In Sermon Illustrations: "Gods Goodness"

God's Currency

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Mar 19, 2023

Jesus might have asked, when presented with the coin with Caesar's image on it: "Whose image do you bear, whose image is stamped on you?” And the answer would have been - or should - have been: "We are carrying God’s image, we are carrying God’s name.” He coined us in his image. He ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:34-40, Matthew 22:19-21

Tags: Coin, Image Of God, Jesus The Stranger, Circulation, Joseph G Donders  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

God Prepares Us For Heaven

Contributed by Guy Glass on May 5, 2023

Dr. Billy Graham tells of a friend of his who went through the Depression in the 1920s, losing a job, a fortune, a wife, and a home. But he was a believer in Jesus Christ, and he tenaciously held to his faith even though he was naturally depressed and cast down by circumstances. One day in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12

Tags: Persecution, Heaven, Depression

Denomination: Baptist

Thank God For Blessed Subtractions!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 10, 2023

Three local pastors were discussing their Easter Sunday results with one another on the Monday after Easter. The Methodist minister said, "Easter services worked out great for us! We gained four new additions at First Methodist!" Praise God! The Baptist preacher grinned ...read more

Tags: Arrogance, Bragging, Preachers, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Easter, Revival, Church Growth, Pride, Pastors  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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 Can Change Your Attitude

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Aug 27, 2008

God Can Change Your Attitude We live in an angry world, surrounded by angry people. We can give all kinds of excuses for being an angry person, but none of them really make an angry attitude the only option. I went out to visit our friend Bruce Thursday. If you remember he had surgery for a ...read more

Tags: Attitude General

Denomination: Wesleyan

Rest Your Whole Weight On God

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Rest your whole weight on God a. Ill: There once was a man, named John Paton, who was translating the Bible for a South Seas island tribe. John Paton discovered that the natives had no word for trust or faith. One day a native who had been working hard came into the missionary’s house, flopped ...read more

Tags: Faith

What If Porcupines Could Dance? They Are God's ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Aug 2, 2005

What if porcupines could dance? They are God’s idea of the animal kingdom’s version of a cactus. Imagine a cactus gliding, twirling around the ballroom as the orchestra plays a waltz. Or look at that cactus in an embrace of the tango - striding, dipping, heads bobbing to the music. Cheek-to-cheek. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:7

Tags: Church Body Of Christ, Unity

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Word Of God Changes The Unlovely, And Makes ...

Contributed by Gary Landsberg on Dec 16, 2006

The Word of God changes the unlovely, and makes them lovely. I had a friend in Africa who was a missionary. He was over there eking out a living and preaching the Good News to all he could. He had spent time in the State penitentiary, but was changed by the Word of God. You see, they were ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

In Isaiah 5 God Says Of The Vineyard Of The ...

Contributed by Ray Mckendry on Nov 4, 2009

In Isaiah 5 God says of the vineyard of the Lord, i.e. Israel, that after all that God had done for them, they acted unjustly and became corrupted in their ways: Isa 5:4 “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good ...read more

Tags: Unbelief

Denomination: Baptist

Tethered To God's Sovereignty

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 19, 2022

Let’s do a math problem. If a sheep was tethered to a pole on a rope that was 25 feet long, how many square feet would he have to graze? p r² . Let’s begin by squaring 25, we end up with 625. Multiplying by an approximation of p as 3.14, we end up with 1,962.5 square feet. We are ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Suffering, Sovereignty, Trial, Trials, Tribulations, God's Permissive Will  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Any Believer Can Be A "Man Of God”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 7, 2020

Any believer can be a “man of God” Text: 2 Tim 3:17 That the man of God (any believer in Jesus!) may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Thoughts: Only a few people were ever called a “man of God” in the Bible. Some were never known; at least four were never named, and one, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Tags: Paul, Man Of God, Timothy

Denomination: Baptist

I Guess I've Always Liked Good News. When I Was ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Dec 23, 2009

I guess I’ve always liked good news. When I was a student at Central College in Iowa, I worshiped at our Campus Church. Each week there was a pretty heavy prayer of confession that was usually preceded by recounting some really bad news stories of the previous week. Eventually a group of us ...read more

Tags: Culture

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

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

When God Wants To Drill A Man  PRO

Contributed by Tim George on Feb 5, 2001

When God wants to drill a man, And thrill a man, And skill a man To play the noblest part; When He yearns with all His heart To create so great and bold a man That all the world will be amazed, Watch His methods, watch His ways! How He ruthlessly perfects Whom He royally elects! How He hammers ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will, God's Omniscience, God In The Hardships

Denomination: Baptist