In Sermon Illustrations: "Making A Difference"

When I Was In The Military Ministry I Knew A ...  PRO

Contributed by Edward Williamson on Nov 6, 2006

When I was in the military ministry I knew a retiree friend that worked at a local antique shop. I ran into him at a local furniture store one day and he proceeded to tell me the secrets to separating the true antiques from the clever reproductions. He showed me a four drawer dresser and he ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31

Tags: Authenticity

Denomination: Baptist

Muhammad Ali Today Is Called The Greatest. But ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 26, 2002

Muhammad Ali today is called the greatest. But it hasn’t always been that way. He became the greatest in the eyes of the world over the last 40 years. Muhammad Ali used to “float like a butterfly” and “sting like a bee”. He dazzled crowds with his amazing ability to dodge a punch while he used a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:31-34, Romans 1:24

Tags: Leadership General, Hope

Karl Loved To Follow His Dad Around. From An ...  PRO

Contributed by Johnny Creasong on Apr 15, 2004

Karl loved to follow his dad around. From an early age, Hirschel always found young Karl at his heels. The shelves of books in Hirschel’s Law study fascinated young Karl and the lad quizzed His dad to annoyance. The book Hirschel seemed to love the most was the Torah, the Hebrew Book of Law. ...read more

Tags: Parenting

Denomination: Church Of God

The Cluttered Closet

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jul 19, 2008

THE CLUTTERED CLOSET Mark 12:29-31 Object: Picture of a cluttered closet Objective: Sometimes we must take the time to pull all the "stuff" out of the closet and go through it piece by piece if we want to bring order to chaos. In my house there is a closet that I call the "junk closet." This ...read more

Tags: Commandments General

Denomination: Nazarene

Statements From Actual Resumes And Job ...

Contributed by Dean O'bryan on Jul 23, 2008

Statements from actual resumes and job applications – ones you might want to file these under the category of “what not to use” on a resume or application. First this one – it was under the “qualifications” line on a resume. “I was wholly responsible for two failed financial institutions.” That ...read more

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Baptist

Good Soldiers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2008

GOOD SOLDIERS I am told as a young man Winston Churchhill was in a heated battle. The war planes were dropping bombs all around the soldiers assignments. Several died, but many were running away and hiding and not following commands. One soldier ran past Winston Churchhill. The soldier asked if ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Attitude Can Be Changed Simply By Humbly Coming ...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Jensen on Oct 24, 2008

Attitude can be changed simply by humbly coming to God, ready to receive what He offers, even if it's not the answer we expected. The story is told of an old man who lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early sitting at the ...read more

Tags: Attitude General

Denomination: Lutheran

M ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2008

Materialism Matthew Sleeth is a medical doctor who wrote a provocative book called "Serve God Save the Planet." Dr. Sleeth was a former emergency room doctor and chief of medical staff at a prominent hospital in the northeast. He writes about a colleague named Todd. I think Todd represents the ...read more

Tags: Materialism

What Does God's Voice Sound Like?  PRO

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Feb 4, 2009

WHAT DOES GOD'S VOICE SOUND LIKE? Erwin McManus, a pastor in Los Angeles, tells a great story about recognizing God's voice. My son, Aaron, was five or six when he began asking me, "What does God's voice sound like?" I didn't know how to answer. A few years later, Aaron went off to his first ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-21

Tags: Hard Heart, Dealing With Conflicts

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Brother's Brother

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

BROTHER’S BROTHER Robert Hingson is a physician, an anesthesiologist, working out of Pittsburgh. A Baptist layman, he got interested in the plight of the diseased peoples of the world. He found out that thousands of the world’s children are dying from a host of contagious diseases. So Bob Hingson ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:9

Tags: Christian Love

Food Safety Quiz

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Sep 22, 2009

FOOD SAFETY QUIZ In our Scripture this morning, we see that Peter has a vision where a blanket full of different kinds of food and a voice announces, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replies. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." Peter is very careful about what ...read more

Tags: Disciplines Fasting

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Charlie Brown Learns The Hard Way That Lucy ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2009

Charlie Brown Learns The Hard Way that Lucy Didn’t Repent Repenting means changing our minds about who God is. Secondly: repenting means changing our minds about the way we live our lives. If God is all powerful and all caring and all loving, then it’s in my best interests to live a life that’s ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:15

Tags: Repentance

Receiving Confirmation For A Significant Event Or ...

