In Sermon Illustrations: "Studying The Word"

Surrendering To God

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 28, 2015

Ravi Zacharias tells the amazing story of a young Christian, Hien Pham, whom he met in Vietnam who served as an interpreter with the American forces. Shortly after Vietnam fell, Hien was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:13-16

Tags: Grace, Persecution, Prayer, Surrender, Standing On Promises  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Offering Story

Contributed by Gerald Manning on Nov 23, 2015

Words of Offering: A rich, but cynical businessman said to one of his staff, "Show me a truly unselfish act and I will give you a $100 bill." The staffer, said, "OK, walk with me at the lunch hour." They went to that part of town where there were lots of street people. The staffer said, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7

Tags: Offering, Giving, Generosity

Denomination: Nazarene

Rescue The Perishing

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 23, 2016

RESCUE THE PERISHING Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, wrote so many hymns we love to sing. When she was up in years, she visited the Macaulay Rescue Mission in NYC. She stood before a crowd of homeless, drug-addicted, alcoholic men. She said, “is there a young man here who doesn’t have a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Evangelism, Witnessing

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Preaching Fluff Versus Quality

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Jun 8, 2017

I once lived in a town where there were two preachers who were polar opposites. The one was very charismatic and enthusiastic. But, he did not preach the Bible. I asked him one day why he didn't preach the Bible. His answer was that the people could read their Bibles at home. He preached ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

Tags: Great Commission, Preach Christ, Teach Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

The Heizer Creek Baptism

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018

Note: this story happened to me - Jim Butcher of Madison WV. One of my favorite baptism stories comes from a friend of mine who owns a house on Heizer Creek. He had a nice spot on his property to do baptisms and told the nearby country churches they were welcome to use it anytime, which a few of ...read more

Tags: Change, Transformation, Cursing, Baptism

Denomination: Baptist

Is Your Light Shining

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 15, 2019

IS YOUR LIGHT SHINING? Many years a missionary employed a Chinese scholar to translate the New Testament into the Chinese language. The scholar was a Confucian and had never heard of Christianity until the missionary had hired him. The scholar was a painstaking person and wanted to produce a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Tags: Reputation, Complacent

Denomination: Pentecostal

Lego Theology

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 23, 2019

Matt Proctor- Several years ago, two of my nephews accompanied their mom on a visit to a friend’s house. Ben was 8, Brian was 6. Their mother’s friend was a very neat lady- a place for everything and everything in its place. Though childless, she did have a few toys and handed Ben and Brian a ...read more

Tags: Church, Relationships, Synergy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Name Of Jesus (Yeshua)

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Dec 16, 2019

The Old Testament prophets were often commanded to give their children names that described God’s dealings with Israel. Most Old Testament names that incorporate either the syllable “el” or the letter “Y” (sometimes “J” in English) incorporate the name of God. For example, Joshua (Hebrew Y’hoshuah) ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:21

Tags: Christmas, Jesus, Name Of Jesus, Yeshua

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Miracle Of The Dead Sea Scrolls

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 4, 2021

In 1947, Muhammad adh-Dhib, a twelve-year-old Arab boy, made one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. While looking for a lost goat in Qumran, near the Dead Sea, he threw a stone into a cave and heard the sound of shattering pottery. Curious about the noise, he entered the cave ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Peter 1:21, Hebrews 4:12

Tags: Bible, Scripture, Truth, Miracles, Dead Sea Scrolls  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Enticed By A False Prophet

Contributed by Richard Tow on Apr 26, 2021

Shortly after Jeanie and I were married, we were fresh out of Bible College and I was doing some teaching. The associate pastor of our church approached us in private with a very flattering word. He said that God had told him to gather an elite circle of you couples for him and his wife to mentor. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:29, 1 John 2:27

Tags: Prophecy, False Prophets, Deception

Denomination: Charismatic

Praying The Alphabet!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 12, 2022

A father walked by his daughter’s bedroom door which was cracked just enough so that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused and listened. He was puzzled though to hear her reciting the alphabet: ...read more

Tags: Prayer, Humor, Lord's Prayer, Jokes, Needs, Children  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Not What Was Expected

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Mar 16, 2022

Integrity is when something is the same all the way through. Pure gold is gold and only gold, all the way through. 14kt gold is less than pure, but other metals give it a hardness that allows more uses such as making beautiful jewelry from it. The bible calls the condition of being one thing ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:21, James 3:11, James 3:12, James 3:13, Matthew 23:27, Matthew 23:28  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Integrity, Hypocrisy, Tongue

Denomination: Charismatic

One Minute After You Die

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 19, 2022

One day I received a call from a distraught family who wanted a minister to do a quick funeral. I say “quick” because they asked me to speak for only a few minutes. “We don’t want anything religious,” the son told me, “and nothing you do will be too short.” I asked him why it was so important for ...read more

Tags: Truth, Judgment, Repentance, Lost, Evangelism, Hell, Death, Salvation, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Kidnapped

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Aug 8, 2022

It was December 5 - and I was turning 50 years old. My wife and I went out for dinner with some close friends. During dinner I was informed that we were staying at a hotel by the airport tonight because we had to catch a flight in the morning. Surprise! Happy birthday! Fred, we are taking you on ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1, John 14:1-17, Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Peace, Birthday

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do You Have This Much Self Control?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 27, 2023

I heard a funny story about a stunt pilot who was selling rides in his single engine airplane. One day he got into an argument with a pastor who insisted on taking his wife along at no extra charge. Not wanting to miss out on a chance to make some cash, the pilot said, “I’ll take you both up for ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Marriage, Self Denial, Fruit Of The Spirit, Works Of The Flesh, Self Control, Character Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Love Of God

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jun 12, 2023

Several years ago, John MacArthur had the opportunity to spend several days traveling with the well-known gospel musicians, Bill and Gloria Gaither. At one point, he asked Bill what, in his estimation, were the greatest Christian lyrics ever written, aside from the inspired Psalms. Without ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

Tags: Jesus, Cross, God's Love, Hymns

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Protect The Purity Of Your Marriage

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 21, 2023

I admire Queen Vashti. In the midst of an unsavory "scene she was brave enough to say no to that which was blatantly wrong, and in resisting this insulting act of indignity, she took a stand against the greatest power in her universe. Good for her! Submission does not mean that a wife is a ...read more

Tags: Submission, Character, Purity, Husbands, Wives, Vashti, Beauty, Esther, Marriage  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Misjudging The Composer

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 16, 2024

In a prestigious concert hall, a renowned pianist was scheduled to perform a masterpiece by a legendary composer. The audience, filled with anticipation, settled into their seats as the performance began. However, it quickly became apparent that something was amiss. The pianist, who had been ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 100:1-2

Tags: Perfection, Imperfection, Performance, Flaw, Faith, World, Message, Discernment  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Strength To Forgive

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Aug 12, 2024

Some of life's hurts are so deep and painful that to forgive the people who caused them seems impossible. Yet Jesus says that we can't experience His forgiveness if we have an unforgiving spirit. In World War II, Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsie were arrested for concealing Jews and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-15

Tags: Forgiveness, Lord's Prayer, God's Strength, Forgiving Others, Corrie Ten Boom, Enemies  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Have You Ever Asked God To Wake You Up In The Morning?

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 23, 2024

Be careful what you pray for. We all know the feeling of trying to wake up to a blaring alarm clock. I had been really tired from working late and had overslept several times in the past week. I was traveling at the time, not at home. It wasn’t an emergency since I work from wherever I am, but I ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7, Mark 11:24, 1 John 5:14

Tags: Faith, Prayer, How To Pray, Answered Prayers

Denomination: Charismatic