In Sermon Illustrations: "Turn To The Lord"

It All Happened On A Subway

Contributed by Dr. Bradford Reaves on Mar 10, 2022

Marcel Sternberger was a methodical man of nearly 50, with bushy white hair, guileless brown eyes, and the bouncing enthusiasm of a czardas dancer of his native Hungary. He always took the 9:09 Long Island Railroad train from his suburban home to Woodside, N.Y.., where he caught a subway into the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:10

Tags: Grace, Mercy, Salvation, Chance, Divine Appointments  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Brethren

June 16, 2006--Planned Parenthood Celebration ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 13, 2009

June 16, 2006--Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor, by Ted Harvey, assistant minority leader, Colorado House She sings the anthem to applause, then her secret is revealed to stunned silence. I want to share with you an awesome experience I had in the Colorado House of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:13-14

Tags: New, Peace, Abortion, Courage, Repentance  (view more)  (view less)

Trouble In The Church  PRO

Contributed by Douglas Duvall on Dec 3, 2006

Trouble in the Church ACTS 15:1-12 I. Decision 15:1-4 A. Men 15:1 B. Method 15:2 C. Messages 15:3-4 II. Demand 15:5-6 A. Demands 15:5 B. Deliberations 15:6 III. Declaration 15:7-12 A. Choice 15:7 B. Comparison 15:8-9 C. Conversion 15:10-12 Introduction Peter had ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 12:24-27

Denomination: Baptist

The Resolutions Of Jonathan Edwards  PRO

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Jan 5, 2003

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:5

Tags: Discipleship, New Year's Day

Denomination: Baptist

The Real St. Nick  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 9, 2002

THE REAL ST NICK A vast multitude was imprisoned in every place," wrote an eyewitness. "The prisons -- prepared for murders and robbers -- were filled with bishops, priests, and deacons ... so there was no longer room for those condemned of crimes."[1] You’d hardly expect to find old St. Nick ...read more

Tags: Christmas

May 5, 2004 "You Can Walk Boy!" John 16: 19-24 ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2004

May 5, 2004 “You Can Walk Boy!” John 16: 19-24 Key verse(s): 21 “‘A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.’” Why do Christians have to suffer? If I had ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-11

Tags: Hardship Of Life

The Hidden Mud And Leaves!" Ephesians 6:10-17 ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 14, 2004

“The Hidden Mud and Leaves!” Ephesians 6:10-17 Key verse(s): 10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” We moved to Beech Springs valley some sixteen summers ago now. We had been looking for a place that could afford us peace, quiet and some room for our growing family to ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-17

Tags: Battle, Doubt, Enemy, Stand, Strong  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Afraid Of Christmas?" Luke 2: 8-14 Key Verse(S): ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 21, 2004

“Afraid of Christmas?” Luke 2: 8-14 Key verse(s): 10: “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” “If I hear one more person wish me a “Happy Holiday!” I think I will just burst!” How often have you heard that over the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Lutheran

The Spirit Of Power That We Receive Is Not Like ...  PRO

Contributed by Austin Mansfield on Oct 28, 2007

The Spirit of Power that we receive is not like the human power that we recognize as strong. It’s a power unlike anything we can do on our own. A young man growing up in the wrong part of Houston became a bully. He would get in fights in school, in the neighborhood, and began mugging people to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:49, Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew 28:19, Luke 9:57-67, Zechariah 4:6, Psalm 33:16-18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Friend, Friendship

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

God Answers The Persistent Prayers Of A Father ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2010

God Answers the Persistent Prayers of a Father and a Congregation for a Wayward Daughter You never know what effect your prayers are having or what catastrophe you are preventing in the lives you are accountable for. In his book, “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire”, Jim Cymbala tells the story of his wayward ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Prayer Persistence

A Great Testimony Of Salvation

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Apr 20, 2021

A Great Testimony of Salvation *William MacKay had a great testimony about how God rewrote the story of his life. In the mid-1800s, as a teenager in Scotland, William left home to go to college. *His mother was greatly concerned about his spiritual life, so she gave him a Bible and printed a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:23-25, Romans 1:15-17, Romans 10:8-15

