In Sermon Illustrations: "Jesus Friends"

What Percentage Will Go To Heaven?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 21, 2023

[Pastor Clendennen speaking:] For many years, in the church I pastored, we had an all-night prayer meeting the last Friday night of every month. One such Friday night, out of four-hundred members, there were forty-one of us present. As I was praying, I heard this Word from the Lord: “You are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:40-42, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Revelation 1:7

Tags: Rapture, Bride Of Christ, Return Of Jesus

Denomination: Charismatic

The Love Of God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 12, 2023

Several years ago, John MacArthur had the opportunity to spend several days traveling with the well-known gospel musicians, Bill and Gloria Gaither. At one point, he asked Bill what, in his estimation, were the greatest Christian lyrics ever written, aside from the inspired Psalms. Without ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Jesus, Cross, God's Love, Hymns

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Fighting Temptation

Contributed by Brian Harvison on Oct 4, 2023

Have you seen the Kid’s Candy Challenge videos? • What happens in the Kid’s Candy Challenge is the parent tells their small child or children that they can have some candy • But they have to wait until mom or dad gets back • The candy is set right in front of them • Along with a phone to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Tags: Sin, Temptation, Jesus Cannot Sin

Denomination: Baptist

Do Not Love The World

Contributed by Ken Mckinley on Jan 7, 2025

Now imagine this with me for a second. Let’s say you have a pillow and let’s say the family dog got ahold of that pillow and used it for a litter box… so you took it out and put it in the dumpster, and a family of rats moved into it and used it for a bed. And just before the day the trash truck ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15

Tags: Love Of Jesus, Desire, Love Of The World

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Behave Like Children

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

Warren Wiersbe writes, “We tell the children to behave like adults, but Jesus tells the adults to model ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:13-17

Tags: Jesus, Children, Child Like Faith

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Garbed As A Peasant  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Rogers on Mar 18, 2002

GARBED AS A PEASANT Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish theologian, told a story about a certain kingdom wherein there was a handsome prince, searching for a woman worthy enough to be his wife and become queen of the land. One day while running an errand for his father he passed through a poor village. ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Humanity Of Christ, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jackie Chan Movie. This Man Is Very Innovative ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Pankow on May 3, 2001

Jackie Chan movie. This man is very innovative in the way that he makes fight scenes. Instead of just using normal karate chops and the like, he will use common every day items and create unbelievable fight scenes with them. In one scene, he fights off dozens of men with a common every day step ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:16-30

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Jesus, Jesus Teachings, Hands, Wonder, Faith And Works, God The Father  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

The Playlet Entitled ‘the Long Silence' Says It ...  PRO

Contributed by Steven Chapman on Feb 9, 2001

The playlet entitled ‘The Long Silence’ says it all: At the end of time, billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God’s throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly – not with cringing shame, but with ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:1-15

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Judgment, Second Coming

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Life's A Little Thing! Robert Browning Once ...  PRO

Contributed by Wayne Burnett on Jan 15, 2001

Life’s a little thing! Robert Browning once wrote. But a little thing can mean a life. Even two lives. How well I remember. Two years ago in downtown Denver my friend, Scott Reasoner, and I saw something tiny and insignificant change the world, but no one else even seemed to notice. It was one of ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God, Miracles Of Jesus, God's Provision

Denomination: Church Of God

[164]. A Message From A Poem – Just Being In Christ Is Everything

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 15, 2025

[164]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – JUST BEING IN CHRIST IS EVERYTHING YES! YES! YES! Christ is everything. How this world is empty without the Lord at the centre. If God did not care for us and took steps to save us, we would be meaningless people on a meaningless ball spinning in space in a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:30, Romans 8:1, Romans 6:11

Tags: Salvation, In Christ, Christian Poems, Turn To Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I've Always Liked The Story Of The 3 Old Widows ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on May 14, 2001

I’ve always liked the story of the 3 old widows who lived together. One sister got up to go to bed, half way up the stairs she stopped and asked "was I going up or was I coming down" One sister replied with hint of aggravation, "you were going up to bed." A second sister headed into the kitchen ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 28:29, Numbers 10:10, Joshua 4:1-24

Tags: Remember, God's Omniscience, Memorial, Aging, Christian Love, Friendship New Friends, Forgetfulness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Guarded By The Shepherd  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2003

GUARDED BY THE SHEPHERD Charles Spurgeon says this about the Great Shepherd: What is there in you, dear friend, more than there is in any other professor, why you should not prove an apostate after all? What is there about me that I should stand where so many others have fallen? There is ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ, People In Acts, Parable Lost Sheep

Trust In The Lord To Fix It

Contributed by James Ledbetter on Feb 3, 2015

A friend pastor of mine once told me a story about trusting in the Lord to fix what is broken. A certain man and his pastor traveled to preach a sermon at another church. And when finished they went to a store to look around. The man bought a doll for his daughter and took it home and gave it to ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 40:1-4, Psalm 40:1-40

Tags: All-Powerful God, Book Of Psalms, Trust Jesus

Denomination: Apostolic

It's Hard Being...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 30, 2004

IT’S HARD BEING... Pastor Ben Patterson, tells the following story: My 5-year-old niece, Olivia, and her best friend, Claire, were participating in a nativity play at school. Claire was playing Mary, and Olivia was an angel. Before the show, a young boy was going around the dressing room ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Tags: Mary Jesus Mother, People In The Gospel, Humanity Of Christ

Predictions Of His 2nd Coming  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 22, 2002

PREDICTIONS OF HIS 2ND COMING: Earliest known prediction by Tichonius 381 A.D.; Then 500 A.D. by Hippolytus (170-236). Later, predictions surrounded the 1st millennium: 1000 A.D., 1009 A.D., & 1033 A.D. were popular. 1533 A.D. was agreed upon by both Michael Stiefel (1486-1567) a friend of ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Israel, Millennium, Rapture, Second Coming  (view more)  (view less)

You Are My Dear, Dear Child: I'm Delighted With You.

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 22, 2023

A famous movie-maker had a huge legal wrangle with his longtime mentor and guide. The younger man simply couldn't handle criticism and ended up rejecting the person who had helped him so much. When it was all over, a close friend summed up the real problem. "It was all about an ungenerous ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:9-13, Matthew 3:13-17

Tags: Loved By God, Jesus Baptism, God's Love, Loved

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

One Of The Most Touching Moment In The Sydney ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on May 29, 2001

One of the most touching moment in the Sydney Olympics was when Eric "The Swimmer" Moussambani of Equatorial Guinea swam in the 100-meter free style qualifying heat. The 22-year-old African had only learned to swim last January, had only practiced in a 20-meter pool without lane markers, and had ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1, Ephesians 4:24-29

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Church Small Groups, Church Body Of Christ, Transformation, Spirit Led, Renewal  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: United Methodist

Run Your Race Tjbts

Contributed by Blake Henson on Jun 6, 2023

Run Your Race shows how silly it would be for someone to stop short of home in a game, but it is the same in our Christian life when we are not Christians all the time. We must realize the need to be active serving Christians 24/7 in our lives. URL: https://youtu.be/Ai6qZPECLiw SUMMARY In this ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:7

Tags: Run Your Race, Never Stop Living For Jesus

A Story In The Denver Post Came Out In 1958 That ...  PRO

Contributed by Ray Ellis on Mar 22, 2002

A story in the Denver Post came out in 1958 that illustrates self-less love. June 7, 1958 the Air National Guard’s jet precision team was performing outside of Dayton, Ohio. Five precision flyers made up the Minute Men team. Colonel Walt Williams was the leader of the Denver-based F-86 Sabre-jet ...read more

Tags: Love, Compassion, Christian Disciplines, Healing, Forgiveness In Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Free Methodist

John Stott Wrote, "I Could Never Believe In God, ...  PRO

Contributed by Hansel Young on Nov 15, 2007

John Stott wrote, “I could never believe in God, if it were not for the cross… In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms ...read more

Scripture: John 19:16-37

Tags: Worship, Persecution, Violence, Suffering, Unity, Friend, Flesh, Priorities, Martyrdom, Apathy, Hatred, Mortify  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Holiness