In Sermon Illustrations: "Time For Everything"

This Life Is Just A Rental

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 14, 2024

In the last few years when our family travels instead of booking a hotel we have used an Airbnb or a Vrbo. If you’re not familiar with this concept it’s basically people renting out their homes to tourists. It’s especially convenient if we have a lot of family to house. We can all stay together, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-20

Tags: Heaven, Worry, Rust, Possessions, Moths  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

[049]. A Message From A Poem – Christmas With The Shepherds

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 7, 2025

[049]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTMAS WITH THE SHEPHERDS This is a very simple poem. I was asked to write a poem for Christmas by a friend who was doing religious instruction at a school and it is aimed at younger children. Although I do not agree with the trappings of Christmas as ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Tags: Poetry, Poem, Shepherds, Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[076]. A Message From A Poem – Expectations, Testimony And Pleading

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 11, 2025

[076]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – EXPECTATIONS, TESTIMONY AND PLEADING The three words in the title are what the poem is about. Firstly there is expectation of our heavenly home when we are transported from the physical life. Then there is testimony and that is about the way God looks after us, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalm 119:143, Psalm 119:77, Psalm 119:47

Tags: Great Things, Pleading, Expectations, Turn To The Lord, Scripture, Testimony, Poetry, New Home, Delight, Poem  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[083]. A Message From A Poem – For Men - The Three Cs

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 21, 2025

[083]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR MEN - THE THREE Cs There are 9 poems in this series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the second one in the first set - FOR MEN. ALL ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:37, Romans 13:11-12, 2 Peter 1:13, Romans 12:1

Tags: Poetry, Poem, Take A Stand, The Flesh, Be Awake, The Old Nature, Compromise, Carnality, Complacency  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[092]. A Message From A Poem – For We Are Flesh And Blood

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 30, 2025

[092]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR WE ARE FLESH AND BLOOD We are emotional people and emotions often influence our feelings and life and behaviour. Emotions do need controlling e.g. a person might be “in a bad mood” but must not let that become bad attitudes to others. Sometimes we can be down ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:15, Romans 8:26, Revelation 21:4-5

Tags: Bad Mood, Weakness, Depressed, Human Nature, Flesh And Blood, Feeling Down, Mood Swings, Emotions, Joy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[093]. A Message From A Poem – Foraging In The Depths Of Scripture

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 30, 2025

[093]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FORAGING IN THE DEPTHS OF SCRIPTURE This poem deals with getting into the heart of scripture. There are images and techniques and encouragement in these stanzas. I actually make the comparison between a mudskipper that flits across the shallows on the water, and ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 119:27, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Tags: Buried Treasure, Inspired, Dig Deep, Eel, Mudskipper, Scripture, Word Of God, Workman  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[123]. A Message From A Poem – He Will Receive Us To Himself

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 8, 2025

[123]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HE WILL RECEIVE US TO HIMSELF Time for confession. It is no secret that the theme that occurs in a few of my poems (sometimes only a brief mention) is that of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in Person for all His disciples. That coming is soon and is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Tags: Caught Up, The Coming Of The Lord, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Jesus Receives Us, Received To Him  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[196]. A Message From A Poem – Not Worthy To Be Compared

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 12, 2025

[196]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED This poem has its basis in a few scriptures. This is one of them – {{Romans 8:18 “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE COMPARED with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”}} Those who are like me ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:14-15, Philippians 3:12, Philippians 3:8, Romans 8:18

Tags: Christian Poems, Golf, Rubbish, Comparison, Press On, Goal, Christian Poetry, Glory, Worthy, Loss  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Your Light And Life Can Make A Difference - Teddy Stallard Story

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Nov 19, 2025

Miss Thompson taught Teddy Stallard in the fourth grade. He was A slow, ... unkempt student, ... a loner ...shunned by his classmates. The previous year his mother died, ... and what little motivation for school ... he may have once had ...was now gone. Miss Thompson ... did not particularly ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13

Tags: Oil, Mother, Light, Lamp

Denomination: Anglican

Leighton Farrell Was The Minister Of Highland ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Vicente on Feb 14, 2005

Leighton Farrell was the minister of Highland Park Church in Dallas for many years. He tells of a man in the church who once made a covenant with a former pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year. They were both young and neither of them had much money. But things changed. The layman ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Gifts Giving, Giving General

Denomination: Baptist

I Mentioned Brian Mclaren's Book "A Generous ...  PRO

Contributed by Mike Wilkins on Feb 21, 2005

I mentioned Brian McLaren’s book “A Generous Orthodoxy” last week. The chapter after “Would Jesus Be a Christian” is titled, “Jesus, Savior of What?” In this chapter he argues that while Jesus did come to save us as individuals, we in the west have placed such a strong emphasis on personal ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Tags: Kingdom Of God

Denomination: *other

I Have Served As A Volunteer Chaplain For The ...  PRO

Contributed by Troy Mason on Mar 4, 2005

I have served as a volunteer Chaplain for the Havelock Police Dept for many years. Still, I will never forget my first night out with them. I was completely green and had no idea how to act. I was trying to follow the lead of the other officers. We were called to the parking lot of a store in ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:40-45

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Baptist

I Have Always Loved Blackberries. When I Was A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 15, 2005

I have always loved blackberries. When I was a child, my grandmother would take me out blackberry picking so that she could make one of her famous blackberry cobblers. If you have ever picked blackberries, you know that they are heavily protected by very thorny vines. Grandma and I would prepare ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-8

Tags: Dead To Sin

The Great Comedian Carl Hurley Tells The Story ...  PRO

Contributed by Ken Kersten on Apr 18, 2005

The great comedian Carl Hurley tells the story about trying to throw a trash can away. He said it’s the one thing you can’t get the garbage man to pick up. He said, I set an old rusty garbage can out at the street one morning thinking the garbage man would understand that it needed to be thrown ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bondage — It's All In The Mind!

Contributed by Greg Buchner on Apr 19, 2005

Bondage ~ It’s all in the mind! Harry Houdini had a problem. The famed escaped artist found himself in a jail cell that he couldn’t get out of. His mind began to wander back to the challenge he made…any jail cell, he claimed, couldn’t hold him, that is until now. Thirty minutes had gone by since ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Methodist

My Grandfather Ralph Hose Would Never Go Fishing ...

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 15, 2005

My grandfather Ralph Hose would never go fishing on a Sunday. As his grandson I asked him why. He told me the story of his brother Herbert. In my grandfather’s family the men never went to church but the women did every Sunday. On any Sunday Ralph, Wilbur, Harold, Herbert, and my great ...read more

Tags: Confession Of Sin, Repentance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Art Of War  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 26, 2005

INTRODUCTION Sun Tzu was a general in China about 500 BC. If we relate this time to other world events, the Jews were in captivity and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were preaching. About 520, the Jews began to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem and we can read about this in the book of ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-12

Tags: Temptation General, Temptation Power

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

There Is A Hill In The Lake District Called Rash ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Richards on Jul 3, 2005

There is a hill in the lake district called Rash Judgment Point and that it was given that name by William Wordsworth. The story goes that while he and his sister were standing at the top of this hill one day during the harvest season looking down on the lake below, they saw a man in a boat ...read more

Tags: Misconceptions

Denomination: Baptist

A U.s. Air Force Transport Plane With Its Captain ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jul 19, 2005

A U.S. Air Force transport plane with its captain and 5 crew members was flying over Alaska in the mid-50s when they entered an unusually fierce snowstorm. The navigator contacted an air base only to be told that he had veered several hundred miles off course. Correct coordinates were given to the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:15

Tags: Faith, Humility

Denomination: Lutheran

Dr. Harry Iornside Tell The Story Of The Yellow ...

Contributed by Larry Jacobs on Jul 19, 2005

Dr. Harry Iornside tell the story of the YELLOW GOSPEL. Some years ago a terrible railroad accident occurred, killing many people. A commuter train had stalled on the tracks just a few minutes before a fast freight was due to arrive. A conductor was quickly sent to flag down the ...read more

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Denomination: Baptist