Tags: Salvation, Gospel Power, God's Work, The Bible, Christian Testimonies, William Mackay, Revive Us Again  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

[010] A Message From A Poem - A Tribute To Our Mothers - Mothers' Day

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 6, 2024

[010] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - A TRIBUTE TO OUR MOTHERS - MOTHERS' DAY I was asked to write a poem for Mothers’ Day and this is it. I forget the context of it now but it had something to do with a children’s group in a church. ORIGINS AND IMPLICATIONS OF MOTHERS’ DAY The origins, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:6-7, Matthew 19:13, Luke 18:15-16, 2 Timothy 1:5

Tags: Mothers Day, Mothers, Timothy, Honor Mothers, Ann Reeves Jarvis, Honour Mothers, Jesus Blesses Children  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Ministry Of Truth And Honesty

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 6, 2024

Introduction: If there’s one thing that’s sorely and surely needed these days, it’s truth and honesty. It’s no secret that both and each are in short supply. Just look at some of the so-called testimony which “witnesses” utter before either house of the U S Congress, for example. The concept if not ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:21

Tags: Paul, Truthfulness, Honesty

Denomination: Baptist

Story Behind The Hymn "when Peace Like A River"

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 21, 2025

Story: The last but one time that I went to Israel , when we went to the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem our Guide pointed across Jersualem to some buildings and told us that is where Horatio Spafford used to live. Many on our trip didn’t know who Spafford was. Horatio Spafford, a well-known Chicago ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:24-34

Tags: River, Perspective, Horatio Spafford, Peace, Worry  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Anglican

[237 F] [6]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 6

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Nov 24, 2025

[237 F] [6]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 6 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 18:23-35, Matthew 14:22-32, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 5:1-11, Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wicked Slave, Washing Nets, Large Number Of Fish, Jesus Walks On Water, Expensive Perfume, Take My Yoke, My Yoke Is Easy, Ten Thousand Talents, Three Hundred Denarii, Mary, Forgiveness, Peter, Nard, Alabaster Box  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[237 G] [7]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 7

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Nov 24, 2025

[237 G] [7]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 7 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:47-49, Matthew 7:24-27, John 14:26, Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13, Mark 9:14-27, John 4:5-30, Luke 15:8-10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Living Water, Wise Man, The Samaritan Woman, Foaming At The Mouth, Deaf And Dumb Spirit, Demon Cast Out, Foolish Man, The Lost Coin, Built On Sand, House Upon The Rock, Scenes From The Gospel, Son With A Demon  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Adopted By Christ  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Jul 9, 2001

Illus.: “Adopted by Christ” John was born into a family of 12 children. They were very poor. He was the youngest. He never remembered his father eating a meal with the rest of the family. He had to work long hours to feed his family. One day his father ran off with another woman, leaving his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:11-20

Tags: Beauty, Ashes, Children, God's Provision, Trinity  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Wesleyan

One Of My Favorite Christmas Stories Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Nov 6, 2001

ILL. One of my favorite Christmas stories is about the old shoe cobbler who dreamed one Christmas Eve that Jesus would come to visit him the next day. The dream was so real that he was convinced it would come true. So the next morning he got up & went out & cut green boughs & decorated his ...read more

Tags: Christmas Advent, Christian Disciplines, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Steward Of The Light  PRO

Contributed by Michael Elmore on Jan 17, 2002

STEWARD OF THE LIGHT In the nineteenth century, lighthouses on the U.S. coasts were tended by lighthouse keepers and their families. If a man who tended the light took ill or became disabled, often the work was picked up by his wife or children. Such was the case of Hosea Lewis. Having become, ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 2:19

Tags: Faith, Christian Disciplines, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: Methodist

A Bubbling Baby, A Bubbling Joy  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 16, 2002

A BUBBLING BABY, A BUBBLING JOY On September 23, 1930, early in the morning a baby boy was born in Albany, Georgia. At that moment, of course, his family had no way of knowing that this bouncing baby boy would grow up to become one of the most beloved and respected singers and entertainers ...read more