In Sermon Illustrations: "The Lord Is Behind"

In A More Formal, Liturgical Church A Visitor ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Sep 20, 2004

In a more formal, liturgical church a visitor showed up one Sunday and got excited about something the minister said, and declared, “Amen, praise the Lord!” Someone tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, “We don’t praise the Lord ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 100:1

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Congregational

Teach The Children  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2002

TEACH THE CHILDREN Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened... I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Eve

Newton's Story

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 21, 2025

The story of John Newton and the hymn Amazing Grace. Newton’s hymn has grown so familiar to us that we sometimes forget the depth of the testimony behind it. Those lines were not crafted by a saint who lived an unblemished life. They were written by a man who walked through the same spiritual ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 33:12, Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Grace, Redemption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Plots, Plans, Villains And Fools!" Ezra 6:13-18 ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 10, 2005

“Plots, Plans, Villains and Fools!” Ezra 6:13-18 Key verse(s): 14:“So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees ...read more

Scripture: Ezra 6:13-18

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Lutheran

Comeback Kid!" Romans 4:19-25 Key Verse(S) ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 28, 2005

“Comeback Kid!” Romans 4:19-25 Key verse(s) 25:“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Combacks are the things of movies and dreams! Few things cause more instant satisfaction than a comeback. People who overpower a disability or disease–teams ...read more

Scripture: Romans 4:19-25, Revelation 20:6

Tags: Easter Resurrection, Faith

Denomination: Lutheran

[175]. A Message From A Poem – Bema – The Judgement Seat Of Christ

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 22, 2025

[175]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BEMA – THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST What do Christians think of the judgement that is coming for Christians that is outlined in these very telling verses? – {{1 Corinthians 3:11-15 “for no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 John 2:28, Revelation 4:10-11, Matthew 10:42, Revelation 22:12  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Heaven, Judgment, Cup Of Cold Water, Bema, Judgment Seat Of Christ, Judged, Shame, Penalty, Judge, Rewards, Ashamed, Reward  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Cups Of The ...

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Cups of the Lord Cup of Salvation Psalms 116:13 says, “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” The opening verse of psalm 116 says, “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.” (Psalm 116:1) Dewight Jones tells us that there are some 32 ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:13

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[017] A Message From A Poem - Altogether Lovely One

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 21, 2024

[017] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ALTOGETHER LOVELY ONE There are times when we feel our hearts going out in worship to our Lord. What is the difference between praise and worship? This is not a sermon so I won’t be answering that question here, but I hope you think on it and that it might warm ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:11, Isaiah 53:3-4, Psalm 150:1-3

Tags: Worship, Praise, Gold, Magi, Sorrow, Frankincense, Myrrh, Lovely One  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Welcoming Misfits  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2004

WELCOMING MISFITS Ryan Johnson, minister in Glen Elder, Kansas, shares this story: I was heading north out of Salina, Kansas when I saw him. His name was Charlie. Charles was sitting in the ditch with large army bags. The cold misty rain was drenching him and his bags. He wore his Vietnam ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:12-24

Tags: Kingdom Of God, Parable Great Banquet, Compassion

The Ride Home From Coco Beach

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 10, 2009

THE RIDE HOME FROM COCO BEACH We were driving back to the hotel at 70 miles an hour on the interstate when a major rain storm hit, we could hardly see and then it happened. It was like something right out of Nascar - cars going airborne spinning and crashing into each other. I watched cars right ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[013] A Message From A Poem - Academic Christianity

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 14, 2024

[013] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ACADEMIC CHRISTIANITY If you did a survey in universities and places of higher learning, and in liberal theological colleges in our days, you would find very few Christians. The mind of man today is bent on humanism and the search for rationalism in an existential ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:3, 1 Corinthians 1:18-19, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25

Tags: Academic Christianity, Professing Christians, Faith, Salvation, Foolishness, Humanism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[277]. A Message From A Poem – The Leading Road

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 25, 2026

[277]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE LEADING ROAD I hope everyone has been on higher ground where you have a really great panorama and the land and hills or ranges sweep away before you. I have seen many of these in tropical rainforested country, and below you, you may see a road leading away ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 104:24-25, Job 12:7-9, Romans 1:20, Revelation 20:12

Tags: A Leading Road, Beauty, Scenery, Nature, No Excuse, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Creation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

In The Broadway Play, My Fair Lady, One Of The ...  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Hensley on Nov 5, 2000

In the Broadway Play, My Fair Lady, one of the characters sings a memorable song. The Lord above made liquor for temptation, To see if man could turn away from sin, The Lord above made liquor for temptation, BUT, with a little bit ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To, Temptation General, Temptation Resisting

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Out Of Bounds

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Nov 18, 2006

“Out of Bounds” The old shepherd who offered prayer in a Welsh revival meeting put it exactly right when he expressed grief for his backsliding in these words: “Lord, I got among the thorns and briars, and was scratched and torn and bleeding; but, Lord, it is only ...read more

Tags: Character

Denomination: Christian Church

The Most Crippling Time For The Church Is Summer ...

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on May 17, 2008

The most crippling time for the church is summer time and vacations. People are traveling and spend their tithe, or drop it in a church they are visiting. Too many come home and having been away for weeks over the summer, have no sense of obligation to “make up” the shortfall in ...read more

Tags: Stewardship

Denomination: Salvation Army

An Inner City Church Had An Annual Student ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 23, 2001

An inner city church had an annual student recognition day. Normally, students would share about their educational experiences and then the pastor would get up and offer a few closing words. One year, the pastor’s words were a bit alarming. He stood up in front of all the young graduates and ...read more

Scripture: Acts 22:1-15, Mark 15:1-15, Daniel 1:6-12

Tags: Witnessing, Life

Reading Their Names  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 19, 2002

READING THEIR NAMES Jeff Greenfield is a news correspondent for ABC News. He lives in Salisbury, Connecticutt and has attended the same Memorial Day observance in his community for the last 15 years. He writes: "At 10 a.m., the parade begins moving down Main Street. It is a small parade: ...read more

Tags: Holidays Civic, Christian Disciplines

In The Movie, A Few Good Men, A Sergeant And A ...  PRO

Contributed by David Simmons on Jan 18, 2001

In the movie, A Few Good Men, a sergeant and a private stand on trial for killing a fellow marine. Their lawyer, played by Tom Cruise, attempts to demonstrate that the murder was actually the result of an order that the two marines had received from a higher-up. The order to help train the ...read more

Tags: Great Commission, Faith, Corps, Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Baptist

You Could All Have One If You Wanted  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2012

YOU COULD ALL HAVE ONE IF YOU WANTED In Gipsy Smith's book The Beauty of Jesus, Gipsy Smith told about Peter Apples, a man (during the Civil War) who went into the enemy's territory. Peter Apples did not know much about being a good soldier. He just knew that when his superior officer said, ...read more

Scripture: John 4:34-38

Tags: Evangelism How To

The Jesus Store

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 26, 2007

The Jesus Store. There was a woman once who wanted peace in the world and peace in her heart, but she was very frustrated. The world seemed to be falling apart and her personal life wasn’t that great either. One day she decided to go shopping, and she went to the mall and walked in to one of the ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal