In Sermon Illustrations: "Lighten Up"

Very Few Things Take Away The Power Of Someone As ...

Contributed by Kevin Barron on Dec 30, 2012

Very few things take away the power of someone as much as being ridiculed. In Von Ryan’s Express by David Westheimer, they do it by burning their clothes. The book is an account of Allied prisoners during World War Two. One of the trials of prison camp is that their Italian guards will not give ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Methodist

A Simple Experiment Both Validated The Old Truism ...

Contributed by Jordan Satterfield on Jan 11, 2013

A simple experiment both validated the old truism that a dog is a man’s best friend and disabused me of my opinions regarding the superiority of spousal friendship. I locked my beloved Golden Retriever, Buddy, in the trunk with my dear wife for one hour. After the hour, my dog was giddy with ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 21:9

Tags: Marriage, Relationships, Marriage General

Denomination: Holiness

Everything We Need

Contributed by Sylvester Fergusson on Jan 22, 2013

EVERYTHING WE NEED The story is told about an American company which opened a new plant in Central America because the labour was plentiful and inexpensive. Everything went well until the villagers received their first pay cheque; afterward they did not return to work. Several days later the ...read more

Tags: Change

Denomination: Adventist

He Will Quiet You With His Love!

Contributed by Bala Samson on May 24, 2013

He will quiet you with His love! Zephaniah 3:17”………..He will quiet you with His love…” When I was admitted for an operation, the next room woman delivered a baby with a hole in her heart, the family did something which was horrendous and incredible, they decided to abandon her. The little infant ...read more

Tags: God's Love

Denomination: Pentecostal

Visiting Preacher  PRO

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 13, 2014

A pastor went out visiting his church members on a Saturday afternoon. At one house, it was obvious that someone was home, but nobody came to the door even though the preacher knocked several times. Finally, the minister took out his church business card and wrote out "Revelation 3:20" on the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:1-10

Tags: Temptation, Adam And Eve, Sin

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Big Is Jesus??????

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 16, 2014

HOW BIG IS JESUS???????? At the end of a worship service, a little girl came up to her Pastor and asked, "How big is Jesus?" The puzzled pastor pondered and said, "I don’t know, sweetheart. The Bible doesn’t say. He was a carpenter, so I am sure he had big hands and strong shoulders. Maybe ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:21

Tags: Evangelism, Jesus, Missions

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Daddy Has All Of Me

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2014

DADDY HAS ALL OF ME! Alan Redpath had two daughters who loved to swarm him as soon as he came home at night. As he came in the door one evening, his little girls ran to be the first to hug Daddy. One grabbed his leg and hugged him with all of her might. He snatched the other daughter up in his ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:20-23

Tags: Consecration, Worship, Commitment, Surrender

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Grandpa Croaked!  PRO

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 1, 2014

GRANDPA CROAKED! A little girl crawled up in the lap of her Grandpa and cuddled close. Then she looked into Grandpa’s face with those big blue eyes of hers and said, "Grandpa, can you please make a sound like a frog?" Grandpa thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Ribbit. Ribbit." ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:27

Tags: Death, Children, Heaven, Misunderstandings

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Broken Heart

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

In Fox’s Book of Martyrs, there is the story of a 26 year old mother named Perpetua. The early church was growing dramatically and she came to faith in Jesus. The Roman government was trying to get her to renounce her faith but she refused. They threw her in prison. Her father came and begged her ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:33-38

Tags: Grief

Denomination: Methodist

A Light For My Path

Contributed by Casey Sabella on Jan 28, 2016

Psalm 118:105: Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (NLT) While in India on a brief missions trip, I was summoned to a the home of an official who was sick. He wanted me to agree with him in prayer. On the way, we traveled along a river in the dead of night. We carried ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:105

Tags: Bible, Path, Snake, Flashlight

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Conformity

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

I first noticed this in leading people to Christ. They were beautiful before they were “church broke.” Great young converts often start out as radiant Christians and end up only as carbon-copy Baptists. Great young ministers start out as adorable mavericks, but after a business meeting or two and a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Romans 12:2-5

Tags: Conformity, Accepting

Denomination: Baptist

Hope

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Mar 1, 2016

In September 1988, Hurricane Gilbert hit the Louisiana coast. At that time it was considered the “Storm of the century.” It battered the shoreline, severely disrupting the shrimping business. Many shrimp boats were lost, causing great concern for several families dependent on shrimping for their ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 1:1-16

Tags: Hope, Hope Deferred

Denomination: Baptist

Where Adam Used To Live

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 18, 2017

Adam and his two sons, Cain and Abel, were out hunting one day when Adam turned and started staring at something beautiful afar off. It was the Garden of Eden. Then Adam broke down and starting weeping. The boys didn’t understand. Finally, Abel asked his father, "Dad, why are you crying over ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:12

Tags: Marriage, Sin, Adam And Eve, Garden Of Eden

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Pure Love Brings Joy

Contributed by Christopher Sweeney on May 19, 2017

Many of you may have experienced this but I have from my two nephews and my time in youth ministry that there are times when you are having the worst days and then a child will run up to you and give you a hug or say I love you and everything goes away. Why, why is it that a hug can help erase the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Philippians 4:4

Tags: Love, Joy

Old Nature

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

OLD MAN Some time ago, a person I worked with came up to me and said, “if I didn’t know you, I would be terrified to meet you on the street”. If my coworker only knew half of what I’d been, He would never even talk to me. God took the most vile, evil, misguided person in the world and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:22-32

Tags: New Man, Old Man

Denomination: Pentecostal

The World Slept When Jesus Came.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 21, 2020

Ken Gire writes, “Where you would have expected angels, there were only flies. Where you would have expected heads of state, there were only donkeys, a few haltered cows, a nervous ball of sheep, a tethered camel, & a furtive scurry of curious mice. Except for Joseph, there was no one to share ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-12

Tags: Christmas, Christ, Bethlehem, Birth Of Christ, Mary And Joseph  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Maturity

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Dec 27, 2020

Automatic behaviour is the hallmark of immature people bent on survival, they accept few challenges and experience little growth. Immature people react with a small part of themselves to a small part of the world. They limit themselves by paying attention only to what is close-up, by focusing on ...read more

Scripture: John 12:24

Tags: Maturity, Immaturity

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Do You Want To Quit?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

There was a story of a British soldier in the First World War who lost heart for the battle and deserted. Trying to reach the coast for a boat to England that night, he ended up wandering in the pitch black night, hopelessly lost. In the darkness he came across what he thought was a signpost. It ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2, Colossians 3:1-4

Tags: Fear, Commitment, Endurance, Apostasy, Perserverance, Quitting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

And We Can't Even Preach Without A Sound System Today???

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 19, 2022

Peter's sermon to such a large crowd of Jews reminds us of stories of how God's Spirit used George Whitefield in the 1700's as an instrument to bring about the First Great Awakening in America. John MacArthur says that "Whitfield preached in Bristol to 20,000 people regularly, ...read more

Tags: Preaching, Revival, Word Of God, Whitfield, Simon Peter, Power Of God's Word, Evangelism, Pentecost, Gospel, Missions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Willingness Of God To Answer Your Prayer

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 8, 2022

"My friend, do you think that God is asleep? Do you feel that He has gone to bed when you pray, and you cannot get Him up? Do you believe that He does not want to answer your prayers? God does want to answer your prayers and He will. That is what this parable is saying. You do not have ...read more

Tags: Prayer, God's Love, Parables, Persistence, God The Father, Importunity, God's Willingness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational