In Sermon Illustrations: "God Speaks"

Getting Knocked Down? Humbly Walk  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

GETTING KNOCKED DOWN? HUMBLY WALK There was a woman who was going through some very difficult and trying circumstances. She was experiencing major distress in her marriage, her job was very unfulfilling and was causing her heartache. She became so distraught over her circumstances that she felt ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:1-25

Tags: Anxiety

How A Wrestler Motivated ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

How a Wrestler Motivated Himself What we need isn’t logic; it’s faith in God. What we need is motivation to do the right thing. How can you get that motivation? The University of Oklahoma is quite proud of its wrestling team and on a certain day they were going down to wrestle at Memphis State. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Tags: Stewardship

Broken Vessels Wanted  PRO

Contributed by David Robb on Jun 1, 2011

Broken Vessels Wanted (David Robb) My tears of weeping are pleasing to the Lord. My cries of emptiness are a song to His heart. He is pleased with me when I am broken, because, what He desires most of me is a broken spirit and a humble heart. He desires that of me because, with a broken ...read more

Scripture: Luke 7:47

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Pentecostal

Doctor And Patient Saved From Hell

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Oct 13, 2012

In Beyond Death’s Door, Rawlings shares how his view of the afterlife forever changed on the day one of his heart patients “died” in his office. During a routine stress test on a treadmill, the man’s heart stopped and he collapsed. Immediately, Rawlings and his staff began emergency resuscitation ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:22-31

Tags: Hell

Denomination: Baptist

Blessings In The Messes

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 27, 2015

Sometimes life is a mess! As I sit in my own office you can barely see the top of my desk and just about every available flat surface is cluttered with some books or papers of some sort! Sermons to preach, classes to teach, meetings to prepare for, schedules to keep - my office sometimes ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:4

Tags: Resolution, Busyness, Ordinary People, Blessings, Count Your Blessings  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Am Not But I Shall Be

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Aug 22, 2021

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2) The one thing about getting older is that you get to look back on more things each year and have more to ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:2

Tags: Forgiveness, Change, Transformation, Failure

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroines-Belshazzar's Grandmother; Daniel 5

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 28, 2022

Introduction: My late uncle preached a sermon on Daniel 5 many years ago. He began by saying, “When the little shot gets about half shot, he really thinks he’s a big shot!” That was certainly true for Belshazzar, who had the honor (??) of being Babylon’s last king. In the context, Belshazzar had ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 5:10-12

Tags: Daniel, Belshazzar, Unsung Heroines, Queens

Denomination: Baptist

Did Haman Use Wood From Noah's Ark To Build His Gallows?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 28, 2023

We read in the Bible how, at the end of the Great Flood, the Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat (which some identify as the Armenian Highlands). Since the Torah doesn’t ascribe any intrinsic holiness to Noah’s Ark, it is not at all surprising that once Noah left it, there isn’t any real ...read more

Tags: Archeaology, Noah, Miracles, Haman, Purim, Jewish Tradition, Gallows, Israel, Ark  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[214]. A Message From A Poem - Paul’s Prison

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 28, 2025

[214]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - PAUL’S PRISON This is my oldest surviving poem. I had parts of others but they are gone. The poem came about when thinking of Paul in prison in Rome. Everything seemed against him there, but he was never forsaken by God of course. When Paul was in prison he ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:15, 2 Timothy 4:11, 2 Timothy 4:10, Philippians 1:23

Tags: Luke, Paul In Prison, Christian Poems, Devotion, Asia, Defection, Departure, Desertion, Demas  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bob Russell Shared That Several Months Before ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Demastus on Oct 22, 2001

*Bob Russell shared that several months before they moved into their new church building in 1998, their ministry staff met at the new site for a special staff meeting. Most of the building still wasn’t carpeted, and some of the rooms still had no drywall. They handed out hard hats, magic markers, ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:1-11

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Seminary Professor Was Vacationing With His ...  PRO

Contributed by Bob Soulliere on Nov 2, 2006

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-22, Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Discernment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Pastor Bob Schmidgall Said Of Super Bowl Sunday, ...  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Mar 27, 2007

Pastor Bob Schmidgall said of Super Bowl Sunday, "That’s a pastor’s nightmare. What do you do on Super Bowl Sunday night? Go watch the game? I’m not worried about watching it. I’m worried about all those people don’t come to church." Then he quoted this, written by a minister: "As a minister ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

All The Credit Goes To Dr. Sam Luke For This ...  PRO

Contributed by Rich Wyatt on Sep 27, 2007

All the credit goes to Dr. Sam Luke for this illustration. Dr. Luke tells this story: I was taking the church through Evangelism Explosion in an effort to go out and witness for Christ. But there is an added dimension to witnessing, the Holy Spirit. I was going to teach everyone how to witness ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

Looking For Purpose In Life? Then Serve ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

Looking For Purpose in Life? Then Serve Others We need to ask ourselves on a daily basis the following questions: "What are we going to do to be a better Christian? What are we going to do to make our homes happier? What are we going to do to make our church better? What we are going to do to help ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Tags: Servanthood

The Authority Of The Believer  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER In Santa Cruz there's a strip called Pacific Avenue, and there's a number of bars. And I remember walking down Pacific Avenue, and it was getting a little rowdy. And there was two or three very burly guys in kinda tight T-shirts that looked like they could kill you, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14, Luke 4:31-38

Tags: Authority

I'll Go Back And Tell Them Again.

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 30, 2011

"I'LL GO BACK AND TELL THEM AGAIN." In a book entitled "Jungle Harvest," written by a missionary named Ruby Scott, she describes some of her experiences in reaching a people group known as the Tila Indians who lived in a remote village in the jungles of south Mexico, just north of the Guatemalan ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-35

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Lazy -Apathy Cost

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 22, 2022

STORY: ONE EVENING THERE WAS AN OLD WISE MAN SITTING ON HIS PORCH WHEN A YOUNG MAN APPROACHED HIM. The young man said: HOW I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING AND RICHES. The sun was setting. The old man said saddle that horse. The young man saddled the horse. The old man gave him two ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:17-19

Tags: Unfaithfulness, No Passion

Denomination: Assembly Of God

[163]. A Message From A Poem – Joy For Sorrow - Care In Hurt

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 14, 2025

[163]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – JOY FOR SORROW - CARE IN HURT The title of this poem has two contrasts – sorrow turning to joy, and hurt adopting care. This poem was written 27 years ago and since that time much has changed in the world for the followers of the Lord. Persecution has increased ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:5-6, 2 Corinthians 6:4-5

Tags: Hurting One, South Africa, The Holy Spirit, Martyred, Suffering Christians, World Press, Comforr, Joy, Africa, Sorrow, Iran, Sudan, Nigeria, Lord, Persecution, Evil, Comfort  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A U.s. Volunteer Nurse Helps In Haiti After ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 28, 2010

A U.S. Volunteer Nurse Helps in Haiti After Earthquake Gene McCoy is the Sr. Minister of the Memorial Christian Church in Mt. Home, AR. His oldest daughter, Heidi, is a nurse and has gone to Haiti to serve with a medical team. She was written her folks several times, which I have shared via email. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:14

Tags: Compassion

Gary Ingrid, Who Has Written Extensively On ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 25, 2001

Gary Ingrid, who has written extensively on friendship, tells the tale of some parents on the East coast who got a telephone call from their son during the Korean War. They were thrilled, because they hadn’t heard from him for many months. He said he was in San Francisco on his way home. "Mom, ...read more

Tags: Friend