In Sermon Illustrations: "Missing Out"

Ministry Meltdown

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2013

MINISTRY MELTDOWN My dear friends, when life seems overwhelming, don't get busy; get help! Otherwise, you'll just wear yourself out and those around you. That's what Bob Merritt, pastor of the Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota, was doing. In a recent issue of Leadership Journal he writes about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Stress

A Mother's Search

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2015

Longing to leave her poor Brazilian neighborhood, Christina wanted to see the world. Discontent with a home having only a pallet on the floor, a washbasin, and a wood-burning stove, she dreamed of a better life in the city. One morning she slipped away breaking her mother’s heart. Knowing what ...read more

Scripture: John 10:7-10

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness, Mothers, Prodigal

Ears To Hear

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 27, 2015

I’ve done a lot of funerals in my twenty plus years of ministry, far more than I thought I would ever do. Every service touches me in a unique way and with each funeral I seem to come away with a life-lesson I needed to hear. Recently I was taught a valuable lesson as I eulogized a certain man. ...read more

Scripture: James 1:19-25

Tags: Communication, Listen, Ears, Hearing

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Mr. Schemer On The Broad Road

Contributed by David Goering on Sep 21, 2018

There was a man named Mr. Evangelist who grabbed a handful of pamphlets containing scripture verses and the good news that had transformed his very own life. off he went into the highways and byways and as he went he began to share these pamphlets with everyone that providence would put in his ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 36:2, Matthew 7:13-14

Tags: Self Righteousness, The Broad Road, Self Flattery, Self Justification

Prophecies Of The Messiah

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 21, 2020

The Bible Passes The Prophecy Test! There are literally thousands of prophetic predictions made in the Bible. Some of these prophecies are quite dramatic in nature. For instance, Isaiah mentions Cyrus the Persian King, by name, 125 years before he was born. Not a single one prophecy made in the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3

Tags: Inspiration, Inerrancy, Bible, Messiah, Christmas, Jesus, Prophecy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dna And Stained Glass

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Sep 2, 2021

Dr. Francis Collins’s credentials are impeccable: he is a physical chemist, a medical geneticist, and the former head of the Human Genome Project. He is also, by his own account, living proof that there is no conflict between science and religion.” “In 2006, he published ‘The Language of God,’ in ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:27

Tags: Creation, Dna

Denomination: Brethren

When A Thief Was Surprised At Church!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2023

When I was pastoring in Texas, something strange happened one Christmas that I will never stop laughing about. Because it was a Christmas holiday, we were at home with our family taking a break from our normal ministry schedule. We did not go to the church campus for the weekend. But, while we ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Tags: Pastors, Tithing, Robbing God, Stealing, Surprises, Church, Giving, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Proverbs On The Words That We Speak

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 18, 2024

PROVERBS ON WORDS THAT WE SPEAK The Book of Proverbs shows us the seriousness of our words before the Lord. _________________________________________ "Violence covers the mouth of the wicked" (Proverbs 10:11). "The mouth of the foolish is a present destruction" (Proverbs ...read more

Tags: Lying, Wisdom, Mouth, Words, Speech, Lips  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Observation About A Pair Of Hard Hats

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 15, 2024

Text: 2 Samuel 3:33-34, KJV: 33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? 34 Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him. Have you seen any roadside memorials? It ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 3:33-34

Tags: David, Death, Joab, Abner

Denomination: Baptist

Some Thoughts On The Death Of A Child

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 1, 2024

Introduction: The death of a loved one is never easy to bear. The death of a child is no doubt even worse. Not counting wars, murder, enslavement, or any other heinous act, there were a number of people in both the Old and New Testaments who suffered the death of a child. Thanks be to God, I have ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:22-23

Tags: David, Children, Death Of Infants

Denomination: Baptist

[033] A Message From A Poem – Belshazzar’s Time Had Ended

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 21, 2025

[033] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BELSHAZZAR’S TIME HAD ENDED The purpose of this poem is to retell the story from Daniel in poem form. There is not much to say about it for it follows the biblical narrative, but it is the last stanza that is important in defining biblical principles. God’s word ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Daniel 5:24-30

Tags: Wrath, Daniel, Judgment, Babylon, Belshazzar, Found Wanting  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[117]. A Message From A Poem – He Became Sin For Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 27, 2025

[117]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HE BECAME SIN FOR US This poem resulted from some discussion in one of the Christian forums on Isaiah 52 and 53. I was thinking into the sufferings of the Lamb upon the cross trying to capture the stark reality of that sacrificial death. Of course God blotted out ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-5, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 12:2

Tags: Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, He Became Sin For Us, Sin, Salvation, Endurance, Cross, Suffering, The Cross, Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[176]. A Message From A Poem – Lord, May I Share My Thoughts With You?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 26, 2025

[176]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LORD, MAY I SHARE MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU? This poem is exactly what it says; my thoughts that I share with God. There is so much I don’t understand and too many problems to solve, but I think we are not meant to do that. We just need simple, uncluttered faith in ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 37:28

Tags: Christian Poetry, Guide, Knowledge, Share, Desires, Thoughts  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[184]. Poem – Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who’s The Worst Of Us All?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 5, 2025

[184]. POEM MESSAGE – MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO’S THE WORST OF US ALL? This is an unusual poem I think, the name taken from the saying, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of us all?” Here we have a reflective poem and a challenging one in our personal lives. There is often so ...read more

Scripture: James 1:23, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Matthew 9:2, Revelation 12:10

Tags: Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Sin, Reflection, Shame, Disgrace, Mirrors, The Accuser, Forgiveness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[274]. A Message From A Poem – The Instincts Of Life

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 24, 2026

[274]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE INSTINCTS OF LIFE The purpose of this poem is to demonstrate the stupidity of evolution. Evolution is an excuse not to believe in God and therefore not to be accountable, but woe to the evolutionist, for a day of accountability is coming. {{Hebrews 9:27 ...read more

Scripture: John 1:3, Hebrews 9:27

Tags: Creation, Evolution, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Water Birds, Jacana, Jacana Bird, Gradual Change, Jesus Christ Created Life, Everyone Is Accountable  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[279]. A Message From A Poem – The Lord Has Made Me Perfect In His Love

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 27, 2026

[279]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE LORD HAS MADE ME PERFECT IN HIS LOVE The poem begins with the positive testimony of the Lord’s perfection and chorus. Perfection here is according to these two verses – {{Philippians 1:6 “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 3:15, Philippians 1:6

Tags: Salvation, Perfect, Perfection, New Creation, In Christ, A New Creation, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[283]. A Message From A Poem – The Lord, Our Hope, Our Joy, Our End

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 31, 2026

[283]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE LORD, OUR HOPE, OUR JOY, OUR END This is another of my earliest poems. This poem is a personal testimony to a time when I was walking in the valley of the shadow. STANZA 1 – All dark nights break forth into sunshine and my dark night looks forward to the Lord ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:2, Psalm 23:4-5, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4

Tags: Heaven, Joy, Sorrow, Dark Night, Blessings, Burdens, Valley Of The Shadow, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Was Once A Great And Noble King Whose Land ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Feb 21, 2006

There was once a great and noble King whose land was terrorized by a crafty dragon. Like a massive bird of prey, the scaly beast delighted in ravaging villages with his fiery breath. Hapless victims ran from their burning homes, only to be snatched into the dragon’s jaws or talons. Those devoured ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:2-9

Tags: Transfiguration, Transformation, Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Lutheran

The Dragon

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 26, 2007

"The Dragon" I would like to tell you a story this morning about a dragon. "There was once a great and noble King whose land was terrorized by a crafty dragon. Like a massive bird of prey, the scaly beast delighted in ravaging villages with his fiery breath. Hapless victims ran from their burning ...read more

Scripture: Mark 5:25-34

Of A Famous Person Being Filled And ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 8, 2012

Illustration of a famous person being filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit from Evangelist John Rice's book called, How Great Soul Winners Were Filled with the Holy Spirit published in 1949. He wrote this book to show how its the Holy Spirit's power which empowered the great men of faith of ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational