In Sermon Illustrations: "Love For The Church"

Angels And Demons

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Sep 24, 2010

ANGELS AND DEMONS Talk about SUSPENSE AND INTRIGUE! Subatomic anti-matter threatens the existence of Vatican city in Rome. Key Cardinals from the Roman Catholic church vanish. And it all points to the ILLUMINATI, a secret society that has re-emerged from history. I watched the movie by Dan Brown ...read more

Tags: Jesus Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Does He Show?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

DOES HE SHOW? One Sunday as they drove home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, there’s something about the preacher’s message this morning that I don’t understand." The mother said, "Oh? What is it?" The little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:20

Tags: Christian Witness

The Devil Never Takes A Day Off

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Aug 7, 2023

Not long ago, ... a minister shared... a conversation ...he had ... with one of his ...parishioners. He said that one day ... a church member ... called him up on the telephone, ... and angrily said ... I phoned you Saturday, ... but I could not get you. The pastor explained that it was his day ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:9-10, Mark 2:23-28, Exodus 34:21, Matthew 11:28

Tags: Sabbath, Rest

Denomination: Anglican

God Can Turn Evil To Good

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 26, 2023

Myra Wattinger was 40 years old and living in Pasadena, Texas when she experienced a traumatic event in her life. She was raped and then became pregnant. She did not feel that she could take care of a child, so she placed an ad in the Houston Post newspaper at the time she gave birth to a baby ...read more

Tags: Sovereignty, God's Will, Testimony, Providence, Rape, Preachers, Miracles  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do It Scared

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 20, 2025

Let me share from an email I got from the Navigators about their summer outreach with college students: “This past summer, the students had over 700 gospel conversations with strangers. From those discussions, 22 people gave their lives to Christ and were connected with local churches. For one ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15

Tags: Evangelism, Scared, Outreach

Denomination: Methodist

Respond Like Jesus

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 20, 2025

I think that God expects us to respond (not react) when the world pushes back like Jesus responded to the folks who were unable to see what He was doing. It won’t make sense. Here’s an example of what Peter’s teaching would look like in his day: “Peter is telling the Christian merchant in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15-16

Tags: Anger, Blessing Others

Denomination: Methodist

The Open Door

Contributed by Samuel Shamaun on Jan 20, 2026

A man once stood outside a house, knocking on the door. He knocked again and again, but no one answered. Finally, he noticed there was no handle on the outside of the door. The door could only be opened from the inside. This illustration reflects the way Jesus approaches our hearts. The Bible says ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:20

Tags: Salvation, Hope

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Kingdom Of God Is Like A Home

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Jul 9, 2008

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE A HOME The father and son never could get along. The boy was constantly in trouble and the father was harsh in his attempts to correct him. F: What have you done this time? S: What difference does it make? You always take the other side no matter what I say. F: If you ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Mennonite

Bitter And Resentful

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

"Bitterness is like taking poison, and waiting for the other person to die." - Malachy McCourt I once knew a woman whose heart had been broken by disappointing relationships. She became very sarcastic towards the opposite sex and could often be overheard making disparaging remarks about ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:31

Tags: Resentment, Bitterness, Bitter Root

Denomination: Charismatic

Sudden Tragedy

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” - Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha In the early hours of a January morning in Texas years ago, a man was jolted awake to a nightmare; his friend was rushing ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Tragedy, Adversity, Fire, Enduring Trials

Denomination: Charismatic

The Lost Art Of Saying Thank You

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy - because we will always want to have something else or something more.” - David Steindl-Rast Everyone likes to feel appreciated. I remember a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:17

Tags: Thanks, Unthankfulness, Gifts

Denomination: Charismatic

[286]. A Message From A Poem – The Prodigal’s Return

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 6, 2026

[286]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE PRODIGAL’S RETURN This is a most serious poem, that of a penitent Christian who sinned before the Lord and really let the flag down. Sin is so evil and so deceptive it can catch anyone out, even sincere Christians. Just recently I have written about the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 33:19, Exodus 34:6-7, Hosea 2:14

Tags: Christian Poems, A Sinning Christian, A Prodigal Returns, Gracious, Confession Of Sin, Prodigal Son, God Is Gracious, Christian Poetry, Fallen Into Sin, Forgiveness, Compassion, Repentance, Restoration  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Preacher Recalls One Such Instance During ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Oct 11, 2001

ILL. A preacher recalls one such instance during the Sunday evening service. When he finished speaking, he asked, "Is there anyone else who would like to say something?" At that, a rather dignified visitor stood up & said, "Yes, sir, I’d like to say something. This is the first time I’ve been ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Repentance, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Christmases Past  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2002

CHRISTMASES PAST Christmas was not celebrated during the 1st 2 centuries after Christ’s life on earth. In AD 245, when a group of scholars attempted to pinpoint the exact date of Christ’s birth, a church council denounced the endeavor, declaring it wrong to celebrate the birthday of Christ "as ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Birth Of Jesus

What We Can Learn From The "Lesser Knowns"

Contributed by Tom Mccrossan on Jan 21, 2004

What We Can Learn From the "Lesser Knowns" The media makes note of the well-known celebrities who die, and this year there is quite a long, sad list: John Ritter. Fred Rogers. Johnny Cash. June Carter Cash. Bob Hope. David Brinkley. Gregory Peck. Katharine Hepburn. Buddy Hackett. Buddy Ebsen. But ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Funerals Christian, Forgiveness General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

When My Family Lived In Kentucky I Was A Small ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2004

When my family lived in Kentucky I was a small boy. During blackberry season Dad would walk down the mountain after working all day inside the Mary Alice mine. As he walked down he would pick blackberries. I remember waiting out back of our coal mining camp house watching Dad coming down the ...read more

The Cast Of Your Misfortune!" 1 Peter 5: 1-10 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 19, 2004

“The Cast of Your Misfortune!” 1 Peter 5: 1-10 Key verse(s): 9: “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kin do sufferings.” One of the loneliest times in anyone’s life is when suffering strikes and it puts you into ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-10

Tags: Endurance, God In The Hardships

Denomination: Lutheran

A Missionary On Furlough Told This True Story ...

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on May 27, 2005

A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in Michigan..... "While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. This was a journey of two days and required camping overnight ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Church Of God

The Gospel Came To Hawaii During The Period In ...  PRO

Contributed by Rick Bartosik on Oct 18, 2005

The Gospel came to Hawaii during the period in American history called "The Second Great Awakening" (1785-1820). Henry Opukaha’ia was the first Hawaiian Christian. In the late 1700s his entire family was killed during a tribal war on the shores of Kealakakua Bay on the Big Island. As he fled from ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Evangelism Urgency, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Erwin Mcmanus Says, "Truth Exists Because God Is ...

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Jan 22, 2006

Erwin McManus says, “Truth exists because God is trustworthy. The biblical understanding of truth is that all truth comes from God. Our experience of an objective reality is the result of the very character and nature of God. The integrity of the cosmos is an extension of the personhood of its ...read more

Tags: Truth Absolute

Denomination: Methodist