In Sermon Illustrations: "Helpfulness"

Lighting Candles On Christmas Eve

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Dec 24, 2008

LIGHTING CANDLES ON CHRISTMAS EVE Every time on Christmas Eve that I light my candle, I catch myself staring into the flame – I can’t seem to help it. There, I hold one small ordinary candle with a small flickering light. In of itself, my little flame doesn’t cast much light, but I don’t know, ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Disneyland

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Dec 29, 2008

DISNEYLAND When I was a college kid in the San Francisco Bay Area, I would drive down with my friends to Disneyland at least once a year. We would leave late Friday night and take turns driving and sleeping during the eight hour drive. We would arrive in town early, have breakfast at Denny's and ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Let Us Remember The Little Birds... No Room In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

Let us remember the little birds... NO ROOM IN THE INN? There was a little bird that came and lived at my house a few weeks. He and I became friends. I felt so sorry for that little bird. He seemed happy to jump around on the ground. He could no longer fly, but he could still sing. Could I ever be ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Don't Let Me Go Back To Hell.

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

"DON’T LET ME GO BACK TO HELL." Dr. Maurice Rawlings is a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga, and his colleagues are constantly treating emergency patients, many of whom have had near-death experiences. A study of these cases by ...read more

Tags: Hell

I Have Never Forgotten You

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Feb 12, 2009

I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN YOU On Jan. 27, 2009 and I got to go to part of the state evangelism conference in Ruston, LA. Charles Thornton from Texas was one of the preachers. God is using his life in a fantastic way to help reach people in apartment complexes. Their ministry moves CARES Teams into ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:25-32

Tags: Encouragement, Love Of God, Family Love

Denomination: Baptist

Look Up

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Mar 2, 2009

LOOK UP I love those scenes in action films, comics, or cartoons where you have one set of bad guys pursuing the hero from one end of a tunnel or corridor and another set of bad guys is converging from the other side. You know the hero is in between them, but when the groups of pursuers meet in ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: *other

Breathtaking

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Nov 19, 2019

I recently had a conversation with a woman who is a double lung transplant recipient. The transplant took place over 20 years ago and I had known part of her story, but there was a detail she included in this retelling that stopped me in my tracks. She gave some facts about the disease, when she ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving, Thanks, Grateful, Gratefulness, Blessings  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

You Are Who He Says You Are

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 18, 2020

Because you are in Christ, EVERY ONE of these statements is true of you. • I am loved. 1 John 3:3 • I am accepted. Ephesians 1:6 • I am a child of God. John 1:12 • I am Jesus' friend. John 15:14 • I am a joint heir with Jesus, sharing His inheritance with Him. Romans 8:17 • I am united with ...read more

Scripture: John 1:12, John 15:14

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Identity, New Creation, Position In Christ, In Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Grace Of God

Contributed by James Dina on Oct 25, 2020

THE GRACE OF GOD "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:10) Grace can be defined as the love and mercy given ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:10

Tags: Grace, Grace Of God, Unmerited Favor

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Amazing Accuracy Of Scripture

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 28, 2020

Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmon College, Peter Stoner, has calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies made concerning the Messiah. The estimates were worked out by twelve different classes of 600 college students. The students carefully weighed all the factors, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Inspiration Of The Bible, Bible, Messiah, Word Of God, Inerrancy, Prophecies Fulfilled  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A New Year's Devotional

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other! In fact, here are some startling stats about typical resolutions for the new year in America: • 27% break their resolutions by the first week of January. • 31% lose their resolutions by the second week of January. • 41% ...read more

Tags: New Year, Blessings, Resolutions, Material Possessions, Prayer For New Year  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Power Of Presence

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Sep 7, 2021

The Neil Diamond song, Sweet Caroline” is played at every Red Sox home game in Boston's Fenway Park before the bottom of the 8th inning. The tradition is said to date back to 1997 when the stadium DJ played it in honour of a newborn baby girl born of one of the staff members. The baby was of ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Tags: Worship, Incarnation, Singing, Visiting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

My Little Light

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 26, 2021

I HAVE A COMPELLING FOCUS TO REACH MY GOD POTENTIAL… MY CANDLE? I FIND THE ROOM SO DARK… WILL MY LITTLE LIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? WILL I CONSIDER MY SEEDS, MY LITTLE CANDLE, THE LIGHT… James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16, James 3:5

Tags: Light, Consumed

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Unsung Heroines-Susanna

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 20, 2022

Introduction: Susanna is only mentioned once in Scripture, but it’s in a very positive light. She was one of the unsung heroines who ministered to Jesus and the disciples during His days of ministering on this earth. Text: Luke 8:1-3, KJV: 1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:1-3

Tags: Susanna, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

We Are Biologically Wired To Trust

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 20, 2023

Henry Cloud in his book, Trust, talks about how we are hard-wired to trust. If you have ever been around a newborn, you may have noticed that newborns do not do much due diligence when they're hungry. They scream with all their might and basically say, "Bring it to me now!" The human ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 13:12

Tags: Trust, Mothers, Infants, Neuroscience

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

World Peace

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on May 30, 2023

Isaiah makes a prophecy in chapter two of better days that will come. He proclaimed (NKJV): 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 2:2-4

Tags: Memorial Day, World Peace, Swords Into Plowshares

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Probability Of Prophecy Fulfilled

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Aug 27, 2023

There are 61 major prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. If you can find anyone living or dead, who can fulfil only half of these predictions than I have $1000 for you. The following probabilities are taken from Peter Stoner in Science Speaks to show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of ...read more

Scripture: Micah 5:2, Malachi 3:1, Zechariah 9:9, Psalm 22:16, Zechariah 11:12, Zechariah 11:13, Isaiah 53:7, Isaiah 53:12  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Probability, Mathematics, Prophecy Fulfilled, Fulfilled Prophecy

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

P-U-L-L Or Pray Until Lesson’s Learned!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 30, 2023

Introduction: A lot of us might remember the acronym P-U-S-H, standing for Pray Until Something Happens! The other day, something happened to me to give a bit of a humorous slant or angle on that idea. Text: Proverbs 3:13-14, KJV: 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:13-14

Tags: Wisdom, Learning

Denomination: Baptist

Be Careful What You Imitate

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Nov 17, 2024

In the late 1990s, aspiring actor and writer Johnny Knoxville had moved from Knoxville, Tennessee to Los Angeles, California, and landed work in commercials in order to support his wife and infant daughter. Among his ideas was one to produce an article that involved testing various self-defense ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:11, Ephesians 5:1-2

Tags: Imitate, Bad Examples, Good Examples, Johnny Knoxville

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Excellence Of Giving With Joy

Contributed by Saumiman Saud on Feb 19, 2025

THE EXCELLENCE OF GIVING WITH JOY Heavenly Father, You are so good to me, You gave Your Life to redeem my sins. Oh Lord, give me the opportunity to give to others as well. Sometimes I think about giving, but my faith is so weak, I'm still afraid that if I give, I will be in want. Forgive me, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7

Tags: Joy, Excellence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational