In Sermon Illustrations: "John Updike"

Plots, Plans, Villains And Fools!" Ezra 6:13-18 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 10, 2005

“Plots, Plans, Villains and Fools!” Ezra 6:13-18 Key verse(s): 14:“So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees ...read more

Scripture: Ezra 6:13-18

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Lutheran

No Bulldozers Here!" Hebrews 3:1-6 Key Verse(S) ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Apr 26, 2005

“No Bulldozers Here!” Hebrews 3:1-6 Key verse(s) 6:“But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.” I grew up watching john wayne movies; courage and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. I remember watching ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

Tags: Faith General, Doubt, Unbelief

Denomination: Lutheran

Is The Church On The Endangered List?  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 18, 2006

** IS THE CHURCH ON THE ENDANGERED LIST? Many Americans are on a spiritual quest. This should be good news for the church. But, according to researchers, many of them are choosing noninstitutional forms of religion. A recent poll by Gallup shows that weekly church attendance is holding steady at ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:18

Tags: Sanctuary, Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Father Teaches Disobedient Daughter About Grace ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Father Teaches Disobedient Daughter About Grace and Consequences I’ve given you all the acronym before of “GRACE- God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” I’ll always remember a daddy-daughter moment with my oldest girl when she was maybe three years old. We raised our girls with loving discipline ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:18-25

Tags: Grace

Successful Businessman--Modern Day Rich ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

Successful Businessman--Modern Day Rich Fool John Ortberg tells the story of a successful businessman. He worked 14 hours a day, even on weekends. He thought the 40 hour work week was such a good idea he would often do it twice a week. His goal was to be the best businessman he could be. Even when ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:16-19

Tags: Parable Rich Fool

Leon Lett: A Legacy Of Failure

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2010

LEON LETT: A LEGACY OF FAILURE Leon Lett. Nice name. It has a bit of a ring to it. However, unless you are a true NFL football fan, it’s probably not a name that rings a bell for you. So let me fill you in on Leon. Leon played in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys from 1991 to 2000 and the Denver ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:36-41

Tags: Mistakes

David F. Lloyd In His Essay "Rights Vs ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 16, 2008

DAVID F. LLOYD in his essay “Rights vs Responsibilities” Summer 2001 Issue of Vision: Legally, rights have never been so extensively defined. For starters, there are the rights of ethnic minorities. Then we have the rights of women. The rights of children. The rights of homosexuals. The right to ...read more

Tags: Patriotism

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A History Of Thanksgiving ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2008

A HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING DAY In 1604 King James came to power in England. We hear his name often, as the most trusted version of the English Bible was translated during his reign – the King James Version. He was relatively tolerant of other religious opinions, except those that openly criticized ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Faith To Hear The Silent ...

Contributed by Bradley Berglund on Feb 4, 2009

Faith to Hear the Silent Notes for Conversations in the Marketplace by Pastor Brad Berglund (First Baptist Church) Feb 6, 2009 At a recent prayer meeting, I was told of a young pianist who is working on a doctor’s degree in performance. According to his professor, the young man has abilities ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist

Faith To Play The Silent Notes  PRO

Contributed by Bradley Berglund on Feb 14, 2009

FAITH TO PLAY THE SILENT NOTES by Pastor Brad Berglund (First Baptist Church) Feb 6, 2009 At a recent prayer meeting, I was told of a young pianist who is working on a doctor’s degree in performance. According to his professor, the young man has abilities that leave his peers far behind. To the ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroines-Another Woman At A Well

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 7, 2022

Introduction: Many of us are familiar with the story of “the woman at the well” in Samaria who spoke with Jesus (John 4). Many years before, another woman, at another well, helped save David’s life and maybe even the kingdom! Text, 2 Samuel 17:15-20, KJV: 15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 17:15-20

Tags: Unsung Heroines, Wells, Hushai

Denomination: Baptist

Who’s Really In Charge

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 24, 2022

Living in the country, our family did not have a television in our home. Unfortunately, most people in our neighborhood did not have a television. That just was normal. Somehow we managed to entertain ourselves without TV, and of course, we did not have the Internet then. So how we got along ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Jfk, Tv Remote Control, Batteries, Tricking

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[249]. A Message From A Poem – Strange Doctrines Are Among Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 2, 2026

[249]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – STRANGE DOCTRINES ARE AMONG US [[ “Secernment” (third stanza) refers to the act or process of separating or distinguishing substances, often used in a physiological context to describe the secretion of substances in the body. It can also mean the ability to ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:28, Acts 20:29-30, Matthew 7:15, 2 Timothy 3:13, 1 Timothy 1:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wolves Among Us, Perverse, Elders, Errors, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Strange Doctrines, Faith, Discernment, Fight, Fail, Vigilant  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[278]. A Message From A Poem – The Light Of The World

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 25, 2026

[278]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD This was a poem written before I really started writing poems seriously. Part of the idea was to write a hymn and some tunes will fit its 8-8-8-8 metre. The title, “The Light of the World” was to cover several aspects suggested to me by ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 4:3, Matthew 17:1-3, Luke 24:47, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Tags: Brilliance Of The Lord, The Brightest Star, Nasa Christian Poems, Forgiveness Of Sins, The Light Of The World, Pure Light, Hubble Telescope, Christian Poetry, The Transfiguration, Light, Shining Face, The Rapture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[331]. A Message From A Poem - We Need The Lord Always

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 8, 2026

[331]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WE NEED THE LORD ALWAYS In the past, maybe 150 years ago, divers who dived for pearls in clams, would have a tube for air going from a boat on the surface and it was operated by a pump. I think the tube might have been made from rubber. There was no such thing ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:22-23, Hebrews 4:16, James 4:8

Tags: Walk, Faithfulness, Needy, Need, Draw Near To God, Walk With The Lord, Christian Poems, Closer Than A Brother, Pearl Divers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Fresh ...

Contributed by Shawn Kelly on Oct 19, 2008

FRESH START Colossians 3:12 - 17 12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Was God A God Of Love In The Old Testament?

Contributed by Coz Von on Aug 27, 2017

The Davinci code will tell you that Jesus was married Mary. is it so? NO, NO, AND - mil times NO – NOT! But I want to show you that God did get married. Blasphemy, you say, NOT SO, It’s irreverent, sacrilegious – and not true But He really did! Hear me out. Long, long ago in a land far far away ...read more

Tags: Love, Hosea, Peace, Hope, Long Suffering, Care, Hate, Kindness, Gomer, Love Story  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Old Fisherman  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2002

THE OLD FISHERMAN Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out patients at the clinic. One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see ...read more

Tags: Heaven, Human Body, Joy

I Declare You The Winner  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 29, 2004

I DECLARE YOU THE WINNER I was watching some little kids play soccer. These kids were only five or six years old, but they were playing a real game- a serious game- two teams, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents. I didn’t know any of them, so I was able to enjoy the game without the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

Tags: Children, Anger, Rage, Parenting, Unconditional Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

April 21, 2005 "Give Me A Shrub With Character!" ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Apr 19, 2005

April 21, 2005 “Give Me A Shrub With Character!” Proverbs 12:3 Key verse(s) 3:“A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.” There are some plants that you can’t kill! I have long been fascinated by the differences exhibited in hardiness among the many ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:3, Proverbs 6:18

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Lutheran