In Sermon Illustrations: "Two Coats"

So You Think Sins Don’t Matter?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 12, 2022

Introduction: Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, sin doesn’t matter” or anything like that? There are plenty of times when, in the Bible, when it certainly did. Would you believe that only two major sins cost Israel thousands of their population? Let’s take a look. Text: Numbers 1:44-46, KJV: ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 1:44-46, Numbers 26:51

Tags: Moses, Sin, Balaam, Phinehas

Denomination: Baptist

How Much Coffee Is Too Much Coffee?

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 15, 2022

I will be the first to confess that I love my coffee, especially in the morning. When anybody asks how much coffee is enough, I usually say, “Just one more cup.” My day cannot get started until I’ve had a sufficient amount of coffee. If I don’t have enough coffee when I meet somebody, they will ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 34:8

Tags: Coffee, Serial

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

See Cookie Will Sneak

Contributed by James Snyder on Oct 29, 2022

For more years than I care to remember, I have been on a diligent pursuit, and I won’t stop until I reach my goal. My quest is to find a cookie I don’t like. Throughout the years, I have eaten every cookie I could find and loved them all. My biggest obstacle in this pursuit is The Gracious ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:38

Tags: Temptation, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

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

Our Summer Vacation Jamboree

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 15, 2023

After months and months of planning, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage finalized our vacation plans for the summer. Because of our busy lifestyle, something like this cannot be done with just a snap of a finger, especially since the great-granddaughter invaded our family circle. If my wife ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:11

Tags: Unity, Vacation

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unsung Heroes: An Egyptian Slave Who Helped David

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jun 20, 2024

Introduction: He had been taken as a slave and now was far from his homeland. He was so sick he almost died but David and his men found him. When this slave had recovered, he gave David some very vital information which helped David a great deal! Text: 1 Samuel 30:13-19, KJV: 11 And they found an ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 30:13-19

Tags: David, Amalekites, Ziklag

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes At The 'battle Of The Ditches'!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 30, 2024

Introduction: Ask any veteran or anyone who served in the military for the strangest duty they ever performed and you may get some interesting replies! The soldiers in this story were asked (!) to put down their swords and take up some shovels in order to dig a lot of ditches! This story also has ...read more

Tags: Jehoshaphat, Elisha, Unsung Heroes, Ditches

Denomination: Baptist

It Was A Snarly Kind Of Day

Contributed by James Snyder on Apr 26, 2025

Last week The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage had another one of her girl days with our daughter and granddaughter. Don’t let this get around, but it is one of my favorite days of the year, including my birthday. It’s a day on which I can do what I want to do. That doesn’t come often; when it ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:29

Tags: Wrath, Patience, Reward

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[290]. A Message From A Poem – The Roman Harlot Of Revelation 17

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Feb 15, 2026

[290]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE ROMAN HARLOT OF REVELATION 17 This poem has its setting in Revelation chapter 17. Some of the expressions are taken from that chapter which I draw upon. Some find revelation 17 a mystery but there is no mystery to it when it is all placed in context. This is ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 17:4, Revelation 17:18, Revelation 17:9, Revelation 16:8-9, Revelation 9:20-21  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Mother Of Harlots, Alexander Hislop, Christian Poems, The Harlot, The Whore, Rome, Antichrist, Tribulation, False Prophet, Babylon The Great  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[321]. A Message From A Poem - Uniquely First In Many Ways - Cain

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 25, 2026

[321]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - UNIQUELY FIRST IN MANY WAYS - CAIN Cain is never considered in a good light. He is mentioned three times in the New Testament and this is one of them – {{1 John 3:12 “not as Cain who was of the evil one and slew his brother, and for what reason did he slay him? ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:6-7, Jude 1:11, 1 John 3:12

Tags: Sacrifice, Unique, Rejection, Cain, Abel, Disobedience, Murderer, The Way Of Cain, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

One Saturday Afternoon A Father And His Six-Year ...  PRO

Contributed by Brent Zastrow on Apr 18, 2001

One Saturday afternoon a father and his six-year old son Mickey were fishing near a bridge by the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph. Sheriff Marr, the boys grandfather, had seen the results of ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 9:10

Tags: Saint, Miracles Of Jesus, Jesus Christ, God's Provision

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Normally The Flight From Nassau To Miami Took ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hensley on May 3, 2001

Normally the flight from Nassau to Miami took Walter Wyatt, Jr., only sixty-five minutes. But on December 5, 1986, he attempted it after thieves had looted the navigational equipment in his Beechcraft. With only a compass and a hand-held radio, Walter flew into skies blackened by storm clouds. ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Evangelism How To, Evangelism Fear Of

Denomination: Baptist

How Much Does Prayer Weigh?  PRO

Contributed by Danny Thomas on May 21, 2001

How Much Does Prayer Weigh? Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered, God's Provision, Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Pentecostal

At First I Saw God As My Observer, My Judge, ...  PRO

Contributed by Keith Broyles on Jun 9, 2001

At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized his picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know Him. But later on, when I met Christ, It ...read more

Tags: Doing God's Will, Commitment To Christ, Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Methodist

Worship In Spirit And In Truth, By Leann Gabel ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Aug 3, 2001

[Worship in Spirit and in Truth, by Leann Gabel of Amarillo, TX] In Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman, it didn’t take long before their conversation turned to worship. I would guess that was as hot a topic then as it is today. The woman’s question was sincere, "I know there are two ways to ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:5

Tags: Church Practices, Bible Truth, Holy Spirit General, Woman At Well

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Preacher Recalls One Such Instance During ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Oct 11, 2001

ILL. A preacher recalls one such instance during the Sunday evening service. When he finished speaking, he asked, "Is there anyone else who would like to say something?" At that, a rather dignified visitor stood up & said, "Yes, sir, I’d like to say something. This is the first time I’ve been ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Repentance, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

One-Third Of Americans Reassess Priorities After ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2002

One-third of Americans Reassess Priorities After Terrorist Attacks (RNS) One-third of Americans say the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were a "life-altering experience" that caused them to change their priorities, according to a new Gallup poll. Nearly half of conservative Christians -- 46 percent -- ...read more

Tags: Becoming A Christian, Basics Of Christianity, World Religions

Imagine A Group Of People Coming To Your Home And ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 27, 2002

Imagine a group of people coming to your home and interrupting your Twinkie-eating, TV-watching routine with an urgent message: “Good News! We’re from the United States Olympic Committee. We have been looking for someone to run the marathon in the next Olympics. We have statistics on every person ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:24, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1, James 1:1-4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Race, Discipleship, Disciplines

Then God Made Dads  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Howell on Jun 11, 2002

THEN GOD MADE DADS When the Lord was creating fathers he started with a tall frame. And an angel standing nearby said, “What kind of father is that? If You’re going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won’t be able to shoot marbles without kneeling. ...read more

Tags: Parenting, Father, Father's Day, Children

Denomination: Wesleyan

I'll Never Forget Reading The Economist Robert ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2002

I’ll never forget reading the economist Robert Heilbroner’s walk-through of what it would take to transform the average American home into the typical dwelling of the majority of the world’s inhabitants. We would have to begin by invading the house of our imaginary American family to strip it of ...read more

Tags: Overkill, Overwhelmed, Spoilage, Blessed