In Sermon Illustrations: "Meeting Needs"

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

Everything Looks Different

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” - Thornton Wilder It was the anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union when he got the call from Moscow. Some of the Russian oil companies had abandoned their wells, left their rigs with the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:34

Tags: Work, Daily Living, Family Priorities

Denomination: Charismatic

Faith

Contributed by John Hardwick on Aug 1, 2015

Faith, as a mustard seed, is when it’s raining enough to need the windshield wipers once a minute, but not enough to set it on auto. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Faith, Amazing Love

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Death

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Feb 29, 2016

IN LATE WINTER DURING THE FIFTY-NINTH YEAR of his life, John Donne braved the weather and rough roads of the English countryside to keep his final preaching engagement before the king in London. He had spent most of that winter, what would be his last, battling “consumption,” and on several ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Tags: Death, Dying

Denomination: Baptist

The Lights Along The Shore

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Jul 9, 2017

The Lights Along the Shore To me, lighthouses are among the most charming of man-made structures. Their unique and essential purpose makes each one a thing of exquisite beauty. Seafarers seeking a haven on a stormy night find a beam from the shore as precious as life itself. Perhaps Philip ...read more

Scripture: John 1:3-7, John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:5, John 3:19-21, Malachi 4:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Navigation, Light, Sea, Harbor, Light And Darkness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sold: Ten Percent Of Apple Computer For $800

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Mar 25, 2018

I’d like to begin this morning with a story. It involves these men [photo of Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs]. You probably recognize them: Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. The two men who founded Apple Computer. Right? Well, no, actually that’s not completely accurate. Here is a photo of the original ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-20

Tags: Perseverance In Faith, Treasure In Heaven

Denomination: Baptist

Caterpillar And Butterfly

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 8, 2019

Robert J. Morgan in PREACHER’S SOURCEBOOK OF CREATIVE SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS tells of the story… Seems there was an enemy that had a beautiful princess trapped in his palace tower. The strong, handsome knight loved his princess so much and he wanted to do a surprise attack and free his princess ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:23-24

Tags: Attitudes, Better Vs Bitter

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Do Not Hinder Prayer

Contributed by James Dina on Jul 19, 2020

Do not hinder prayer. Those that live without prayer in the world, live without God in their lives. “Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name.” (Jeremiah 10:25). To restrain prayer is worse than not to pray. The latter indicate only ...read more

Scripture: Job 15:4-5, Psalm 60:11, Psalm 51:15, Matthew 12:37, Isaiah 50:4, James 3:8  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith, Prayer, Words, Tongue, Hypocrite, Hinder  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

He Who Has The Son Has It All

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 31, 2020

I wrote this at the end of 2014 Fourteen years from the Millennium seemed a long time and now we are into a new year – again!! I have spent much of last week preparing to lead a pilgrimage to Israel – a new experience for me. And with the new it is good to recall the old. Our Gospel reading is ...read more

Tags: Art Collector, Auctioneer

Denomination: Anglican

Forgiveness

Contributed by Steve Malone on Feb 3, 2021

It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavyset man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken, moving along the rows of wooden chairs to the door at the rear. It was 1947 and I had come from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Tags: Hurt, Forgiveness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Unsung Heroes: Joseph’s Servant

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 12, 2021

Introduction: At the time of this story, Joseph was second in command only to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph’s brothers had come a year or so before this to buy grain; now, that grain was gone and they came back to purchase some more. But they were in for a surprise once they came in contact ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 43:16-25, Luke 17:6-10

Tags: Joseph, Stewards, Servants, Unsung Heroes

Denomination: Baptist

I Don't Believe In Hell

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Jul 5, 2023

Illustration: “I don’t believe in Hell.” The fact that a lot of people have a tough time believing in a literal Hell was brought home to me in a very meaningful way. When I pastored in Chino, CA we lived in a parsonage right next to the Church. I soon noticed that a certain man was walking up ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:28, Mark 9:43-45, Luke 16:23

Tags: Hell, Salvation, Facing Death

Denomination: Baptist

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: Laban, "Why Did You Steal My Gods?”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 23, 2024

Introduction: Let me say first of all that the Bible is a very sacred Book, not to be trifled with. It’s precious and untold numbers of believers have given their lives to simply have and read it, let alone defend it against any number of attacks. Having said that, there are a number of places ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 31:26-30

Tags: Laban, Idols, Teraphim, Jacob, Rachel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[102]. A Message From A Poem – God Sends No One To Hell

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 9, 2025

[102]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GOD SENDS NO ONE TO HELL The Introduction for this poem is longer than average. So as not to be misunderstood, the title of the poem does not mean God has no control over hell. He certainly does but just so that you don’t miss the message of the poem, I need to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:4, Revelation 19:20, Matthew 25:41, Isaiah 30:33, John 3:16, Mark 9:47-48, Revelation 20:14, Matthew 25:31  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Hell, Gehenna, Lazarus, Poetry, Sheep And Goats, The Second Coming, The Lake Of Fire, Christian Poems, Wheat And The Tares  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[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

[121]. A Message From A Poem – From Where Did God Originate?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 5, 2025

[121]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FROM WHERE DID GOD ORIGINATE? The real title of this poem is HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS, AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER but the title is too long for SermonCentral to accept, so I changed the title. This is a dialogue poem. There are 4 speakers. Speaker 1 is a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:16-17, Colossians 2:20-23

Tags: Existence Of God, Rationalist, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Jesus, Atheist, All Things, Agnostic, Gnostics, Gnosticism, Christian, Creation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[237 B]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 2

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Nov 1, 2025

[237 B]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 2 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:26-39, Luke 15:11-32, John 2:1-11, Luke 10:38-42, Matthew 14:22-31, Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Christian Poems, Poetry Reading, Barley Loaves, Mary At The Tomb, Parables, Nicodemus, Temptation Of Christ, Stories, The Sower, Christian Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[237 J] [10]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 10

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 12, 2025

[237 J] [10]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 10 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13, Luke 4:38-39, Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 10:29-37, Matthew 3:7, Matthew 12:33-37, Matthew 11:7-15  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Herod The Edomite, Murderer, The Magi, The Good Samaritan, The Wise Men, Brood Of Vipers, Mother In Law Of Peter, Pharisees, Sadducees, John The Baptist, Levite, Fever, Jesus Heals, Wilderness, Herod  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[237 K] [11]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 11

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 12, 2025

[237 K] [11]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 11 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13, Matthew 21:1-9, Matthew 22:23-32, John 9:1-41, Matthew 7:7-12, Matthew 6:22-23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wash In Pool Of Siloam, Jesus Enters Jerusalem, Good Gifts, Fish, Man Born Blind, Clarity, Knock, Eyes, Lamp Of The Body, Receive, Darkness, Colt, Palm Sunday, Ask, Seek, Light, Marriage, Sin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[267]. A Message From A Poem – The God Of Circumstances

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 17, 2026

[267]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE GOD OF CIRCUMSTANCES Among my favourite sayings, there are two that are special to me. One is, “What God desires from us is Faithfulness and Commitment.” The other one is, “Our God is a God of Circumstances.” It is this second one that the poem is built ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 121:7-8, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:11-13

Tags: All The Way, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Fortunate, Led By God, Circumstances, Leading, Lucky, Chances, Savior  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational