In Sermon Illustrations: "Founding Father"

John Macarthur On Knowing God's Will

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 27, 2012

JOHN MACARTHUR ON KNOWING GOD'S WILL God’s will is that you be saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering. God’s Word makes all this clear. Do not read on until you have grasped these five principles. You say, "MacArthur, you were going to tell me what school I should go to. You ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Tags: God's Will, Knowing God's Will

Denomination: Baptist

Consecrated To God From Youth

Contributed by Samuel Reyes on Apr 9, 2012

CONSECRATED TO GOD FROM YOUTH “Los más grandes hombres de la iglesia cristiana fueron vidas consagradas a Dios desde su juventud. -Juan Wesley era un estudiante en Oxford cuando fundó el Club Santo. -Martin Lutero tenía 27 años cuando abrazo el pasaje y fue inspirado en todo su ministerio por el ...read more

Tags: Youth

Denomination: Free Methodist

Holy Images

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2012

HOLY IMAGES There are three true stories about holy images: A few years ago a woman in New Mexico was frying tortillas. One of the tortillas burned and the result was an image that looked like a face; she thought it looked like Jesus. She took the tortilla to her priest and he agreed it looked ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 44:6-23

Tags: Idolatry

If ...

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 1, 2012

IF ONLY There was a great Scotch writer and historian in the nineteenth century named Thomas Carlyle. He married a woman, who’d worked as his secretary named Jane Welsh. But Carlyle was dedicated to his writing so he didn’t spend much time with her. He just mostly wrote. At one point she became ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17

Tags: Death, Remorse, Parable Ten Virgins, Regret

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

We Are Meant To Struggle

Contributed by Spencer Miller on May 13, 2013

WE ARE MEANT TO STRUGGLE You remember the story of the little boy who was playing outdoors and found a fascinating caterpillar. He carefully picked it up and took it home to show his mother. He asked his mother if he could keep it, and she said he could if he would take good care of it. The ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Baptist

Unusual Banquet

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 22, 2013

Unusual Banquet Boston Globe's account in June 1990 of a most unusual wedding banquet. Accompanied by her fiance, a woman went to the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston and ordered the meal. The two of them poured over the menu, made selections of china and silver, and pointed to pictures of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-14

Tags: Feed, Banquet, Repay

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Selling Your Cow  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 31, 2014

Daniel Overdorf: One of my older sisters and her husband served for 12 years as missionaries to Haiti. Among various other ministries, such as church plants, a school and feeding programs, they discipled a few young men who today lead various churches and ministries. One participant in this was ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:16-18

Tags: Help The Needy, Christian Giving, Sharing God's Bounty

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Just Let Go !

Contributed by Bruce Simpkins on Mar 11, 2015

In my younger years I thought it would be an exciting adventure to try sky diving. After checking into it, I found I could get a big discount if I brought 5 friends to jump with me . . . so I did. It was a beautiful sunny day in California when we arrived for a half day training and then an ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Tags: He Is Strong, I Am Weak

Denomination: Baptist

World Trade Center Hero

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

Matt Chandler tells the story of Dave Karnes. When the World Trade Center tumbled to the ground on that dreadfully dark day, more than 3000 people lost their lives. But a few who were buried beneath the rubble miraculously survived. Two of these were Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin, a pair of Port ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-10

Tags: Evangelism, 911, Incarnation Of Jesus, Saving Others

Denomination: Methodist

This Is Going To Be A Wonderful Day

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Nov 18, 2016

Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. I love the story of the lady that was in a terrible battle with cancer. She made a choice: THIS IS GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL DAY. She decided she was going to MAKE THE CHOICE TO BE THANKFUL and LOVE LIFE ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 118:24

Tags: Thankfulness, Positive Attitude, A Good Day

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Power Of Daily Scripture Reading

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

ian Hardin tells the story of traveling a lot for work with his friend Bobby. As they travelled, he’d read the Bible aloud to him. But he wasn’t reading the Bible to gain deep insights… or to solve theological quandaries. He was just reading it… yet even then, it often said something that got stuck ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9

Tags: Scripture, Scripture Reading

Denomination: Methodist

The Man Who Made A Pet Out Of A Rattlesnake

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 1, 2019

ILLUSTRATION: the story of the man who made a pet out of a rattlesnake. The "Memphis Commercial-Appeal" tells of a man across the river in Arkansas who had a pet rattlesnake. He had found it as a baby snake, taking it, fed it, and made a pet of it. The reptile would come when he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Death, Sin

The Only Thing Left Was The Sign

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 14, 2020

A number of years ago, I drove by a small shopping center in a Midwestern city. The display of signs stated there was everything from a bookstore to a pet shop to—my favorite—a hobby shop! I’ve been interested in model trains and aircraft for many years, and thought this would be a good place to ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:5

Tags: Forsaken Things, Closed Churches

Denomination: Baptist

Shemaiah, A Man Of God

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 21, 2020

Text: 1 Kings 12:22, KJV: But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 12:22-24

Tags: Man Of God, Men Of God, Shemaiah

Denomination: Baptist

A New Year's Devotional

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other! In fact, here are some startling stats about typical resolutions for the new year in America: • 27% break their resolutions by the first week of January. • 31% lose their resolutions by the second week of January. • 41% ...read more

Tags: New Year, Blessings, Resolutions, Material Possessions, Prayer For New Year  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Never Quit Growing

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 9, 2022

GROWTH IS ESSENTIAL OR ONE WILL GET STAGNATE AND BEGIN A DECREASE. Growth is essential to long term survival. We must learn to take advantage of opportunities and take risk. GROWTH: improve, increase, develop, mature, progressive development, MATURITY, AGE, SIZE, WEIGHT, HEIGHT. 2 Peter 3:18 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:18, Philippians 1:9

Tags: Plan, Growth

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Unsung Heroines-They Helped Rebuild Jerusalem’s Wall

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 12, 2022

Introduction: The Book of Nehemiah is almost like a report or memoir of what Nehemiah did, and why. He led the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, as these walls were in sad shape. Chapter 3 of his book lists a number of people and groups who did work on these walls. The word “repaired” is ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 3:12, Numbers 27:1-11

Tags: Nehemiah, Walls Of Jerusalem, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroines-Salome

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 23, 2022

Introduction: She’s only mentioned in two verses, and only in one of the Gospels. Her deeds of love for Jesus, though, far outweigh any lack of text. Her name is Salome and she’s another unsung heroine of the Bible. Text: Mark 15:40-41, KJV: 40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:40-41, Luke 24:1-11

Tags: Salome, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

Not Hearing And Hearing From God!

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Nov 14, 2022

Genesis 8:1-18 Devotional v1: Can God forget things? Why or why not? – God IS Omniscient (all knowing), otherwise, He would not be God! The Hebrew word for “remember" is zakar = to remember, to recall, bring to mind! v1-3: How did God stop the flooding? – stopped rain from the sky, closed ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 8:1-18

Tags: Fear, Wisdom, Obedience, God's Word, Actions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Don't Call God A Liar With Joy

Contributed by John Allen on Mar 11, 2024

There is a sin committed by many Bible-believing Christians, a sin that borders on the curse of Revelation 22:19, taking away from the words of the Bible. More specifically, it is a common sin of the enemy: Redefining the words of Scripture. What word? Joy. A well-meaning Christian says, ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:4, Matthew 13:44

Tags: Happiness, Joy