In Sermon Illustrations: "Simple Faith"

Parachute Illustration

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 2, 2019

SCRIPTURE: James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." ILLUSTRATION: Two men are on a plane, an announcement comes over the loud speakers and says "This plane is going to crash, please put on the parachute that is under ...read more

Scripture: James 2:19

Tags: Faith, Salvation, Repentance

Prepared

Contributed by Gaither Bailey on Nov 5, 2020

Almost every Sunday morning I begin my sermon with a cute or funny story. This morning I start with a sad story. Bob and Betty were 2 of my dearest friends in Indiana. A strong, loving example of what a married couple should be. However, this couple was always at least 15 minutes late for ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Faithfulness, Preparedness, Prepared

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

What Is Your Struggle

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Aug 25, 2021

As a group of frogs was traveling through the woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was no hope left for them. However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and they ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Faith, Believe In Yourself

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Simplicity Of Childhood

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 1, 2021

My young son ran to me, crying. “Daddy, I stubbed my toe,” he sobbed. “Let me kiss it and make it better,” I said. “Which toe was it?” My son ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:1-23, Mark 10:14

Tags: Faith, Simplicity, Warmth

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Pound Of The Eternal

Contributed by David Parks on Jan 14, 2022

A Pound Of The Eternal David E. Parks One of the most compelling quotes I have ever read comes from a book by Charles Swindoll, Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish Living. Out of the hundreds of books that I have read over the decades, I know of no quote that has as frequently returned to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33

Tags: Faithfulness, Laodicea, Commitment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Doctor Cho: Walking On Water

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jun 15, 2022

Matthew 14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:27

Tags: Faith, Walk On Water

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Getting The Gospel Right!

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jul 18, 2022

Martin Niemoeller was a German Pastor during the Nazi era and was imprisoned multiple times for his opposition to Hitler. Niemoeller understood that Hitler was distorting the gospel to serve his political agenda. In April 1945 American forces liberated northern Italy where Niemoeller had been ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:9, Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Faith, Salvation, Gospel

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Hope Ain't Hoping

Contributed by John Bright on May 27, 2023

I want to give you a shorthand way of remembering the difference between the hope in our Bibles and the hope out in the world. Hope ain’t hoping. Today, folks plan outside events and say, “I sure hope it doesn’t rain.” Every Sunday, some folks may show up here and say, “I sure hope PJ doesn’t ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-5

Tags: Faith, Hope, Hoping

Denomination: Methodist

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: Faith, Spirituality, Materialism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Why Palm Sunday Is Important

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Mar 26, 2024

In 1997 I traveled to Pittsburgh to attend a Promise Keepers Meeting at Three Rivers Stadium. Men from the Ashland Area Churches rented a bus and traveled there together. Promise Keepers was created to issue a calling to men to live up to their biblical responsibilities to be good Husbands, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:1-11, Isaiah 50:5-7

Tags: Faith, Palm Sunday

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Knowledge Of Jesus

Contributed by Samuel M on May 16, 2024

The knowledge of you (Jesus) changes my understanding of who I am. The words I speak, the way I think, the life I live will radically change when I see you and get to know you Jesus. ‘I’ in me will alter (change or destroy) to become more like you (Jesus). Knowing and seeing you Jesus helps me to ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:8

Tags: Faith, Knowledge Of God

The Journey Of A Black Artist

Contributed by Jessie Manuel on Dec 30, 2024

Consider the journey of a fictional Afro American artist named Maya, who grew up in a neighborhood plagued by inequity. Her early life was fraught with challenges—families losing homes, schools underfunded, and dreams foiled by systemic barriers. However, Maya found solace in art, a channel ...read more

Scripture: Joel 2:25

Tags: Hope, Faithfulness, Restoration

Denomination: Methodist

Little Is Much If ...

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Aug 22, 2025

LITTLE IS MUCH IF GOD IS IN IT --- BY KITTIE L. SUFFIELD, 1924 IN THE HARVEST FIELD NOW RIPENED, THERE IS A WORK FOR ALL TO DO; HARK! THE VOICE OF GOD IS CALLING, TO THE HARVEST CALLING YOU. LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT, LABOR NOT FOR WEALTH OR FAME; THERE IS A CROWN AND YOU CAN WIN IT ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 91:4

Tags: Faith, Little Is Much

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Soul Food

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 8, 2025

A certain man who had been absent from church for a long time received an inquiring visit from the Pastor. The man told the Pastor, "I've attended nearly every Sunday for 30 years. In that time, I have heard something like 1,500 sermons. In all of those years, people were shouting ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5, Isaiah 40:31, John 6:35

Tags: Worship, Faithfulness, Nourishment

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Girolamo Savonarola

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

At the very start of his ministry there, Savonarola noticed an elderly woman who used to come and pray regularily before that statue of the Virgin Mary. One day, he took an elderly priest aside who had been serving in the cathedral for many years and said, "Look how devoted this woman is. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Tags: Girolamo Savonarola, Faith

Denomination: Anglican

Corrie Ten Boom

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Nov 28, 2025

Corrie Ten Boom was a Jew that worked with the underground resistance against Hilter. 6 million died. Corrie, her dad Caspar and sister, BETSY were arrested. They were taken into captivity by the Germans in the Jewish Death Camps. Corrie and her sister were captives. In her book THE HIDING PLACE, ...read more

Scripture: Job 42:10, Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Faith, Plan, Trust

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Power Steering

Contributed by Kelly Benton on Feb 3, 2026

Before power steering, turning a car was basically CrossFit. Two hands on the wheel. Face red. Whole body involved. You didn’t turn—you wrestled that thing like it owed you money. Then power steering came along. And suddenly a pinky finger could do what used to take a full upper-body workout. Same ...read more

Tags: Faith, Obedience, Power

Denomination: Other

Heart Transplant

Contributed by Kelly Benton on Feb 3, 2026

A heart transplant doesn’t make a sick heart healthier. It removes the failing heart completely and replaces it with a living one. After surgery, the patient doesn’t just act alive— they are alive. They don’t breathe because they’re disciplined. They breathe because they have a new source of life ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tags: New Creation, Faith

Denomination: Other

The Voice Of God

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Mar 28, 2026

The Voice of God says many important things to us. The main thing and the most reassuring is, “You are never alone”. God will never ever leave you. I am reminded of how God let my wife Becky know that he was with her when she was in a time of trouble. Her father was sick and in dire condition in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9, Exodus 34:1-9

Tags: Faith, Security, Care

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Missed The Sunrise

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

I recently had the chance to visit Acadia National Park in Maine. There's a place there, Cadillac Mountain, where you can be one of the first people in the entire country to see the sunrise. While the rest of America is still in darkness, light first makes its appearance on that mountaintop. I ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2

Tags: Hope, God's Faithfulness

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational