In Sermon Illustrations: "Gods Call"

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

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: Pentecostal

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

No Shortcut To Sanctity  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Chan on May 23, 2001

NO SHORT CUT TO SANCTITY “The temptation to make our relation to God judicial instead of personal is very strong. Believing for salvation has these days been reduced to a once-done act that requires no further attention. The young believer becomes aware of an act performed rather than of a living ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General, Call Of The Disciples, Holiness

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Solzhenitsyn: Men Have Forgotten God  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 24, 2009

SOLZHENITSYN: MEN HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD In his 1983 acceptance speech for the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn recalled the words he heard as a child, when his elders sought to explain the ruinous upheavals in Russia: "Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has ...read more

Tags: Apostasy

Denomination: Baptist

William Carey: When God Pleases

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 22, 2010

WILLIAM CAREY: WHEN GOD PLEASES In 1786 William Carey, a shoemaker/pastor from Northamptonshire, was burdened by the needs of the worlds people. He stood before a counsel of representatives at a ministerial meeting in Northampton. He explained his burden to share the gospel, the good news of Jesus ...read more

Tags: Missions

Denomination: Brethren

Standing By The Bedside Of The Sick Child Of God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 11, 2024

Rick Renner suggests that "by praying in Jesus' name, a believer actually stands in the physical place of Jesus who is in Heaven, acting on His behalf and operating in the authority He has vested to that believer as His official representative." Thus, this prayer of the elders in ...read more

Tags: Faith, Healing, Prayer, Confession, Miracles, Health, Sickness, Power Of God, Authority, Elders  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Willingness Of God To Answer Your Prayer

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 8, 2022

"My friend, do you think that God is asleep? Do you feel that He has gone to bed when you pray, and you cannot get Him up? Do you believe that He does not want to answer your prayers? God does want to answer your prayers and He will. That is what this parable is saying. You do not have ...read more

Tags: Parables, Persistence, God The Father, Importunity, God's Willingness, Prayer, God's Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God, Can You Hear Me?

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Nov 7, 2010

GOD, CAN YOU HEAR ME? "My future seemed so uncertain and I was asking, 'God, can you hear me?'" I’ve got three children and ever since they were babies my wife Moira has heard every single murmur. Even now that they are 16, 12 and 7 she hears them when they call out from their beds and when she ...read more

Tags: Comfort

Denomination: Anglican

How God Treats Repentant Sinners

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Mar 12, 2009

HOW GOD TREATS REPENTANT SINNERS When Billy Graham was driving through a small southern town, he was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding. Graham admitted his quilt, but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court. The judge asked, "Guilty, or not guilty?" When Graham ...read more

Tags: Grace

Embracing God's Grace

Contributed by Rev. Randy Barker on Apr 2, 2025

Title: Embracing God's Grace: A Message of Hope from the Churches of Christ in Christian Union Introduction: Dear Friend, We are delighted to share with you the message of God's grace and the transformative power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In this gospel tract, we will ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Grace, Mercy

Denomination: *other

Am I Dangerous?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2002

Am I Dangerous? "Utterly ordinary, so commonplace: while we profess to know a power the 20th century cannot reckon with. We are all sideliners, coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to set by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. We are spiritual pacifists, conscientious ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Call Of The Disciples, Discipleship

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

Paul Knew That The Wisdom And Scope Of God's ...

Contributed by Bill Sullivan on May 25, 2005

Paul knew that the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, which had been outlined in the verses prior to this verse, as well as in the previous chapter, was brought about by His amazing power. Not necessarily just the power we can see, but perhaps even more often in the power we cannot see at work, ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Judgment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

El Roi, The God Who Sees

Contributed by Herman Abrahams on Jul 10, 2006

Illustration ------------ El Roi, The God Who Sees Only used once in the Bible, Genesis 16:13, on the lips of Hagar. Sarah had given Hagar to Abraham to have children. This was according to custom in those days, but not according to God. After Hagar bore Ishmael, Sarah treated her so harshly, Hagar ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Denomination: Charismatic

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

Never Surrender

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Aug 28, 2020

Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. When the 101st Airborne was surrounded in WWII the Germans asked them to surrender. General Anthony McAuliffe replied, "Nuts!" The Germans tried to figure what that meant and while they ...read more

Scripture: Acts 5:29

Tags: Ministry, Victory, Surrender, Defeat, Calling  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Thing That Ought To Make The Heart ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Sep 1, 2001

“The thing that ought to make the heart beat is a new way of manifesting the ...read more

Tags: Call Of The Disciples, Sharing My Testimony

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Way Is The Best.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 31, 2022

I read the story about a young woman who had prepared for missionary service on foreign fields. She had been appointed by the mission board and was ready to sail when she received a telegram saying that her sister had died in a western state. She cancelled her reservation and went home. The ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Faith, Trust, Obedience, Purpose, Providence, Will Of God, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational