In Sermon Illustrations: "Gods Will"

What God Told Me At 4 A.m. In Guangzhou, China

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 13, 2018

Note: this story is told by me - Jim Butcher of Madison WV. I want to tell you a story about an insight that God gave me into John 14:1-4, the passage where Jesus speaks of going to prepare a place for us. This is the story of something that happened to me several years ago while I was in ...read more

Tags: China, Adoption, New Jerusalem, Eternity, Father, Family, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

God Can't Take His Eyes Off Of Me!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 13, 2022

There were 2 boys playing one day when they got bored. Little Johnny turned to his buddy, Billy, and said, "You know something, I'm bored. Let's go to the store and steal some candy!" Billy says: "Oh no! I can't do that! God is watching me!“ Little Johnny replies: ...read more

Tags: God's Love, Dishonesty, Heavenly Father, God's Providence, Children  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Preservation Of His People Through Two Dreams

Contributed by Richard Tow on Aug 1, 2022

The amazing story is told by the historian Josephus.xxxviii When Alexander began his campaign against Phoenicia, he sent messengers to Juddua, the high priest in Jerusalem, “demanding aid from the Jews and the payment of the tribute which they used to pay to the King of Persia.”xxxix Not wanting to ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:1-8, Romans 8:28, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Faith, Protection, Jerusalem, Obedience, Favor, Deliverance, Dream, Alexander The Great  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

If We Could Only See From God's Perspective

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 7, 2022

A man was walking along a railroad track on a very dark night when he came to a bridge.  He had gotten halfway across when he heard a train whistle up ahead.  He quickened his pace, but soon could see the light of the oncoming locomotive approaching.   With nowhere ...read more

Tags: Faith, Fear, Jesus, Obedience, Peter, Miracles, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You "all Ears" For God's Voice?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 2, 2023

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: Holy Spirit, Discipleship, Obedience, Voice Of God, Hearing God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Have You Ever Asked God To Wake You Up In The Morning?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 23, 2024

Be careful what you pray for. We all know the feeling of trying to wake up to a blaring alarm clock. I had been really tired from working late and had overslept several times in the past week. I was traveling at the time, not at home. It wasn’t an emergency since I work from wherever I am, but I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7, Mark 11:24, 1 John 5:14

Tags: Faith, Prayer, How To Pray, Answered Prayers

Denomination: Charismatic

[029] A Message From A Poem – Be Still And Know That I Am God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 15, 2025

[029] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD This is a very special poem because in a time of great difficulty, the Lord woke me from irregular sleep to give me this poem at 3 o’clock in the morning. Of course the poem flowed along because it came from God. It was a message I ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 4:4, Luke 10:39-40, Psalm 46:10

Tags: Mary, Rest In The Lord, Be Still, Wait On The Lord, I Am God, Cease Striving, Seated At His Feet  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[060]. A Message From A Poem – Do Not Trust Ourselves – Trust God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[060]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DO NOT TRUST OURSELVES – TRUST GOD When you think you know it all: Then you don't. When you think you’ll do it all; Then you won’t. I find this a delightful poem (for myself) and I am sharing my own experience here in writing it. Often we think we know best ...read more

Scripture: John 6:7-10, 2 Corinthians 12:10

Tags: Trust Ourselves, Weakness, Strong, Weak, Poetry, Poem, Human Strength, Trust, Strength  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[115]. A Message From A Poem – Have You Trusted The God Of Faithfulness?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 27, 2025

[115]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HAVE YOU TRUSTED THE GOD OF FAITHFULNESS? God is faithful in proven circumstances. Have you actually proven the faithfulness of God in your life? We have a faithful God so we can anchor our faith in the faithfulness of God. {{Psalm 119:90 “YOUR FAITHFULNESS ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:9, Lamentations 3:22-23, Deuteronomy 32:3-4, Psalm 119:90

Tags: Christian Poems, God, Trust, Faithful, Christian Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[121]. A Message From A Poem – From Where Did God Originate?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 5, 2025

[121]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FROM WHERE DID GOD ORIGINATE? The real title of this poem is HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS, AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER but the title is too long for SermonCentral to accept, so I changed the title. This is a dialogue poem. There are 4 speakers. Speaker 1 is a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:16-17, Colossians 2:20-23

Tags: Existence Of God, Rationalist, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Jesus, Atheist, All Things, Agnostic, Gnostics, Gnosticism, Christian, Creation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[170]. A Message From A Poem – Let Our Praise To God Arise

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 21, 2025

[170]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LET OUR PRAISE TO GOD ARISE This poem was written in two halves 25 years apart. It was originally to be a poem on praise but as I look at it, the poem is a hymn that can be sung to a number of tunes because the metre 7-6-7-6 is a common enough one. Through this ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 150:1-6

Tags: Praise, Heaven, Praise God, Praise The Lord, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Moved Christian Across Pond To Save Him From Drowning

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 25, 2025

God Moved Christian across Pond to Save Him from Drowning One of my favorite miracle stories is from Jan Ramsey. My wife Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with Jan. She was a member of First Baptist in Swartz. Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad, James, and I think he was 81 at the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-24

Tags: Nathan The Prophet, Solomon's Temple, Mother's Womb, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, King David, Fearfully Made, Wonderfully Made, Creation, Light, Darkness, Presence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Years Ago, My Youngest Daughter, Marilyn, And I ...  PRO

Contributed by Don Hutto on Jan 27, 2001

Years ago, my youngest daughter, Marilyn, and I went shopping for Connie. It’s hard. You wives, it’s hard for a man to shop for his wife because we don’t know what you want, and we don’t want to get that for you, anyway. But Marilyn and I thought we had found the perfect gift: a nightgown. You can ...read more

Tags: Thirst For God, Know God, Hunger For God, Lordship Of Christ, God's Provision, Assurance Of Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Most Incredible Birthday Miracle

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 21, 2022

I heard a missionary from Brazil tell an amazing story of the faithfulness of God at an Evangelism Conference in Dallas several years ago. He said that there was a woman named Maria in his country who was an unbeliever who was celebrating her 30th birthday. On that day, she looked up to Heaven ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Missions, Prayer, Miracles, Testimony, Will Of God, Waiting On God, Faithfulness Of God, Sovereignty Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Little Boy's Knots!" Revelations 19:11-17 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 15, 2005

“A Little Boy’s Knots!” Revelations 19:11-17 Key verse(s): 16:“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KINGS OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” There’s something about being rescued this is so completely satisfying. A number of years ago (pre-cell phone days) I was driving along the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:11-17

Tags: God's Provision, God's Forgiveness, God Cares, Protector, Provider, Strengthen  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

How Deer Become Thirsty

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 30, 2020

There are 2 times when a deer develops tremendous thirst - one is when he is running from danger, the other is when he is facing an opponent in combat. When he is hunted, he will take to the river and stay submerged as long as he can hold his breath. He will then swim downstream in the middle so ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12, Psalm 42:2

Tags: Psalms, Worship, Deer, Hungry For God, Longing For God, Thirsting For God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

He Gives More Grace

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

"He gives more grace when the burdens grow greater. He sends more strength when the labors increase, To added affliction He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed 'ere the day is half ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5-6, Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Pain, Grace, Prayer, Suffering, Will Of God, God's Goodness, Love Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Has Given Us All A Sweet Spot—in Fact, ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on May 29, 2001

God has given us all a sweet spot—in fact, Paul says that God has given us the gift of a sweet spot so that we could serve God and produce the maximum result and maximum satisfaction both for God and for us. Mark McGwire said, “When I feel the ball hit right on the sweet spot, a home run is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Tags: Field, Gifts General

Denomination: United Methodist

I Am Not Where I Need To Be, But Thank God I Am ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ, Character

One Man Said, "God, Why Did You Make Women So ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Dec 11, 2002

One man said, "God, why did you make women so soft and beautiful?" God said, "So you’d love them." Then the man asked, "Then, God, why did you make women so illogical and emotional?" God said, ...read more

Tags: Sin Fall Of Man

Denomination: Christian Church