In Sermon Illustrations: "Thoughts"

An Old Feud And A New Bridge  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2013

AN OLD FEUD AND A NEW BRIDGE There were two old geezers living in the backwoods of the Ozarks: Rufus and Clarence. They lived on opposite sides of the river and they hated each other. Every morning, just after sunup, Rufus and Clarence would go down to their respective sides of the river and yell ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 13:1-33

Tags: Fear And Worry

A Teaching On Hospitality  PRO

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Oct 1, 2016

My wife’s grandmother was a real character. Her name was Ora Gee Craycraft . Everyone in the family just called her Mom. She was a loving lady, always smiling, full of compassion, always putting others before herself. Her strong suit was nurturing. If you were sick, or someone hurt your ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:1-14, Hebrews 13:2

Tags: Compassion, Practicing Faith, Faith And Obedience

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Even If Its Dark

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 18, 2017

A young man’s wife became very ill and died, leaving him alone with his four-year old daughter. The funeral service was simple and heavy with grief. After the burial, his neighbors gathered around him and invited them to bring his little girl and stay at one of their homes this first night. They ...read more

Scripture: James 5:13, Psalm 23:1-6

Tags: Death, Comfort, Trust, Sorrow, Trial  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Unsung Heroines-They Helped Rebuild Jerusalem’s Wall

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 12, 2022

Introduction: The Book of Nehemiah is almost like a report or memoir of what Nehemiah did, and why. He led the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, as these walls were in sad shape. Chapter 3 of his book lists a number of people and groups who did work on these walls. The word “repaired” is ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 3:12, Numbers 27:1-11

Tags: Nehemiah, Walls Of Jerusalem, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroines-Salome

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 23, 2022

Introduction: She’s only mentioned in two verses, and only in one of the Gospels. Her deeds of love for Jesus, though, far outweigh any lack of text. Her name is Salome and she’s another unsung heroine of the Bible. Text: Mark 15:40-41, KJV: 40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:40-41, Luke 24:1-11

Tags: Salome, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

Giftedness

Contributed by Jerry Blaxton on Aug 1, 2008

GIFTEDNESS Every now and then, I will have a home repair project to do. I don't mind trying to do some of these things. When we lived in South Dakota, there was a time when the toilet got clogged up. Well, the first thing I did was use a plunger, and it cleared it. But the very next time we had ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Man In The Iron ...

Contributed by Jeff Osborne on Oct 16, 2008

Man in the Iron Cage In John Bunyan’s book The Pilgrim’s Progress, he tells us of a character, known only as a man in an Iron Cage. This man’s character comes from the verse in Lu 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for ...read more

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: Pentecostal

Disneyland

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Dec 29, 2008

DISNEYLAND When I was a college kid in the San Francisco Bay Area, I would drive down with my friends to Disneyland at least once a year. We would leave late Friday night and take turns driving and sleeping during the eight hour drive. We would arrive in town early, have breakfast at Denny's and ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Forget About Marsha

Contributed by Mark Tonkery on Feb 21, 2009

DON'T FORGET ABOUT MARSHA The story is about one day when a woman named Louise fell asleep in her bed, and dreamed a very frightful dream. She dreamed that someone in Hell wrote a letter to her, and it was to be delivered to her by a messenger. The messenger passed between the lakes of Hell, and ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Shemaiah, A Man Of God

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 21, 2020

Text: 1 Kings 12:22, KJV: But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, 24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 12:22-24

Tags: Man Of God, Men Of God, Shemaiah

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes—barzillai The Gileadite, Part 1

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 2, 2020

Introduction: Barzillai is one of many in the Bible who is mentioned only a few times, but his deeds more than make up for any lack of coverage. When David fled for his life during Absalom’s revolt (2 Samuel 15-18), he eventually crossed the Jordan River. Barzillai and some other people met the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 17:26-29

Tags: David, Barzillai, Gilead, Mahanaim

Denomination: Baptist

Never Quit Growing

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 9, 2022

GROWTH IS ESSENTIAL OR ONE WILL GET STAGNATE AND BEGIN A DECREASE. Growth is essential to long term survival. We must learn to take advantage of opportunities and take risk. GROWTH: improve, increase, develop, mature, progressive development, MATURITY, AGE, SIZE, WEIGHT, HEIGHT. 2 Peter 3:18 ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:18, Philippians 1:9

Tags: Plan, Growth

Denomination: Assembly Of God

A Preacher Once Wrote About An Incident In His ...  PRO

Contributed by Jeff Strite on May 19, 2002

A preacher once wrote about an incident in his life: “I’d received a notice from my 13 year old son’s school announcing a meeting to preview the new course in sexuality. Parents could examine the curriculum and take part in an actual lesson presented exactly as it would be given to the students. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:3

Tags: Marriage Faithfulness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Wonderful, Imaginative Short Story By Nathaniel ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 24, 2002

A wonderful, imaginative short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne illustrates the necessity of having the right focus. It is entitled “The Great Stone Face.” The tale centers around a man named Ernest who grew up in a village renowned for a natural wonder that rested just outside its boundaries. ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 11:16-23

Tags: Humor, Mother's Day, Story, Devotional

Bob Had Been A Christian For About 6 Years And ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Willis on Jan 2, 2007

Bob had been a Christian for about 6 years and had come to Dallas to head up a major city wide evangelistic campaign, hosting a daily radio program and working with some of the largest churches in America. He was beginning to think he was close to reaching the ultimate in Christian maturity - ...read more

Tags: Hope, Despair, Restoration

Denomination: Baptist

The Best Thanksgiving Ever

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus They lived a comfortable life in the upscale part of town, the children were teen and pre-teen then and had most anything their hearts desired. They had begun to recite their ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tags: Gratitude, Serving Others, Giving Spirit

Denomination: Charismatic

Unsung Heroes: Naaman's Servants

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 27, 2021

Introduction: Leprosy was and is a very serious disease, affecting the skin in any number of ways. Anyone who ever came down with the disease faced a sad future. Leviticus 13 has detailed information how the people of Israel were to be examined and declared either "clean" or ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:11-14

Tags: Naaman, Elisha, Unsung Heroes

Denomination: Baptist

Finding Grace  PRO

Contributed by Johnathan Hester on Jun 15, 2008

FINDING GRACE If you want to learn the meaning of faith, get down to a child's level. "What could this possibly be?" I thought to myself. "Why would someone place that sign so low? No one could read it." You see them everywhere. Small signs promoting yard sales, cars, and business opportunities ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-2

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Baptist

Learning What "Me-Time” Is All About

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 18, 2023

Several months ago, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage said she and her daughter and granddaughter were going to St. Augustine for a week and wondered if I wanted to go along. I said, “Let me think about it for a while, and I’ll get back to you.” I then overheard a conversation between my ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Vacation, Me Time

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: Micah’s Misfortunes, Part 2

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 11, 2024

Introduction: The first verses of Judges 17 tell the story of Micah. In a word, he stole a lot of money from his mother, but returned it to her after she pronounced a curse on the stuff—and, probably, the thief whoever it may have been. The section concludes with Micah establishing his own ...read more

Scripture: Judges 17:7-13

Tags: Micah, Idolatry, Levites, Mount Ephraim

Denomination: Baptist