In Sermon Illustrations: "Protective Fear"

Spit It Out!

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Mar 5, 2024

Spit It Out! Sharing the Sweet News We all know how unpredictable children can be—especially when it comes to what they decide to pop in their mouths! One unforgettable Sunday morning, right after church, I was shaking hands with a young dad when, out of nowhere, he went into full “parental ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17, 1 Peter 3:15, Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 6:1-4, Matthew 28:16-20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: The Gospel, Ashamed, Sharing The Gospel, Soul Winning, Unpredictable, Children, Salvation, Obedience, Testimony, Witnessing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[059]. A Message From A Poem – Distressful Times Will Come Upon Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 13, 2025

[059]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DISTRESSFUL TIMES WILL COME UPON US Are you battling in life because of some problem that won’t go away? Are you weighed down by a stressful matter and can’t shake it? Does your life feel like it is starting to come apart? Do you feel the storms are thundering ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:20, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Anxiety, Anxious, Distress, Cast, Heavy Laden, I Am With You Always, Stressful, Stressful Living  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[076]. A Message From A Poem – Expectations, Testimony And Pleading

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 11, 2025

[076]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – EXPECTATIONS, TESTIMONY AND PLEADING The three words in the title are what the poem is about. Firstly there is expectation of our heavenly home when we are transported from the physical life. Then there is testimony and that is about the way God looks after us, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalm 119:143, Psalm 119:77, Psalm 119:47

Tags: Great Things, Pleading, Expectations, Turn To The Lord, Scripture, Testimony, Poetry, New Home, Delight, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[091]. Poem Message – For The Christian - Light Through The Tunnel

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 28, 2025

[091]. A POEM MESSAGE – FOR THE CHRISTIAN THERE IS LIGHT THROUGH THE TUNNEL There was a lovely little song written in that western style around the middle of last century called, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” Sometimes in our lives, it is like being in a dark tunnel where we can not ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 5:20-21, 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, 1 Corinthians 13:12

Tags: The Path Ahead, Light, Darkness, Maze, Walk By Faith, Tunnel, We See Dimly  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[123]. A Message From A Poem – He Will Receive Us To Himself

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 8, 2025

[123]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HE WILL RECEIVE US TO HIMSELF Time for confession. It is no secret that the theme that occurs in a few of my poems (sometimes only a brief mention) is that of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in Person for all His disciples. That coming is soon and is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Tags: Caught Up, The Coming Of The Lord, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Jesus Receives Us, Received To Him  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[279]. A Message From A Poem – The Lord Has Made Me Perfect In His Love

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 27, 2026

[279]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE LORD HAS MADE ME PERFECT IN HIS LOVE The poem begins with the positive testimony of the Lord’s perfection and chorus. Perfection here is according to these two verses – {{Philippians 1:6 “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 3:15, Philippians 1:6

Tags: A New Creation, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Salvation, Perfect, Perfection, New Creation, In Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[283]. A Message From A Poem – The Lord, Our Hope, Our Joy, Our End

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 31, 2026

[283]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE LORD, OUR HOPE, OUR JOY, OUR END This is another of my earliest poems. This poem is a personal testimony to a time when I was walking in the valley of the shadow. STANZA 1 – All dark nights break forth into sunshine and my dark night looks forward to the Lord ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:2, Psalm 23:4-5, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4

Tags: Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Joy, Sorrow, Dark Night, Blessings, Burdens, Valley Of The Shadow, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Atheist Defends Evangelism In Africa

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 30, 2008

AN ATHEIST DEFENDS EVANGELISM IN AFRICA I would like to conclude by reading you an article – that Andrew sent to me - from the Sunday Times dated 27th December 2008 written by Matthew Parris: December 27, 2008 (full article) As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God Missionaries, not aid ...read more

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Anglican

A Good Name: The Case Of Butch O'hare

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 9, 2011

A GOOD NAME: THE CASE OF BUTCH O'HARE His name was Butch O'Hare, one of the heroes of World War II. He was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:1

Tags: Character

George Floyd

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Jun 11, 2020

God can use you to make a difference in our broken world no matter your past. Just commit your way to the Lord like Jephthah did and depend on His Holy Spirit. When I think about Jephthah, I think about George Floyd, who was recently murdered in Minneapolis. George was a towering 6-foot by 6-inch ...read more

Scripture: Judges 11:1-3, Judges 11:29, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Tags: Transformation, Grace Of God, George Floyd

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Just This Past Thursday We Learned The Results Of ...

Contributed by Mike Rexroat on Dec 16, 2007

Just this past Thursday we learned the results of what is being called the "Mitchell" report. For those of us who are baseball fans it was a pretty dark day. Former Senator George Mitchell concluded his almost two year investigation into the game and released his conclusions and one of those ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

[188]. A Message From A Poem – My Jesus Is My Mighty Rock

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 6, 2025

[188]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – MY JESUS IS MY MIGHTY ROCK In the Old Testament the “ROCK” featured a lot. The first incident was when Moses struck the Rock at the Lord’s command {{Exodus 17:5-6 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:8, Psalm 31:2-3, Psalm 18:1-2, Exodus 17:5-6, 1 Corinthians 10:4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Moses Struck The Rock, Rock, Security, Rock Of Offense, Mighty Fortress, Mighty Rock, Christian Poems, Jesus, Moses, Safety, Salvation, Temptation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Brenda Was A Young Woman That Wanted To Learn To ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Cassara on Sep 8, 2001

Brenda was a young woman that wanted to learn to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death she went with a group and they faced this tremendous cliff of rock. Practically perpendicular. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear and she took a hold of the rope and she started up the face of ...read more

Tags: Faith, Prayer Answered, God's Provision

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Will Close With A Record Of Something God Did ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Belcher on Nov 26, 2001

I will close with a record of something God did 130 years go in New York City. It illustrates how God has started every harvest time in history, through the concerted prayer of his people. Toward the middle of the last century the glow of earlier religious awakenings had faded. America was ...read more

Tags: Prayer General, Prayer Adoration, God's Omnipotence

Denomination: Baptist

Many Years Ago, I Failed The Lord In A Stupid ...  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Apr 27, 2002

Many years ago, I failed the Lord in a stupid teenager deed. I can painfully remember January the 1st, 1968. I was raised in the parsonage, I was 16 years old, I knew right from wrong. But I failed the Lord! 1/1/68 was always a painful memory of my stupid failure. Before the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:12, Psalm 103:12

Tags: Forgiveness General, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Assembly Of God

My Penance  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 17, 2002

MY PENANCE The story of George C. Wallace sounds like something from Paul Harvey’s “the Rest of the Story.” It comes in two parts: the sad, earlier life and the hard but hopeful remainder. Even more dramatic is a tragic event in the middle that brought life-changing consequences for the man ...read more

Getting To The Good Stuff!" Exodus 6: 1-12 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 11, 2004

“Getting to The Good Stuff!” Exodus 6: 1-12 Key verse(s): 12: “But Moses said to the Lord, ‘If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips’.” When I was a boy I had the rather thankless job of feeding a herd of our neighbor’s ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 6:1-12

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Call Home Often  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 22, 2004

CALL HOME OFTEN Max Lucado in his book "In the Eye of a Storm" talks about traveling from one speaking engagement to another. He had traveled from San Antonio to Boston and had spoken at a gathering in Boston. Then he was flying on to Edmonton, Canada to fulfill a speaking engagement there. When ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 1:1-3

Tags: New Year's Day, Prayer General

A Gold Mine Of Opportunity!" Genesis 41: 1-14 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 30, 2004

“A Gold Mine of Opportunity!” Genesis 41: 1-14 Key verse(s): 14: “So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.” There once was an old Dutch farmer who owned a farm in a semi-arid part of South Africa ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 41:1-14, Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Leadership General, Trust

Denomination: Lutheran

Story Of Anne

Contributed by David Selleck on Oct 26, 2006

Story of Anne. Anne Lamott, a fellow messy Christian describes perfectly what happens when Jesus pursues us. In her book Traveling Mercies, Anne recounts her conversion to Jesus. Things were not going well in her life: addicted to cocaine and alcohol, involved in an affair that produced a child ...read more

Denomination: Methodist