In Sermon Illustrations: "Jesus Ascended"

God's Word In A Mental Hospital

Contributed by Michael Walther on Jul 11, 2011

GOD'S WORD IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL I think you'll agree that all true and sincere spiritual movement in your life has been caused and created by the word of God. I served for one year as a part-time chaplain at a mental hospital. One of my duties there was to help people suffering from chemical ...read more

Tags: Bible Truth, Serving

Denomination: Lutheran

Sending The Very Best  PRO

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 18, 2011

SENDING THE VERY BEST Someone has composed the following list of "Cards You'll Never See at Hallmark": "Looking back over the years that we've been together, I can't help but wonder.... What was I thinking?!" "I've always wanted to have someone to hold, someone to love.... After having ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-25, Philippians 1:3-30, Matthew 25:31-46

Tags: Joy, Friendship General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Most Watched Rescue Mission In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 27, 2012

THE MOST WATCHED RESCUE MISSION IN HISTORY "Estamos bien en el refugio, los 33. " ("We are well IN THE SHELTER, the 33.") That seven-word message set off a wave of euphoria in Chile and around the world. It had been written in red letters on a scrap of paper and taped to a drill bit that penetrated ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:10

Tags: Salvation

Using The Resources You Have  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 18, 2012

USING THE RESOURCES YOU HAVE At 12:55 pm the mayday call crackled through the speakers at the Flight Service Station on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The desperate pilot of a Piper A22, a small single-engine plane, was reporting that he had run out of fuel and was preparing to ditch the aircraft in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Ruth 1:1-5

Tags: Grace, Stewardship, Investment, Value, Give Back  (view more)  (view less)

William Booth Our First General Was A Remarkable Man.

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Nov 12, 2012

William Booth our first General was a remarkable man; I have recently been reading a book that was published last year on his visions, with strangely enough the name “William Booth’s Amazing Visions”. In it the editor David Ravenhill mentions that “For far too long the Body of Christ [for the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:31-46

Tags: Judgement, Grace, Sin, Heaven

Denomination: Salvation Army

He Told Me So

Contributed by C. Scott Ghan on Jun 3, 2013

"HE TOLD ME SO" If you have ever clung to a child near death you know the dramatic fork in the road. You either give in almost totally to despair, fear, hopelessness, knowing death is eminent, realizing no miracle cure is coming, you are fighting a losing battle. --Or...you believe there is a ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:11

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Carnival Ride

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

Some years ago, while our family was vacationing in the high Sierras, we decided to visit a small county fair near the town of Quincy. There weren't many people there that morning. In fact, we were about the only ones visiting the carnival rides. So when I climbed into the Tilt-O-Wheel with my ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15

Tags: Sin, Sin Cycle

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

A Lesson From A Damaged Lock

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 20, 2019

Moving from one place to another is always a challenge, no matter how many times you’ve gone through this “process”! My wife and I recently made a move and learned a strange, but interesting lesson—one that was valuable for us, too. As sometimes happens, there is too much stuff and not enough ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-20

Tags: Theft, Possessions, Worldly Goods

Denomination: Baptist

Hold That Thought!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 23, 2020

One church where I served as pastor has a ping-pong table in the fellowship hall, and sometimes a younger member or two asked me to join them in a game. Now, I was old enough to be their grandfather but that doesn’t stop them from asking! I did appreciate the fact that these youngsters, aged around ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:8

Tags: Children, Thoughts, Fun And Games

Denomination: Baptist

A Little Thing Caused A Big Problem!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 7, 2020

My car was due for an oil change so I drove it to the same place where I had gone for several years. After all, they knew me and I trusted them and I’ve never had a problem. A few minutes later, the car was tasting some fresh oil and I was good to go for a while! Except—something happened in the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:8, Hebrews 12:1

Tags: Alertness, Consequences, Sins

Denomination: Baptist

A Lesson From A Pair Of Mildewed Shoes

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 22, 2020

A number of years ago I received a three-year assignment to Okinawa, Japan, as part of my Air Force experience. Hardly anybody I knew had much knowledge of that part of the world, so we really had no idea what to expect. We were in for a number of surprises! We lived in a motel, basically, for a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33-34

Tags: Shoes, Life's Problems

Denomination: Baptist

A Tribute To Fathers In The Bible

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 9, 2020

Introduction: with the exception of Adam, who was created; and Jesus Himself, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, every man in the Bible had a father. That some were good and others were evil is clear, and it would be nearly impossible to list every father and son in the Bible. The Books of Chronicles ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:4, Romans 1:18-32

Tags: Father's Day, Fathers, Raising Children

Denomination: Baptist

Any Believer Can Be A "Man Of God”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jul 7, 2020

Any believer can be a “man of God” Text: 2 Tim 3:17 That the man of God (any believer in Jesus!) may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Thoughts: Only a few people were ever called a “man of God” in the Bible. Some were never known; at least four were never named, and one, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Tags: Paul, Man Of God, Timothy

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes-Those Who Made Copies Of The Scriptures

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 30, 2021

Introduction: sometimes we forget, or take for granted, the easy availability of God’s Word. Retail stores (not just Christian bookstores) sometimes have copies of the whole Bible for a dollar per copy! Secondhand or thrift stores occasionally have donated Bibles and other portions for a very ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 9:1-2

Tags: Baruch, Daniel, Jeremiah, Word Of God, Scribes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

What Forgiveness Is Not

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 31, 2021

WHAT FORGIVENESS IS NOT by Dr. Larry Petton (excerpt from my book, "I CAN'T FORGIVE"). Text: Ephesians chapter 4 Ruth Bell Graham described a successful marriage as the "union of two great forgivers." Forgiveness has been described as, “Me not hurting you, because you ...read more

Tags: Forgive Them, Father, Forgiveness, Bitterness, Unforgiveness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jay Fondren Is A Recent Hero. When My Wife ...  PRO

Contributed by Chris Surber on May 24, 2007

Jay Fondren is a recent hero. When my wife Christina was an auditor for the Department of Veterans she met Jay in a Veteran’s Regional Office in Waco, Texas. She was conducting interviews to determine the timeliness of transition between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving

Denomination: Christian Church

There Was A Lady Named Danni Stampley From ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

There was a lady named Danni Stampley from Luann’s home church who had been trained as a Baptist missionary. She felt the call to be a missionary the very night she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior; she was a teenager at the time. After high school and college, she spent several years in a ...read more

Tags: Sin Deceptive

The Treasury Of Bible Illustration Notes This: ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 14, 2007

The Treasury of Bible Illustration notes this: The First and Hardest Lesson - “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” says Robert Fulgham’s popular essay and book. In truth, one of life’s most important and hardest lessons comes to us long before kindergarten. This lesson is painful ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Is A True Story Of An Old Man Who Visited ...  PRO

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Jul 20, 2007

There is a true story of an old man who visited an old broken pier every Friday on the eastern sea coast of Florida until his death in 1973 his name was Eddie Rickenbacker whilst at the pier he would feed the sea gulls with a bucket of shrimps. Many years before in 1942 Eddie was a captain on ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Few Years Ago Billy Graham Was Honored In His ...

Contributed by Scott Brewer on Jul 23, 2007

A few years ago Billy Graham was honored in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Billy Graham is in his eighties and suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He agreed to respond briefly at the end of this great tribute from his hometown. His brother-in-law, Leighton Ford, described his response. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist