In Sermon Illustrations: "Sound Doctrine"

The Parable Of The Fig Tree  PRO

Contributed by Ty Tamasaka on Jul 26, 2011

THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 6 "Then Jesus told this story: 'A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Other

Unsung Heroes-Claudius Lysias

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 22, 2023

Introduction: He was a high-ranking officer in the Roman army, mentioned only a couple of times in Scripture. We don’t know if he ever became a Christian, but we do know that he saved the life of Paul the apostle at least twice! Text: Acts 24:22-23, KJV: 22 And when Felix heard these things, ...read more

Scripture: Acts 24:22-23

Tags: Paul, Persecution, Claudius Lysias

Denomination: Baptist

The One Who Takes The Son Recieves Everything

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 19, 2025

The story is told ... Years ago, ... there was a very wealthy man who, ... with his devoted young son, ... shared a passion ... for collecting fine art. Together ... they traveled around the world, ... adding only the finest art treasures ... to their collection. Priceless works ... by Picasso, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:11-12

Tags: Father, Jesus, Son, Everything

Denomination: Anglican

[276]. A Message From A Poem – The King’s Highway

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 24, 2026

[276]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE KING’S HIGHWAY This poem is a picture. It places all Christians on the highway to heaven, one I have called, “The King’s Highway.” We are familiar with Pilgrim’s Progress which was the journey Pilgrim took on his way to the Celestial City. In a pale ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, John 3:7

Tags: Highway Of The King, Highway, Pilgrims, Pilgrims Progress, Journey To Heaven, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Rapture, Born Again  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Whoever Takes The Son Receives Everything - Good Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Feb 25, 2026

The story is told ... Years ago, ... there was a very wealthy man who, ... with his devoted young son, ... shared a passion ... for collecting fine art. Together ... they traveled around the world, ... adding only the finest art treasures ... to their collection. Priceless works ... by Picasso, ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:11-12, Colossians 1:15-16, 1 Corinthians 1:4-8, 1 Corinthians 13:12

Tags: Treasures, Auction, Son, Life, Eternal  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

Walt Disney’s Vision

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Mar 22, 2026

You may not know this, because he wasn’t highly vocal about his faith, but Walt Disney was raised in a Christian home, and baptized in a Congregational Church. Near the end of his life, Walt Disney wrote an essay [for the book Faith is a Star] in which he credited his faith and his lifelong ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1

Tags: Faith, Vision

Denomination: Baptist

[055]. A Message From A Poem – Death For The Christian

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 12, 2025

[055]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DEATH FOR THE CHRISTIAN We deal with a subject today we often like to forget about. When we are young we give it little thought but when we are old, it tends to preoccupy our minds a lot more. This poem is not so much about the subject of death itself, as it is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 1:18, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Hebrews 9:27

Tags: Death, Fear, Egypt, Poetry, Poem, Christian Death, Absent From The Body, Keys Of Death And Hades  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[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

Let Me Close With This Story, At First You May ...  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 31, 2002

Let me close with this story, at first you may not catch my point, but hang in there, when I land you will see a wonderful point. I had been teaching in Virginia, and I resigned my position and accepted a pastorate of a mission work in eastern Kentucky. The area was very poor, and the little church ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

Tags: Funerals Christian, Death

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Yes, Virginia, There Is A Jesus  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2002

"YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A JESUS." It is truly heartwarming to know that millions of people around the world believe in Santa. Sure, most are under four feet tall, but still it’s amazing that so many believe in the big guy in the red suit. Consider the following: Around the globe, today, live ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Birth Of Jesus

Your Bucket Is Filled!" Philippians 2: 1-11: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Aug 21, 2004

“Your Bucket is Filled!” Philippians 2: 1-11: Key verse(s): 4 “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Consider Your Neighbor!) On a recent Saturday, awakening to a beautifully sunrise and cool breezes, I lazed in bed putting tasks upon the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Lutheran

A Plea For Fishing  PRO

Contributed by Steve Greene on Dec 30, 2005

A PLEA FOR FISHING: Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry. Week after week, month, and year after ...read more

Tags: What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Nazarene

Complete Silence  PRO

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Dec 29, 2008

COMPLETE SILENCE In college, one of the jobs I had was working in a medical file warehouse. Talk about mundane, boring, monotonous. These were huge warehouses that contained millions of files from hospitals all over the San Francisco Bay Area. I did one of three things: I pulled a file for a ...read more

Tags: Disciplines Silence

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Root Beer Thirst --- ...

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Apr 3, 2010

Root Beer Thirst --- --- As a kid in High School, I loved to go to amusement parks, and so did my friends. We only had a couple of amusement parks in the SF Bay Area and my high school buddies and I were able to convince our parents to drop us off at one of these amusement parks that was like a six ...read more

Tags: Stress

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Manor - A Story About The Master Coming Back

Contributed by John Gullick on Jul 31, 2017

Here is a story- Driving up to the mansion seemed quite grand. The turrets bathed in the bright sunlight - windows glistened sending wild cascades of light over the pastures. The driveway was, well, elegent to say the least. But immediately Bernard sensed something was wrong. The hedges and shrubs ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:33-43

Tags: Obedience, Disciple Of Jesus

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

I Was Scammed!

Contributed by Paul Robinson on Mar 7, 2023

It was the summer after my freshman year of Bible college. On this particular day, I was lounging at home, when all of a sudden, my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered anyway. The man on the other end said, "Congratulations! You've won the Dreams Come True ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:10

Tags: Scams, Wasted Life, The Devil's Tricks

Denomination: Baptist

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: The "Cow”-Vangelists?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 29, 2024

Introduction: Who would have thought that the lowing of two cows would mean something wonderful for Israel? Something wonderful did happen! Text: 1 Samuel 6:7-12, KJV: 7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 6:7-12

Tags: Philistines, Ark Of The Covenant, Coffers

Denomination: Baptist

[198]. A Message From A Poem – O Forest, How You Weep In Pain

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 13, 2025

[198]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – O FOREST, HOW YOU WEEP IN PAIN This is a serious poem and I like it very much. Like most of my poems it comes out of some personal experience. If this was a musical composition it would be in a minor key. The summary is, “O forest, how you weep in pain, but ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 3:22-23, Amos 4:7-8

Tags: Tropical Rainforest, Drought, Weeping, Barrenness, Signs Of The Times, Christian Poems, Rainforest, World, Sin, Persecution, Forest, Barren, Dryness, Pain  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[299]. A Message From A Poem – The World Imitates The Forest In Drought

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 27, 2026

[299]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE WORLD IMITATES THE FOREST IN DROUGHT This poem is a comparison. The first 5 stanzas describe trees affected by a long, dry spell, and the remainder of the poem transfers those conditions to a sinful world suffering a spiritual drought. Sometimes I like to ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 13:5-6, Lamentations 3:22-23

Tags: Drought, Desertion, Sustain, Spiritual Drought, Christian Poems, Fallen Leaves  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Pickle Jar As Far Back As I Can Remember Sat ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Nov 13, 2001

The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents’ bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God, Family, Giving General

Denomination: Lutheran