS To start with I want to say that all my poems are copyright in the sense that I own them and don’t want them altered without permission. All my poems God gave and therefore can be used in your ministry or for your enjoyment. I wish the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:16, Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Tags: Savior, King, Poetry, New Bodies, The Rapture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[131]. A Message From A Poem – Hurting People Hurt

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 12, 2025

[131]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HURTING PEOPLE HURT When I was in England on ministry I went to a conference of church leaders and one of the speakers presented a very good talk on outreach for the unchurched people. One of the things he said was, “Hurting people hurt,” and I have not forgotten ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:15

Tags: Hurting, Christ Died, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Hurt, Brother, Healing, Walking In Love, Healed  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Parachute Failed On Christian At 3500 Feet

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 24, 2025

Parachute failed on Christian at 3500 feet Psalm 144:15 - Happy is that people, whose God is the LORD!" *Daniel Cave certainly proved this to be true. In 2005, Daniel was on his very first skydiving jump in Washington State. On the way down, his parachute failed to open. Daniel didn’t fall ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 144:15

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

Denomination: Baptist

Global Gift Dilemma

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 4, 2025

Global Gift Dilemma Simple Gifts, Joyful Hearts I enjoy Christmas not just because it commemorates Christ’s birth and allows us to share that meaningfully with others. I appreciate the spirit of giving, but as my wife and I grow older, we’ve become more careful about our spending. We now keep ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22, Matthew 1:21, John 1:1-14, Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Ideas, Gifts, Frugal, Lists, Christmas, Wisdom  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[243]. A Message From A Poem – God’s Love Is Beyond Compare

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 26, 2025

[243]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GOD’S LOVE IS BEYOND COMPARE I think this poem emerged from considering the letter to the church as Ephesus written by the Apostle John. The strategic verse there is this – {{Revelation 2:4 “but I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”}} ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:4, John 3:16, Romans 5:5, John 5:42

Tags: Christian Poems, Love, First Love, Comparison, The Love Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rembrandt’s Return Of The Prodigal Son

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I was an art major in undergrad, which means I took more art history classes than any human should be required to sit through. And then, because God has a sense of humor, I spent an entire semester in seminary studying one painting. One. Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son. Paper after paper ...read more

Scripture: James 4:10, Luke 15:20

Tags: Grace, Repentance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational