In Sermon Illustrations: "Friend"

How Easy It Is To Give Credit And Thanks To ...

Contributed by Keith Broyles on Nov 24, 2008

How easy it is to give credit and thanks to everything and everyone but the real source of al our blessings! God deserves our thanks. For some of us there may be many reasons to be thankful this coming Thursday. Perhaps we may even see it as the best year we have ever had. For others of us, it ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Methodist

Sin Keyed Out By Jesus

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Mar 16, 2009

SIN KEYED OUT BY JESUS What is this idea of "covering" or "hiding" sin? It means that there are circumstances where God will refuse to see our sin. I like to picture that as being like the technique used in video and film. It’s called the chromakey technique and requires filming in front of a blue ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: *other

In Last Sunday's Daytona 500 Everyone Thought ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In last Sunday’s Daytona 500 everyone thought the winner of the race would be Mark Martin. And he was in the lead up, until the last few moments when Kevin Harvick put on a burst of speed and edged Martin out at the finish line. Martin is a legend on the Nascar circuit, but it wasn’t always so. At ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Girls Growing Up Too Fast

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2009

GIRLS GROWING UP TOO FAST A study by Girlguiding reveals 3 leading potential "triggers" for serious mental health problems in girls: premature sexualization, commercialization and alcohol misuse. The report reveals a loss of childhood innocence and says girls today experience high levels of ...read more

Tags: Children

How The Words Of Psalm 23 Echoed In Their Hearts! ...

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Sep 20, 2009

How the words of Psalm 23 echoed in their hearts! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23:4 KJV). How dark that valley seemed as their tear-blurred eyes stared at the two caskets! It had been summer vacation. A family camping trip. The two girls laughing down ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Lutheran

Martin Luther's Depression And The Hymn

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 10, 2009

Martin Luther’s Depression and the Hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" The year 1527 was the most trying year of Martin Luther’s life. On April 22 he was preaching in Wittenberg when he became dizzy and fainted. Over the next several months he dealt with debilitating depression and sickness. It had ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Tags: Affliction

D.l. Moody And The Shoes  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 25, 2011

D.L. MOODY AND THE SHOES A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-17

Tags: Servanthood

Never, Never Be Late  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011

NEVER, NEVER BE LATE A local priest was being honored at his retirement dinner after 25 years in the parish. A leading local politician and member of the congregation was chosen to make the presentation and to give a little speech at the dinner. However, he was delayed so the priest decided to say ...read more

Scripture: James 5:13-16

Tags: Confession Of Sin

God's Preparing You For Great Things  PRO

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Jun 11, 2011

GOD'S PREPARING YOU FOR GREAT THINGS SOME believe that they have been unfairly treated by circumstances in life. Consider my high school friend. At the age of 19, he found himself as the leader of a camping trip with a group of young teens. One of those teens drowned in a lake about an hour’s ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:10-12

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You Ready For A Missions Trip?

Contributed by Brad Henry on Oct 24, 2011

ARE YOU READY FOR A MISSIONS TRIP? Last Wednesday I received a text from a dear friend of mine in Phoenix. He said that his 15 year old daughter Katie was going in for some tests to determine the reasons for some health issues she was having. I went to bed without knowing the results. I woke up ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

The Ram And The Cowboy

Contributed by Perry Greene on Apr 4, 2012

THE RAM AND THE COWBOY A couple of years ago in the Rocky Mountains a bighorn ram approached the home of a man named Ed Bailey while he was watching football on television. The bighorn stopped suddenly, seeing its reflection in a plate glass window. Thinking it was another ram, the bighorn bowed ...read more

Tags: Self

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Consecrated To Do God's Will

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 25, 2017

Years ago a young girl entered a little Presbyterian Church out of curiosity. There she heard the gospel for the first time and was converted. She later heard God’s call on her life to go to China as a missionary. She was the only daughter of a multi-millionaire. She was socially prominent and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 16:24

Tags: Sacrifice, Consecrated Life

Denomination: Charismatic

The Heizer Creek Baptism

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018

Note: this story happened to me - Jim Butcher of Madison WV. One of my favorite baptism stories comes from a friend of mine who owns a house on Heizer Creek. He had a nice spot on his property to do baptisms and told the nearby country churches they were welcome to use it anytime, which a few of ...read more

Tags: Change, Transformation, Cursing, Baptism

Denomination: Baptist

The Little Word That Changes Everything

Contributed by David Dunn on Dec 26, 2025

Opening (attention hook) (Hold up a big card with the word IF written on it) “Does anyone know this word?” (Let them shout: IF!) “This is a tiny word… but it can change what happens next.” >> The Story There was a little girl named Lily, and Lily loved to ask questions. One morning her ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15, James 1:22

Tags: Obedience, Choice

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Do Not Get Counsel From Your Detractors

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Feb 25, 2026

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus." (Matthew 14:27-33) Beloved ... we do not know all the words ... that were spoken between ...read more

Scripture: John 21:25, Matthew 14:25-33

Tags: Counsel, Mother, Detractors, Water, Walk, Advice, Boat  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Open War Is Upon You

Contributed by N A on Jun 21, 2006

QUOTE: (From Waking the Dead by John Eldredge) "In the second film of The Lord of the Rings trilogy - The Two Towers - there is a king who is reluctant to go to war. Theoden...is fearful and timid. An army is marching through his lands, an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: *other

Even Our Foundational Beliefs In This Country ...  PRO

Contributed by Wayne Major on Apr 23, 2001

Even our foundational beliefs in this country see the “pursuit of happiness” as a basic right of all individuals. Yet with all our pursuit, happiness seems to elude many of us for much of our lives. Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond ...read more

Tags: Joy, God Brings Hope, Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Methodist

I Dreamed One Night That An Angel Was Talking To ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Travis on Jun 27, 2001

I dreamed one night that an angel was talking to me. The angel spoke words of comfort all through the night. I awoke the next morning to find a lump under my pillow. It was a small stuffed "angel" bear that had fallen off the headboard of the bed. When you press its paw it says, "I’m your guardian ...read more

Tags: Angels

Denomination: Baptist

A Young Boy Was Sitting On The Front Row ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 6, 2001

A young boy was sitting on the front row watching a ventriloquist perform with his dummy on his lap. Interacting with the boy, the dummy proceeded to ask the boy questions and talk with him. Thinking that the boy had found a new friend, he approached the dummy after the show to ask him to come ...read more

Scripture: James 2:14-26

Tags: Faith Vs. Works, Faith

Choosing A Road  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mavis on Jul 23, 2001

CHOOSING A ROAD After a Muslim in Africa was converted to Christ, his friends asked him why he became a Christian. He answered, "Well, it’s like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn’t know which way to go; and there at the fork ...read more

Tags: World Religions, Easter Resurrection, Apologetics Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational