In Sermon Illustrations: "Simon Peter"

Satanic Duplications

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Jul 29, 2020

A cartoon when I was a kid showed a group of aliens called Meeks who came to earth and said they only existed to serve others and wanted to give everyone the desires of their heart. The world voted to allow them to do it and everyone only had to ask and it was done. With no work to do humans ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 16:25, 1 Peter 5:8

Tags: Lion, Deception, Satan, Lies

Denomination: Baptist

Dealing With Stress

Contributed by Richard Tow on Oct 19, 2020

When I was a kid, we raised chicken for our food. At first, we only had a few in a large pen. It was a fairly natural environment for them with lots of grass to scratch around in for insects and seeds. Those chickens were very healthy in that environment. Then we dramatically increased their ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6, Jeremiah 2:13, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Healing, Sin, Addiction, Habits

Denomination: Charismatic

Dogs Are Our Link To Paradise.

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Nov 4, 2020

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where ...read more

Scripture: John 14:27, 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Love, Calm, Endurance Of Being Ignored

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Cruel Times Are Coming...

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

In 1988, evangelical philosopher and theologian Carl Henry made a stunning prediction in his book, Twilight of a Great Civilization. He said that as America progressively loses its Christian heritage, paganism would grow bolder. What we saw in the last half of the 20th-century was a kind of benign ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-3, 2 Peter 3:1-9

Tags: Persecution, America, Prophecy, Last Days, Humanism, Cruelty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Tests Of True Humility

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 8, 2020

Tests of True Humility - this is "tricky" 1. Do you feel joy when others are honored? 2. Do you honestly and openly admit sin? 3. Do you seek truth from others regarding your weaknesses? 4. Do you accept criticism graciously? 5. Do you turn all worry, anxiety and concern over to the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-3, 1 Peter 5:5-11

Tags: Godliness, Humility, Honesty, Brokenness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Great Testimony Of Salvation

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Apr 20, 2021

A Great Testimony of Salvation *William MacKay had a great testimony about how God rewrote the story of his life. In the mid-1800s, as a teenager in Scotland, William left home to go to college. *His mother was greatly concerned about his spiritual life, so she gave him a Bible and printed a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:23-25, Romans 1:15-17, Romans 10:8-15

Tags: Salvation, Gospel Power, God's Work, The Bible, Christian Testimonies, William Mackay, Revive Us Again  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Cost Of Redemption - Hosea Buys Back Gomer

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 27, 2022

One man started the bidding: “12 pieces of silver!” “13!” Said Hosea. “14 pieces of silver!” Hosea’s bid was “15!” The low bidders were beginning to drop out, but one man continued bidding: “15 pieces of silver and five bushels of barley!” Hosea said, “15 pieces of silver, 5 bushels of barley and a ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 3:1-5, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Romans 8:38

Tags: Hosea, Redemption, Covenant Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Blind Man Learned To Read Bible With Tongue

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Jun 28, 2008

A man in Kansas City was severely injured in an explosion. The victim’s face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He was just a new Christian, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8, Proverbs 3:1-10, 1 Peter 2:1-3

Tags: Bible Study, Bible Influence

Denomination: Baptist

Caterpillar Ugly, Butterfly Beautiful  PRO

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Caterpillar Ugly, Butterfly Beautiful It is a well-known fact that a caterpillar changes into a butterfly. The butterfly can truthfully say as he looks at the caterpillar, "Such was I, but now I am changed." Every Christian has once been a sinner, living for self and the momentary pleasures ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 Peter 4:7-11

Tags: Resurrection, Salvation, New Life, Born Again, Christian Witness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Joy To All Nations  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2009

To again quote Charles Spurgeon: "It is joy to all nations that Christ is born, the Prince of Peace, the King who rules in righteousness...Beloved, the greatest joy is to those who know Christ as a Saviour...The further you submit yourself to Christ the Lord, the more completely you know Him, the ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 9:6, 2 Peter 1:16-21

Tags: Christmas Advent

Ten Rules For Improving The Church

Contributed by David Parks on Jun 3, 2022

TEN RULES FOR IMPROVING THE CHURCH 1. Tell yourself over and over that since you are not perfect you would not fit into a perfect congregation, if one existed. 2. Instead of picking out the worldly members to point to, pick out the sincere, dedicated, spiritual members and thank God for them. You ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:1-2, 1 Peter 4:8, Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Church, Encouragement, Judgementalism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God's Preservation Of His People Through Two Dreams

Contributed by Richard Tow on Aug 1, 2022

The amazing story is told by the historian Josephus.xxxviii When Alexander began his campaign against Phoenicia, he sent messengers to Juddua, the high priest in Jerusalem, “demanding aid from the Jews and the payment of the tribute which they used to pay to the King of Persia.”xxxix Not wanting to ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:1-8, Romans 8:28, 1 Peter 5:7

Tags: Faith, Protection, Jerusalem, Obedience, Favor, Deliverance, Dream, Alexander The Great  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Redemption Through His Blood - Yellow Fever Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 3, 2023

There is a story...that may help Illustrate redemption...what Christ ...has done for us. In 1927, ...in West Africa... a blood specimen was taken from a native man named Asibi, ...who was sick ...with yellow fever. A vaccine ...was made ...from this original strain of the virus... obtained from ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:18, Hebrews 9:22

Tags: Blood, Salvation, Redemption

Denomination: Anglican

[020] A Message From A Poem - Arrogance Without Truth

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 26, 2024

[020] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ARROGANCE WITHOUT TRUTH Those of us who are older know very well the great change that has come over our societies from what we lived under in the 1950s to the 1990s at which point it all started to decline. The decline is rapid now as we see lawlessness, riots, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:17-18, 2 Timothy 3:1-2

Tags: Truth, Arrogance, The Me Generation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer Check-In

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 16, 2025

A simple “check-in” to see where a person is in their prayer life: • For everybody – what are you praying for? Too often, we pray for the circumstances (E) to change when the Response is what needs to change so this is the right prayer – “Lord, change me.” James 4:3 • For everybody – do you ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:7, James 4:3, James 5:16

Tags: Husband, Wife, Prayer

Denomination: Methodist

[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

[209]. A Message From A Poem – Our Pilgrim Journey Home

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 23, 2025

[209]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – OUR PILGRIM JOURNEY HOME Here is an explanation – The title of this poem expresses the walk and life of a Christian who lives for a short time in this world and then is called home. There is a slight touch of Bunyan’s Pilgrim Progress here. The KJV is the only ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:20-21, Hebrews 11:13, 1 Peter 2:11

Tags: Sojourners, To Live Is Christ, Aliens, Light, Journey, Opposition, Crowd, Strangers, Pilgrims  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Goal Of Spiritual Gifts

Contributed by John Bright on Sep 24, 2025

Spiritual Gifts were documented in Class Meetings within the Wesleyan tradition. It was there that members shared their lives – the successes and the struggles. They would search the Scriptures for answers, and they would pray for each other. Those prayers included listening for a Word from the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Corinthians 12:28

Tags: Spiritual Gifts, Small Groups, Class Meeting, Love

Denomination: Methodist

Four Sets Of Teeth  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 1, 2010

FOUR SETS OF TEETH Simon was an Orthodox Jew. He had a Gentile friend, James, who noticed that Simon owned four sets of false teeth. One day James asked his friend why he had so many sets of false teeth. Surprised by the question, Simon explained, "My friend, as you know, I keep kosher. I have ...read more

Tags: Hypocrisy

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Sound Of Silence

Contributed by Matt Neace on Sep 23, 2018

In their song The Sound of Silence, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sing the words, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and the tenement halls and whispered in the sounds of silence." But their friendship has come to replicate the sound of silence. Paul Simon gave his final ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:26-27, Ephesians 4:32, Proverbs 24:17, Hebrews 12:14

Tags: Resentment, Bitterness, Unforgiveness, Grudges

Denomination: Baptist