In Sermon Illustrations: "God Brings Hope"

The God Who Is Three In One

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 17, 2023

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are mentioned by Jesus in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). The Trinity is seen clearly at the Baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3. The Father speaks from Heaven. The Son is baptized by John. The Spirit descends upon Jesus to anoint His ministry. The Father is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Holy Spirit, Son, Trinity, Godhead, Triune, Father  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In God's Time

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 20, 2023

The little boy walked home from Sunday School and the family were sitting around the old pot-bellied stove talking. The boy told his dad and Pa about the lesson. The boy was so excited. He told them he had gone to the altar and accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. The boy said he was going to ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Tags: Time, Serve

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Church That Voted God Out!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2024

The story is told about a poor woman who lived across the tracks and wanted to join a very fashionable church. She talked to the pastor about it, but he sought to discourage her. He suggested she go home and think about it carefully for a week. At the end of the week she came back. He said, “Go ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-12

Tags: Church, Revival, Favoritism, Pastors, Membership, Partiality  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You All Ears For God?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2024

A missionary translator was endeavoring to find a word for “obedience” in the native language. This was a virtue seldom practiced among the people into whose language he wanted to translate the New Testament. As he returned home from the village one day, he whistled for his dog and it came ...read more

Tags: Obedience, Voice Of God, Hearing God, Listening, Hearers Of The Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

So God Made A Farmer

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 6, 2024

In James chapter 5, we see a comparison between the patient farmer in the field waiting for his crops and the waiting believer in Christ preparing to meet the Lord at His return. Paul Harvey did a masterful job of describing the life of the farmer years ago. And on the 8th day, God looked down ...read more

Scripture: James 5:7-12, 1 Thessalonians 5:13-18

Tags: Patience, Return Of Christ, Prophets, Farmers, Waiting, Job, End Times, Prophecy, Second Coming, Last Days, Rapture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Mercy

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Nov 2, 2024

Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family from Paraguay. The father spoke out against the military regime and its human rights abuses. The police arrested his teenage son and tortured him to death. Enraged townsfolk wanted to turn the boy's funeral into a huge protest march, but the doctor ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-18, Romans 5:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-5

Tags: Mercy, Sin, Evil, Salvation, Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Judgement

Contributed by John Bright on Sep 23, 2025

I don’t believe that God’s Judgement should be our main focus, but I also believe it’s wrong to never mention the Judgement of God. Remember, God must judge humanity because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Our God is a Holy God who also wants us to be holy. (1 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:5, Romans 3:23, 1 Peter 1:16

Tags: Grace, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Holiness

Denomination: Methodist

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

God's Grace Is Like Lightning And Transforms ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 19, 2009

God’s Grace Is Like Lightning and Transforms Whoever it Strikes Martin Luther found that out. Walking through the forest one day, praying and working through spiritual torment, literally, the lightning did strike close by. And he felt that as the summons of God. Luther came closer, and when God ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:20-39

Tags: Grace, God's Grace

The Point: Sometimes, The Only Path To Peace Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2007

[The Point: Sometimes, the only path to peace is straight through struggles.] In Hosea 2:15 God says "I will make the valley of Achor a door of hope." Many years ago I read a book entitled "Door of Hope"; it pointed out that the Hebrew word "achor" means "trouble". So, what God may have *really* ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 2:15

Tags: Hope, Suffering, Troubles, Trial

God Answers His People. In The Days Of His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

God answers his people. In the days of his uncertainty John Bunyan was tortured by doubt. “Everyone dost think his own religion rightest, both Jews and Moors and pagans. And how, if all our faith in Christ and scripture should be but a think-so, too?” But when the light broke, he ran out crying ...read more

Tags: Giving General

The Compass And God's Truth

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Jul 1, 2025

Let me tell you a story to bring this passage home. Back in the 1800s, the thick forest of northern Michigan there was a young logger, confident in his sense of direction, set out one crisp morning to scout new timber. The forest was dense, the sky hidden by a canopy of green. Hours passed, and as ...read more

Scripture: John 2:3-6, John 8:31-32

Tags: Compass, Waver, Bible, Direction, Truth, God's Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Cobia, Bigfoot, And God - Elusive Searching

Contributed by Jack Kale on May 10, 2016

Cobia, Bigfoot, and God I’ve been three times now and I’m starting to lose hope. I keep hearing rumors about these tasty leviathans that meander just off the second sandbar on their annual pilgrimage around the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve heard rumors of folks catching them off the pier and even seen ...read more

Scripture: John 20:29

Tags: Search, Finding God, Fishing, Bigfoot

Denomination: *other

Go Find Something To Do For God

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

GO FIND SOMETHING TO DO FOR GOD Ruth Rettig tells the story of having gone through unsuccessful cancer surgery and following up with chemo in Houston, which meant 500-mile roundtrips from their home in central Texas. The trips were exhausting enough but the chemo made her feel sick to death. She ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Methodist

God Tells Man Who He Is. God Tells Us That He ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

God tells man who he is. God tells us that He created man in His image. So ...read more

Tags: Creation

No Pagan God Had The Best Interests Of Humanity ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 9, 2008

No pagan god had the best interests of humanity at heart. Moreover, no pagan god could be counted on to be consistent. So pagans offered up sacrifices and the best they could hope for is regular rain, no ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

Thank You, God, For Sending A Professional!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 8, 2024

As I was gathering my sermon, I couldn’t help thinking about a story of a little girl who was home alone and ill. She called her mother at work and told her, “Momma, I need you and I need you really bad.” This mother asked to get off work and frantically rushed down to the corner drug store to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Prayer, Thanks, Humor, Miracles, Gratitude, Thieves, Answered Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What God Can Do With Your Life  PRO

Contributed by Don Hawks on Dec 2, 2003

WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH YOUR LIFE In the recent movie, "About Schmidt" 66-year-old Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) has retired from his job as an insurance actuary. He is miserable, and after his wife (June Squibb) suddenly dies, he is also lost. He travels the country in his RV hoping to stop his ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Significance, Depression, Discipleship, Failure, Giving  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

God Wants To Pull The Stickers Out  PRO

Contributed by Tim White on Jun 6, 2011

GOD WANTS TO PULL THE STICKERS OUT The little girl hopped away screaming. Obviously, the fear of living forever with a sticker in her foot was not as terrifying as the thought of me pulling it out. But a five-year-old could not out-run the preacher. Not hopping on one foot, anyway. After I ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:6

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

Why God Gave Me A Tongue

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 1, 2022

One thing about getting older is that you begin to understand the old saying that you don’t know what you don’t know. It has been so true for me. When I think I know everything, something comes up that I never even thought about. Sometimes The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage brings up something ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:4

Tags: Blessing, Tongue, Curse

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance