In Sermon Illustrations: "The Repentant Thief"

Revival Begins In The Prayer Closet

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 31, 2022

E.M. Bounds, who was born in 1835, began his three-hour prayer routine at 4am. To him, prayer was not a prelude; it was a priority. Edward Payson, who ministered during the Second Great Awakening, was said to have worn grooves into his hardwood floors as a result of prayer. Adoniram Judson ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3, 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Holy Spirit, Prayer, Revival, Repentance

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Proud People Vs Broken People

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 20, 2022

Proud people focus on the failures of others. Broken people are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need. Proud people have a critical, fault-finding spirit; they look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but their own with a telescope. Broken people are compassionate; they can ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20

Tags: Brokenness, Humility, Revival, Repentance, Pride  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Abraham Lincoln's Call To A National Day Of Prayer

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 17, 2023

I love how President Abraham Lincoln pointed out to Americans that our pride can cause our nation to suffer: “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3, 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Repentance, Nation, Fasting, Prayer, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Several Years Ago The Peanuts Comic Strip Had ...  PRO

Contributed by Jeeva Sam on Mar 20, 2001

Several years ago the Peanuts comic strip had Lucy and Charlie Brown practicing football. Lucy would hold the ball for Charlie’s placekicking and then Charlie would kick the ball. But every time Lucy had ever held the ball for Charlie, he would approach the ball and kick with all his might. At the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:13-18, 2 Corinthians 7:9-11

Tags: Evangelism The Lost, God's Forgiveness, Momentum, Repentance

Denomination: Methodist

It Is Said Of Miss Reside, The First Woman ...  PRO

Contributed by Jonathan Lucas on Jun 14, 2001

It is said of Miss Reside, the first woman missionary to Kiowa Indians of Oklahoma, that after she had been with the Indians long enough for them to know what it meant to be a Christian they gave her a new name. They called her “Aim-day-co.” Chief Bigtree, in explaining this name, said, “When we ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:16-17

Tags: Repentance, Sharing My Testimony, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Pentecostal

Buster, Get Your Heart Right!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 29, 2014

A professor from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas was preaching in Nevada. The normally reserved professor put his whole heart into the sermon and called for people in the congregation to repent and get their hearts right with God. At the end of his message, he ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Revival, Repentance, Confession Of Sin, Change Of Heart

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Billy Graham's Conversion

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

In an interview on October 15, 2013 Billy Graham said, “There are two basic needs that all people have: the need for hope and the need for salvation. It should not be surprising if people believe easily in a God who makes no demands, but this is not the God of the Bible. Satan has cleverly misled ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:8-9, Matthew 5:17-18

Tags: Salvation, Repentance, Billy Graham, Easy Believism

Denomination: Charismatic

All Sin Is Against God.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

“W. S. Plumer said, “We never see sin aright until we see it as against God. All sin is against God in this sense: that it is His law that is broken, His authority that is despised, His government that is set at naught Pharaoh and Balaam, Saul and Judas each said, ‘I have sinned’ which is only ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:23

Tags: David, Sin, Repentance, Holiness, Prodigal Son  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Book Of Re-Evaluation!!!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 1, 2022

Charles Schulz consistently provided helpful and humorous insights through his Peanuts comic strip. In one run he showed Charlie Brown's sister, Sally, struggling with her memory verse for Sunday. She was lost in her thoughts trying to figure it out when she recalled, "Maybe it was ...read more

Tags: Repentance, Evaluation, Seven Churches, Church, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Prodigal Son In The Key Of F

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 14, 2022

Feeling footloose and frisky, a foolish fellow forced his father to fork over his fourth of the family farthings and flew far to a foreign field where he fast frittered his father's fortune feasting foolishly with faithless friends. Fleeced by his fellows and folly, and facing famine he found ...read more

Tags: Prodigal Son, Humor, Repentance, Parables, Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Revivals In The Bible

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 20, 2023

A revival is a return to spiritual health after a long period of sin, darkness and apathy. It is a restoration of the soul of an individual, family, church or nation back to right relationship with the Lord. Some of these recorded revivals listed by the author are more evangelism than revival, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 85:6

Tags: Holy Spirit, Revival, Repentance, Return, Awakenings  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[230]. A Message From A Poem - Redemption Through Death – No Other Way

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 18, 2025

[230]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - REDEMPTION THROUGH DEATH – NO OTHER WAY The concentration in this poem is “No other way.” Why did heaven’s best, God the Son, have to die? You know I can not answer that. The omniscient God knew from eternity past what was going to happen. I can’t give an answer ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2, Isaiah 53:10, Ephesians 4:8-10, Hosea 11:7-8

Tags: Sin, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Full Atonement, Heart, Salvation, Compassion Of God, The Heart Of God, Overturn, Emotions Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

You Are Not A Christian Until You Receive A New ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2005

You are not a Christian until you receive a new nature and if you receive a new nature there will be evidence. You can educate a pig to stay out of the mud and eat differently but on a hot day with fellow pigs he will resort to his normal nature and dive happily into the mud. If you could give ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Proverbs 26:11, 2 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:7-8

Tags: New Creation, New Life, Nature, Repentance, Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

In September Of 1982, My Mother Passed Away Very ...

Contributed by Stephen Ring on Apr 9, 2004

In September of 1982, my Mother passed away very unexpectedly. Through a series of events, I was actually spending the weekend at my parent’s home sick with a stomach flu, in order that my wife would be able to work and get a good night’s sleep. Early on the Sunday morning, my mother had a stroke ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Love, Love, Repent, Whosoever  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The One Thing That Really Matters

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 30, 2020

In just a short time, just like He did with the plagues of ancient Egypt, God has taken away everything that we worship as an idol in place of Him. It is as if God were screaming for a world to hear, You want to worship ATHLETES? I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship MUSICIANS? ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Worship, Revival, Judgment, Repentance, Brokenness, Idolatry, Coronavirus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When George Washington Prayed For America

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

When George Washington was inaugurated in New York City in front of the Federal Hall, he walked to the St. Paul Church and prayed for our country in front of the church. He declared, "The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14, Jeremiah 33:3

Tags: Judgment, Repentance, George Washington, America, Prayer, Revival  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Warning To America

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 2, 2020

“If America upholds God's eternal standards and follows His unchanging ways, then it will be blessed with His favor...His protection...His prosperity....but if America should depart from the ways of God, if it should disregard His eternal standards, then the smiles of heaven, the blessings of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14, Isaiah 43:1-2

Tags: Israel, America, Revival, Judgment, Repentance, Warnings To America  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Pastor, Please Don't Stop Preaching On Hell.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 18, 2022

"Preachers must not neglect preaching on the reality of Hell and the catastrophic consequence of rejecting Christ. When you abandon preaching on Hell, you ignore the accent in the Epistles on the coming judgment, you will need to skip large portions of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels, and you ...read more

Tags: Hell, Salvation, Preaching, Judgment, Repentance, Pastors, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Taking Out A Loan To Pay God

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2023

There was an older man in my church in Texas who came to me with tears in his eyes after a sermon I preached on tithing. He said, "Pastor, thank you for telling our people the truth about how God can bless you when you are obedient to His Word." He wiped a tear and said, "Pastor, I ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:10

Tags: Stewardship, Repentance, Tithing, Brokenness, Forgivness, Loans, Giving  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Where Does Your Ministry Rely Upon God's Power?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 15, 2023

David Platt in his book Radical has a chapter entitled "Beginning at the End of Ourselves -- The Importance of Relying on God's Power (Subsection entitled - “Dependent on Ourselves or Desperate for His Spirit”) Platt went on to say, "This is where I am most convicted as a pastor. I ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8-11, Ephesians 5:18

Tags: Power, Repentance, Pastors, Church, Holy Spirit, Pentecost  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational