In Sermon Illustrations: "I Cant"

[140]. A Message From A Poem – In Despair But Not Alone

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 23, 2025

[140]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – IN DESPAIR BUT NOT ALONE There is some personal sorrow in this poem and some of the poem’s content comes from experience, not a pleasant one. When writing this – a task that was difficult because of the way I used the rhyme scheme – I appealed to the Psalms and my ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 64:2-7, Psalm 38:12, Psalm 141:10, Psalm 35:7-8, Matthew 5:43-44, Psalm 31:4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Enemies, Nets, Christian Poetry, God Helps Us, Alone, Help, Despair, Net, Snare  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[205]. A Message From A Poem – One Hair Here And One Hair There

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 17, 2025

[205]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – ONE HAIR HERE AND ONE HAIR THERE Well, well, well! How many of us are bald? How many are heading that way? I remember when I was a kid my mother used to say to me, “Tell the barber to thin out your hair.” There used to be some sort of clippers that would do ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:20-21, Luke 12:7, 2 Kings 2:23

Tags: Numbered, Glorious Bodies, Alopecia, Falling Out, Hair, New Bodies  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[209]. A Message From A Poem – Our Pilgrim Journey Home

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 23, 2025

[209]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – OUR PILGRIM JOURNEY HOME Here is an explanation – The title of this poem expresses the walk and life of a Christian who lives for a short time in this world and then is called home. There is a slight touch of Bunyan’s Pilgrim Progress here. The KJV is the only ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:20-21, Hebrews 11:13, 1 Peter 2:11

Tags: Light, Journey, Opposition, Crowd, Strangers, Pilgrims, Sojourners, To Live Is Christ, Aliens  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Tree Covered In Rags

Contributed by David Dunn on Jul 10, 2026

There is an old story that I have never forgotten. I have heard it told in different ways over the years, but the heart of it remains the same. A young man had a terrible argument with his father. What began as a disagreement eventually became a separation. Pride took over. Harsh words were ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:20, Jeremiah 31:3, Isaiah 1:18, Romans 5:8

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness, Hope, Reconciliation, Home  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Those Nasty Redo's! (10.06.05--Beginning ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 4, 2005

Those Nasty Redo’s! (10.06.05--Beginning Again!--Genesis 16:7-10) Time is one of the most precious commodities that God gives us daily. The time to do things is always limited. And, we need to balance the things we want to do with the things we need to do. Therein is the tension. I start each ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 16:7-10

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Promises Of God

Denomination: Lutheran

Judging Books! (10.20.05--That Person!--Esther ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 19, 2005

Judging Books! (10.20.05--That Person!--Esther 3:5-6) The other day, a jehovah’s witness came to my door. I’ve seen them many times in the past as they slowly travel down my driveway and descend upon my doorbell. I know what differentiates my faith from theirs and have learned stock answers to ...read more

Scripture: Esther 5:5-6

Tags: Racism

Denomination: Lutheran

Steve Lyons Will Be Remembered As The Player Who ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

Steve Lyons will be remembered as the player who dropped his pants. He could be remembered as an outstanding infielder ... as the player who played every position for the Chicago White Sox ... as the guy who always dove into first base ... as a favorite of the fans who high fived the guy who ...read more

Scripture: John 20:19-31

Tags: Abandon, Sin General

Who Was Weak And Who Was Strong?

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on May 27, 2009

WHO WAS WEAK AND WHO WAS STRONG? April 6, 1994 marked the beginning of dark and infamous days for Rwanda, a small country in central Africa. For the next hundred days, up to 800,000 Tutsis were killed by Hutu militia — mostly using clubs and machetes. It was a genocide of monumental proportions, ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Methodist

Has Anyone Ever Asked You?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 31, 2011

HAS ANYONE EVER ASKED YOU? Opal Whetset is a Christian writer. One night she was on a Greyhound bus between Flagstaff, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a cold February night and the bus stopped in a small Indian community. A young American Indian teenager boarded the bus and sat down ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:8-10

Tags: Christian Witness

In 1 John 4:18, We Are Assured That Love Defeats ...

Contributed by Kelly Mitchell on Jan 10, 2013

In 1 John 4:18, we are assured that Love defeats fear. That’s good news. But be careful not to read that God’s Love, and God’s Love alone drives out fear. It can. It does. However, some things are very difficult to fight alone. Go back and read verse 12 of Chapter 4 as well. There we are ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Outreach, Finding Fulfillment, Hardship Of Life, Obedience, Missions, Servanthood, Affliction, Opportunity, Fear And Worry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Story Begins In The Late 1980s When Thomas ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The story begins in the late 1980s when Thomas Muthee and his wife returned from Scotland to Nairobi, Kenya. He was serving as an itinerant evangelist and his wife as a school teacher. In 1988, the Lord spoke to him in a time of prayer and said, "I want you to plant a church in Kiambu." Numerous ...read more

Tags: Faith

Christ: An All-Access Pass

Contributed by Hal Seed on Aug 21, 2008

CHRIST: AN ALL-ACCESS PASS Mark and Susie Alderson have been attending New Song since what we call our "portable days." In the early days of the church, we would pack a trailer full of equipment, unload it at a local school, hold church there, and then pack up and put the trailer away. Mark is ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Baptist

Ashamed When It Counted The Most

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 18, 2019

Ashamed when it counted the most My two sisters, when they were somewhat younger, liked to play the piano and took lessons for some time. I like music, too, but not all the practicing that went along with it! We found out there was going to be a “recital” where all of the students in their ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, 1 John 2:28

Tags: Christian Life, Shame, Rewards

Denomination: Baptist

For A Mother, A Child Is Never A Burden

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 27, 2024

Text, Exodus 19:4, KJV: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. When was the last time you found anything inspiring, let alone inspirational, when you renew your car's license plate/s? A few days before I wrote this, ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 19:4

Tags: Eagle Wings, Children, Mothers

Denomination: Baptist

[094]. A Message From A Poem – Forgetting The Past, Look Ahead

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 1, 2025

[094]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FORGETTING THE PAST, LOOK AHEAD Someone posted to a Christian forum I was on, a four line stanza once, that in effect said that you can not go back and fix the past, i.e. to go back and alter the beginning but you can start from here and make a brand new end. I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Regret, Hope, Past, End, Failure, Start, Look Ahead  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Fixer-Preacher - Pastor Appreciation Help

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Jun 24, 2025

The Fixer-Preacher Celebrating Pastor Appreciation Day It’s not every day I get to stand up here and talk to everyone on a Sunday morning, but when I do, it’s for a pretty special reason. Picture this: sunlight fills the room, the choir is quietly humming, and you can smell fresh coffee in the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22, Romans 13:7, Hebrews 13:7, 1 Timothy 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Ephesians 4:11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Humor, Laughter, Pastor Appreciation, Introductions, Pastor Humor, Icebreakers, Sermon Starters  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[341]. A Message From A Poem - When Our Saviour Comes Again

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 29, 2026

[341]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WHEN OUR SAVIOUR COMES AGAIN I believe in the Rapture. I believe Christians are caught up to meet the Lord. {{1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:11, Revelation 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Tags: Rapture, Caught Up, The Coming Of The Lord, Come Up Here, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is That In Thine Hand?  PRO

Contributed by Ted Sutherland on Aug 19, 2001

Dr. Bob Jones Sr. told the story: I remember years ago I was holding a meeting in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. I was in that big amphitheater there that accommodates about ten thousand people. The people told me a story. They said a few nights before I was there they advertised in the paper that a man ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

No Secrets Here  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2002

NO SECRETS HERE A young couple decided to wed. As the big day approached, they grew apprehensive. Each had a problem they had never before shared with anyone, not even each other. The Groom-to-be, overcoming his fear, decided to ask his father for advice. "Father," he said, "I am deeply concerned ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:8, Ephesians 5:31, Ecclesiastes 4:1-9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Marriage, Marriage General, Oneness, Weddings, Unity, Conflict, Commitment  (view more)  (view less)

Former President George H. W. Bush Told ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 17, 2004

1. Former President George H. W. Bush told mourners at Ronald Reagan’s funeral on Friday that the 40th U.S. president taught him kindness, courage and the power of humor during their years together at the White House. “As his vice president for eight years, I learned more from Ronald Reagan than ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:32

Tags: Christian Love