In Sermon Illustrations: "Hearts Desires"

I Want To Go Home

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 11, 2011

I WANT TO GO HOME Fred Smith, an influential Christian businessman was seriously ill in the summer of 2004. He was hospitalized, semiconscious, and not expected to live. Periodically he would mutter, "I want to go home, I want to go home." After an emotional family conference, the family ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

The Straightest Path  PRO

Contributed by Perry Greene on Apr 12, 2012

THE STRAIGHTEST PATH Two boys were playing in the snow one day, when one said to the other, "Let us see who can make the straightest path in the snow." His companion readily accepted the proposition, and they started. One boy fixed his eyes on a tree, and walked along without taking his eyes off ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-15

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Independent/Bible

To Whoever Finds This...i Love You  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 19, 2012

TO WHOEVER FINDS THIS...I LOVE YOU Several years ago there was a girl in an orphanage. She was unattractive and had mannerisms that were not very attractive either, and so she was disliked and shunned by the other children and was not liked by her teachers. The head of the institution looked for ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:30-40

Tags: Kids, Child, Children, God's Love

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

C.s. Lewis On The Difference Between Heaven And Hell  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2014

LEWIS: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL C. S. Lewis once provided a powerful image of the difference between heaven and hell. He described hungry people sitting at a huge banquet loaded with delicious food. Every person had a meter-long fork and knife attached to their hands (that’s about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14

Tags: Jesus Parables, Wedding Banquet, Heaven And Hell

The Rotten Egg

Contributed by Daniel King, D. Min. on Jul 25, 2018

Main Idea: No matter how many good things you have done, one sin is enough to send you to hell. Verses: “There is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12 NKJV). “For the greatness of your iniquity Your skirts have been uncovered, Your heels made bare. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 13:22-23

Tags: Sin, Good Works

Denomination: Charismatic

Ten Rules For Improving The Church

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 3, 2022

TEN RULES FOR IMPROVING THE CHURCH 1. Tell yourself over and over that since you are not perfect you would not fit into a perfect congregation, if one existed. 2. Instead of picking out the worldly members to point to, pick out the sincere, dedicated, spiritual members and thank God for them. You ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-2, 1 Peter 4:8, Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Encouragement, Judgementalism, Church

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Power To Be The Light

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Jun 3, 2024

Smartphones are amazing pieces of technology. Everything my generation went to RadioShack to purchase is now all together in the palm of our hand, including our flashlights. My grandfather loved flashlights. It was okay to get him a new one each year for Christmas or his birthday. He would take a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, John 15:5

Tags: Light, Holy Spirit, Power

Denomination: Pentecostal

Knowing Scripture

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Sep 11, 2024

A bit of an aside, when we were in Sri Lanka, I had the opportunity to attend the opening of one of the well projects in the east. Rochelle went to all of them because she ran the projects. The reason these wells were being placed in villages was because many people in the East didn’t have a good ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 10:17

Tags: Scripture, Belief, Support, Encouragement, Life Change, Opportunity, Eternal Change, Disease, Drought, Projects, Good Water, Bad Water, The Afflicted  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army

No Pagan God Had The Best Interests Of Humanity ...

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Aug 9, 2008

No pagan god had the best interests of humanity at heart. Moreover, no pagan god could be counted on to be consistent. So pagans offered up sacrifices and the best they could hope for is regular rain, no ...read more

Denomination: Catholic

The Winning Of Freedom Is Not To Be Compared To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The winning of freedom is not to be compared to the winning of a gamewith the victory recorded forever in history. Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and ...read more

Tags: Political Freedom

Greatness Lies, Not In Being Strong, But In The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest ...read more

Tags: Greatness

Humor Is The Salt Of Personality. Its Presence ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Humor is the salt of personality. Its presence is an evidence of good nature, of an appreciation of the real values of life, and of the lack of tenseness that characterizes some people. It is the most effective means of easing a difficult situation. Here it is ...read more

Tags: Humor

Whatever Task You Undertake, Do It With All ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Whatever task you undertake, do it with all your heart and soul. Always be courteous, never be discouraged. Beware of him who promises something for nothing. Do not blame anybody for your mistakes or failures. ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian

I Believe That One Always Does Himself And His ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"I believe that one always does himself and his audience an injustice when he speaks merely for the sake of speaking. I do not believe that one should speak unless, deep down in ...read more

Tags: Communication Speech

Matthew Henry Once Said,

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Dec 4, 2009

MATTHEW HENRY ONCE SAID, “THE WOMAN WAS NOT MADE OUT OF HIS HEAD TO RULE OVER HIM, NOR OUT OF HIS FEET TO BE TRAMPLED UPON BY HIM, BUT OUT OF HIS SIDE TO BE EQUAL WITH HIM, UNDER ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Baptist

Seared Conscience  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 27, 2013

Years ago a wise man wrote this, "In my heart is an arrowhead with sharp edges. If I do wrong, it turns and it cuts me. If I do wrong too much, I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:2, Nehemiah 1:4-10

Tags: Sin, Conscience, Temptation General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

[220]. A Message From A Poem - Praise The Lord Who’s Worth It

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 5, 2025

[220]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - PRAISE THE LORD WHO’S WORTH IT This poem is another attempt at a song. What is in my head I can not share with you, as I can’t write the music and harmony. I can do the lyrics but not the music. The last poem I submitted called “Praise God! Praise God!” ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 69:30-31, Psalm 22:3

Tags: Praise The Lord, Praise To God, Christian Poems, A Christian Song, Praise  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

My Oh My What A Nice Slice Of Pie

Contributed by James Snyder on Aug 13, 2022

Whenever things go better than you can imagine, it is always a red flag to pay attention because something is wrong. I don’t always catch it, and I have paid the price. One day this past week, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and our daughters and granddaughters planned a girl’s day. I ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:4

Tags: Together, Sharing

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Mcilhenry Tabasco Sauce Folks Have Adopted ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on Jul 11, 2002

The McIlhenry Tabasco Sauce folks have adopted the Scoville Heat Unit scale to rate the spiciness of their sauce. To give you an idea, catsup would be about a zero on the Scoville heat unit scale. Their mild Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce would rate about 600 Scoville Heat Units; their medium ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency, Church General, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: United Methodist

While Life Is Present, It Is Precious, But, For ...

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Mar 7, 2008

While life is present, it is precious, but, for all its value, it is also fragile. If you take a moment to think about the animation of the human body, I can’t help but believe that you must be in awe. Take the simplest of operations. You are going to open your car door and get inside. You walk ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed