In Sermon Illustrations: "Helping Poor"

Our Topic Today Is Worship And Service. I'd Like ...

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Jan 29, 2009

Our topic today is worship and service. I’d like to begin by telling a true story that happened to Reverend Forrest I. Sears. He writes: Wilma had been a member of our church for many, many years. In her later years she needed the assistance of a cane to help in walking. As she was talking ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Parables: Ground ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

PARABLES: GROUND RULES The parables help clarify the ground rules of the kingdom. If you’ve ever played baseball, you know that certain parks have ground rules, and the umpires and coaches discuss these rules before each game. For example: At Wrigley Field, a ball that gets lodged in the vines ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17

Tags: Parable General

Hellen Keller ...

Contributed by Troy Borst on Feb 26, 2009

ILLUSTRATION… Hellen Keller (p) Whenever I read this passage, I cannot help but think of another movie! I think of the 1962 (and in 1979) movie about Hellen Keller called “The Miracle Worker.” Hellen Keller was deaf and blind and could not communicate. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan arrived at ...read more

Tags: Miracles Of Jesus

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Overwhelming Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A wonderful example of how to practice the lifestyle of grace comes from an incident in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on October 2, 2006, when a man entered an Amish schoolhouse and murdered 5 girls while wounding 5 others before killing himself. As horrific as this was, the greater story was the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 65:3

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Redemption Through His Blood - Yellow Fever Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 3, 2023

There is a story...that may help Illustrate redemption...what Christ ...has done for us. In 1927, ...in West Africa... a blood specimen was taken from a native man named Asibi, ...who was sick ...with yellow fever. A vaccine ...was made ...from this original strain of the virus... obtained from ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18, Hebrews 9:22

Tags: Blood, Salvation, Redemption

Denomination: Anglican

Unconditional Love In Marriage-Tertullian

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Sep 15, 2024

If the marriage is healthy, unconditional love moves the spouses to forgive each other and help one another overcome ingrained habits and difficult behavioural patterns. Church Father Tertullian wrote of this sort of marriage, “How beautiful, then, the marriage of two Christians, two who are one ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Tags: Love, Marriage, One Flesh, Unconditional Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Famous Last Words

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 31, 2021

FAMOUS LAST WORDS..... 1. Charles Gussman was a writer and TV announcer, who wrote the pilot episode of Days of Our Lives, among other shows. As he became ill, he said he wanted his last words to be memorable. When he daughter reminded him of this, he gently removed his oxygen mask and whispered: ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Tags: Paul, Death, Farewell, Last Words

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Janis Joplin Died Of Loneliness.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 1, 2021

On the 4th October 1970, the famed rock star Janis Joplin, at the age of 27 was found dead in her Los Angeles hotel room. Questions arose as to whether the cause of her tragic death was suicide or an accident. Later police reported that they located a small quantity of heroin in the rock singer’s ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:10

Tags: Fear, Drugs, Alone, Alcohol, Depression, Lost, Loneliness, Fame, Emptiness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Putting God First

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Mar 18, 2022

I woke up this one morning recently around 7am which is fairly late for me, still very tired, and about 10 minutes into reading the Word trying to drink my coffee to wake up, I knew I would not be able to stay awake through all my prayers at that level of fatigue. But I was trying to make sure in ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:16, Psalm 63:1

Tags: Word Of God, Priorities, God First, Seek God Early

Denomination: Charismatic

[034] A Message From A Poem – Beneath His Wings – My Prayer

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 22, 2025

[034] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BENEATH HIS WINGS – MY PRAYER In this poem there is a little word interplay in each stanza. It is simple to see. The reason for this poem is to express a prayer for personal concerns. I tried to cover a number of points I thought were important. These are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:29-31, Luke 18:10-11, Nehemiah 2:4, Luke 18:13-14, Romans 12:12  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Prayer, Sincerity, Poetry, Devoted To Prayer, Silent Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[295]. A Message From A Poem – Love/Serve One Another As I Have Loved You

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 23, 2026

[295]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LOVE/SERVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU I wrote half this poem waiting in the waiting rooms of the hearing/ hearing aid place then finished it at home. When I wrote this poem a couple of days ago I began with the idea of the appearance of peace as what we see ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:2, Galatians 5:13, Galatians 6:7-8

Tags: Hurting People, Serve, One Another, Inner Turmoil, Christian Poems, Hurting Inside, Hurt, Comfort, Gossip, Blame  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

May 5, 2004 "You Can Walk Boy!" John 16: 19-24 ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2004

May 5, 2004 “You Can Walk Boy!” John 16: 19-24 Key verse(s): 21 “‘A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.’” Why do Christians have to suffer? If I had ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-11

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Where God's Finger Points!" Psalm 9: 17-18 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 13, 2004

“Where God’s Finger Points!” Psalm 9: 17-18 Key verse(s): 18: “But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.” With all the poverty in the world it is sometimes difficult to understand why God allows such suffering. It has been estimated that over 35% of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 9:17-18

Tags: Poverty, Hope, Hopelessness

Denomination: Lutheran

The Story Of Rick Warren And His Best-Selling ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Oct 20, 2008

The story of Rick Warren and his best-selling book the "The Purpose Driven Life." What is he doing with all the money? USA Today article: June 4th 2006 edition: A uniter, not a divider Warren is no liberal. He backed President Bush in the 2004 election and opposes abortion and stem cell ...read more

Tags: Giving Yourself

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Day Of The Fire Storm!  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 1, 2005

My Story: The Day of the fire storm! I was at Boy Scout Camp when I discovered the terrible damage a fire storm could do to my life. It was a lazy afternoon very hot and dry. John and I were sent back to camp to start dinner for the guys. When I got back to camp I discovered that the camp fire ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It’s My Pain I’ll Use It If I Want To

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 1, 2025

When I think I've turned a page to a new chapter in my life, I realize there is nothing new in life. I'm referring to pain. I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn't have some pain. In the years of my naivety, I never imagined that when I got older, I would experience more ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:18

Tags: Tylenol, Pain, Doctors

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Don't Judge A Person By Their Cover-Up

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 31, 2021

Have you ever had one of those Déjà vu moments? The other week I was in the shopping mall to pick up some items for the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. She shops so much that I have to help her on occasion. On this occasion, I was walking down the mall and stopped dead in my tracks. ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:3

Tags: Judgement, Humor, Encouragement, Judging

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

My Little Red Bible - The Living Word Of God

Contributed by Perry Hancock on Nov 10, 2021

My Little Red Bible - The Living Word of God Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful..." When I was 6 years old my parents gave me a little red Bible. Today, if you saw it, you would say that it has surely seen better days. Every time I pick it up it loses a little ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: The Bible, Scripture, The Word Of God

Denomination: Baptist

I Love My Imperfections

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 11, 2021

Dr. James L. Snyder Unlike most people, I love my imperfections; those imperfections of mine do not cause me much trouble. I know most people like to focus on their perfections so that they can impress other people. But what about people like me who have no perfections to boast about? If I had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:48

Tags: Perfection, Maturity

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Ravi Zacharias Tells The Amazing Story Of A ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Feb 2, 2003

Ravi Zacharias tells the amazing story of a young Christian in Vietnam. He writes, “I was ministering in Vietnam in 1971, and one of my interpreters was Hien Pham, an energetic young Christian. He had worked as a translator with the American forces, and was of immense help both to them and to ...read more

Tags: Bible Study, Bible Influence

Denomination: Methodist