In Sermon Illustrations: "The Society Of The Divine Word"

Unsung Heroines-Esther’s Maidens

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 30, 2022

Introduction: Esther was a Jewish maiden who was selected to become Queen of the Persian Empire. The Book of Esther gives additional information about how she truly lived a dream come true. We’re not told how many girls from the Persian Empire were evaluated, but Esther won the contest and became ...read more

Scripture: Esther 4:15-17

Tags: Esther, Mordecai, Fasting, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroines-Peter’s Mother-In-Law

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 14, 2022

Introduction: She’s only mentioned once, but in three of the Gospels. Look what happened to this lady after she received healing from Jesus! Text: Here are the texts from each of the Gospels where this event is mentioned: Matthew 8:14-15, KJV: 14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-39

Tags: Healings, Ministering, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

"i've Got A Mansion Just Over The Hilltop" Song Story

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 21, 2022

In 1945, a young Christian businessman stood one evening in an evangelistic service in Dallas, Texas, and told how he had learned a valuable lesson from a small child. The gentleman stated that his business, for a number of months, had been in a steady decline. It looked as if it would completely ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6

Tags: Death, Revelation, Heaven, Hope, New Jerusalem, Funerals  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Delete Or Repeat

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Dec 27, 2022

Delete or Repeat Choosing What We Carry Forward Picture your life as a computer desktop crowded with files. Each one represents a memory, a habit, a choice, or an experience. Some files are useful and frequently opened. Others are outdated, damaged, or simply take up space—slowing everything ...read more

Scripture: James 4:13-15, Isaiah 43:18-19, 1 John 1:8-9, Philippians 3:12-14, 2 Corinthians 5:17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Future, Goals, New Year, Tomorrow, Commitments, Starting The Year  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Highest Calling Of The Bride Of Christ

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Jul 17, 2023

Revelation 19:7-9 - Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. Revelation 21:2 - And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her ...read more

Tags: Purpose, Bride Of Christ, Calling, Glory, Church, Worship, Praise, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unsung Heroes-Aquila And Priscilla

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 12, 2023

Introduction: This couple is only mentioned a few times in the New Testament, but with each mention it’s clear they were serving the Lord. They are truly unsung heroes of the Bible! 1 Ministering with Paul in Corinth Text: Acts 18:1-3. KJV 1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came ...read more

Scripture: Acts 18:1-3, Acts 18:18-21

Tags: Priscilla, Aquila, Unsung Heroes

Denomination: Baptist

Misapplied Scriptures: "There Is But A Step Between Me And Death”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 24, 2023

Introduction: This verse, on the surface, seems pretty straightforward. The problem is that some well-meaning folks have used it in a different sense. Let’s take a deeper look: Text: 1 Samuel 20:3, KJV: 3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 20:3

Tags: David, Death, Jonathan, Misapplied Scriptures

Denomination: Baptist

Misapplied Scriptures, Numbers 5:11ff: Abortion?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 27, 2023

Introduction: By now we’ve seen a few examples where selected (!) Scriptures are taken out of context and used in ways the writers never intended. There are some people who flat-out either twist or attempt to misapply the Scriptures in a much more devious way. They’ll take or quote a passage that, ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 5:11-31

Tags: Spirit Of Jealousy, Abortion, Adultery, Misapplied Scriptures

Denomination: Baptist

A Good Start Matters

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Mar 19, 2024

I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was my sixth-grade field day when all the elementary schools gathered for a series of track and field events at the town’s high school track. It was a sunny New England spring morning and I was representing Glen Forest Elementary School in the 50-yard ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Timothy 2:8, Ephesians 5:15-17, Colossians 4:5

Tags: Prayer, Meditation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Selfishness

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Apr 12, 2024

A while back I was in store getting some groceries as I observed a mother battling with her child. He was screaming at the top of his lungs and lying on the floor kicking and lashing out at his mother. The mother was really embarrassed by the child’s behavior, and she seemed overwhelmed and shocked ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:3-4

Tags: Selfish, Me Focused

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[041] A Message From A Poem – Christ - Our Support In Hurt

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 1, 2025

[041] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRIST - OUR SUPPORT IN HURT We can pass through stormy seas and feel like those disciples in the boat when calm gave way to anxiety, but Jesus was in the boat resting in peace. The disciples focussed on the conditions and not on the Lord. Is that like us as ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 56:3-4, Psalm 56:11, Matthew 28:20, John 14:16, Mark 4:37-40  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Hurt, Afraid, Support, Alone, Anxious, Always With You  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[078]. A Message From A Poem – Failure Leads To Hurt And Sorrow

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 12, 2025

[078]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FAILURE LEADS TO HURT AND SORROW This poem was written one Sunday morning while waiting for a church service to start. It flowed quickly. It was around the time I was speaking on a series in the life of Peter. Identify yourselves if you have never failed the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:7-10

Tags: Hurt, Forgiveness, Sin, Failure, Sorrow  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Wait On The Lord - But In Silence

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 5, 2025

WAIT ON THE LORD - BUT IN SILENCE Waiting in silence with patience is almost foreign to most of us. We like action and love to be doing as Martha was in rushing around in service for her Lord, while Mary sat in silence listening to the Lord in communion. The concept of waiting on the Lord is a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42, Lamentations 3:26

Tags: Silence, Martha, Wait On The Lord, Finches, Wait Silently, Mary  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Fixer-Preacher - Pastor Appreciation Help

Contributed by Loyd C. Taylor on Jun 24, 2025

The Fixer-Preacher Celebrating Pastor Appreciation Day It’s not every day I get to stand up here and talk to everyone on a Sunday morning, but when I do, it’s for a pretty special reason. Picture this: sunlight fills the room, the choir is quietly humming, and you can smell fresh coffee in the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 17:22, Romans 13:7, Hebrews 13:7, 1 Timothy 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Ephesians 4:11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Humor, Laughter, Pastor Appreciation, Introductions, Pastor Humor, Icebreakers, Sermon Starters  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[153]. A Message From A Poem – Jesus Christ Is Lord And King

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 3, 2025

[153]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – JESUS CHRIST IS LORD AND KING There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and the writers of the Psalms, and Jeremiah, made use of what we call “Alphabetic Poems”. That is where you begin each new paragraph with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. I think ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11, John 20:20, Matthew 27:37, Matthew 2:2

Tags: Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Lord, King, Jesus Is Lord, Jesus Is King  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[168]. A Message From A Poem – Leave The Future With Your God

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 18, 2025

[168]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LEAVE THE FUTURE WITH YOUR GOD I think it is true to say that we all run around making plans and trying to resolve problems in the ordering of our lives. We are creatures of this earth, though we are citizens of heaven. (Philippians 3:20). Things in this life ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 56:11, 2 Timothy 3:13, Matthew 6:34, Matthew 6:31, Matthew 6:25, Philippians 3:20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Do Not Worry, Christian Poems, Future, Anxiety, Worry, Wait On The Lord  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[217]. A Message From A Poem - Placed In Perilous Times

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 3, 2025

[217]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - PLACED IN PERILOUS TIMES Placed in perilous times spells the conditions that often apply to Christians in all ages. The believers in Roman times could very well know that. The Huguenots certainly knew that when hunted down by incited mobs from the French Catholic ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:26-27, 2 Timothy 3:1

Tags: A Sure Foundation, Christian Poems, Scriptures Are God Breathed, Persecution, Christianity, Danger, Peril, Unfeigned, A Crown Of Righteousness, Love  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Donkey That Carried A King

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 17, 2025

(Told by the donkey who carried Jesus) My name? Oh, I’m just a donkey. Not the fastest, not the strongest, and definitely not the prettiest. My legs are short, my coat’s kind of dusty, and my ears—well, they stick out more than I’d like. Most days I carry firewood or water jugs. Sometimes the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:2-9, Zechariah 9:9, Luke 19:35-38, John 12:13-15

Tags: Humility, Purpose, Willingness, Service, Praise  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Troubling Thoughts?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 14, 2025

Troubling thoughts Introduction: What might make your thoughts cause you trouble? Text, Daniel 5:5-9, KJV: 5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 5:5-9

Tags: Daniel, Belshazzar, Thoughts

Denomination: Baptist

[353]. A Message From A Poem – X Marks The Spot

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 23, 2026

[353]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – X MARKS THE SPOT X marks the spot where we stand in God, where we place our feet and take our stand as Christians. “X marks the spot” is a very well-known expression in English. Jellyfish don’t stand their ground but drift around according to the whim of the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:11-13

Tags: Stand Firm, Stand For Jesus, Christian Poems, X Marks The Spot

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational