In Sermon Illustrations: "The Signs Of The Times"

I Grew Up In What I Would Consider, Lower Middle ...

Contributed by Mark Thometz on Aug 27, 2012

I grew up in what I would consider, lower middle class. In the schools I went to as a kid there were really 3 levels of kids when it came to income. You had the rich kids. These kids had a Playstation AND N64, which were big when I was kid. They had huge houses and a TV in every room. Then you had ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Christian Church

The Cave Dwellers” By Max Lucado. ...

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Dec 4, 2012

“The Cave Dwellers” by Max Lucado. “Long ago, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe of people in a dark, cold cave. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were ...read more

Tags: Unbelief

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

May I Tell You A Story?

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Jul 15, 2015

May I Tell You a Story? Mom and I sat on the rest home porch As May’s sun gave a golden glow. Rocking side by side in wooden chairs, Like we had done so long ago. My mind slipped back to childhood days, When we would sit and rock for hours; I thought of Mom’s little garden and smiled When I ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9, 1 Peter 3:15, Isaiah 1:18

Tags: Witness, Funeral, Legacy, Testimony, Gospel Of Jesus, Hymns Of Faith, Tell About Jesus, Loving Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Grandma's Hands

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Mar 23, 2016

Grandma’s Hands When I stand at the graveside for an elderly person, I think about the life they have lived, that dash between the birth date and date of death. I think about all they have seen, all they have experienced. And I think about this story that is told: Grandma, some 90+ years, sat ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:8

Tags: Hands, Graveside

Denomination: Baptist

Mary

Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Sep 28, 2017

MARY Several years ago I learned that a friend had died. Mary Mott, a member of the church during the years we lived in Virginia, had passed away at about eighty years of age. Mary was a soft-spoken lady with a sweet and gentle manner. But apart from being a pleasant lady who was easy to like, ...read more

Tags: Baptized, Convert, Mary Mott, Correspondence, Mary, Conversion, Bible Study, Prison, Baptize, Murderer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Help Daisy! It's Gotta Hold On Me

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Mar 4, 2019

INTRO: Let me tell you about my friend Billy Bob. Ole Billy Bob came in to work one day looking like he had been run over by a buzz saw. He had scratches all over and big pop-knots on each side of his head. With a look of despair, Billy Bob said,” Well son it happened like this; after work ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 6:16-19

Tags: Sin, Destruction

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Man Who Rejected A Pardon

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 1, 2019

ILLUSTRATION: The man who rejected a pardon. 1.) I found this true story online. United States v. Wilson, 32 U.S. 150 (1833), was a case in the United States in which the defendant, George Wilson, was convicted of robbing the US Mail in Pennsylvania and sentenced to death. Due to his ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:8

Tags: Forgiveness, Pardon

Angels In A Pickup Truck?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 16, 2020

There’s not much better than a great day on vacation, especially when the outside temperature is hot and your car’s A/C is cold! That was how it was on one recent summer day when I was visiting my home town. I had done some sight-seeing and was ready to head back to the motel room when I wondered ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 1:14

Tags: Angels, Assisting People

Denomination: Baptist

Wee Bobby Moffett, Missionary

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Aug 6, 2021

HAVE YOU HEARD OF WEE BOBBY MOFFETT? There was a small village church in Scotland that did not seem to be growing. The deacons cornered the pastor and had serious questions about the church. The deacons asked WHY HAS THERE BEEN NO GROWTH IN THE CHURCH THIS YEAR? We have not had one new ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-5, John 6:5-9

Tags: Failure, Possibilities, Attitudes

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Keep Away From Sin!

Contributed by Paul Clemente on Oct 24, 2022

Genesis 4 Devotional Part 2 The first children from Adam and Eve grew up having 2 different interests: Abel took care of animals while Cain took care of plants. When it was time to worship God (how did they learn and why did they worship God?), Cain offered firstfruits from the field and Abel ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:6-15

Tags: Love, Sin, Heart, Cain, Relationship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Why Palm Sunday Is Important

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Mar 26, 2024

In 1997 I traveled to Pittsburgh to attend a Promise Keepers Meeting at Three Rivers Stadium. Men from the Ashland Area Churches rented a bus and traveled there together. Promise Keepers was created to issue a calling to men to live up to their biblical responsibilities to be good Husbands, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:1-11, Isaiah 50:5-7

Tags: Faith, Palm Sunday

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: "Uh, Don’t Forget The Teacher!”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 24, 2024

Introduction: In Elisha’s day, just after Elijah was taken to Heaven, much of Israel was still deeply committed to Baal-worship, courtesy of Ahab and Jezebel. A large number of Israelites also worshiped the golden calves which Jeroboam I had installed soon after becoming king. In spite of that, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 6:1-4

Tags: Elisha, Prophets

Denomination: Baptist

[003] Message From A Poem – A Simple Farmer’s Ditty

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 13, 2024

[003] MESSAGE FROM A POEM – A SIMPLE FARMER’S DITTY You will note that each line of the poem ends with the “ay” rhyme. The following poem is simple in structure but an attempt to relate to the simplicity of the land. I used to spend my holidays as an early teenager on the land with a farming ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 26:23-25, Ezekiel 14:13

Tags: God Keeps Us, Agrarian Society, Nature, Poem, Farming, Farmers, A Ditty  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[004]. Message From A Poem - A Memorial To Kent Harrison

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 19, 2024

[004]. MESSAGE FROM A POEM - A MEMORIAL TO KENT HARRISON This was written after Kent’s death in Townsville maybe in April 2005. We had known him since early Mt Isa days, then later when he moved to Charters Towers and then to Townsville. Kent suffered a few massive strokes but battled on after ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:1, 2 Samuel 1:17, 2 Samuel 1:26

Tags: Death, Compassion, Friend, Memorial, Tribute, Prayer Warrior, A Christian Death  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus Our (Lawyer) Advocate

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Jun 10, 2024

I would like for you to picture a scene. There is a court room. The judge is seated behind the bench. The jury is in place. There are people watching the proceedings. There is someone on trial sitting before the judge. And that person is you! The charge against you is that you are a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2

Tags: Forgiveness, Advocate, Judgment Seat, Lawyer, Court Room  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Smart Phone Theology

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Oct 29, 2024

Smart phones are really smart. Even smarter than I know. I use my phone for so much more than calling and texting but it’s not uncommon for me to learn new features and abilities my phone has that I previously had never known. Over the years I’ve learned that my phone is a compass, can take video ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13, 1 Corinthians 10:13

Tags: Service, Holy Spirit, Power, Temptation, Gifts, Giftedness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Leaving The City Of Regret

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 1, 2025

Leaving the City of Regret by Larry Harp I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was going to be unpleasant, and I knew in advance that no real good would come of it. I'm talking about my annual "Guilt ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Tags: Freedom, Regret

Denomination: Methodist

[035] A Message From A Poem – Beware The Fowler

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 25, 2025

[035] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – BEWARE THE FOWLER GOTCHA! We hear that in children’s play and in some games. In fact I think there may have even been a board game in the 1950s with that title. Have you ever watched a spider on its web sitting there silently and an insect becomes ensnared in ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 124:7-8, Psalm 91:3

Tags: Pitcher Plant, Spider Web, God Delivers Us, Caught, Fowler, Trapper, Ensnared, Gotcha  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[113]. A Message From A Poem – Have You Seen A Gouldian Finch?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 19, 2025

[113]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HAVE YOU SEEN A GOULDIAN FINCH? I keep finches including the gouldian finch, one of the most beautiful finches in the world, if not the most beautiful. If you have not seen one, go do a search on the internet. This poem covers a number of subjects. When you look ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:8, Acts 17:30-31, John 1:3

Tags: Creation, Evolution, Repent, Colors, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Gouldian Finches, Wise Designer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[139]. A Message From A Poem – If Your Life Belongs To Jesus

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 22, 2025

[139]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – IF YOUR LIFE BELONGS TO JESUS In June 2020 I found a poem of mine that I began some time in the past and had forgotten about. It was unfinished for 9 years. I then checked the date and it said 29 May 2011. It was in June 2020 that I wanted to finish it. The ...read more

Scripture: John 16:33, John 1:10, Philippians 2:14-16

Tags: Do Not Fear, Stand For Jesus, Christian Poems, Belong To Jesus

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational