In Sermon Illustrations: "Running From God"

Thank You, God, For Rattlesnakes!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 26, 2023

There was a farmer who had three sons: Ron, Don and Little John. All had their names on the church roll, but none ever attended church or had time for God. Then one day Don was bitten by a rattlesnake. The doctor was called and did all he could to help Don, but the outlook for his recovery was very ...read more

Tags: Judgment, Repentance, Spiritual Fruit, Brokenness, Unfaithfulness, Backsliding, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thank God For Blessed Subtractions!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 10, 2023

Three local pastors were discussing their Easter Sunday results with one another on the Monday after Easter. The Methodist minister said, "Easter services worked out great for us! We gained four new additions at First Methodist!" Praise God! The Baptist preacher grinned ...read more

Tags: Arrogance, Bragging, Preachers, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Easter, Revival, Church Growth, Pride, Pastors  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Church That Voted God Out!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2024

The story is told about a poor woman who lived across the tracks and wanted to join a very fashionable church. She talked to the pastor about it, but he sought to discourage her. He suggested she go home and think about it carefully for a week. At the end of the week she came back. He said, “Go ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-12

Tags: Church, Revival, Favoritism, Pastors, Membership, Partiality  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Judgement

Contributed by John Bright on Sep 23, 2025

I don’t believe that God’s Judgement should be our main focus, but I also believe it’s wrong to never mention the Judgement of God. Remember, God must judge humanity because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Our God is a Holy God who also wants us to be holy. (1 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:5, Romans 3:23, 1 Peter 1:16

Tags: Grace, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Holiness

Denomination: Methodist

Trust God And You Will Be Firm

Contributed by Arulselvam Rayappan on Jan 13, 2026

Trusting the Lord is a recurring theme in the Prophet Isaiah. “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm” Is 7: 14. Advent is a time of trusting the Lord. God alone can save those who place their trust in Him. At times we are confused concerning the choices we have to make. On the one hand ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

Tags: Fear, Trusting God, Afriad

Denomination: Catholic

[040] A Message From A Poem – Chaotic Times Are Meant To Be

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 1, 2025

[040] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHAOTIC TIMES ARE MEANT TO BE This world is in chaos and your understanding of that depends on your assessment in the scriptures. Right now in the United States there is a new presidency under Trump, and the sick state of American society is being revealed with ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-4, 2 Timothy 3:12-13

Tags: Last Days, Chaos, Leaven, Poetry, United States, President Trump, Evil  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[107]. A Message From A Poem – Gospel Reflections

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 9, 2025

[107]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GOSPEL REFLECTIONS This poem begins with reflections them moves to creation, then the death of the Lord followed by salvation and ends with a very pleasant scene in peaceful waters and sunlight. The inspiration for this was recall of the tropical scenery around me ...read more

Scripture: John 1:3, Psalm 23:2

Tags: Salvation, Reflection, Waters, Sunlight, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Atonement, Creation, Beauty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Normally The Flight From Nassau To Miami Took ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hensley on May 3, 2001

Normally the flight from Nassau to Miami took Walter Wyatt, Jr., only sixty-five minutes. But on December 5, 1986, he attempted it after thieves had looted the navigational equipment in his Beechcraft. With only a compass and a hand-held radio, Walter flew into skies blackened by storm clouds. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Evangelism How To, Evangelism Fear Of, Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

The Treasure, Adapted From A Story By Alice Gray ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The Treasure, adapted from a story by Alice Gray as printed in "More Stories for the Heart" There’s a story I like about a little girl who fell in love with a string of plastic pearls. She had saved up all her money to buy these plastic treasures. After she bought them, she wore those pearls ...read more

Tags: Patriarchs Abraham

No Power Outside, From The Devil Downward, Can ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 11, 2007

"No power outside, from the devil downward, can take us out of God's hand; so long as we remain faithful, we ...read more

Tags: Faith

[098]. A Message From A Poem – Genesis Synopsis

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 7, 2025

[098]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – GENESIS SYNOPSIS How can you possibly put the book of Genesis into a poem? The answer is, be brief and try not to miss the main events. I had the desire to write a Genesis poem and this is the result. The poem begins of course with Chapter 1 and works to the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 15:13, Genesis 12:3, Genesis 15:18, Matthew 24:37-38, Genesis 1:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Genesis, Creation, Egypt, Isaac, Nimrod, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Adam, Joseph, Cain  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[044] A Message From A Poem – Christian Patterns

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 6, 2025

[044] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTIAN PATTERNS This is a “constructed poem” meaning it follows a pattern. It is a series of injunctions or commands with specific structure that I will explain. Let us take the opening line – “Take God’s truth and make it yours, and your vain ways forsake.” I ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 8:5, Philippians 3:17, Acts 7:44

Tags: Poetry, Pattern, Poem, Christian Living, Commands, Christian Patterns, Rhyming  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Here Are The Results From A New Gallup Survey ...  PRO

Contributed by Tj Tipton on Mar 31, 2001

Here are the results from a new Gallup survey called, The Unchurched American. Findings from the Gallup survey of 2,556 adults who were not church-goers: 1. The survey reports that 44% of U.S. adults are "unchurched", defined as neither belonging to a church nor visiting one within the last six ...read more

Tags: Church General, Sharing My Testimony, Sharing Your Faith

Denomination: Pentecostal

[013] A Message From A Poem - Academic Christianity

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 14, 2024

[013] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ACADEMIC CHRISTIANITY If you did a survey in universities and places of higher learning, and in liberal theological colleges in our days, you would find very few Christians. The mind of man today is bent on humanism and the search for rationalism in an existential ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:3, 1 Corinthians 1:18-19, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25

Tags: Academic Christianity, Professing Christians, Faith, Salvation, Foolishness, Humanism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dr. John Gossip, A Theologian From Scotland ...  PRO

Contributed by Denn Guptill on Oct 31, 2000

Dr. John Gossip, a theologian from Scotland wrote “It is held by many people as a first axiom that holiness is a dull affair, and God’s company intolerably dreary and that for ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment, Holiness

Denomination: Wesleyan

[241]. A Message From A Poem – Christmas Glory

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 22, 2025

[241]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTMAS GLORY This little poem was written for a short Christmas Meditation that is on SermonCentral. As you can see it is an acrostic. I have always been thrilled with this verse from Luke – {{Luke 2:9 “An angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them and THE ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:9, Matthew 17:1-3, Acts 9:3, Philippians 3:21

Tags: Christian Poems, Moses On Sinai, An Acrostic Poem, Christmas, Meditation, Glory Of The Lord, Shepherds, Mount Of Transfiguration  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Give God The Big Stuff, Too

Contributed by Sean Harder on Aug 5, 2011

GIVE GOD THE BIG STUFF, TOO I am mechanically inept and every once in a while I try to do some mechanical thing. Sometimes it's as simple as trying to put up a light fixture. Inevitably it fights back and doesn't go easily. I start getting frustrated and forcing the issue, usually making it worse. ...read more

Tags: Trust

One Sunday As They Drove Home From Church, A ...  PRO

Contributed by Kyle Meador on Jan 15, 2001

One Sunday as they drove home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, there’s something about the preacher’s message this morning that I don’t understand." The mother said, "Oh? What is it?" The little girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. He said ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples, Sharing My Testimony, Sharing Your Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[146]. A Message From A Poem – In Union With Christ

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 29, 2025

[146]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – IN UNION WITH CHRIST It is a great joy and a mark of praise that we are in Christ. Do Christians use that phrase “in Christ” and not think into the depth of it? In union with Christ examines that subject, and it is too great to write well on it in a poem with ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:4-6, Ephesians 4:1-3, Philippians 2:2, Romans 6:5

Tags: Grace, Savior, Unity, Bond, Forever, Love One Another, Risen Lord, Union With Chris  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Several Years Ago An Eastern Paper Reported This ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Several years ago an eastern paper reported this story: One evening a woman was driving home when she noticed a huge truck behind her that was driving uncomfortably close. She stepped on the gas to gain some distance from the truck, but when she sped up, the truck did too. The faster she drive, the ...read more

Tags: Joy