In Sermon Illustrations: "Mark Chapter 4 Verses 35 Through 31"

What's Wrong With Slandering Someone?

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Aug 29, 2014

I was speaking with someone this past week who has spent a great deal of his life travelling around the world, much of it for a mission agency. He spoke of a time when he visited an extremely remote, forested part of India where people live very primitively. He stayed there for a while. This fellow ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-7, 2 Peter 1:5

Tags: Godly Character, Transparency

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jack Hyles- Back In World War Ii, I Was A Pa...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 19, 2015

Jack Hyles- Back in World War II, I was a paratrooper. I used to jump out of airplanes. We jumped out of airplanes called C-47’s. After the war was over, I got on a plane, and they said, "Welcome aboard Delta Airlines DC-3 plane." I felt at home on that plane. We got up in the air, and I asked ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:9

Tags: Conversion, Turning Point, Turning To God, Turning

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Where Will You Be?

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Sep 23, 2019

Where Will You Be? When the clouds burst open where will you be? Will there be joy in your heart when Jesus you see? Will you be running to hide from His face Or standing there with your head hanging in disgrace/ It surely is coming and the time is near at hand When Jesus comes to take his ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:12

Tags: Death, Rapture, Great White Throne, Bema

Denomination: Baptist

Obedience

Contributed by Anitha Jabastion on Jan 2, 2021

There was a boy who went trekking on the mountain. He reached a great height when he realized that it was getting dark and he had to reach the bottom soon. He began climbing down. It was getting darker and darker, so dark that he could barely see. He was somehow managing to get down the mountain ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22

Tags: Obedience, Listening To God

How Hard Do You Prepare For Sermons?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

Howard Hendricks shares this insight about the value of preparing and study for sermons... " When I was a college student—I worked in the college dining hall, and on my way to work at 5:30 am. every morning I walked past the home of one of my professors. Through a window I could see the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Sermons, Shepherding, Feeding The Flock, Sermon Preparation, Studying The Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Witness Barber

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021

There was a barber that thought that he should share his faith with his customers more than he had been doing lately. So the next morning when the sun came up and the barber got up out of bed he said, "Today I am going to witness to the first man that walks through my door." Soon after ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15

Tags: Evangelism, Witness

Denomination: Methodist

Love Is Like Candy

Contributed by John Bright on May 22, 2021

I’m talking about love that is a real, tangible – like candy! Since you are watching on video (or reading this at home), you will have to imagine I have a big bag of Hershey Kisses right here. I have LOTS OF CANDY! So - I can claim to be full of candy. What if this candy is the love we have to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Love, Enemies

Denomination: Methodist

Cycles Of Dying Churches

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 16, 2022

Almost all churches go through “lifecycles” - they start with a MAN, a visionary leader has a passion to to accomplish a God-given Vision -- then they become a MOVEMENT. At this stage the people are nearly 100% committed. They spend time together at each other’s homes and in Bible studies. Then ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Tags: Dying Churches, Church, Revival, Seven Churches

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Moving Story Of A Godly Father

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 13, 2023

Hear our Lords Words: BIBLE Be merciful ... even as your Father (in Heaven) is merciful. END (Luke 6:36) Some time ago ... I heard a touching story .... about a humble, ... consecrated pastor ... whose young son had become.... Extremely ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:36, Proverbs 1:8, Matthew 6:1-18

Tags: Father, Father's Day, Salvation, Godly

Denomination: Anglican

You Are Your Own Worst Enemy.

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jun 26, 2023

"Cain slew Abel, but Cain’s worst enemy was himself". - R E Neighbour “There is an old Icelandic legend that contains its own lesson. There was a man who was constantly pursued by a terrible spirit which took the form of a dwarf. His grain ricks were fired, his barns unroofed, his ...read more

Tags: Offerings, Enemies, Murder, Self, Hate, Cain, Abel, Blood Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Encounters With Christ

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Oct 13, 2023

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon interprets part of Micah’s prophecy to refer to pre-New-Testament sightings of Jesus. He gives the examples of Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, and the three heroes of Babylonian Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Observe for a moment here, that each of these four great ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 32:24, Revelation 22:9, Daniel 3:25, Joshua 5:14, Genesis 18:22, Micah 2:13, Micah 5:2-4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Duty, Crisis, Courage

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Little Things Can Be Big Problems

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 6, 2024

Richard Conniff writes in National Geographic that on January 12, 1997, two Swiss men, Bertrand Piccard and Wim Verstraeten, set out to be the first to CIRCLE THE EARTH in a balloon. Their aircraft was called the Breitling Orbiter, and it was high-tech masterpiece, complete with solar power panels ...read more

Tags: Words, Tongue, Small Things, Mouth

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

George W. Bush Meets Moses!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 22, 2024

George W. Bush was walking through an airport last week, when he saw an old man with white hair, a long white beard, wearing a long white robe and holding a staff. He walked up to the man, who was staring at the ceiling, and "Excuse me sir, aren't you Moses?" The man stood perfectly ...read more

Tags: Moses, Wilderness, Miracles, Voice Of God, Burning Bush  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Miraculous Story Of Forgiveness

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 12, 2024

Scottish soldiers, forced by their Japanese captors to labor on a jungle railroad, had degenerated to barbarous behavior, but one afternoon something miraculous happened. A shovel was missing. The officer in charge became enraged. He demanded that the missing shovel be produced, or else. When ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:28-32

Tags: Atonement, Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Cross, Unconditional Love, Death Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Amazing Grace

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

Amazing Grace Paul wrote of a higher righteousness that comes from God himself and never depends on our doings. Whenever we know that righteousness of God firsthand, it always changes our lives. One man tells that one day he blundered into an affair with someone else’s wife. He was weak and ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-16

Tags: Higher Righteousness, Amazing Grace

Denomination: Anglican

Luther: Asleep In Christ

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 1, 2025

(Martin Luther quotes about death.) “What is our death but a night’s sleep? For as through sleep all weariness and faintness pass away… so at the Last Day we shall rise again as if we had only slept a night.” Source: It’s widely reproduced in quotation databases such as AZ Quotes and Luther’s ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, John 11:25

Tags: Hope, Resurrection

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Building Bridges

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 8, 2026

WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE, 1860 TO 1934. She wrote over 7,500 poems and 5,000 essays. Her works are recorded in 13 books. My Dad, Wade M. Hughes (1931) committed this poem to memory and would often use it when speaking to leaders. I love this poem. ***THE BRIDGE BUILDER AN OLD MAN, GOING DOWN A LONE ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:6-12, Philippians 4:11-13

Tags: Bridge, Build

Denomination: Assembly Of God

[105]. A Message From A Poem – Godliness With Contentment Is Great Gain

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 8, 2025

[105]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN This is a one off for me in this particular style. I had in mind to write a song and got this far. The lyrics are not a problem, just the tunes. This poem would be a song for more than one singer as I see the parts in the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:5-7, 1 Timothy 6:11, Hebrews 13:5, 2 Corinthians 12:10

Tags: Christian Poems, Godliness, Contentment, Gain, Materialism, Difficulty, Christian Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Won’t Ask What Kind Of Car You ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Gibson on Nov 23, 2000

1. God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation. 2. God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home. 3. God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your ...read more

Tags: Second Coming, Judgment, Love Of The Disciples, Apologetics General

Denomination: *other

Overcomers  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on Feb 6, 2003

Overcomers 1. Johnny Fulton was run over by a car at the age of three. He suffered crushed hips, broken ribs, a fractured skull, and compound fractures in his legs. It did not look as if he would live. But he would not give up. In fact, he later ran the half-mile in less than two minutes. 2. Walt ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment, Endurance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