In Sermon Illustrations: "Trials Mature Us"

I Will Never Forget What Missionary Bill Lewis ...

Contributed by Kenneth Trent on Mar 2, 2009

I will never forget what Missionary Bill Lewis told me on my last night in Tanzania in 1963. The national pastor, in whose hut we had been staying while on this particular mission safari, had killed his only pig and had used all the remaining rice in his storage bin to provide our supper that ...read more

Tags: Missions

Denomination: Baptist

John Howard Griffin Was A White Man Who Believed ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Mar 3, 2009

John Howard Griffin was a white man who believed he could never understand the plight of African-Americans unless he became like one. In 1959, he darkened his skin with medication, sun lamps, and stains, then traveled throughout the South. His book, Black Like Me, helped whites better understand ...read more

Tags: Racism

Denomination: Pentecostal

Changing Your Mind About Seatbelts

Contributed by Hugh W. Davidson on Mar 13, 2009

CHANGING YOUR MIND ABOUT SEATBELTS I remember when the seatbelt laws came into effect. People had all kinds of excuses for why they weren’t going to wear one. Some said they felt constrained, and some were afraid they’d have an accident because they thought the strap would somehow stop them from ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Baptist

The Holy Spirit Had A Monopoly On Moody

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Nov 13, 2022

Dwight L. Moody was a shoe salesman from Chicago who fell in love with Jesus and started sharing his faith with everyone he met. Even though he was never ordained or had formal training, God used him to reach thousands for Christ as an evangelist. There was a group of British pastors who were ...read more

Tags: Holy Spirit, Preaching, Revival, Jealousy, Moody, Critical Spirit, Preachers  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Get Away From Me, Satan!

Contributed by Subasini Peter on May 8, 2024

Get away from me, Satan!" Jesus said to the devil. It is a statement and the tone of speech of Jesus towards the tempter. When you want to chase a puppy or dog which you don't like and if you say to it very softly "ssshhh...shhh...shhh..." will the dog leave you? No, he will ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:10, James 4:7

Tags: Confession, Authority

Dwelling Place Of God

Contributed by Samuel M on Jul 6, 2024

The enemy wants to destroy every place where God meets with us. He does not want the dove of God to rest and settle on our lives. He is fine with visitation of God but not fine with habitation of God. He is constantly looking to destroy every place in our hearts that could become a resting place ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 66:2

Tags: Faith, Hope

Prayer As Our Heavy Artillery

Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 9, 2024

In Ephesians 6:18, Paul has completed the metaphor of Roman armor. But he is not finished teaching about spiritual warfare. In fact, he has come to the most important weapon in our spiritual arsenal. Prayer is the heavy artillery. Through prayer we call down the bombardment of God against our ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Prayer, Intercession, Victory, Armor, Battles  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Charismatic

Deconstruction, Deconstruction, Deconstruct, Decon....

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Sep 20, 2024

One cannot insist that all truth claims are power plays, that all truth claims destroy freedom. C. S. Lewis writes in The Abolition of Man: “But you cannot go on ‘explaining away’ forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on ‘seeing through’ things ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16, John 18:38, Acts 26:25

Tags: Doubt, Truth, Objective Truth, Deconstructing Faith

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Jewish Understanding About Divorce

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

“The school of Shammai say: A man may not divorce his wife unless he finds in her a matter of lewdness, as it says, "If he finds in her an unseemly thing" (Deuteronomy 24:1), but the school of Hillel say: Even if she burnt his food, as it says, "If he finds in her an unseemly ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:3-9, Mark 10:1-12, Luke 16:18, 1 Corinthians 7:11-13, Deuteronomy 24:21  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Background, Jewish, Divorce, Remarriage

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Little Things Add Up

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Mar 15, 2025

MY SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER TOLD A STORY OF A MAN THAT WORKED IN THE COAL MINES IN EAST TENNESSEE. The man drove a coal truck from the coal temple to the rail road loading dock. It was a short quick trip. Each time the driver drove by the house where he lived. He made a quick stop threw a very large ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:13

Tags: Small, Little

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Be Found Faithful

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Mar 31, 2025

There is a story of a choir director who was so stressed out because at least one or more members of the choir were absent at every rehearsal for a concert. Finally came the last rehearsal and he announced: “I want to personally thank the pianist for being the only person in this entire church ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-2

Tags: Faithfulness, Choir, Unfaithfulness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Blood From Jesus' Brow

Contributed by John Bright on Apr 17, 2025

The Gospel of Luke gives us an accurate description of a very real and yet uncommon medical condition: hematidrosis. It occurs during times of great mental and emotional stress. There are tiny blood vessels that surround all our sweat glands, especially on our brows. When a person is ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:39-44

Tags: Battle, Sins, Garden Of Gethsemane, Maundy Thursday, Transgressions, Iniquities, Hematidrosis  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Grass On Your Path

Contributed by David Dunn on Jan 21, 2026

Prayer sharpens perception. It tunes the heart so you sense danger before it speaks. John Bunyan once wrote, “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” Both can’t thrive in the same heart. Early African believers understood this. Each had a path ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:41

Tags: Prayer, Vigilance

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Standing Up For Truth

Contributed by John Bright on Feb 4, 2026

Both these letters make it clear who is a danger to the house churches. They paint a picture of men whose words and actions need to be challenged and condemned. Do you think it was as hard for them back then as it is for us today? I had a friend who visited a church and attended Sunday School. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2-3, Jude 1:4

Tags: Truth, God's Word, Sunday School

Denomination: Methodist

The Cruciform Life

Contributed by John Bright on Jul 11, 2026

But we are not the first folks who have tried to be the center of the Vertical and Horizontal dimensions. Jesus Followers from the beginning of the Early Church sought to love God and neighbor in the midst of persecution and martyrdom. Remember, in the church of right now, we who are not ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

Tags: Acceptance, Security, Significance, Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ, Cruciform Life, Vertical Fellowship, Horizontal Fellowship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Methodist

Actual Answering Machine Answers Recorded And ...  PRO

Contributed by Dru Ashwell on Dec 16, 2001

Actual answering machine answers recorded and verified by the world-famous International Institute of Answering Machine Answers. ~~~~~ Hi. Now you say something. ~~~~~ Hi, I’m not home right now but my answering machine is, so you can talk to it instead. Wait for the beep. ~~~~~ Hello. I am David’s ...read more

Tags: Prayer Adoration

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Awl For The Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 25, 2002

AWL FOR THE GOOD In 1809, Simon Renee Braille and his wife Monique welcomed their fourth child into the world-- a lively boy named Louis. They lived in a small stone house near Paris where Braille was the local harness maker. Leather working tools are dangerous, so the toddler had been ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-41

Tags: Grace, God's Omniscience, God In The Hardships

This Week, I Read A Beautiful Legend About A King ...  PRO

Contributed by Chad Ballard on Apr 9, 2002

This week, I read a beautiful legend about a king who decided to set aside a special day to honor his greatest subject. When the big day arrived, there was a large gathering in the palace courtyard. Four finalists were brought forward, and from these four, the king would select the winner. The ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13, Luke 24:13-35, John 15:2

Denomination: Baptist

But Before That...  PRO

Contributed by Gregg Strawbridge on Jul 7, 2002

BUT BEFORE THAT... In 1992, when our own Govenor, Kirk Fordice stated unreservedly “America is a Christian nation” the response bordered on hysteria. But before that -- Congress, declared 1983 to be the “Year of the Bible” — stating that the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:18, Psalm 33:12

Tags: Kingdom Of God, July, History, Heritage, Independence, Independence Day, America, Freedom  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Heaven's Gateway  PRO

Contributed by Stephan Brown on Aug 26, 2002

HEAVEN'S GATEWAY I recently made a trip to Ellis Island in New York. Ellis Island was once the biggest immigration processing center in the U.S. It processed thousands of immigrants a day. All of these immigrants left their homelands through much difficulty to come to “the land of promise.” They ...read more

Tags: Heaven, Fulfillment

Denomination: Assembly Of God