In Sermon Illustrations: "Good Intentions"

The Farmer's Three Wishes - An Ancient Jewish ...

Contributed by Eric Ferguson on Jun 8, 2008

The Farmer's Three Wishes - An ancient Jewish parable: One night a poor farmer was awakened by an angel of the Lord who said: "You've found favor in the eyes of your Maker. He wants to do for you what he did for your ancestor Abraham. He wants to bless you. Therefore, make any three requests of ...read more

Tags: Envy

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Kingdom Of God Is Like A Home

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Jul 9, 2008

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE A HOME The father and son never could get along. The boy was constantly in trouble and the father was harsh in his attempts to correct him. F: What have you done this time? S: What difference does it make? You always take the other side no matter what I say. F: If you ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Mennonite

Building A Deck

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Aug 12, 2008

BUILDING A DECK I have been building a deck in my backyard this summer, right now I am placing the finishing touches on it. Before I built my deck, I looked through different deck plans, and compared the different kinds of deck materials and figured out pretty much what I needed. Then I went to ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:23

Tags: Ministry, Motivation, Pride

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Several Years Ago I Worked During The Summer As A ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Nov 18, 2008

Several years ago I worked during the summer as a chaplain in a large hospital in Dayton. Part of my responsibilities was to be “on call” every other weekend for a 24 hour period. We had to remain at the hospital but be available if and when a need arose for a chaplain. Many times the need was ...read more

Tags: Blood Of Christ

Denomination: Church Of God

I Arrived In The City Of Everywhere Early One ...

Contributed by Danny Presswood on Jan 26, 2009

"I arrived in the city of EVERYWHERE early one morning. It was cold, and there were flurries of snow on the ground. As I stepped from the train to the platform, I noticed that the Baggage man and the redcap were warmly attired in heavy coats and gloves, but oddly enough, they wore no shoes. ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Baptist

The Sandwich-Sign Parable

Contributed by Jerry Flury on Mar 24, 2009

THE SANDWICH-SIGN PARABLE The faces of the three men were solemn as the mayor informed them of the catastrophe. "The rains have washed away the bridge. During the night many cars drove over the edge and into the river." "What can we do?" asked one. "You must stand on the side of the road and ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Baptist

Purpose In Your Heart

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2009

PURPOSE IN YOUR HEART Wilma was born prematurely. This produced complications that resulted in her contracting double pneumonia (twice) and scarlet fever. But the worst was a bout with polio which left her with a crooked left leg and a foot twisted inward. Metal leg braces, stares from ...read more

Tags: Perseverance, Endurance

Compassion In An Inner-City ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

Compassion in an Inner-City Church Feed the dogs. Touch the dumb, and find faith in places where you least expect it. This is what truly brings pleasure to our Lord, much more than any outward show of self-righteousness. There is church in the inner-city of Chicago that for me demonstrates this ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-15

Tags: Compassion

Man From Slums Of N.y. Converted And Ordained By ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

Man from Slums of N.Y. Converted and Ordained by Jim Cymbala Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story: It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:10-13

Tags: Compassion

19th Century Revival Sparked By ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 30, 2009

19th Century Revival Sparked by Prayer In 1857 there was a 46 year old man named Jeremiah Lamphere who lived in New York City. Jeremiah loved the Lord tremendously, but he didn’t feel that he could do much for the Lord until he began to feel a burden for the lost and accepted an invitation from his ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Revival

The Cross At Ground Zero After ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 9, 2009

The Cross at Ground Zero After 9/11 A testimony from a worker at ground zero on 9-11 testifies of God’s transforming power. I’m an excavation laborer, and a member of union local 731. Pick-and-shovel work is my trade. I live in New Jersey, but I’m a New York City native, Brooklyn born and bred. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

Tags: Cross

Who Do You Play For? Tjbts

Contributed by Blake Henson on Jun 6, 2023

Who Do You Play For? shows a player that is wearing a certain jersey but appears to be playing for the other team because he is doing everything to help the other team win. This is to make you examine your actions do they truly say you are a Christian? URL: https://youtu.be/xLEEMrkpspY SUMMARY In ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 20:11

Tags: Salvation, Actions

Misapplied Scriptures: Amos 3:7

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 2, 2023

Introduction: Like many believers, I didn’t spend too much time reading the Bible, let alone doing serious study, for many of my years as a believer. It seems some religious leaders or devout followers know this and use verses such as this one to prove a point. If true believers don’t have a ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:7

Tags: False Prophets, Prophets, Misapplied Scriptures

Denomination: Baptist

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: Laban, "Why Did You Steal My Gods?”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 23, 2024

Introduction: Let me say first of all that the Bible is a very sacred Book, not to be trifled with. It’s precious and untold numbers of believers have given their lives to simply have and read it, let alone defend it against any number of attacks. Having said that, there are a number of places ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 31:26-30

Tags: Laban, Idols, Teraphim, Jacob, Rachel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

I Wasn't Supposed To Live...

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 13, 2024

I believe that God called me to preach in the summer of my freshman year in high school. He gave me a dream about one of my best friends who was somewhere in eternity screaming in pain: He was crying out to me, "You never told me. You never told me! Larry, you talked to me about baseball. ...read more

Tags: Death, Healing, Prayer, Purpose, God's Will, Testimony, Pastors, God's Call, Miracle, Fathers, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Just An Old Shoebox

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on May 23, 2024

Just an Old Shoebox It was just an old shoebox, With a pink faded ribbon wrapped around. The old house was sad and sat strangely quiet, Ever since Momma graced Heaven’s dawn. It’s like she had just turned loose of living, To dutifully follow Dad on. Brother and I had moved things for ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:19, John 14:1-3, Lamentations 3:21

Tags: Mother's Day, Memories, Junk, Secrets, Treasures, Shoebox, Precious Memories  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[058]. A Message From A Poem – Delusionalism Contradicts What’s Truth

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 12, 2025

[058]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DELUSIONALISM CONTRADICTS WHAT’S TRUTH I believe Christians who ignore what is happening in the world are living in a bubble. We must understand current events and especially as they line up with the last days and biblical prophecy. We live in the days of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:28, Colossians 2:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

Tags: Current Events, Strong Delusion, Deluding Influence, Deception, Truth, Redemption, Delusion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[062b]. A Message From A Poem – Does Suffering Cancel Out A God Of Love?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[062B]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DOES SUFFERING CANCEL OUT A GOD OF LOVE? THE POEM AS IT IS WILL NOT FIT IN THE ILLUSTRATION SPACE AVAILABLE. I HAVE SPLIT IT INTO THREE PARTS. THIS IS THE SECOND PART THE INTRODUCTION FOR THE POEM IS IN PART 1. PART 2 SECTION B - PART 1 (THE CHRISTIAN ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 45:6-7, John 3:16, Exodus 34:6-7

Tags: Hurt, Pain, Love, Compassion, Comfort, Suffering, Tragedy, God Of Comfort, God Of Love  (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: Rationalist, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Atheist, All Things, Agnostic, Gnostics, Gnosticism, Existence Of God, Christian, Creation, Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[172]. A Poem Message – Living With Denial And Rejection (Evolution)

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 21, 2025

[172]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LIVING WITH DENIAL AND REJECTION (Evolution) This poem takes up the challenge against evolution. The main thought here is that the whole theory (more an hypothesis) is based on absurdity. When in desperate situations people clasp onto something to hold them up, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:7, Genesis 1:20-22, 1 Corinthians 1:19-20

Tags: Theistic Evolution, Deniers, Christian Poems, Theory Of Evolution, Denial Of God, Creation, Evolution, Satan, Denial, Absurdity, Darwin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational