In Sermon Illustrations: "Heavenly Father"

Let The Lower Lights Be Burning  PRO

Contributed by Dwight L. Moody on Jun 11, 2009

LET THE LOWER LIGHTS BE BURNING A few years ago, at the mouth of Cleveland harbor, there were two lights, one at each side of the bay, called the upper and lower lights; and to enter the harbor safely by night, vessels must sight both of the lights. These western lakes are more dangerous ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Evangelism How To

Denomination: *other

Christian Character Saves A Muslim

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 27, 2009

CHRISTIAN CHARACTER SAVES A MUSLIM From Betty Lukens--Nabil Kareen was a truck driver in the army of his country. But Nabil was more than a truck driver; he used his truck for smuggling, which was against Army rules. Nabil carried watches and quinine pills wrapped in bundles and hid them under the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Shoes Pave The Way To The Kingdom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 21, 2010

SHOES PAVE THE WAY TO THE KINGDOM Because Vance is an African American living in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood, he stands out. But what really sets Vance apart is that he is a servant-hearted father who cares not only for his own kids, but also for the many other kids who play in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism How To

Prayer And Conviction Of Sin In The Life Of A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 29, 2010

Prayer and Conviction of Sin in the Life of a Gambler R. A. Torrey in his book The Holy Spirit tells how the elders and deacons of Moody Church met every Friday night for supper and to go over the church rolls to see which people needed attention. At one meeting, an elder expressed a concern: ...read more

Scripture: John 16:5-16

Tags: Prayer Answered

Temporary Castles  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 28, 2011

TEMPORARY CASTLES "A little boy is on the beach. On his knees he scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright red bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. "All afternoon he will work. ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-17, Luke 12:15-21, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Tags: Death

The Importance Of Public Confession

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2011

THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC CONFESSION There's a parable about an ancient philosopher who came to a city to save its people from its sins. The inhabitants of the city, who at first listened to the philosopher, gradually turned away. One day a child asked the learned man why he went on - did he not ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:32-33

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

True Unity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2011

TRUE UNITY Unity is not simply an intellectual exercise. We can believe the same things, recite the same creeds, belong to the same denomination, but that does not mean we have unity. In his book Soul Talk, Larry Crabb writes: "Which is worse? A church program to build community that doesn’t ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16, Ephesians 4:1-22, 1 Samuel 25:14-35

Tags: Unity

Unusual People, Unexpected Places

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 8, 2011

UNUSUAL PEOPLE, UNEXPECTED PLACES Akiane Kramarik is only 12 years old, but she has abilities far beyond her years. Her mother chose to give birth to her underwater at the family home on July 9, 1994 in Mount Morris, Illinois. The family now lives in Idaho. Akiane speaks four languages, writes ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Just Wanted To Tell You I Love You  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2011

JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU Paul Powell tells the story of a well-known preacher from years ago. His name was Carter Jones. Carter had a small room in the attic of his home that he used as a place of prayer. When he was especially burdened, he would make his way up the winding staircase to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 12:29-31

Tags: Love For God

God's Tattoo

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Nov 2, 2016

God’s Tattoo Isaiah 49: 8-16 When my grandson Isaiah was three years old he had a problem of wondering off and hiding. One day my daughter Maeghan and my wife Becky where shopping at a local mall and of course, he slipped off. All of a sudden they realized he was missing. They panicked, running ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 49:8-16

Tags: God's Love, God's Longing, God's Love For Us

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Fear Does Not Mean Cowardice

Contributed by Saumiman Saud on Feb 21, 2025

FEAR DOES NOT MEAN COWARDICE My Father in Heaven, I feel sinful, sometimes I get angry because I'm accused of being a coward. Honestly, I sometimes feel afraid to fight back, but deep in my heart, I want peace and friendship, not conflict and hostility. Forgive me, forgive me, O Lord. In the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:33

Tags: Fear, Cowardice

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seeking God

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Aug 6, 2023

“Seeking God” Isaiah 55: 1-9 08/06/23 When my grandson Isaiah was three years old, he had a problem of wandering off and hiding. One day my daughter Maeghan and my wife Becky were shopping at a local mall and of course, he slipped off. All of a sudden, they realized he was missing. They ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-9, Luke 11:9, Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29-31

Tags: Seeking God, Obeying God

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ordinary Joe – An Unsung Hero

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 24, 2023

Ordinary Joe – An Unsung Hero There are many characters in the cast of the Christmas story that have gripped the Church’s imagination but there’s one that has rarely had a place in the spotlight. Joseph. There’s the Magi, exotic and somehow still gleaming in their silks after the long, dusty road ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:16-25, Matthew 2:14-21, Luke 1:27, Luke 3:23-30

Tags: Angel, Christmas, Angels, Joseph, Simeon, Genealogy, Mary And Joseph  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Remember One Of Comedian Bill Cosby’s ...  PRO

Contributed by James May on Jun 6, 2001

I remember one of comedian Bill Cosby’s comedy routines in which he tries to explain just a few of the differences in how a mother and father would react to a child. In this specific incident, the child picks up a piece of dirty driftwood out of the gutter and brings it to mother saying, “Look Ma, ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Children

Denomination: Independent/Bible

When Elizabeth Married The Famous Poet Robert ...  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 13, 2001

When Elizabeth married the famous poet Robert Browning, her parents were so upset they disowned her. She and her husband settled far from home in Florence, Italy. Elizabeth loved her mother and father and did everything she could to be reconciled with them. Several times a month she wrote ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Tags: God's Provision, Cross Agony, Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Few Weeks Ago I Was Sad To Open The Newspaper ...  PRO

Contributed by Edward Frey on Aug 14, 2001

A few weeks ago I was sad to open the newspaper and read that McKenzie’s Bakery was finally going out of business for good. I was sad to think that we wouldn’t be able to find any more nice King Cakes for Mardi gras. In fact, we had been saving coupons in the hopes of using them in the future. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:5

Tags: God's Provision, Prayer How To

Denomination: Lutheran

The Following Proclamation Was Made By Governor ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Nov 12, 2001

The following proclamation was made by Governor Bradford in 1623, 3 years after the Pilgrims settled at Plymouth; To all ye Pilgrims, Inasmuch as the great father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, squashes and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Joy, Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

At The End Of C. S. Lewis' Book, The Last Battle, ...

Contributed by Rick Bartosik on Dec 12, 2005

At the end of C. S. Lewis’ book, The Last Battle, on the last page of the last book in The Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan speaks to Peter, Edmund and Lucy: "There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are—as you used to call it in the ...read more

Tags: Narnia

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Making The Connection: A Recent Survey By Harris ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

Making the Connection: A recent survey by Harris Interactive revealed that electronics are bringing families together. The survey found that parents and their children enjoy using technology to work together on activities such as assembling virtual photo albums and creating holiday e-greetings. ...read more

Tags: Parenting

In England At The House Of Commons, Princes Alice ...  PRO

Contributed by Neal Gracey on Feb 18, 2006

In England at The House of Commons, Princes Alice had a young daughter and her daughter had Diphtheria. Doctors told Princess Alice to stay away from her face so as to not breathe her daughter’s breath, because she then would contract the terminal disease and die. One day as the daughter lay ...read more

Tags: Unconditional Love

Denomination: Baptist