In Sermon Illustrations: "The Call Of God"

God Prepares Us For Heaven

Contributed by Guy Glass on May 5, 2023

Dr. Billy Graham tells of a friend of his who went through the Depression in the 1920s, losing a job, a fortune, a wife, and a home. But he was a believer in Jesus Christ, and he tenaciously held to his faith even though he was naturally depressed and cast down by circumstances. One day in the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12

Tags: Persecution, Heaven, Depression

Denomination: Baptist

Thank God For Blessed Subtractions!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 10, 2023

Three local pastors were discussing their Easter Sunday results with one another on the Monday after Easter. The Methodist minister said, "Easter services worked out great for us! We gained four new additions at First Methodist!" Praise God! The Baptist preacher grinned ...read more

Tags: Arrogance, Bragging, Preachers, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, Easter, Revival, Church Growth, Pride, Pastors  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The God Who Is Three In One

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 17, 2023

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are mentioned by Jesus in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). The Trinity is seen clearly at the Baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3. The Father speaks from Heaven. The Son is baptized by John. The Spirit descends upon Jesus to anoint His ministry. The Father is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Holy Spirit, Son, Trinity, Godhead, Triune, Father  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In God's Time

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Sep 20, 2023

The little boy walked home from Sunday School and the family were sitting around the old pot-bellied stove talking. The boy told his dad and Pa about the lesson. The boy was so excited. He told them he had gone to the altar and accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. The boy said he was going to ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Tags: Time, Serve

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Church That Voted God Out!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2024

The story is told about a poor woman who lived across the tracks and wanted to join a very fashionable church. She talked to the pastor about it, but he sought to discourage her. He suggested she go home and think about it carefully for a week. At the end of the week she came back. He said, “Go ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-12

Tags: Church, Revival, Favoritism, Pastors, Membership, Partiality  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Are You All Ears For God?

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jan 28, 2024

A missionary translator was endeavoring to find a word for “obedience” in the native language. This was a virtue seldom practiced among the people into whose language he wanted to translate the New Testament. As he returned home from the village one day, he whistled for his dog and it came ...read more

Tags: Obedience, Voice Of God, Hearing God, Listening, Hearers Of The Word  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Mercy

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Nov 2, 2024

Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family from Paraguay. The father spoke out against the military regime and its human rights abuses. The police arrested his teenage son and tortured him to death. Enraged townsfolk wanted to turn the boy's funeral into a huge protest march, but the doctor ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-18, Romans 5:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-5

Tags: Mercy, Sin, Evil, Salvation, Cross  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Judgement

Contributed by John Bright on Sep 23, 2025

I don’t believe that God’s Judgement should be our main focus, but I also believe it’s wrong to never mention the Judgement of God. Remember, God must judge humanity because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Our God is a Holy God who also wants us to be holy. (1 ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:5, Romans 3:23, 1 Peter 1:16

Tags: Grace, Holy Spirit, Judgment, Holiness

Denomination: Methodist

Trust God And You Will Be Firm

Contributed by Arulselvam Rayappan on Jan 13, 2026

Trusting the Lord is a recurring theme in the Prophet Isaiah. “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm” Is 7: 14. Advent is a time of trusting the Lord. God alone can save those who place their trust in Him. At times we are confused concerning the choices we have to make. On the one hand ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:14

Tags: Fear, Trusting God, Afriad

Denomination: Catholic

Democracy Vs. The Kingdom Of God

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Mar 29, 2026

It’s a bit difficult for us, living in 21st-century America, to understand and accept the principle of God’s kingship, because we don’t live in a monarchy or a dictatorship, as did the people of Biblical times. We live in a representative democracy, under a Constitution. In our form of government, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:4-5, Revelation 11:15-16

Tags: Kingdom Of God, Democracy, Kingship Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Treating God Like Amazon

Contributed by Austin W. Duncan on Apr 17, 2026

You’ve been up at 2 AM, scrolling, adding things to a cart you don’t need with money you don’t have for a version of yourself that doesn’t exist. And the next morning you wake up and think, “What was that?” That was your desires running the show while your judgment was asleep. And that’s not just a ...read more

Scripture: James 4:2-3

Tags: Prayer, Idolatry

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

One Of Our Pastors (Larry Booker) Tells Of Going ...  PRO

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Sep 27, 2004

One of our pastors (Larry Booker) tells of going to General Conference a number of years ago where a special session for ministers was held. A certain pastor had been asked to speak to the ministers about his personal experiences concerning the importance of upholding holiness in the local ...read more

Tags: Discipleship, Call Of The Disciples, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Pentecostal

Leadership

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Mar 1, 2016

I remember hearing a story about a famous film producer. As a child, he had a fight with another boy and lost. While his mother was bathing his black eye, he told her how it was entirely the fault of the other boy. It was the other boy who had started the fight, he claimed. His mother said ...read more

Scripture: John 13:2-17

Tags: God Is Love, Giving In Love, Jesus Leadership

Denomination: Baptist

Solzhenitsyn: Men Have Forgotten God  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 24, 2009

SOLZHENITSYN: MEN HAVE FORGOTTEN GOD In his 1983 acceptance speech for the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn recalled the words he heard as a child, when his elders sought to explain the ruinous upheavals in Russia: "Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has ...read more

Tags: Apostasy

Denomination: Baptist

William Carey: When God Pleases

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 22, 2010

WILLIAM CAREY: WHEN GOD PLEASES In 1786 William Carey, a shoemaker/pastor from Northamptonshire, was burdened by the needs of the worlds people. He stood before a counsel of representatives at a ministerial meeting in Northampton. He explained his burden to share the gospel, the good news of Jesus ...read more

Tags: Missions

Denomination: Brethren

Standing By The Bedside Of The Sick Child Of God

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Apr 11, 2024

Rick Renner suggests that "by praying in Jesus' name, a believer actually stands in the physical place of Jesus who is in Heaven, acting on His behalf and operating in the authority He has vested to that believer as His official representative." Thus, this prayer of the elders in ...read more

Tags: Miracles, Health, Sickness, Power Of God, Authority, Elders, Faith, Healing, Prayer, Confession  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Willingness Of God To Answer Your Prayer

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Mar 8, 2022

"My friend, do you think that God is asleep? Do you feel that He has gone to bed when you pray, and you cannot get Him up? Do you believe that He does not want to answer your prayers? God does want to answer your prayers and He will. That is what this parable is saying. You do not have ...read more

Tags: Prayer, God's Love, Parables, Persistence, God The Father, Importunity, God's Willingness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An 11 Year Old Boy Called 9-1-1 Because His Mom ...

Contributed by Charles Wallis on Sep 16, 2008

An 11 year old boy called 9-1-1 because his mom tried to force him to breathe into the interlock device on her car after she had been drinking. The police caught her and the boy was put in a foster home. Standing up for truth and ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Pentecostal

Christian People Are Prayerful  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

E.M. Bounds says in his book on prayer: Nothing distinguishes the children of God so clearly and strongly as prayer. It is the one infallible mark and test of being a Christian. Christian people are prayerful. The worldly-minded are prayer less. Christians call on God. The world ignores God and ...read more

Tags: Communion, Lord's Supper, God's Provision

God, Can You Hear Me?

Contributed by Warner Pidgeon on Nov 6, 2010

GOD, CAN YOU HEAR ME? "My future seemed so uncertain and I was asking, 'God, can you hear me?'" I’ve got three children and ever since they were babies my wife Moira has heard every single murmur. Even now that they are 16, 12 and 7 she hears them when they call out from their beds and when she ...read more

Tags: Comfort

Denomination: Anglican