In Sermon Illustrations: "Seeking The Kingdom First"

At Christmas All Roads Lead Home

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 19, 2012

AT CHRISTMAS ALL ROADS LEAD HOME Marjorie Holmes writes, "At Christmas, all roads lead home. The filled planes, the packed trains and overflowing buses all speak eloquently of a single destination: home. Despite the crowding and the crushing, the delays, the confusion, we clutch our bright ...read more

Tags: Christmas Eve

Denomination: Methodist

Sex And Corn Flakes

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 22, 2012

SEX AND CORN FLAKES Les Parrot states in his book Crazy Good Sex: "No human longing is more powerful, more difficult to rein in, than sex. It has enough combustive force to incinerate wedding vows, family commitments, career goals, religious devotion, and anything else in its path" (page 17). So ...read more

Tags: Sexuality

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Unusual Baptism On The Mission Field  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2012

AN UNUSUAL BAPTISM ON THE MISSION FIELD Some time back, a retired missionary dropped by our church. She had served faithfully in Africa, and one day, she happened upon a small baptismal service. A fellow missionary took three new converts to the center of a shallow river, and dug a hole in the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:3-5, John 16:12-15

Tags: Baptism

The Peril Of No Burden  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2012

THE PERIL OF NO BURDEN Shortly after coming to Christ, Sadhu Sundar, a Hindu convert to Christ, felt called to become a missionary to India. Late one afternoon Sadhu was traveling on foot through the Himalayas with a Buddhist monk. It was bitterly cold and the wind felt like sharp blades slicing ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37, Galatians 6:2

Tags: Compassion, Burden, Peril

Talk About Rising To The Top Of Your Field, ...  PRO

Contributed by Kelly Mitchell on Sep 25, 2012

Talk about rising to the top of your field, Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her influence on modern dance has been compared to Picasso’s on modern visual arts, Stravinsky’s on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright’s on architecture. We should ...read more

Scripture: John 12:25-26

Tags: Fulfillment, Worldliness, Workplace Balance, Workplace Success

Denomination: Baptist

Sacrifice

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

I will never forget being at church one Sunday playing "king of the hill" with my buddies, before church started. But our play stopped when a car pulled up to the sidewalk and, with help, out came a soldier, who had returned from Vietnam a few weeks earlier. But he came on crutches and he ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13-18

Tags: Sacrifices, Wounded, Soldier Of The Cross

Denomination: Christian Church

Golfers Have A Change Of Heart

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 21, 2013

GOLFERS HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART When you willingly give Jesus all that you are and all that you have, you receive so much more in return. I heard a story once about a group of guys who were returning from playing golf in rural Georgia. As they drove down a two-lane road they came up on a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:16-20, 1 Timothy 6:6-19

Tags: Compassion

Gossip: Opie's Newspaper

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 7, 2014

"Opie's Newspaper" is an episode on the Andy Griffith Show. Opie's friend, Howie, received a small printing press as a gift, and the boys decide to go into the newspaper business. They work hard and produce an initial issue of what they call the Mayberry Sun. The boys soon find that business is ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:31-32

Tags: Gossip, Slander, Sins Of Tongue, Control Tongue

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

No Place To Hide

Contributed by Rick Palmer on Oct 14, 2018

In 1980 I was hired as a City Police Officer in a small Midwest town with a population of 2200. The first week on duty we closed an investigation of a local man who held a position in the School system. He had gained the confidence of the parents, students, and the community. After a traffic ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 23:24, Luke 12:2-3, Romans 14:12, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27, Revelation 20:11-13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Judgement, Hidden Sin, Sin Revealed, Running From God, Judgement Seat Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Faith In Action

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 13, 2019

Here is one of othe greatest illustrations of how faith in action brings the favor of God. George Muller of Bristol exemplified the nitty-gritty of a life of faith. After being a wild youth, he was converted in his early twenties. He obeyed God’s call by living a life of faith and obedience. He ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-6

Tags: Faith, Trusting God, Hebrews 11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Man Of God Who Spoke To Eli, The High Priest

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 22, 2020

Text: 1 Samuel 2:27: And there came a man of God (identity unknown) unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? Thoughts: This unnamed man of God was one of the first to be called a “man of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:27

Tags: Eli, Man Of God

Denomination: Baptist

The 100% Solution!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2022

Since the beginning of time, mankind has craved peace! When Adam and Eve came upon the body of their son Abel, slain by his brother Cain, they no doubt longed for peace. The peculiar thing about peace is this; man has always longed for the time when peace was in his life––yet peace has so seldom ...read more

Scripture: John 14:25-27

Tags: Holy Spirit, Peace

Twice Mine

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 22, 2022

A little boy made a sailboat by his own hands and took it out to the lake and sailed it by himself. But, sadly, a strong wind came over the lake and took the little sailboat away from the boy to the other side of the lake. The little boy looked and looked for his boat but could not find it. He ...read more

Tags: Salvation, Gospel, Redemption, Born Again, Redeemed, Second Birth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

If Jesus Is Like My Daddy, I Don't Want Him In My Life.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 1, 2023

When I was pastoring in Texas, I was asked by one of our AWANA leaders to come to her group and talk to a little girl who really wanted to meet her pastor. She had a question for me. So, I paused what I was doing and found my way to where her group met in our church. The little girl was so ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Divorce, Assurance, Promises Of God, Fathers, Evangelism, Fear, Children, Parents, Trust  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Three Views On Civil Disobedience By Believers

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 29, 2023

There are at least three general positions on the matter of civil disobedience. The anarchist view says that a person can choose to disobey the government whenever he likes and whenever he feels he is personally justified in doing so. Such a stance has no biblical support whatsoever, as evidenced ...read more

Tags: Authority, Leaders, Civil Disobedience, Patriotism, Persecution, America, Submission, Government  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Solomon's Insightful Judgment: Looking For The Reaction Of Hearts

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 16, 2024

King Solomon, known for his God-given wisdom, faced a challenging situation recorded in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two women, both claiming to be the mother of the same baby, brought their case before him. Solomon's response was both shocking and insightful. He suggested dividing the baby in two, giving ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 3:16-28

Tags: Discernment, Prolife, Biblical Wisdom, True Motherhood, Love, Morality, Wisdom  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Anti-Semitism Meets Its Match

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 1, 2024

It was a sweltering August day when all three Cohen brothers entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices of Henry Ford, the car maker, "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the eldest of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that will revolutionize the automobile industry." ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 23:4-8, 1 Corinthians 5:7, Romans 11:11-32

Tags: Israel, Hatred, Anti Semitism, Israel's Future

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Epiphany

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Jan 11, 2025

When I was in High School, I had a teacher named Miss Mary Bartram. She taught English and Literature. One day she read a poem to us by Robert Frost, entitled “The Road Not Taken”. She read it with such commitment and passion that I believe she changed a lot of lives that day, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Tags: Faith, Choice

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

[068]. A Message From A Poem – Established Now And Changed

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 28, 2025

[068]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – ESTABLISHED NOW AND CHANGED This poem is made up of couplets and each couplet is a contrast. What we were, to what God has made us to become. For example, in the first stanza, a member of the world system, but now, a member of the Body of Christ. The last two ...read more

Scripture: Romans 16:25

Tags: Poetry, Poem, Established, Changed, Rhyming Couplets  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[264]. A Message From A Poem – The Facts Of Life

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 14, 2026

[264]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE FACTS OF LIFE This is a simple enough poem but it contains important information. I have called it “The Facts of Life,” not the normally understood application of that term, but the facts pertinent to the Christian life lived here on earth. The poem is in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 15:7

Tags: Living For Jesus, The Glory Of God, Walking With The Lord, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, The Facts Of Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational