In Sermon Illustrations: "Problems"

The Columbia Explosion: Impending Doom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

THE COLUMBIA EXPLOSION: IMPENDING DOOM The Bible says, "...all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). And, "...the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Do you remember when the space ship, Columbia, blew up on re-entry on February 1, 2003? Seven crew members lost their ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Judgment

Fire In The Hole

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

FIRE IN THE HOLE Centralia was a small mining town in the eastern part of Pennsylvania with about 1000 residents making their income off of the coal dug just underneath the crust. The town had existed the same way for over a century when pre-Civil War settlers moved out to dig up the anthracite ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-30

Tags: Hell

Dave Barry - Excerpt From "The Pain Of ...

Contributed by Sherm Nichols on Dec 31, 2007

Dave Barry - Excerpt from “The Pain of Childbirth”: The key to avoiding drugs, according to the natural-childbirth people, is for the woman to breathe deeply. Really. The theory is that if she breathes deeply, she’ll get all relaxed and won’t notice that she’s in a hospital delivery room wearing ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Is Pro - ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

God Is Pro - Choice! He really is! Every day of your life, until you draw your final breath, you will stand at the CrossRoads and be asked to make a choice. Which way will you choose? God has set before you two gates, one wide and one narrow. He has set before you two roads, one broad and one ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-21

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

Giving Out Of Need

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“Hunger also changes the world when eating can’t be a habit, then neither can seeing.” - Maxine Hong Kingston It had been a tough year and it didn’t appear to be getting any easier. She wasn’t working and he wasn’t working much. They had two teenage children to feed and bills to pay. The car ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7

Tags: Compassion, Poverty, Generosity, Giving Out Of Need

Denomination: Charismatic

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

The Teddy Bear Of Jesus

Contributed by John Telgren on Feb 11, 2017

I put my son to bed, and went through the routine. "I love you, I love mommy, I love your brothers, etc." Then he stopped, looked up at me, and asked, "What about my Teddy, don't you love my Teddy?" I looked over at a tattered, dingy, stuffed animal that was on it's last leg quite literally. I ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-32

Tags: Church, Bride Of Christ, Church Appreciation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Unsung Heroes—jonathan’s Armor Bearer

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 4, 2020

Unsung heroes—Jonathan’s armor bearer Introduction: some of the unsung heroes of the Bible never had their names revealed. The people they served with knew, and clearly their parents knew, but in His Wisdom, our Lord has chosen for these people to remain secret. Their deeds were well known, even ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:6-7

Tags: Philistines, Jonathan, Armor Bearers

Denomination: Baptist

Rejoice With Those Who Rejoice. Easier Said Than Done.

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Jan 23, 2024

Do you ever find it hard to be happy for people when good things happen to them? I do. Someone gets a promotion and instead of being happy for them I’m envious. A friend’s child gets an award and jealousy is my first reaction instead of joy. Why can’t I just be happy when good things happen to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:15

Tags: Joy, Thanks, Rejoice, Baseball, Gratefulness, Rejoicing, Grace, Thanksgiving, Celebrate  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

[083]. A Message From A Poem – For Men - The Three Cs

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 21, 2025

[083]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR MEN - THE THREE Cs There are 9 poems in this 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 first set - FOR MEN. ALL ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:37, Romans 13:11-12, 2 Peter 1:13, Romans 12:1

Tags: Poetry, Poem, Take A Stand, The Flesh, Be Awake, The Old Nature, Compromise, Carnality, Complacency  (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

[196]. A Message From A Poem – Not Worthy To Be Compared

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 12, 2025

[196]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED This poem has its basis in a few scriptures. This is one of them – {{Romans 8:18 “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”}} Those who are like me ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:14-15, Philippians 3:12, Philippians 3:8, Romans 8:18

Tags: Christian Poems, Golf, Rubbish, Comparison, Press On, Goal, Christian Poetry, Glory, Worthy, Loss  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[201]. A Message From A Poem – Peace In Life’s Storms

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 16, 2025

[201]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – PEACE IN LIFE’S STORMS We may say things and write things, then one day God may put us to the test. Just as I am writing an introduction for this poem – just today in 2025, a problem has arisen for one of my family, and caused by satanic workings of a certain ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4, Luke 8:22-25

Tags: Faith, Fear, Afraid, Peace, Trust, Disciples, Trials, Jesus Calms The Sea, Storm On The Sea, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Power Of Prayer

Contributed by Larry Grant on Jan 12, 2025

Luke 18:1-8 “The Power of Prayer” January 5, 2025 All of us have prayed about serious problems that God has not or did not seem to give us an answer to. Every one of us has had an issue that we have brought before the Lord and it seems as if He did nothing. Most of us have suffered some type of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Power, Refine, Redirect, Plans, Petitions  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

To Say The Least, I Was At First Shocked To Read ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 26, 2001

To say the least, I was at first shocked to read the headline, Baby Ate Cocaine Dad Left Nearby. According to the Associated Press a father from Ravenna, Ohio was sentenced to one year in prison for endangering his daughter, who was six-months-old at the time of the incident. He evidently stashed ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:1

Tags: Children, Father's Day, Parenting

A Letter To Santa  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on May 21, 2002

A LETTER TO SANTA: Dear Santa Claus: You’ll probably be surprised to receive this letter from an adult. You may be even more surprised as you read it to find that the writer is neither a maiden aunt nor a disgruntled bachelor. I’m a young mother. It isn’t my intention, Santa, to hurt your ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Denomination: Pentecostal

H. B. London On Mysteries That Stretch Our ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Jan 24, 2003

[H. B. London on Mysteries That Stretch Our Faith, Citation: H. B. London, from They Call Me Pastor (Regal, 2000), pp. 23-30] Four doctors in surgical greens stood before Dave and Jana at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. I stood by helplessly as one doctor spoke. "Your baby has died ...read more

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

I Served A Church That Had A Wonderful Young ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2004

I served a Church that had a wonderful young married couple. He was 30, she was 26 and they had two beautiful children. The oldest would come up and set with me while I was preaching. The husband worked for the State and had a good job that he enjoyed. She worked for a large nationwide company ...read more

Scripture: John 10:14

An Ever-Rolling Stream!" Genesis 6: 1-3 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 30, 2004

“An Ever-Rolling Stream!” Genesis 6: 1-3 Key verse(s): 3: “Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for hie is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.’” “It can wait until tomorrow!” Despite that old adage, “Never put off to tomorrow the things that you can do ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 6:1-3

Tags: New Year's Day, New Year

Denomination: Lutheran