In Sermon Illustrations: "Jesus Is The Life"

Kyle Idleman On Dying To Self

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 18, 2013

What’s it look like to die every day? Well, dying to yourself today may mean spending your lunch hour serving food to the homeless at the shelter down the street from your office. It may mean the next time you talk to your neighbor, instead of playing it safe and keeping comfortable you bring ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Surrender, Jesus Christ, Dying To Self, Commitment To Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

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

Loaves, Fish, And Children's Sermons

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on Nov 18, 2017

I love doing chidren's sermons, but it doesn't always work out quite the way I expect. So it went one morning when I spoke to the children about the loaves and fish. Just to make my point, I began by showing them five rolls and two fish sticks on a plate. I asked them how to share it so that all ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:1-14, Matthew 15:32-39, Mark 6:1-9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Miracles Of Jesus, Loaves And Fish, Childrens Sermon, Miracles

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Sabbath Sympathy

Contributed by Nickolas Kooi on Jun 1, 2018

Never one to back down from a fight, Jesus takes the bait, and summons the man. He literally says, “Rise in the midst of the group.” And there are two reasons for this request. He wants everyone to see and witness this event. He wants him up and in the middle. The second is this. As a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:3-5

Tags: Sabbath, Pharisees, Sympathy, Sabbath Controversy, Healing By Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Mary Had The Little Lamb

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 20, 2020

Mary Had The Little Lamb Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth; Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth. Micah 5:2 Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall- Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall. Isaiah 7:14 Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Mary, Messiah, Christmas, Jesus, Prophecy, Return Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Rock Wasn't Shaking!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 2, 2022

A passenger ship tragically capsized at sea. Many drowned, but one teenager was found clinging to a rock. After he was rescued, someone asked him if he was terrified. He responded by saying, “Yes, I was shaking all the time…but the rock I was holding onto wasn’t shaking!”  Psalm ...read more

Tags: Jesus Our Refuge, Foundations, Faith, Trust, Rock  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Means Business

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on May 28, 2022

Little Johnny was going to a public school and he was doing very poorly in math. So his mother decided to put him into a Catholic school. When she got his report card at the end of the term, his grades in math had improved tremendously. So she asked him why. He replied, "When I saw that ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Cross, Hope In Jesus, Sin's Penalty, Law Upheld

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

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

Misapplied Scriptures, John 9:31: Does God Hear Sinners, Or Not?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 13, 2023

Introduction: This is another verse of Scripture which has been used and misused by many people for a long time. Some folks teach that it’s basically useless for any sinner to pray because “well, right there, it says, ‘God heareth not sinners!’” But is that what the verse really teaches? Here’s ...read more

Scripture: John 9:31, Psalm 66:18

Tags: Blind Men, Misapplied Scripture, Unusual Healings, Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

The Star In The East

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 19, 2023

On November 28 of this year, I was driving west from my house at about 7 in the evening. It was quite dark already. As I looked through the windshield of my vehicle, I saw a line in the sky. A bright white line. Because it was so far away, this line in the sky must’ve been half a kilometre long. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-18, Numbers 24:17

Tags: Birth Of Jesus, Wiseman, Christmas, Bethlehem, Magi, Star  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[186]. A Message From A Poem – Musings On Being In Heaven

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 5, 2025

[186]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – MUSINGS ON BEING IN HEAVEN This is a lovely poem FOR ME, which is why I wrote it. How much do we think of heaven? I am afraid some are so earth-bound that they give little thought to heaven. Do we know what heaven will be like? Of course we do not. We can only ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, 1 Corinthians 2:9

Tags: The Third Heaven, Jesus, Heaven, Center, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

As A Part Of An Assignment For A Doctoral ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

As a part of an assignment for a doctoral thesis, a college student spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest. As he did his research he lived with one family, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them and generally living the life of a 20th ...read more

Tags: Love, Jesus, Growth, Discipleship, Friendship, God Brings Purpose  (view more)  (view less)

How The Philippian Jailer Got Saved - Crisis

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Oct 2, 2025

How the Philippian jailer got saved - Crisis This Philippian jailer was saved! He was saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. And if you have never trusted in the Lord, He wants to save you the same way. But let's take a closer look at how the Lord touched the jailer's ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:16-34

Tags: Crisis, Christian Service, Philippian Jailer, Demon Possession, Spiritual Transformation, Evangelism, Paul, Salvation, Missions, Silas  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

I Sent You Two Boats And A Helicopter!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 21, 2023

A man of faith is on top of a roof during a great flood in the South. Another man comes by in a boat and says, "Get in, get in, the water is rising!" The man of faith replied, "No, sir. I have faith in God and I know that He will answer my prayer and give me a miracle." So, ...read more

Tags: Miracles Of Jesus, Faith, Fear, Protection, Prayer, Angels, Miracles  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

James Calvert (1813-1892) Was A Zealous ...  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on May 7, 2002

James Calvert (1813-1892) was a zealous missionary to cannibals on the Fiji Islands. His faithful work bore fruit in the lives of those accustomed to taking the life of others. Years later and English earl visited the Fiji Islands and was critical of a chief’s conversion to Christianity. "You’re a ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tags: Born Again, Christian Love, New Life, New Creation, Joy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Auctioneer And The Old Violin

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 20, 2020

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer Thought it scarcely worth his while To waste much time on the old violin, But held it up with a smile. ‘What am I bidden, good folks,’ he cried, ‘Who’ll start the bidding for me? A dollar, a dollar,’ then ‘Two; Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, John 3:1-7

Tags: New Birth, Jesus, Salvation, Cross, Redemption, Change, Transformation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Testimony Of Astronaut Charles Duke

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 21, 2013

TESTIMONY OF ASTRONAUT CHARLES DUKE Through the years, I’ve heard people say, "I wasn’t looking for God when He found me." Let me give you a modern example of this process. Astronaut Charles Duke is one of only twelve men who have left footprints on the moon. He was the lunar module pilot for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-6

Tags: Becoming A Christian

Evidence For The Resurrection Is Reliable And True

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Apr 3, 2023

It was the middle of the 1800s and a man by the name of Simon Greenleaf was teaching a class on evidence of law at Harvard University. Greenleaf was considered by many to be the greatest expert on evidence of law the world has ever known. He had been praised for his knowledge and when it comes to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Matthew 28:1-10, 1 Peter 1:3

Tags: Reliability Of Truth, Jesus The Risen Savior, Easter, Resurrection, Evidence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Deity Of Christ In Scripture

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 6, 2022

While Jesus was and is a man, He was and is also God. What does the Bible say? • He is omnipresent – Matt, 18:20; Matt. 28:20 • He is omnipotent – Matt. 28:18; Heb. 1:3 1. Over disease – Matt. 4:23 2. Over Satan – Heb. 2:14 3. Over demons – Matt. 8:16 4. Over men – John 17:2 5. ...read more

Tags: Virgin Birth, Deity Of Christ, Two Natures, Christmas, Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

It Is Said That Cyrus, The Founder Of The Persian ...  PRO

Contributed by Brent Zastrow on Mar 16, 2001

It is said that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once had captured a prince and his family. When they came before him, the monarch asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I release you?" "The half of my wealth," was his reply. "And if I release your children?" "Everything I possess." ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:16-18

Tags: Living For God, Life, God's Will, Godly Living, Christian Disciplines  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