In Sermon Illustrations: "Living Hope"

Tumbleweeds And Mesquite Trees  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 17, 2011

TUMBLEWEEDS AND MESQUITE TREES Have you seen those old movies about the wild West? Near the end, the good guy and the bad guy stand facing each other at opposite ends of the only street in town. The local folks, knowing what will happen, clear the street. They slam doors and shutter windows. The ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-4

Tags: Bible Study, Delight

Denomination: Baptist

Made In His Image  PRO

Contributed by Bret Toman on Jan 31, 2012

MADE IN HIS IMAGE In 1940 the Battle of Britain took place in the skies over England. Day after day hundreds of German bombers delivered to the targets below a cargo of death and destruction. The only thing stopping the certain defeat of the allies in western Europe was the Royal Air Force, whose ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Baptist

There Is Good In All

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

THERE IS GOOD IN ALL Norman Vincent Peale tells the story of one Christmas when he was 15 and his father, a physician turned minister, received a call from a brothel in the red light district. The madam had a girl who was dying and was calling for a minister. Quietly, his father explained to his ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

An Unusual Baptism On The Mission Field  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2012

AN UNUSUAL BAPTISM ON THE MISSION FIELD Some time back, a retired missionary dropped by our church. She had served faithfully in Africa, and one day, she happened upon a small baptismal service. A fellow missionary took three new converts to the center of a shallow river, and dug a hole in the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:3-5, John 16:12-15

Tags: Baptism

Moody And The Filling Of The Spirit  PRO

Contributed by Ken Pell on May 27, 2012

MOODY AND THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT One of the great preachers in U.S. history is D. L. Moody. He pastored in Chicago and there is still a wonderful Bible College there that bears his name and values. Mr. Moody was a successful minister, but by his own admission, he lacked the power in his ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 33:1-22

Tags: Pentecost, Blessing, Esau, Isaac, Curse, Spoken Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Nazarene

The Basis Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2012

THE BASIS OF ACCEPTANCE Oprah Winfrey said, “I discovered I didn’t feel worthy of love unless I was accomplishing something. I suddenly realized I have never felt I could be loved for just being.” Madonna said, “My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. That’s always been ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:7

Tags: Fear And Worry

Treat Each Other Like The Answer To A Prayer  PRO

Contributed by Dave Clark on Dec 11, 2012

TREAT EACH OTHER LIKE THE ANSWER TO A PRAYER I can still see one of the great provokers in my life. I met her on a work trip to Kentucky. Our youth group was working on a woman’s house, but it wasn’t very much fun. We hated where we were. Porches and front yards littered with old cars, sofas ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:43-48, Acts 10:30-33

Tags: Prayer Of Faith

Denomination: Disciples Of Christ

Can You Hear The Cries Of Loneliness?

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 3, 2013

CAN YOU HEAR THE CRIES OF LONELINESS? A Story from Max Lucado: In the summer of 1980 a story about an attractive girl who was young and successful stirred the US. The story broke the evening news with the headline; Judith Bucknell was dead -- it was number one hundred and six that year in the ...read more

Tags: Suffering Loneliness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Conversion Account Of St. Augustine

Contributed by Matthew Redder on Sep 21, 2018

The story of Augustine's conversion is an inspiring and amazing one. In my opinion it is a miraculous account of God grabbing the attention of Augustine and speaking directly into his heart through the power of a perfectly timed scripture. This could be a great illustration about the power of the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:13-14, Revelation 12:11, Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 119:9, Romans 3:23, Galatians 5:24, Ephesians 4:22-24  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Put On Christ, Miraculous, Power Of The Word, Conversion Of Augustine, Bible, Romans, Conversion, Testimony, Indulgence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When God Shows Up

Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Feb 3, 2019

I just finished reading a book called, “The Shack.” I read it about ten years ago, and something made me read it again, and I’m so glad I did. I commend it to you as a book that captures the very essence of a God who wants nothing more than to have a loving relationship with you. What an incredible ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-8

Tags: Humility, The Shack, God Shows Up, Miracle, Sacred In The Ordinary, Sacred In Secular  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Satan Want's To Fill You With Sin

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

Deep Implanted Sin (Eph.:10-13) Illus. The enemy leader is in his command center discussing his battle strategy with those under his command. The enemy is very upset about the latest move by the rebellion forces. They have been attacking in vital areas. Never in this struggle has the rebellion ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:10-13

Tags: Sin, Deception

Denomination: Pentecostal

Unforgettable Bombs - All We Can Do Is Pray?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Sep 30, 2019

Elmer Bendiner, a crewmember in a World War II B-17 bomber, the Tondalayo, was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion, the gas tanks were hit. Later Elmer reflected on the miracle of a 20 mm shell piercing the fuel tank without touching ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11, James 5:15, Psalm 34:15

Tags: Prayer, Power In Prayer, Intersession, Watchman Prayer

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Symbols Of The Bible In Scripture

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 4, 2021

The Bible identifies itself through several clear metaphors and similes. These symbols serve the purpose of helping us understand what the Bible is and what it can do in our lives. Let’s examine of a few of those symbols today. 1. A Mirror - James 1:23-25 - As a mirror the Word of God perfectly ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Peter 1:21

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Word Of God, Sword Of The Spirit, Symbols  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Callous, Cold And Conniving Or Restored, Revived And Redeemed?

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 23, 2021

(Presented on weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day before the invitation hymn, hymn of decision) Unlike Jesus, David was not sinless on his way to the wilderness or in the wilderness but he is described as a man after God’s own heart. Something David did that was good is that he attended a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19

Tags: Culture, Racism, Civil Rights, Prophetic Zeal

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Zordak - The Resurrection

Contributed by Samuel Young on Apr 7, 2021

I am Zordak, Jesus’ guardian angel. I want to tell you the story of Jesus. Jesus had died and laid in the grave. I was very sad. There were one hundred Roman soldiers and whole army of evil angels guarding the grave. But Sunday morning is coming… It was still dark. The dew was still on the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 27:62-66, Matthew 28:2, Luke 24:1-44

Tags: Easter, Resurrection

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

The Humanity Of Christ In Scripture

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 6, 2022

The result of the virgin birth is that God became a man. He was born like a man. He lived like a man. He died like a man. In the Gospels, Jesus Christ exhibits all the signs of being human. But He was God wrapped in flesh (John 1:14). • He had a human parentage – Luke 1:31; Gal. 4:4. • He had a ...read more

Tags: Virgin Birth, Humanity Of Christ, Jesus, Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Commitment Or Surrender What's The Difference

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Jun 26, 2023

Adrian Rogers tells the story of his meeting with Josef T’son who had suffered greatly under communism. Adrian said: “Josef, tell me about American Christianity.” Josef responded: “Adrian, I had rather not.” “No, I want to know.” “Well, Adrian, since you have asked me, I’ll tell you. The key ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:9

Tags: Commitment, Serving Christ, Surrender

Denomination: Baptist

Epiphany

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Jan 11, 2025

When I was in High School, I had a teacher named Miss Mary Bartram. She taught English and Literature. One day she read a poem to us by Robert Frost, entitled “The Road Not Taken”. She read it with such commitment and passion that I believe she changed a lot of lives that day, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Tags: Faith, Choice

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[199]. A Message From A Poem – On Stony Shores

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 13, 2025

[199]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – ON STONY SHORES This is a short poem and I do not wish to add to it. I live close to the beach and the rainforest. Some beaches in the tropics here have a lot of smooth rocks on them, basalt in origin from past volcanic activity. In the tropical rainforest you ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:7-8, Psalm 1:3

Tags: Planted By The Water, Rocky, Streams Of Water, Christian Poems, Tropical Rainforest, Stony, Waters Of Life, Stream, Refreshment  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Acts 16:16-34 Background:

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 29, 2025

Acts 16:16-34 Background: In today's Scripture, Paul and his mission team were in the city of Philippi. They had been guided to that region by a God-given vision. And people were responding to the good news about Jesus Christ. *But then a young slave girl began to follow the team around. ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:16-34

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

Denomination: Baptist