In Sermon Illustrations: "Small Problems"

The Sinner's Friend

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on May 6, 2023

There's the story told by Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist where he was talking to another Christian in his home. They were downstairs, as was his friend's son. The friend's wife and mother were in an upstairs room. All at once the little boy wanted something and called out to his ...read more

Scripture: John 4:1-26, Luke 19:1-10, John 1:14

Tags: Evangelism, Incarnation, Friend Of Sinners

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

David & Goliath

Contributed by Christian Jones on Jun 4, 2023

Illustration 1: In a vast valley surrounded by towering cliffs, a young shepherd named David stands confidently with his slingshot in hand. His eyes are focused, and his face displays determination as he gazes up at the formidable figure of Goliath. Goliath, a giant of a man clad in gleaming armor, ...read more

Tags: Determination, Steadfast

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Compass And God's Truth

Contributed by Timothy Lueking on Jul 1, 2025

Let me tell you a story to bring this passage home. Back in the 1800s, the thick forest of northern Michigan there was a young logger, confident in his sense of direction, set out one crisp morning to scout new timber. The forest was dense, the sky hidden by a canopy of green. Hours passed, and as ...read more

Scripture: John 2:3-6, John 8:31-32

Tags: God's Word, Compass, Waver, Bible, Direction, Truth  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Bridge Operator

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 5, 2025

There was once a man whose job was to operate a drawbridge for passing trains. Most of the time the bridge stayed raised to allow ships to move freely along the busy waterway. But when a train was scheduled to cross, he would lower the bridge, lock it in place, and signal that the way was ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Grace, Atonement, Sacrifice, Redemption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Missy  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 29, 2006

Missy Dear Heavenly Father, I don’t’ know if you have any special place set aside for the small creatures in your future plans, but, I would like to ask a favor of you; that is, if you feel I’m worthy of entrance into your Kingdom. I know that your eye is on the sparrow and that not one thing ...read more

You Be The Judge?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2002

YOU BE THE JUDGE? "A money belt is one thing you just can’t do without," my friend told me. ’Make sure you take travelers’ checks with you and maybe a few twenties, and tuck them in your money belt before you leave. And don’t ... DON’T go pawing through your money when you’re out on ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:1-4

Tags: Character, Disease, Compassion, Faith, Leprosy, Obedience  (view more)  (view less)

[043] A Message From A Poem – Christ Upholds The Battling One

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 3, 2025

[043] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRIST UPHOLDS THE BATTLING ONE (Longer Introduction) Do you face battles? Do trials and opposition buffet you and make the way ahead very hard? This poem partly addresses that. Well there is good news for you. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Your Saviour goes with you all ...read more

Scripture: John 10:2, John 10:11, John 10:14, 2 Timothy 3:12

Tags: Battling, Mary Stevenson, Comfort, Dreams, Poetry, Burdens, Footprints In The Sand, I Had A Dream, Grace  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[309]. A Message From A Poem - This World Is In Deception’s Hand

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 13, 2026

[309]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - THIS WORLD IS IN DECEPTION’S HAND I believed deception is so common that people live with it and do not realise they are deceived. We come to accept circumstances as normal but they are not normal in Christian teaching. They are normal for the deluded ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 2:18-19, 2 Timothy 3:13, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4

Tags: Deception, Christians, Delusion, Hatred, Deceived, Satanic Deception, Delusions, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In The Spring Of 1940, War Between England And ...  PRO

Contributed by Tony Miano on Apr 30, 2001

In the spring of 1940, war between England and Germany was beginning to wage in the Atlantic. The allied fleets of America and England were still abiding by a disarmament treaty that limited the size of warships. But the Germans were building ships of gigantic proportions. One such ship, the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:20, Hebrews 9:1-30

Tags: God's Omnipotence, Emotions, Faith General

Denomination: *other

The Music Pastor At Ben Franklin Middle School  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Dec 13, 2001

THE MUSIC PASTOR AT BEN FRANKLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL Jack Martens is a fifty-six year old teacher who has spent 33 years teaching music at Ben Franklin Middle School in San Francisco. “Over 50 percent of Martens’ students are from broken homes. The same number are on welfare. Nearly that many come ...read more

Tags: Christian Love, Compassion, Giving General

Denomination: Church Of God

Have You Noticed That People Are More And More ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2002

Have you noticed that people are more and more angry then ever before? Consider the following… § One anger management firm stated that “one out of every five Americans has an anger management problem.” § According to FBI statistics, there were 23,305 homicides in 1994 and the most common reason was ...read more

Tags: Anger

The Manifestations Of An Antichrist  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 15, 2002

THE MANIFESTATIONS OF AN ANTICHRIST A father told a Senate committee that his son committed suicide after listening to songs about violence, sex, drugs, and death. "He was a good boy," Raymond Kuntz of Burlington, N.D., said of his only child, 15-year-old Richard. "The music wasn’t symptomatic ...read more

Tags: Antichrist, Parenting

Seared Conscience, Citation: J. Douglas Burford, ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Oct 25, 2002

[Seared Conscience, Citation: J. Douglas Burford, Mission, Kansas] During my college years—in my infinite wisdom—it occurred to me that it made no sense to stop at red traffic lights when there was clearly no traffic around. So I began to stop only briefly—just long enough to ...read more

Tags: Sin General, Temptation General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

At The End Of Wwii The Japanese Government Faced ...  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on May 7, 2003

At the end of WWII the Japanese government faced a similar problem with thousands of soldiers who were hiding in the jungles and mountains in the South Pacific. Although the treaty with the U.S. had been signed and the war was over, thousands of Japanese soldiers living in the mountains and ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Every Once In A While My Daughter Starts ...

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Apr 30, 2004

Every once in a while my daughter starts crying. From then on in, the battle begins. My wife and I have an ignorance contest. Who can lay the stillest for the longest without getting up? The trick to winning this battle is to learn how to tune it out. If I can somehow stay in a sort of ...read more

Scripture: John 10:27

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Faith

Denomination: Lutheran

A Real Heroine  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 26, 2004

A REAL HEROINE As you walk down the red carpet, a frenzied mob swarms around you, demanding your autograph. The reporters are snapping your picture, nearly blinding you. Every ten feet, a television crew stops you for an interview. Have you just become the hottest newest star? No, you’re at ...read more

Scripture: John 15:14

Tags: Ruth, Christian Disciplines, Endurance

A More Powerful Medication!" Genesis 3: 6-19 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 28, 2004

“A More Powerful Medication!” Genesis 3: 6-19 Key verse(s): 8b: “... and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” I am an asthmatic. Asthmatics often have problems breathing because they are hyper-sensitive to the environment around them. When a foreign substance is ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:6-19

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Lutheran

The Cohen Brothers And Mr. Ford  PRO

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 4, 2005

The Cohen Brothers & Mr. Ford 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 ...read more

Tags: Racism

Denomination: Independent/Bible

In The Late Winter Of 1891, The Whale-Ship 'star ...  PRO

Contributed by Peter Bines on Sep 6, 2005

In the late winter of 1891, the whale-ship ’Star of the East’ was in the area of the Falkland Islands when it sighted a whale. Two boats were sent out with harpoons to catch and kill the creature. But the whale’s lashing tail overturned one of the boats spilling the crew into the sea. All were ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10

Tags: Fact Or Fiction, Fiction, Check, Jonah, Never Happened  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Perhaps You Have Heard Of The Upcoming Movie The ...  PRO

Contributed by Pat Cook on Sep 14, 2005

Perhaps you have heard of the upcoming movie The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s a wonderful story written by CS Lewis, one of the sharpest Christian thinkers of the 20th century. The wardrobe mentioned in the title is a large walk-in closet in an old house owned by an old and quirky ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:18

Denomination: Baptist