In Sermon Illustrations: "Turning Point"

My Attempt To Take Max Lucado's Third Person ...  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on May 26, 2010

My attempt to take Max Lucado’s third person narrative to a first person narrative from his book ’Six hours one Friday; pages 16 and 17’ Here it is "Passover Shepherd" Mate it’s hot, just standing here surrounded by my scattered flock of sheep, the sun is relentless in its gaze, almost like it’s ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices, Sacrifice Of Jesus

Denomination: Salvation Army

Truth In Chemistry

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

TRUTH IN CHEMISTRY Theologian, writer, speaker R. C. Sproul: "Truth is that which accurately describes reality." Hold with reality; hold with the truth. Let me give you a couple of examples. Jesus often took something that was material to explain something spiritual. He took the ordinary to ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-47

Tags: Bible Truth

Dream-Stealers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 19, 2011

DREAM-STEALERS Years ago, I heard Pastor Anthony Mangun tell a story at Because of the Times that I have never forgotten. . . . The story is told of a young man by the name of Monty, who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer, who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:14

Tags: Goals

A Remarkable Conversion

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2011

A REMARKABLE CONVERSION One of the most remarkable conversion experiences I ever heard was that of a Korean evangelist named Kim Lee. Dad knew him during his tour in Vietnam. His parents were executed by the North Koreans when he was six years old. With no relatives in North Korea, he and his ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17

Tags: Bible Influence

What Are You Doing, Lord? Amazing Grace

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 31, 2011

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LORD? AMAZING GRACE A couple days ago I was commuting to the church from Boissevain where we were camping this week, and heard an interview with a young woman named Kristen James Anderson, ironically on the last day of our free satellite radio. She came from a great family, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 42:5

Tags: Grace

The 5 Biggest Mistakes That Threaten ...  PRO

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 4, 2012

THE 5 BIGGEST MISTAKES THAT THREATEN RELATIONSHIPS Dr. Edward Hallowell and his wife, Sue, authors of Married to Distraction: Restoring Intimacy and Strengthening Your Marriage in an Age of Distraction, teach you how to spot hidden distractions in your relationship and reveal the mistakes you may ...read more

Tags: Marriage Struggle

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Parable Of Water  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Sep 21, 2012

The Parable of Water There are a lot of things I could compare when it comes to living in the world, sexual sin, the lust we have for objects that are shiny; but, I’ve decided that I’m not going to. I’ve decided to discuss two different liquids. One of them is water and the other is Coca Cola. ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 106:1-12, James 1:16-19

Tags: God's Goodness, Kingdom Of God, Temptation General

Denomination: Salvation Army

Ministry Meltdown

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2013

MINISTRY MELTDOWN My dear friends, when life seems overwhelming, don't get busy; get help! Otherwise, you'll just wear yourself out and those around you. That's what Bob Merritt, pastor of the Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota, was doing. In a recent issue of Leadership Journal he writes about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Stress

The Substitute  PRO

Contributed by Paul Steen on Oct 8, 2016

The Moose was in the game to score. He took the handoff at the five-yard line from the quarterback and stunted to the right. The right guard and tackle had split the defenders and there was a slight hole in the line for him. Moose instantly was in the hole. He put his head down and fought through ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:3

Tags: Substitute, Substitute Sacrifice, Our Substitute

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

A Train For Christmas

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

When I was a little boy, Christmas was really exciting. Sears Roebuck and Company would send toy catalogs out to my mom because she had an account with them. I would spend hours every Christmas looking at every item in the catalog. The catalog was filled with every kind of toy a boy could think ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Jesus Came, Unto Us A Child, A Son Is Given

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

A Collector’s Item?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 23, 2020

Hard to believe, but I may have a collector’s item! In my own house! Now, before you start sending me “Can I see it?” types of emails, maybe I should explain just what this “collector’s item” really is. Really, it wasn’t that much of a collectible, even from a couple of years ago. It’s only ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-20, Colossians 3:2

Tags: Stewardship, Collector's Items

Denomination: Baptist

Failed Love

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Sep 15, 2020

Thomas Carlyle lived from 1795 to 1881. He was a Scot essayist and historian. During his lifetime, he became one of the world’s greatest writers. However, he was human, and humans make mistakes. On October 17, 1825, Carlyle married his secretary Jane Welsh. She was an intelligent, attractive, ...read more

Scripture: Song of Songs 7:1

Tags: Love, Marriage

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes—jonathan’s Armor Bearer

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 4, 2020

Unsung heroes—Jonathan’s armor bearer Introduction: some of the unsung heroes of the Bible never had their names revealed. The people they served with knew, and clearly their parents knew, but in His Wisdom, our Lord has chosen for these people to remain secret. Their deeds were well known, even ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:6-7

Tags: Philistines, Jonathan, Armor Bearers

Denomination: Baptist

A New Year Devotional

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 22, 2022

A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other! In fact, here are some startling stats about typical resolutions for the new year in America: • 27% break their resolutions by the first week of January. • 31% lose their resolutions by the second week of January. • 41% ...read more

Scripture: John 16:33, Numbers 6:24-26

Tags: Finances, New Year, Things, Devotional, Blessings, Resolutions, Peace, Happiness, Joy, Hope  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Glory Of Springtime

Contributed by Todd Catteau on May 30, 2023

Don’t you just love spring? It’s simply glorious. Trees blooming. Plants blossoming. It’s all so beautiful. Unless of course you were looking at my front yard earlier this year. Last summer we bought three bushes that looked so promising. The leaves were supposed to turn all kinds of spectacular ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23, Romans 5:2

Tags: Maturity, Fruit Of The Spirit, Trees, Galatians 5, Church, Spring, Perseverance, Hope, Fruit, Life, Bible, Grace, Forgiveness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

When A Thief Was Surprised At Church!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2023

When I was pastoring in Texas, something strange happened one Christmas that I will never stop laughing about. Because it was a Christmas holiday, we were at home with our family taking a break from our normal ministry schedule. We did not go to the church campus for the weekend. But, while we ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

Tags: Pastors, Tithing, Robbing God, Stealing, Surprises, Church, Giving, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Rapture Why God Doesn't Reveal When

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Feb 26, 2024

When I and my sister were young children we use to regularly have babysitters when our parents went out in the evenings. Some of the babysitters were fun! Some weren’t. The fun ones were the ones that let us play wild games that normally our parents would never let us do in the house if ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:32, Matthew 24:36

Tags: Second Coming, Rapture, Judgment

Denomination: Baptist

The Secrets Of Life

Contributed by Bruce Lee on Jun 6, 2024

“Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself.” ~L. Wolfe Gilbert I have a dog named Bella. She is a Blue Heeler. I must confess that at the time Bella came into my life a dog was not on my wish list. My stepson is the “original owner.” ...read more

Scripture: John 1:3

Tags: Beauty, Nature, Mystery, Canvas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[117]. A Message From A Poem – He Became Sin For Us

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 27, 2025

[117]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HE BECAME SIN FOR US This poem resulted from some discussion in one of the Christian forums on Isaiah 52 and 53. I was thinking into the sufferings of the Lamb upon the cross trying to capture the stark reality of that sacrificial death. Of course God blotted out ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-5, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 12:2

Tags: Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, He Became Sin For Us, Sin, Salvation, Endurance, Cross, Suffering, The Cross, Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[184]. Poem – Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who’s The Worst Of Us All?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 4, 2025

[184]. POEM MESSAGE – MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO’S THE WORST OF US ALL? This is an unusual poem I think, the name taken from the saying, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of us all?” Here we have a reflective poem and a challenging one in our personal lives. There is often so ...read more

Scripture: James 1:23, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Matthew 9:2, Revelation 12:10

Tags: Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Sin, Reflection, Shame, Disgrace, Mirrors, The Accuser, Forgiveness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational