In Sermon Illustrations: "Only"

Be Content To Speak In A Cottage

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

BE CONTENT TO SPEAK IN A COTTAGE January 6, 1850, was bitterly cold in Colchester, England, a hard-biting blizzard keeping most worshipers at home. At the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Artillery Street, only about a dozen showed up. When it became apparent that even the pastor would not arrive, an ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

You Already Have Happiness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

YOU ALREADY HAVE HAPPINESS The angel asked, "You aren’t happy. How can I help you?" The poet replied, "I have everything. But I lack only one thing. Can you give it to me?" To which the angel happily said, "Sure. I can give you anything you desire." The poet stared right into the angel’s eyes, "I ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:19

Tags: Happiness

Our Family Pet Dog, Avalon, Was A Beautiful ...

Contributed by Paul Carlson on Feb 17, 2009

Our family pet dog, Avalon, was a beautiful rottweiler and she was a good dog. She loved to follow me around. When I would come home from work she would get all excited – wagging her tail with glee. She would rush towards me while snorting with anticipation and celebration. Avalon loved to be ...read more

Tags: Temptation General

Denomination: Baptist

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

Slow And Steady

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

The power of the Holy Spirit is not just for salvation, but for sanctification, a process that is slow and gradual. The difference might look like this: You can take ten gallons of gasoline and release a tremendous amount of power and energy by just dropping a lighted match into it. It makes a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8

Tags: Holy Spirit, Energy, Fuel

Ten Rules For Improving The Church

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 3, 2022

TEN RULES FOR IMPROVING THE CHURCH 1. Tell yourself over and over that since you are not perfect you would not fit into a perfect congregation, if one existed. 2. Instead of picking out the worldly members to point to, pick out the sincere, dedicated, spiritual members and thank God for them. You ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-2, 1 Peter 4:8, Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Encouragement, Judgementalism, Church

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Tithe Belongs To God!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 13, 2022

You don’t give the tithe, you return it back to God. It belongs to Him! There is a cartoon that shows four frames! 1. In the first frame a man looks at a new car! The salesman says, "10% down and low, low payments for 48 months." The man asks, "Where do I sign?" 2. In the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Tags: Giving, Tithing

A Light In The Dark

Contributed by Carl Allen on Jul 8, 2022

While leaving in Germany, I had the fortune of going camping in the black forest. I found out quickly why they call it the black forest. When the sun goes down it is pitch black and you can barely see your hand in front of your face. We had just finished setting up camp and I had to run back out ...read more

Scripture: John 9:5, Psalm 119:105

Tags: Found, Direction, Light, Darkness, Lost, Saved  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Never Alone

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Feb 13, 2023

I'm not sure if I am the only one that does this or not. Growing up, if I was ever walking down a dark country road by myself, I found myself whistling, or singing, or humming an old familiar gospel song. It seemed like it made everything safer. It made me feel protected as I drew myself ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:9-17

Tags: Alone, God's Presence

Denomination: Baptist

The Deceitfulness Of Sin

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2023

Radio personality Paul Harvey tells the story of how an Eskimo kills a wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. "First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23

Tags: Deliverance, Sinners, Sin Nature, Death, Sin, Satan, Salvation, Temptation, Justification  (view more)  (view less)

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

What Percentage Will Go To Heaven?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 21, 2023

[Pastor Clendennen speaking:] For many years, in the church I pastored, we had an all-night prayer meeting the last Friday night of every month. One such Friday night, out of four-hundred members, there were forty-one of us present. As I was praying, I heard this Word from the Lord: “You are ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 24:40-42, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Revelation 1:7

Tags: Rapture, Bride Of Christ, Return Of Jesus

Denomination: Charismatic

Face To Face With Christ

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jun 12, 2023

Fanny Crosby was one of the greatest hymn writers in the history of the Church. However, she was born blind, but never used her issue to blame God or play the victim. In fact, she once praised God for her blindness and said, "God did her a favor by making her blind" because the first ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1-3

Tags: Blindness, Hymns, Fanny Crosby, Sovereignty Of God, Death, Glory, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Can't Remember When I Was Saved!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 12, 2023

If you have not realized it yet, over time you are going to forget some things. I think of the two older men that were playing golf. One had trouble seeing and other had trouble remembering. The one with a seeing problem said to the other, "Now, watch my ball, for I can’t see where it ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, 1 John 5:1-13

Tags: Memory, Salvation, Gospel, Assurance, Lost, Saved  (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

Power To Be The Light

Contributed by Joshua Blackmon on Jun 3, 2024

Smartphones are amazing pieces of technology. Everything my generation went to RadioShack to purchase is now all together in the palm of our hand, including our flashlights. My grandfather loved flashlights. It was okay to get him a new one each year for Christmas or his birthday. He would take a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8, John 15:5

Tags: Light, Holy Spirit, Power

Denomination: Pentecostal

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Death

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

Paul writing from a prison cell and probably knowing that he would soon die by the sword writes to the Philippians, “I give thanks to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor imprisoned in 1943 for his political and Christian opposition to the Nazi regime, was ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:3

Tags: Death, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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

Trust God And You Will Be Firm

Contributed by Arulselvam Rayappan on Jan 13, 2026

Trusting the Lord is a recurring theme in the Prophet Isaiah. “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm” Is 7: 14. Advent is a time of trusting the Lord. God alone can save those who place their trust in Him. At times we are confused concerning the choices we have to make. On the one hand ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

Tags: Fear, Trusting God, Afriad

Denomination: Catholic

The Pit

Contributed by John Bright on Jan 18, 2026

The Pit man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out. A subjective person came along and said: "I feel for you down there." An objective person came along and said: "It's logical that someone would fall down there." A Pharisee said: "Only bad people fall into ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-27

Tags: Jesus, Helping Others

Denomination: Methodist