In Sermon Illustrations: "Living Hope"

I Recently Had A Nursery Operator Inform Me That ...

Contributed by Ken Pell on Sep 13, 2010

I recently had a nursery operator inform me that keeping my young fruit trees tied up so that the wind would not “damage” them was, in actuality, damaging them! They told me that the strong winds strengthened the fibers of the tree’s trunk and limbs so that it could withstand the fury of nature. ...read more

Tags: Stress

Denomination: Nazarene

Delivering Death Notices

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Mar 30, 2011

DELIVERING DEATH NOTICES When I lived in Albuquerque I was trained by the Albuquerque Police Department to deliver death notifications to people in town. The Police Department used local preachers wearing suits with Police Chaplain badges instead of sending uniformed officers because it was ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Point Of View Is Everything

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Sep 5, 2011

POINT OF VIEW IS EVERYTHING ABC's "The View" - the winner of the 2003 Daytime Emmy® Award for "Outstanding Talk Show" as quoted by its own website! ABC News correspondent Barbara Walters, the renowned Whoopi Goldberg, comedian Joy Behar, actress/comedian Sherri Shepherd, and The Australian Outback ...read more

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Salvation Army

When Things Go Wrong  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 19, 2012

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG Several years ago, Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Bob Patterson described one of his pitches, which the Cincinnati Reds’ Barry Larkin hit for a game-winning home run: "It was a cross between a screwball and a change-up. It was a screw-up." (Wall Street Journal, 7/9/96; ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:23-24

Tags: Mistakes

Drive-Thru Fellowship  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 21, 2014

DRIVE-THRU FELLOWSHIP This week I read a story about a pastor traveling with a Brazilian seminary student. Along the way the pastor asked the student if he would like to stop for a cup of coffee. The student said, "I would be honored." So he swung into a Starbucks, went through the drive-thru. ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Fellowship, Sharing Life

Talking About Heaven

Contributed by John Crowe on Jul 17, 2014

My 5-year-old great – grandson, Travis, and his mother had a conversation about heaven. “Mom, I don’t think I want to go to heaven.” “Sure you do.” “No. I don’t think so.” “But why not?” “I think I’ll be hungry.” “No, baby. Jesus will make sure to feed you.” “I know, but Jesus feeds everybody fish, ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-5

Tags: Children, Heavenly Things

Denomination: Baptist

Being Self

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

A little boy named Adam wanted to be like his friend Bobby. Adam loved the way Bobby walked and talked. Bobby, however, wanted to be like Charlie. Something about Charlie’s stride and accent intrigued him. Charlie, on the other hand, was impressed with Danny. Charlie wanted to look and sound like ...read more

Scripture: John 2:21

Tags: Acceptance

Denomination: Baptist

Real Growth

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 9, 2021

Take note of what JUAN CARLOS ORTEZ penned in “LIVING WITH JESUS TODAY” WE HAVE A PHENOMENON IN THE CHURCH TODAY WHICH I CALL “ETERNAL BABYHOOD OF THE BELIEVER.” WE HAVE MEMBERS OF OUR CHURCH WHO AFTER YEARS OF HEARING MESSAGES ARE JUST THE SAME. THEY CONTINUALLY NEED A MINISTER TO KEEP AFTER ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5, 2 Peter 3:18

Tags: Babyhood, Growth, Immaturity

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Works Of The Flesh Outlined

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 23, 2023

List of sins that are the works of the flesh: 1. Sexual sins (19-21) (1) Adultery (2) Fornication (3) Uncleanness (4) Lasciviousness (5) Drunken revellings (orgies) 2. Superstitious sins (20) (1) Idolatry (2) Witchcraft 3. Social sins (20-21) (1) Hatred (2) Emulations or jealousy (3) ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-23

Tags: Idolatry, Holy Spirit, Sin, Sex, Flesh, Witchcraft, Adultery  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Winnowing Fork

Contributed by Subasini Peter on May 8, 2024

God's winnowing fork Imagine God being so good, loving and kind now will have a winnowing fork in His hand to separate the chaff from the grain. All our works in a lifetime we have done will be judged by God. All the works that do not glorify the name of Jesus Christ will be separated. We ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:12

Tags: Grain, Seed, Winnowing Fork

William Wilberforce

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 16, 2025

One example of living for Christ in the midst of suffering is William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833). There is a wonderful movie about him that came out in 2006 – “Amazing Grace.” You can watch is for free on Youtube. The movie opens in the year 1797 with Wilberforce suffering and feeling very ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-25

Tags: Slavery, Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce, Abolition

Denomination: Methodist

There Were 15 In Sunday School -- Counting Jesus

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Oct 3, 2025

A little girl returning from Sunday School was asked by her grandmother how many had been in her class that day. And she replied, "There were 15 of us, -- Counting Jesus." *Rejoice in the Lord, Christians! He is here with us, and in us this morning. And Jesus wants to change our lives ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:16-34

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

Denomination: Baptist

One Man's Life Provides A Dramatic Answer To The ...  PRO

Contributed by James Dunn on Mar 12, 2002

One man’s life provides a dramatic answer to the question, can God indeed bring positives out of troubled times? This young man’s name is David, and he is an awesome picture of God’s using difficulties for good. For years he viewed trials as something that affected only his external world, and any ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 2:6, 2 Samuel 6:6

Tags: Growth In Christ, Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Baptist

Recently, I Sat Down With A Young Man Who Was ...

Contributed by Hal Seed on Oct 3, 2008

Recently, I sat down with a young man who was having a tough time with the way he was thinking about life. “I hate this world,” he said. “I don’t like being with people. I don’t trust very many people. I don’t respect America. I think Americans are all self-indulgent materialists.” And then he ...read more

Tags: Revelation

Denomination: Baptist

Some Thoughts On Forgiveness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

SOME THOUGHTS ON FORGIVENESS Bernard Meltzer was a United States radio host for several decades. His advice call-in show was called "What's Your Problem?" Meltzer said, "When you forgive, you in no way change the past--but you sure do change the future." ------- Mark Twain had some sour thoughts ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:12

Tags: Forgiveness General

Discipleship Calls For Wholehearted Commitment To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 31, 2009

Discipleship Calls for Wholehearted Commitment to Christ “I have seen the most horrible things, but I have met people who are still full of faith in spite of what they have endured.” That was the opening statement to a gathering of leaders and supporters of Samaritan’s Purse, the organization led ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-33

Tags: Missions

[015] A Message From A Poem - All About Me But What About The Lord?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 18, 2024

[015] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ALL ABOUT ME BUT WHAT ABOUT THE LORD? This is a very serious poem even though it is written in a partly informal way. The title says it all. “Everything revolves around me, and the Lord should be grateful for the time I give to Him.” Of course that attitude is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:15-17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Tags: Communion, Commitment, Study, Excuses, Selfish, The Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Easter On The Bench!" Matthew 28:1-10 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 27, 2005

“Easter on The Bench!” Matthew 28:1-10 Key verse(s) 5:“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.’” Spending Easter Sunday alone is no way to spend Easter! Yet, when you have a bad virus and don’t want to infect anyone else, it may ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Lutheran

False Teaching: Sinlessness  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jul 1, 2012

FALSE TEACHING: SINLESSNESS The Apostle John wrote: "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." Now I want to digress for a moment and address a false teaching ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Another Turkey In The Oven

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 25, 2023

What would Thanksgiving be without a turkey? I read somewhere that over 45 million turkeys are purchased during the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m unsure if that’s correct, but I believe it comes close to the mark. Thanksgiving is always my favorite time because the focus of Thanksgiving is food. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:23-24

Tags: Hearing, Turkey, Listening, Thanksgiving

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance