In Sermon Illustrations: "Psalm Of Lament"

If God Had Voice Mail  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 12, 2002

If God had Voice Mail Most of us have now learned to live with "voice mail" as a necessary part of our daily lives. But have you ever wondered what it would be like if God decided to install voice mail? Imagine praying and hearing the following: ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11, Psalm 89:15, Acts 4:8-12

Tags: God The Father, Carera

Someday Soon  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 22, 2002

SOMEDAY SOON You just know that some things are going to happen sooner or later. That’s the way it was with Michael Parfit, a writer for Smithsonian magazine. For a feature article on the mighty Mississippi River, Parfit rode in a twelve-foot rubber dinghy down the Mississippi from Memphis, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, Psalm 90:10-15

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Kingdom Of God, Second Coming

Haddon Robinson Says It Best, "With Him The Calf ...  PRO

Contributed by Lisa Degrenia on Oct 7, 2002

Haddon Robinson says it best, "With Him the calf is always the fatted calf; the robe is always the best robe; the joy is always unspeakable; and the peace passes understanding. There is no grudging in God’s goodness. He does not measure His goodness by drops like a druggist filling a ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7, Psalm 31:19, Luke 11:13

Tags: Parable Prodigal Son

Denomination: Methodist

May Your Saturday Mornings Be Special  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Nov 11, 2002

May your Saturday mornings be special. The author is unknown. The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it’s the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:10-12, Ephesians 5:15-17, Colossians 4:5

Tags: Finding Fulfillment, Giving Yourself, Priorities

Denomination: Lutheran

A Present  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 2, 2002

Jeff Calendar’s three year old daugh- ter along with the rest of her family was observed opening Christmas packages. As is often the case, Jeff’s wife had recycled some bows from previous times, and their daughter grabbed one and then placed it on top of her head. The old tape left on it caused it ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:1-5, Ephesians 1:3-5, John 17:6

Tags: Christmas Advent

Consider This Short Poem Entitled "Power Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Chris Hodges on Jul 28, 2003

Consider this short poem entitled “Power of Words:” A careless word may kindle strife A cruel word may wreak a life A bitter word may hate instill A brutal word may smite and kill A gracious word may smooth the way A joyous word ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:6-11, Proverbs 25:11, Psalm 145:8

Tags: Communication General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Reformed Pastor Michael Horton, In His Book, "A ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jun 30, 2004

Reformed Pastor Michael Horton, in his book, "A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship writes: We are repeatedly told these days that music is the most important thing we do in worship. In fact, "worship" usually means singing or enjoying the singing of others. "Let’s just ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5, Nehemiah 8:1-18, Nehemiah 8:1-18

Tags: Worship Definition, Worship Purpose

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Sowing The Seed: A Comparison  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

SOWING THE SEED: A COMPARISON In the 13th Century, Nicolo Polo (father of Marco Polo) was visiting the court of the grandson of Ghengis Khan - Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was the Emperor of China and he had never met Europeans before. He was delighted to meet this visitor from Venice AND he was ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15, Psalm 1:1, Numbers 1:11

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed, Happiness

Staring Down The Critic's Barrel!" Proverbs 9: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jan 17, 2005

“Staring Down the Critic’s Barrel!” Proverbs 9: 7-10 Key verse(s): 8b:“. . . rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” The Bible tells us that “rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” Love? What happened to getting the emotional revenge that is so satisfying? There doesn’t seem to be a lot of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 9:7-10, Psalm 82:3-4, Philippians 2:13-14

Tags: Grace, Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

Grow As You Go.' The First Sermon In This Series ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 7, 2008

‘Grow as You Go.’ The first sermon in this series took us to Moses and his encounter with God. We were told that God had a role, an important one at that, for Moses and it was in line with God’s plan and story and not Moses’ plan and story. In other words, we ‘grow’ in our Christian faith and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 95:1-11, Matthew 12:33-37, Acts 4:1-37

Tags: Outreach, Worship, Faithfulness, Practice, Examine, Education  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Church Of God

Ernest Hemmingway Was Once Asked To Write A Story ...  PRO

Contributed by W F on Jul 8, 2008

Ernest Hemmingway was once asked to write a story in just six words. He wrote a sad one ... "For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn." The world's shortest story inspired writer Larry Smith who wondered what memoirs people might be able to concoct in just six words. So he began a website which, to date, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:13-18, Psalm 39:5

Tags: Fulfillment

Denomination: *other

Hope

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jun 22, 2022

Franklin D. Roosevelt said: We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:13, Psalm 26:2

Tags: Give, Hope

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Two Minutes

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 12, 2022

Two Minutes to Eternity Marshall Shelley tells the story of his son's short life - just two minutes.The baby boy was born with a "chromosomal abnormality" called Trisomy 13. After the delivery, the doctor passed the baby to his mom. He was a healthy pink; Then he began to turn ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:27, Psalm 90:10-12, John 14:1-3

Tags: Death, Eternity, Heaven, Birth, Grief  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Legacy Of Haddon Robinson

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Oct 7, 2022

Haddon Robinson wrote the classic book on preaching called, “Biblical Preaching.” It has sold more copies than any other preaching textbook. He taught and practised expository preaching to thousands. I had the privilege of being one of his students from 1996-1999 in the Doctor of Ministry program ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:12, 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Tags: Death, Family, Remember, Legacy

Denomination: Pentecostal

Stop Look And Listen

Contributed by David Parks on Oct 11, 2023

Stop Look and Listen Early in the 20th century, with the advent of the automobile, the country's largest railroad became concerned about the many collisions at crossings. The company offered $2,500 for the three best words to use on a warning sign. The top prize winner was paid $833 for ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:15-21, Romans 10:17, Psalm 19:1

Tags: Spirituality, Materialism, Faith

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bible Reading And "the Power Of 4"

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 22, 2024

Why study the Bible? There was a recent study by the Center for Bible Engagement (2009) where they polled 40000 people from the general population in the US. From eight to eighty. They just wanted to see how we were engaging with scripture. They discovered something that became the profound ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 119:9-16, Hebrews 2:1

Tags: Risky Teen Behaviour, Bible Reading, Sharing Your Faith, Teens, Spiritually Stagnant, Scripture Memorization, Discipling Others, Evangelism, Pornography, Anger, Bitterness, Loneliness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[017] A Message From A Poem - Altogether Lovely One

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 21, 2024

[017] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ALTOGETHER LOVELY ONE There are times when we feel our hearts going out in worship to our Lord. What is the difference between praise and worship? This is not a sermon so I won’t be answering that question here, but I hope you think on it and that it might warm ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:11, Isaiah 53:3-4, Psalm 150:1-3

Tags: Worship, Praise, Gold, Magi, Sorrow, Frankincense, Myrrh, Lovely One  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[025] A Message From A Poem - Balance Of God’s Attributes

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 9, 2025

[025] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - BALANCE OF GOD’S ATTRIBUTES One area where it takes deeper study to understand, is the attributes of God. The attributes are what is the completeness in God and they are many. It is what God is. We speak about love and mercy and compassion, but we also have ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 85:10-11, Exodus 34:5-7, Hebrews 2:17

Tags: Penalty, Poetry, Attributes Of God, Forgiveness, Faithful, Judgment, Balance, Merciful, Attributes, Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

[062a]. A Message From A Poem – Does Suffering Cancel Out A God Of Love?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[062A]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DOES SUFFERING CANCEL OUT A GOD OF LOVE? THE POEM AS IT IS WILL NOT FIT IN THE ILLUSTRATION SPACE AVAILABLE. I HAVE HAD TO SPLIT IT INTO THREE PARTS. THIS IS THE FIRST PART PART 1 INTRODUCTION TO THIS POEM This is my most serious poem because it addresses ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 45:6-7, John 3:16, Exodus 34:6-7

Tags: Comfort, Suffering, Tragedy, God Of Comfort, God Of Love, Hurt, Pain, Love, Compassion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational