In Sermon Illustrations: "One God"

Willie Stargell And The Pittsburgh Pirates' Family

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 2, 2023

Teammates of the late Willie Stargell called him "Pops" because of his leadership both on and off the baseball field. In 1979, when Stargell led the Pittsburgh Pirates to their second World Series title, the team was nicknamed "The Family" because of their close relationship and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-11, Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Prejudice, Diversity, Body Of Christ, Baseball, Family Of God, Love, Fellowship, Holy Spirit, Team, Unity  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Let Me Tell You A Story From Alberta History: ...  PRO

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on Dec 12, 2002

Let me tell you a story from Alberta history: Cree Chief Maskepetoon met Rev. Robert Rundle, and at their first meeting declared "I will never become a Christian as long as there are horses to steal and scalps to take." Nevertheless Maskepetoon became a staunch friend to Rundle and his attitude ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:20

Tags: Christian Liberty, Anxiety, Forgiveness General, God's Image, Prayer, Moving Forward, Supplication  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[264]. A Message From A Poem – The Facts Of Life

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 14, 2026

[264]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE FACTS OF LIFE This is a simple enough poem but it contains important information. I have called it “The Facts of Life,” not the normally understood application of that term, but the facts pertinent to the Christian life lived here on earth. The poem is in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 15:7

Tags: Living For Jesus, The Glory Of God, Walking With The Lord, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, The Facts Of Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

As I Was Growing Up With A Younger Brother And ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard Goble on Oct 30, 2007

As I was growing up with a younger brother and sister, one of our favorite games to play was baseball. We had a plastic bat and ball, and we would team up with some of the neighborhood kids and play ball in the back yard. On one particular occasion my mom took our bat away from us because we were ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:16-21

Tags: Forgiveness, Blood, Satan, Giving, Selfless, Care, Regeneration, Sacrificial, Young Men, Fear Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[140]. A Message From A Poem – In Despair But Not Alone

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 23, 2025

[140]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – IN DESPAIR BUT NOT ALONE There is some personal sorrow in this poem and some of the poem’s content comes from experience, not a pleasant one. When writing this – a task that was difficult because of the way I used the rhyme scheme – I appealed to the Psalms and my ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 64:2-7, Psalm 38:12, Psalm 141:10, Psalm 35:7-8, Matthew 5:43-44, Psalm 31:4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Enemies, Nets, Christian Poetry, God Helps Us, Alone, Help, Despair, Net, Snare  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[189]. A Message From A Poem – Lord, Wash Not Only My Feet

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 6, 2025

[189]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LORD, WASH NOT ONLY MY FEET This poem has its setting on the Passover night and it is this incident – {{John 13:3-10 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, rose from supper ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:26, John 13:3-10

Tags: Christian Poems, Clean, Disciples, Cleansing, Foot Washing, Hand Washing, The Word Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On Sept 16, 1620 2 Ships Set Sail From Plymouth ...  PRO

Contributed by Steve Malone on Nov 13, 2001

On Sept 16, 1620 2 ships set sail from Plymouth Englnad, The Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell encountered much difficulty as they began their journey springing many leaks in the ship. So when the 2 ships went to Port in Plymouth England, the Speedwell decided to go no further and 42 ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11, John 18:1-11, Isaiah 58:6

Tags: Character, Believe, God's Sovereign Will, God's Provision, Healing, Honor, Joy, Impatience, Integrity, Patience, Power, Light, Love, Respect, Restore, Thanksgiving Holiday, Trust, Unite, Wait, Water, Worship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

[049]. A Message From A Poem – Christmas With The Shepherds

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 7, 2025

[049]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTMAS WITH THE SHEPHERDS This is a very simple poem. I was asked to write a poem for Christmas by a friend who was doing religious instruction at a school and it is aimed at younger children. Although I do not agree with the trappings of Christmas as ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Tags: Poetry, Poem, Shepherds, Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Stand By Me

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 13, 2024

STAND BY ME I played the video of the song, "Stand By Me" by Home Free in a recent worship service right before I came up to preach. Our people wondered: "Pastor Larry, why play a secular song for a Sunday morning service??" Maybe I need to share what I discovered about the ...read more

Tags: God's Promises, Hymns, Friends, Songs, Black Spirituals, Gospel Songs, Marriage, Support, Loyalty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[086]. A Message From A Poem – For All Christians - The Three Rs

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 22, 2025

[086]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR ALL CHRISTIANS - THE THREE Rs There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the second one in the second set ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:17-18, Romans 5:10-11, Luke 1:68, Ephesians 1:7

Tags: Righteousness, Poetry, Relationship, Poems, Reconciliation, Redemption  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Doesn't Go To Church

Contributed by Coz Von on Jul 25, 2018

I met Jesus at a conference of Christian managers. But his story is a little out of the ordinary. The conference was hosted in a beautiful facility in Dallas, Texas, and the organizers had done a fantastic job at putting together a good program. We had great meetings and warm fellowship, and I ...read more

Tags: His Bride, The Bride Of Christ, Church, Body, The Body Of Christ, The Body, The House Of God, His Church  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There Are Advantages To Being Able To See. For ...  PRO

Contributed by Howard Flynn on May 17, 2001

There are advantages to being able to see. For example, when I was a seminary student, I went to apply for a driver license. The clerk at the Department of Motor Vehicles asked me to read a line on the eye chart. I responded by reading a series of what I thought the correct letters were. To this, ...read more

Tags: Display, Honor, Kingdom Of God, Holy Spirit Attributes, Love Of The Disciples, Lord, Relationships  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Adventist

Not The Gift, But The Giver  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on Apr 9, 2002

NOT THE GIFT, BUT THE GIVER A man told a story about the time his son’s sixth birthday was approaching. He had mentioned he wouldn’t mind a party, and as his son usually was very specific about the kind of presents he liked. The dad asked him what he could get him. Bill expected a well-planned ...read more

Tags: Church Practices, Blessing, Father, Father's Day, Giving, Relationships, Parenting, Worship God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Flag And The Cross

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 1, 2020

Symbols evoke feelings of adoration or hatred. In this election year, the elephant and donkey mean different things to different people. Let's talk about a symbol that all Americans should be able to adore. In 1813 General Armistead commissioned Mary Pickersgill to make a huge flag that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-24, Galatians 6:14, Colossians 2:15

Tags: Patriotic, Cross, Power Of God, United States, National Anthem, Flag Of United States  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Six Kinds Of Biblical Preaching

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2022

Thomas Constable points out that there are 6 different kinds of biblical preaching: (1) kerugma, which means proclamation of the clear facts of the Christian message. (2) didache or teaching. This was explanation and interpretation of the facts-the "so what?" (3) paraklesis, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:11

Tags: Ministry, Church, Holy Spirit, Teaching, Preaching, Word Of God, Pastors, Simon Peter  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Last Chance  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

LAST CHANCE When Bishop Philip Brooks, author of "O, Little Town of Bethlehem," was seriously ill, he requested no friends come to see him. But when an acquaintance of his named Robert Ingersoll, a famous anti-Christian propagandist, came to see him he allowed him to come in right away. Ingersoll ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Witness, Love, Man, Heaven, Stewardship, Valentine, Reporter, God Brings Hope, Dog  (view more)  (view less)

Seeing The Light, Reflecting The Light.

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Jan 24, 2025

Did anyone else see the comet during the week, Comet Atlas 3G? Janaki and I went out to Titahi Bay to see it, thankfully we had another dad and daughter park near us who could point it out, otherwise we might not have seen it. The power of their witness was in instructing us where to look. ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Witness, Testimony, Salt, Salt And Light, The Light Of God, The Light Of The World, Reflecting Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Salvation Army

[093]. A Message From A Poem – Foraging In The Depths Of Scripture

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 30, 2025

[093]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FORAGING IN THE DEPTHS OF SCRIPTURE This poem deals with getting into the heart of scripture. There are images and techniques and encouragement in these stanzas. I actually make the comparison between a mudskipper that flits across the shallows on the water, and ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:27, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Buried Treasure, Inspired, Dig Deep, Eel, Mudskipper, Scripture, Word Of God, Workman  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[080]. A Message From A Poem – Faithfully He Is Watching

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 12, 2025

[080]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FAITHFULLY HE IS WATCHING The poem here you will read is one of my top favourites. It resonates so much with me. It just flowed and when it does that it is joyous. I truly hope you can relate to it. This poem was written on the day I received notification that ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:6, Job 1:21

Tags: Watching, God Hears, Forsake, Poem, Orphans, Cares, Abandoned, Faithful, Friendship, Deliverance, Merciful, Poetry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bamboo  PRO

Contributed by Danny Thomas on May 21, 2001

Bamboo Once upon a time, in the heart of the Western Kingdom, lay a beautiful garden. And there, in the cool of the day, the Master of the garden was wont to walk. Of all the denizens of the garden, the most beautiful and most beloved was gracious and noble bamboo. Year after year, bamboo grew yet ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-33, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 51:17, Luke 9:1-6, Daniel 1:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Doing God's Will, Destiny, Discipleship, Evangelism, Christian Disciplines, Harvest, Humility, Persistence, Welcome, Witness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal