In Sermon Illustrations: "Psalms 23 1 9"

Fear And Division

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 3, 2026

A Simple Game Teaches Kids About Fear and Division One of my friends told me about a powerful lesson in her daughter's high school class recently. They're learning about the Salem Witch Trials, and their teacher told them they were going to play a game. "I'm going to come ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10, Ephesians 4:3

Tags: Fear, High School, Division, Salem Witch Trials

Denomination: Methodist

Standing Up For Truth

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 4, 2026

Both these letters make it clear who is a danger to the house churches. They paint a picture of men whose words and actions need to be challenged and condemned. Do you think it was as hard for them back then as it is for us today? I had a friend who visited a church and attended Sunday School. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-3, Jude 1:4

Tags: Truth, God's Word, Sunday School

Denomination: Methodist

It Is Finished

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 2, 2026

It is finished. In the Nicene Creed, we confess: "On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." (Pause) What does this mean? The Scriptures share with us ... this truth: BIBLE My little ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2, John 19:30

Tags: Finished, Attorney, Pleading Throne, Righteous, Forgive, Defense, Right Hand, Scriptures, Nicene Creed, Mercy, Father, Power, Advocate, Culture  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

The Plimsoll Line!!!

Contributed by Suresh Manoharan on Mar 4, 2026

For the uninitiated, a Dictionary definition of the term “Plimsoll line” is that it is a line drawn on the lower end of ships, marking the maximum level to which the ship can sink into water after its tare capacity is full. Simply put, it is an indication of the vessel’s maximum loading capacity. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13, Romans 5:3-4

Tags: Temptations, Capacity

Denomination: *other

Hymns And U2

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Mar 5, 2026

For a man who spends so much time in the future, Edge always carried some deep past in his soul, likely an obscure village in Methodist Wales. Edge's father, Garvin, was a mechanical engineer, a churchgoing one. Edge's mother was a schoolteacher, a churchgoing one. Science and faith were ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:26, Philippians 4:4-10

Tags: Church, Worship, Praise

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If There Is No God, Who Decides?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Mar 6, 2026

In 1882, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote a short parable that still echoes through Western culture. He imagines a man running into a crowded marketplace in broad daylight, holding a lantern. He cries out, “Where is God? I will tell you—we have killed Him. You and I. We are His ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:15-17, Judges 2:10-15

Tags: Evil, Culture, Meaning, Good, Values, God Is Dead  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[310]. A Message From A Poem - Though The Fig Tree Does Not Blossom

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 13, 2026

[310]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THOUGH THE FIG TREE DOES NOT BLOSSOM There is a poem called “I Will Still Praise God My Saviour” which is longer than this one. This one may have been the first part and got added to it just later. It is the same but the last stanza is added to the other ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13, Habakkuk 3:17-19

Tags: Praise, Faithful, Fail, Exalt, Fig Tree, Blossom, Fruitless, Olive, Despondent, Setbacks, Crops, Christian Poems, Exalt The Lord  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Be Afraid!

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 20, 2026

Another book I would recommend is “The Screwtape Letters” (1942) by C.S. Lewis. This is from the preface: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and ...read more

Scripture: Jude 1:8-10, 1 Peter 2:10-13

Tags: Holy Spirit, Satan, Cs Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Denomination: Methodist

The Words, "Where Is The Messiah?" Are The First ...  PRO

Contributed by David Dykes on Mar 31, 2003

The words, “Where is the Messiah?” are the first recorded words spoken by a person in the entire New Testament. (In Matthew 1, only the angel Gabriel speaks.) What do you think is the first question ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Baptist

U.s. Charitable Giving Rose 11.6% In '04 Over ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2006

U.S. charitable giving rose 11.6% in ’04 over ’03, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The United Way topped the list with $3.9 billion received followed by The Salvation Army at ...read more

Tags: Giving General

The Founder Of Ibm Thomas Watson Says: "The Way ...  PRO

Contributed by Don Hawks on Nov 26, 2003

The founder of IBM Thomas Watson says: "The way to succeed is to double your failure rate." Or as Thomas Edison said "There is only one good idea in 100 so I want to discover the 99 failures as quick as possible."Here is a personal evaluation question: Do I view failure as an opportunity for growth ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of, Evangelism Urgency, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Methodist

Here Are Some Tongue-In-Cheek Food Safety "Facts" ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 13, 2005

Here are some tongue-in-cheek food safety “facts” from New York’s Miner Institute: Nearly all sick people have eaten carrots. Obviously, the effects are cumulative. An estimated 99.9% of all people who die from cancer and heart disease have eaten carrots. 99.9% of people involved in car crashes ...read more

Tags: Men And Women, Tongue

These Shepherds Were Symbolic Of Jesus Christ The ...  PRO

Contributed by Frank Gallagher on Nov 26, 2000

These shepherds were symbolic of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, who would also humbly follow God’s will. Their sheep represent us as believers, in several ways: - Sheep cannot clean themselves. Some animals such as a cat can do that, but not sheep. Likewise, we as unbelievers were not able to ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:2-22, Acts 1:8

Tags: People In Acts, God's Provision

Denomination: Independent/Bible

These Shepherds Were Symbolic Of Jesus Christ The ...  PRO

Contributed by Frank Gallagher on Sep 13, 2001

These shepherds were symbolic of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, who would also humbly follow God’s will. Their sheep represent us as believers, in several ways: - Sheep cannot clean themselves. Some animals such as a cat can do that, but not sheep. Likewise, we as unbelievers were not able to ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings

Denomination: Independent/Bible

If God Be God Over Us, We Must Yield Him ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Feb 14, 2004

If God be God over us, we must yield him universal obedience in all things. He must not be over us in one thing, and under us in another, but he must be over us in everything. [Universal ...read more

Tags: Faith, God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Recent Survey Of Discipleship Journal Readers ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2006

A recent survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them: 1. Materialism. 2. Pride. 3. Self-centeredness. 4. Laziness. 5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness. 5. (Tie) ...read more

Tags: Call Of The Disciples

A Newspaper Held A Competition To Find Out How ...  PRO

Contributed by W F on Sep 27, 2004

A newspaper held a competition to find out how people would describe friendship. The winning answer was, “A friend is someone who’s walking in when everyone else is walking out.” You and I have a friend that will do that, a friend who will stick closer than a brother. Jesus said, “Surely I am ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42, Proverbs 18:24, Luke 24:13-35

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Friendship General

Denomination: *other

Mc Manus States, "Once Survival Has Become ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jul 7, 2005

1. Mc Manus states, “Once survival has become our supreme goal, we have lost our way…, the church is not called to survive history but to serve humanity. As with each individual, there is a difference between living and existing for the church…The church exists to serve as the body of Christ, and ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Promises Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Median Ages For Men And Women Marrying Are 28 ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 9, 2006

The median ages for men and women marrying are 28 and 26 respectively. This compares to 23 and 20 in the early ‘60’s. Also, today only 1 out of 5 bride’s parents pays for the wedding. A trend that is influencing bridal gift choices and the amount spent on wedding gifts. On a sadder note, living ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Boomer Women Keep Working: Nearly Half Of Boomers ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 3, 2006

Boomer Women Keep Working: Nearly half of boomers (born 1946-1964) plan to work past retirement simply because they need the money, according to an Allstate Financial survey. The number of working women older than 55 is expected to rise 52% during the next decade, from 8.2 million to 12.4 million ...read more

Tags: Workplace