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Dec 19, 2009

Receiving confirmation for a significant event or activity is often important. When I was in the South African Air Force serving as an Air Traffic Controller, I used to tease the permanent force guys mercilessly. At a certain time each year they would receive news of promotions and new assignments. ...read more

Tags: Prophecy

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Opening Thought Of Where This Sermon Idea ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Mar 15, 2010

Opening thought of where this sermon idea originated: I was sitting in a local coffee shop reading my daily devotional when I overheard three older ladies discussing their children. The one lady was upset that her granddaughter was moving in with another young man and not even contemplating ...read more

Tags: Sin General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Heaviest Loads

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 30, 2011

THE HEAVIEST LOADS N. T. Wright, in writing about this passage (Mt 23:1-12), tells the story of trying to prepare for a hiking and camping trip. He went to an outfitter who took him around the store showing him everything he would need. The salesman recommended a good sleeping bag and a durable ...read more

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Methodist

How Does God See Our Worship?

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Oct 17, 2022

Because Adam and Eve sinned against God, we note from the end of Genesis 3 that they were banished from the perfect Garden of Eden, where God provided everything for them. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden to now labor for their day to day needs. In the Garden of Eden work was a delight; ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-7

Tags: Worship, God, Heart, Confession, Rebellion, Yielding  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Bible Reading And "the Power Of 4"

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 22, 2024

Why study the Bible? There was a recent study by the Center for Bible Engagement (2009) where they polled 40000 people from the general population in the US. From eight to eighty. They just wanted to see how we were engaging with scripture. They discovered something that became the profound ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 119:9-16, Hebrews 2:1

Tags: Spiritually Stagnant, Scripture Memorization, Discipling Others, Risky Teen Behaviour, Anger, Bitterness, Loneliness, Bible Reading, Sharing Your Faith, Teens, Evangelism, Pornography  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[032] A Message From A Poem – Before The Lord We Are His

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 21, 2025

[032] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BEFORE THE LORD WE ARE HIS To start with I want to say that all my poems are copyright in the sense that I own them and don’t want them altered without permission. All my poems God gave and therefore can be used in your ministry or for your enjoyment. I wish the ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 19:16, Philippians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Tags: Savior, King, Poetry, New Bodies, The Rapture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[066]. A Message From A Poem – Easter Thoughts 2024

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 27, 2025

This poem focuses on the Easter Story and covers the crucifixion and the resurrection. Of course the story is not complete without the Lord coming again and the last stanza features that. Each stanza deals with a different feature of the Saviour’s life that passion weekend. God’s love could ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:30-31, John 3:16-17, Acts 4:12, Romans 6:10

Tags: Easter, Crucifixion, It Is Finished, Death Of Christ, Crowned With Thorns, Resurrection, Believe, Salvation, Poetry, Golgotha, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[313]. A Message From A Poem - Thoughts From Psalm 1

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 18, 2026

[314]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THOUGHTS FROM PSALM 1 Psalm 1 is a most important Psalm as it is the gateway to the Psalms. It draws the lines. The righteous and wicked are what the Psalms deal with, and that is underpinned by Psalm 1. The Psalm is a wonder in creation. It is simple yet ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:12, Psalm 1:6, Jeremiah 21:8

Tags: Righteous, Two Ways, Wicked, Christian Poetry, The Way Of Life, Christian Poems, Way Of Death  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational