In Sermon Illustrations: "Peter Marshall"

Driven By Hurt

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 11, 2022

DRIVEN BY HURT! MIGHT I ADD A PREACHER’S PERSPECTIVE TO START THIS LESSON? BE KIND TO EVERY PERSON. PERHAPS YOU DO NOT KNOW THE PROBLEMS AND THE BATTLES OTHERS ARE FACING. A preacher friend of mine was having some self-doubts and fears he was facing. There was a rather large family that had ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:3, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Bitter, Hurt, Ministry

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Black Eye Theology

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Sep 12, 2023

With football season in full swing, I often think of my high school football days. I wasn’t very good at all but, as the saying goes, the older I get the better I was. One of my few highlights from those days was a kickoff return. You may be thinking that my story is about a game winning return but ...read more

Scripture: Acts 5:41, 1 Peter 4:16

Tags: Trial, Trials, Ridicule, Persecution, Persecutions, Endurance  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Oh, Memory, How I Miss Thee

Contributed by James Snyder on Sep 16, 2023

Dr. James L. Snyder Driving home from a luncheon with friends, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage asked me a stunning question. She is a specialist regarding questions I can’t answer. I am trying to evade her questions and have been very good up until now. “Did that story you told really ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:6-7, 1 Peter 3:10-11

Tags: Memory, Lying

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Anaconda Attack

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 12, 2024

Lorrie Anderson, missionary to the head-shrinking Candoshi Shapra Indians of Peru, was looking for a quiet place for her daily time of Bible reading and prayer, so she went down by the edge of the river. After reading the Bible, she took up her prayer list. Eyes closed, she did not see the deadly ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:1-10, Ephesians 6:10-18

Tags: Prayer, Miracles, Protection, Healing, Satan, Devil, Spiritual Warfare  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Loving Congregation

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 2, 2025

This is the greatest need we have in the local congregation today – to be seen as a place where love for on another is present. What does that look like? A quote from St. Francis of Assisi: “Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and an ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35, 1 Peter 4:8

Tags: Love, St Francis Of Assisi

Denomination: Methodist

Thin Skinned And Hard Hearted

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 2, 2025

Somebody smarter than me said the greatest problem in the local church is that we are not who we were designed by God to be. As Believers, we were made to be thick-skinned and tender hearted. That’s how we can “love one another fervently with a pure heart.” (1 Peter 1:22) Instead, we have become ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Peter 1:22

Tags: Forgiveness, Fervent Love, Tender Hearted

Denomination: Methodist

Dirty Clothes

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 2, 2025

Have you ever been working outside, gotten your clothes all dirty, then put clean clothes on top of those to go somewhere? Of course not! If we are going to put on Christ (Romans 13:12-14), we need to remember to take off the old ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1, Romans 13:12-14

Tags: Christ, Gossip

Denomination: Methodist

Speed Limit

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 13, 2025

Let’s talk about following the speed limit. Why not? Maybe you don’t like being told what to do? That’s the definition of rebellion. Maybe you know better than everyone else. If so, those closest to you suffer the most! The starting point is safety. I have some family members that refuse to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:15-16, Exodus 21:5-6

Tags: Submission, Rebellion, Speed Limit, Bond Servant

Denomination: Methodist

The Golden Rule

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 19, 2025

We teach children the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When those children get out into the world, they learn a new rule – “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” We are taught to go on the offensive and keep a list of wrongs so we can fulfill ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-23, Matthew 7:12

Tags: Revenge, Golden Rule

Denomination: Methodist

Learn To Listen

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 19, 2025

Learn to listen to others with the goal of understanding – NOT JUDGEMENT! Just ask this question, “What’s the story behind that tattoo?” Then, just listen. Try to learn about that person you just met. Then, tell them thanks for sharing. Until you are ready to share your story of becoming a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15, James 1:19

Tags: Judgment, Listen, Tattoo

Denomination: Methodist

Factor In Fallenness

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 1, 2025

A few years ago, our congregation joined with many churches in the area praying for a 6-year-old boy with extremely aggressive form of brain cancer. Of course, we prayed for a full healing so that the boy could have a long life. He died within 6 months. His parents grew in their faith of a God ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4, 1 Peter 3:17

Tags: Healing, Prayer, Suffering, Fallenness

Denomination: Methodist

Selective Memory

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 6, 2025

Three old friends are talking about memory loss. The first says, “Sometimes I go to the fridge and forget why I opened it.” The second says, “I forget what I’m doing in the middle of a task!” The third says, “Thank God I don’t have those ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5, 2 Peter 1:12

Tags: Humility, Remembrance

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Stuck In A Rut

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 14, 2025

The U.S. standard railroad gauge—the width between the rails—is 4 feet, 8 ½ inches. Strange number, isn’t it? You’d think something so crucial would be more logical. So why that width? Because American railroads were built by British expatriates, and that’s how they did it in England. Why ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:2, 1 Peter 1:18-19

Tags: Tradition, Transformation

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Maybe You Remember The End Of The Movie ...  PRO

Contributed by Peter Schmidt on Nov 23, 2003

Maybe you remember the end of the movie Braveheart. William Wallace, the Scottish hero, is being tortured. The king wants him and his people to give into his power and rule. But Wallace suffers through it. He won’t give in. And the very last word that he shouts as he marshals all his strength is he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:2-4

Tags: Christian Liberty

Denomination: Lutheran

[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

On Obedience  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2011

ON OBEDIENCE "One word stands out from all others as the key to knowing God, to having His peace and assurance in your life--it is obedience." (Eric Liddell) Elisabeth Elliot tells the story of when she and her brother Tom were small children. Their mother would let Tom play with paper bags that ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22, 1 Peter 1:3-12, 1 Peter 3:1-12, Luke 8:16-21, Psalm 81:1-16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Obedience

Attitude Not Aptitude  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 6, 2011

ATTITUDE NOT APTITUDE Jesus' message here is that everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. Dave Stone says that "service is the language of grace." One day a couple of church members were out distributing loaves of bread in a low-income housing complex. They came to an apartment ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Corinthians 2:9-11, Mark 12:30-31, 1 Peter 4:10, Mark 12:1-27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Servanthood

[215]. A Message From A Poem - His Precious Redeemed Ones

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 28, 2025

[215]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - HIS PRECIOUS REDEEMED ONES In my messages and sermons, sometimes I raise the plight of suffering Christians enduring persecution such as we observe in many nations in Africa. It makes me think of these suffering ones and how the Lord views them. They are ...read more

Scripture: John 12:24, Revelation 2:10-11, 1 John 5:4, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2 Peter 1:4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Christ, Jesus, Persecution, Victors, Grain Of Wheat, Christian Poems, Africa, Precious, Put To Death, Redeemed, Believers, Saints  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus—not Hate But Hope  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 31, 2003

JESUS- NOT HATE BUT HOPE "Jesus. It’s a little name. A small word. Say this little name in public, however, in a way other than an obscenity, and stand back and watch the fireworks. This little name is like a tiny detonator that triggers a nuclear warhead. You can say "God," and you won’t get a ...read more

Scripture: John 14:6, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 14:23-29

Tags: Apologetics Jesus, Universalism, Lordship Of Christ

Strange Inside And Out

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 17, 2009

STRANGE INSIDE AND OUT In May 2008, scientists finally completed analyzing the DNA of the platypus, a creature native to Australia that defies categorization under bird, reptile or mammal. The platypus is so odd that when the first specimens were sent to Europe in the 19th century, scientists ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:1-16, 1 Peter 2:11

Tags: God's Sovereign Will