In Sermon Illustrations: "Parable Ten Virgins"

[002] Message From A Poem – A Grain Of Wheat Dies

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 2, 2024

[002] MESSAGE FROM A POEM – A GRAIN OF WHEAT DIES Not very long before the crucifixion Jesus spoke to Andrew and Philip. This is what He said – {{John 12:23-25 and Jesus answered them saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, UNLESS A GRAIN OF ...read more

Scripture: John 12:23-25, Matthew 13:23, Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Sacrifice, Parable Of The Sower, A Grain Of Wheat, Dying To Oneself

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Infinitely Important  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mavis on Apr 25, 2001

INFINITELY IMPORTANT "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be ...read more

Tags: Christianity, Cs Lewis, Apologetics General, Parable General, Truth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

By The Seeds You Plant  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 16, 2001

BY THE SEEDS YOU PLANT "Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:1

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed, Sharing Your Faith, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In The Film The Matrix, We Are Taken To The Year ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 6, 2002

In the film The Matrix, we are taken to the year 2199. The world has been taken over and is being run by AI: artificial intelligence. Harvested humans live in a computer generated dreamworld of artificial reality, never understanding that they are captives of an evil empire. But there are a few ...read more

Tags: Kingdom, Kingdom Of God, Parable Sower And Seed, Supernatural, Deception  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

With Our Arms About Their Knees  PRO

Contributed by Joseph Colebank Ii on Jan 19, 2005

WITH OUR ARMS ABOUT THEIR KNEES “Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that…. The saving of souls, if a man has once gained love to perishing sinners and his blessed Master, wil be an all-absorbing passion to him. It will so carry him away, that he ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency, Parable Sower And Seed, Sharing Your Faith

Denomination: Baptist

You Are Grounded!!!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 15, 2022

THE PRODIGAL SON'S RETURN... We were sitting in Church a few weeks ago while the minister delivered a sermon based on the timeless story of the prodigal son. When he got to the point where the father sees his son returning and races out to meet him, the minister said loudly and with ...read more

Tags: Parables, Prodigal Son, Jokes, Prodigals, Children, Parents, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Seminary Students Who Would Not Stop To Help

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 20, 2022

In her book Kindness: Reaching Out to Others, Phyllis J. Le Peau relates this story: “Some seminary students were asked to preach on the story of the Good Samaritan. When the hour arrived for their sermon, each one was deliberately delayed en route to class. As the students raced across campus, ...read more

Tags: Parables, Hypocrisy, Levite, Good Samaritan, Jerusalem, Jericho, Priest  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Narrow Definition Of Neighbor

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 20, 2022

With their passion for definition, Jewish Rabbis sought to define who a man's "neighbor" was. They confined the word "neighbor" to include only their fellow Jews. For instance, some of them said that it was illegal to help a Gentile woman in her time of childbirth for ...read more

Tags: Levites, Priests, Rabbis, Parable, Neighbor, Kindness, Good Samaritan  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Greatest Building Disaster In History

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 2, 2022

In 1174, the Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on what would become his most famous project: a separately standing eight-story bell tower in the city of Pisa. There was just one “little” problem: builders quickly discovered that the soil was much softer than they had anticipated, and the ...read more

Tags: Foundations, Eternity, Obedience, Rock, Sand, Word Of God, Parables  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Last Sermon D.l. Moody Preached

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 4, 2022

D.L. Moody was one of the greatest preachers in American history. On November 23, 1899 in the Civic Auditorium in Kansas City, Moody became very sick as he preached. “I must have souls in Kansas City,” he had told the students at his school in Chicago. “Never have I wanted so much to lead men and ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Faithfulness, Parables, Moody, Preach The Word, Great Supper  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There's Room At The Cross For You

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 4, 2022

I grew up hearing this great old hymn being sung during many times of invitation. I was reminded of this great song while preparing my sermon on the Parable of the Great Supper from Luke 14 where Jesus told His disciples to go into the "highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that My ...read more

Tags: Great Supper, Evangelism, Gospel, Parables, Witnessing, Great Commission  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Conference With The Devil

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 15, 2022

A fictitious story has been told of a conference between Lucifer and his demons. It seems as though Satan was upset because he had not deceived enough souls and so he called for a conference with his head demons. "What are we going to do! We are not claiming enough souls for the Kingdom of ...read more

Tags: Invitation, Excuses, Evangelism, Demons, Parable, Satan, Time, Today  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Big Party Is Waiting For You At Home! (The Modern Prodigal Daughter)

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 15, 2022

I think you are all familiar with the parable that we call the “Story of the Prodigal Son.” Well, I want us to consider it again with a little different twist. Listen to the story in a modern setting as told by Philip Yancey in his book “What’s so Amazing about Grace?” Yancey tells of a prodigal ...read more

Tags: Prodigal Son, Luke 15, Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, Parables, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lost At Sea For Nine Months!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 15, 2022

LOST AND FOUND - Three Mexican fishermen who disappeared while on a short shark fishing trip were rescued in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, after spending 9 months on the open sea. The men said they survived by eating raw fish, ducks, and seagulls, drinking rainwater, and reading the Bible. They ...read more

Tags: Lost Sheep, Prodigal Son, Luke 15, Celebration, Parables, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Greatest Commandment

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 22, 2025

From the Talmud: Rabbi Simlai taught "Six hundred and thirteen commandments were given to Moses; then David came and reduced them to eleven in Psalm 15.; Isaiah (33:15), to six; Micah (6:8), to three; Isaiah again (56:1), to two; and Habakkuk ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17, Mark 12:28-34, Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 5:1, Matthew 22:36-40  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Ten Commandments, Greatest Commandment, Law Keeping, Justification By Faith, Two Great Commands, Torah, Faith And Works  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Lessons From A Gps  PRO

Contributed by Coz Von on Jul 13, 2016

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Prov 16:9, 3:6. I’m sure you’ve driven a car with a Global Positioning System (GPS). A number of years ago I settled into the passenger’s seat of a fully equipped ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 16:9

Tags: Gps, Eternally Lost, Divine Direction, Heart For The Lost, Parable Lost Son  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Willingness Of God To Answer Your Prayer

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 8, 2022

"My friend, do you think that God is asleep? Do you feel that He has gone to bed when you pray, and you cannot get Him up? Do you believe that He does not want to answer your prayers? God does want to answer your prayers and He will. That is what this parable is saying. You do not have ...read more

Tags: Parables, Persistence, God The Father, Importunity, God's Willingness, Prayer, God's Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lucky Dog

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 15, 2022

A family put the following ad in the "Lost and Found" section of the paper: "Lost Dog: Crippled in front paw, blind in left eye, mange on back and neck, tail missing. Recently neutered. Answers to the name 'Lucky'". He truly was a lucky dog, because in spite of all ...read more

Tags: Lost, Lost Sheep, Prodigal Son, Luke 15, God's Love, Parables  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Ministered In The Marketplace More Than Anywhere Else.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 4, 2022

Christ met unbelievers where they were. And He met them most often in the marketplace, not in a place of worship. He realized what many Christians today still don't seem to understand. Cultivators have to get out in the field. According to one count, the Gospels record 132 contacts that ...read more

Tags: Great Supper, Church, Gospel, Parables, Witnessing, Great Commission, Marketplace, Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Cheapest Way To Park A Rolls Royce!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 26, 2023

In Mattew 25, Jesus taught the Parable of the Talents to His disciples. The parable shows the value of investing wisely by those who took their talent and multiplied it through wise negotiation. The one who buried his talent and did not invest was scolded by the Lord. Here is a funny ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Investing, Business, Talents, Saving Money, Money Management, Kingdom Of God, Parables  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational