In Sermon Illustrations: "John And Jesus"

Illustration Of Giving

Contributed by John Oscar on Jan 15, 2017

A family came home from church one Sunday and after they had lunch they sent their 6-year-old son off to play. After awhile, his mother realized that they hadn’t heard much from him, which any parent knows is a recipe for disaster. The mother got up from her recliner and walked to the child's ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, Malachi 3:6-12

Tags: Faith, Offering, Giving, Tithe Or Give, Tithes And Offering  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Basic Training

Contributed by John Telgren on Feb 11, 2017

I hated shining shoes in Basic Training. There were other things I would rather be doing instead of sitting on the floor with a brush and mounds of cotton balls stained with black Kiwi shoe polish! If our boots and dress shoes were not perfect we paid for it dearly! During one of our trips to the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Diligence, Diligently, Diligent

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Touched By A Five Year Old

Contributed by John Gullick on Aug 15, 2017

On July 27th In Indiana a policeman, Lieut Aaron Allen was shot by a man he was trying to help. He was killed and he had a five year old son. Not long after police including the police chief drove cars 1- 2 hours down highway 31 in Indiana and arrived in a town with their sirens going. They ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:15-19

Tags: Thankfulness, Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Prayer By Sir Francis Drake - Disturb Us Lord

Contributed by John Gullick on Mar 13, 2018

Sir Frances Drake Quoted in OC Missionary Prayer Letter of Jeanie Curryer, September, 1997 Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb ...read more

Tags: Vision, Prayer

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Hiring A Dog

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

A sign was hung in an office window. It read: Help wanted. Must type 70 words a minute. Must be computer literate. Must be bilingual. An equal opportunity employer. A dog was ambling down the street and saw the sign. He looked at it for a moment, pulled it down with his mouth, and walked into ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:26

Tags: Service, Gifts

Denomination: Methodist

Old Bible

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

A collector of rare books ran into an acquaintance who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that Guten-somebody-or-other had printed it. "Not Gutenberg?" gasped the collector. "Yes, that was it!" "You ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Word Of God, Bible

Denomination: Methodist

The Witness Barber

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

There was a barber that thought that he should share his faith with his customers more than he had been doing lately. So the next morning when the sun came up and the barber got up out of bed he said, "Today I am going to witness to the first man that walks through my door." Soon after ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15

Tags: Evangelism, Witness

Denomination: Methodist

Monkey Reading The Bible

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

One day the zoo-keeper noticed that the monkey was reading two books - the Bible and Darwin's The Origin of Species. In surprise he asked the ape, "Why are you reading both those books"? "Well," said the monkey, "I just wanted to know if I was my brother's keeper ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:25

Tags: Evolution, Darwin

Denomination: Methodist

Saint Or Sinner

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 19, 2021

In the “Freedom in Christ” course, Neil Anderson and Steve Goss, share an illustration that I just love – “You know the fairy tale of the princess who decided to kiss a frog? When she kissed the frog, he changes into a handsome prince. Now imagine they go out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:2

Tags: Princess, Prince, Sinners, Saints, Frog  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Get Back In The Game!

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 19, 2021

What if God started telling your church to do something we had never done before? How hard would you work against it - unwilling to change? There is an old saying – do you know what they put on the tombstone in front of a closed church? “WE NEVER DID IT THAT WAY BEFORE” If that’s the case, we ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:12-26, Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Laity, Sports, Pastor, Basketball

Denomination: Methodist

Three Types Of People

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 3, 2021

It has been well said that there are only three classes of people in the world today: those who are afraid, those who do not know enough to be afraid, and those who know ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7

Tags: Bible, Fear

Denomination: Methodist

Judgement And Mercy - 2 Sides Of The Same Coin

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 27, 2021

Mercy and Judgement are two sides of the same coin – We often put different parts of God’s character (attributes) into conflict. If we declare God as merciful, can He still bring righteous judgement? Let me share an example to help you understand the connection between mercy and judgment. If you ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Mercy, Judgment, Attributes Of God

Denomination: Methodist

Be Quiet In Church

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 27, 2021

One Sunday School teacher asked her class, “Why do we have to be quiet in church?’ A little boy quickly ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:46-47

Tags: Church, Children, Worship

Denomination: Methodist

They Keep You Quiet In Church

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 27, 2021

A 6-year-old girl was sitting in church with her very fidgety 4-year-old brother. She spoke to him with a stern voice, “You’re supposed to be quiet in church.” So her brother asked, “Whose gonna make me?” She ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:46-47

Tags: Church, Children, Worship, Quiet

Denomination: Methodist

Love Is Like Candy

Contributed by John Bright on May 22, 2021

I’m talking about love that is a real, tangible – like candy! Since you are watching on video (or reading this at home), you will have to imagine I have a big bag of Hershey Kisses right here. I have LOTS OF CANDY! So - I can claim to be full of candy. What if this candy is the love we have to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Love, Enemies

Denomination: Methodist

Tv Remote

Contributed by John Bright on May 24, 2021

A woman was pulling her offering out of her purse when a TV remote control fell out and hit the floor of the sanctuary. The usher picked it up and asked if she always carried it with her? "No," she replied. "My husband would not come to church ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Husband, Wife

Denomination: Methodist

The Gossip Test

Contributed by John Bright on Jun 1, 2021

Another basic concept – sin creates spiritual blindness. Let me illustrate with my favorite sin to talk about… GOSSIP. I’ll stop right here and make sure you know how I define gossip. Before you tell someone a story about another person (even disguised as a prayer request), it needs to pass all ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37-45

Tags: Sin, Gossip, Spiritual Blindness

Denomination: Methodist

Power Of Holy Spirit In You

Contributed by John Bright on May 24, 2022

There is NO COMPARISON between the power of satan and the power of the HOLY SPRIT IN YOU. The power of satan is like a little firecracker while the power of the Holy ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:20, 2 Timothy 1:7, Acts 1:8

Tags: Holy Spirit, Satan, Power

Denomination: Methodist

What Is Truth?

Contributed by John Bright on Oct 17, 2022

I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but there is a deep divide in this sanctuary. No – it’s not what you think. It’s not political parties. It’s not hot-button social justice issues. Nope, it’s our view of “What is truth?” Here’s a way to view our divide from Os Guiness: “Three baseball ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:24-36

Tags: Baseball, Absolute Truth, Umpires

Denomination: Methodist

Fathers Make A Difference

Contributed by John Bright on Jun 15, 2023

According to the 2022 U.S. Census Bureau, 18.4 million children, 1 in 4, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home. That’s enough children to fill New York City twice or Los Angeles four times over. Research shows that a father's absence affects children in numerous ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:21

Tags: Dad, Fathers Day, Reading

Denomination: Methodist