In Sermon Illustrations: "Used For Good"

[357]. A Message From A Poem – Zapped And Gone

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on May 31, 2026

[357]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – ZAPPED AND GONE It is most annoying when you have an outdoor bar-b-que (barbeque) and you keep getting attacked by mosquitoes. Sometimes you get an invasion of moths in the tropics and even flying beetles. We all know about insect repellent and creams and they ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 20:10, 1 Timothy 3:7, Revelation 9:11

Tags: Sin, Apollyon, Satan The Destroyer, Christian Poems, Zapped, Bug Zappers, Insect Zappers, The Snare Of The Devil  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

8 Simple Rules For Dating My Daughter  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 11, 2002

8 SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING MY DAUGHTER When I was in high school I used to be terrified of my girlfriend’s father, who I believe suspected me of wanting to place my hands on his daughter’s chest. He would open the door and immediately affect a good-naturedly murderous expression, holding out a ...read more

Tags: Father's Day, Parenting, Marriage Obligations

April 21, 2005 "Give Me A Shrub With Character!" ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Apr 19, 2005

April 21, 2005 “Give Me A Shrub With Character!” Proverbs 12:3 Key verse(s) 3:“A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.” There are some plants that you can’t kill! I have long been fascinated by the differences exhibited in hardiness among the many ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:3, Proverbs 6:18

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Lutheran

Snakes

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 1, 2019

ILLUSTRATION: Gospel Tract Society, Inc., Independence MO -Snakes in an Atheist's Grave - Last September, while engaged in a Defenders Conference in Idaho, a gentleman by the name of Mr. C. M. Crew came to me with one of the strangest stories I had ever heard, about an atheist in Ohio who was ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:7

Tags: Atheist, Unbelief

What's In A Name, Anyway?

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 16, 2019

I cannot express how ecstatic I was when someone gave me a coupon for a free donut. Normally, I am not overly excited about “free.” All I had to do was fill out a little survey online and they would send me a code that would guarantee me a free donut. In my “daily diary diet,” I have a whole ...read more

Scripture: John 8:32

Tags: Freedom, Choice

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

It Was A Shoofly Pie Moment

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 5, 2020

During holiday seasons, I enjoy indulging in special food. My favorite during this time of year is the Shoofly Pie. Nothing hits the spot quite like this. Although the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage restricts this kind of culinary activity during the rest of the year, I tried to get a pass ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:17

Tags: Politician, Holiday, Shoofly

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

I Love My Imperfections

Contributed by James Snyder on Dec 11, 2021

Dr. James L. Snyder Unlike most people, I love my imperfections; those imperfections of mine do not cause me much trouble. I know most people like to focus on their perfections so that they can impress other people. But what about people like me who have no perfections to boast about? If I had ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:48

Tags: Perfection, Maturity

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: "Don’t Ask Me, It Just Happened!”

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 2, 2024

Introduction: Chances are either you, me, or someone we know has tried to excuse something that whoever it was, did. Excuses vary, but more often than not, the reply is something along the lines of “I don’t know how this happened!” One of the clearest cases of “I-don’t-know-itis” took place at the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 32:21-24

Tags: Moses, Aaron, Golden Calf

Denomination: Baptist

It All Boils Down To One Thing

Contributed by James Snyder on Nov 23, 2024

Of all the things I have learned, one has made a difference in my life. I hear stories about how married couples are unhappy. Today, something must be wrong with you if you haven't been divorced and remarried five times. I always figure that the person who has been married five times ...read more

Scripture: Amos 3:3

Tags: Marriage, Relationships

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

[230]. A Message From A Poem - Redemption Through Death – No Other Way

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Oct 18, 2025

[230]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - REDEMPTION THROUGH DEATH – NO OTHER WAY The concentration in this poem is “No other way.” Why did heaven’s best, God the Son, have to die? You know I can not answer that. The omniscient God knew from eternity past what was going to happen. I can’t give an answer ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2, Isaiah 53:10, Ephesians 4:8-10, Hosea 11:7-8

Tags: Sin, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Full Atonement, Heart, Salvation, Compassion Of God, The Heart Of God, Overturn, Emotions Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Casual Is Not Always Appropriate

Contributed by James Snyder on May 2, 2020

If confession is good for the soul, I would like to give my soul a little treat. During this "stay-at-home" phenomenon, the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and Yours Truly, have been enjoying our time alone. We certainly have taken advantage of it. Not too long ago, my wife came up ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:31

Tags: Casual, Humor

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Nothing Like A Mystery To Calm My Nerves

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 11, 2023

Nothing calms me down more than a mystery when I have a busy week. The other afternoon I got caught up and faced some rather stressful situations. The remedy to all of this would be to watch one of those mystery movies. One was playing that afternoon, so I decided to rearrange my schedule, enjoy ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Humor, Mystery, Rest

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Did You Hear About The Man Who Read To His Wife ...  PRO

Contributed by Guy Caley on Dec 15, 2001

Did you hear about the Man who read to his wife from the paper that researchers had found that women use twice as many words per day as women? The wife replied that that was because they had to repeat everything ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

While I Was In A Convenience Store This Past ...  PRO

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jul 10, 2002

While I was in a convenience store this past week I noticed one of those tabloid newspapers with this bold headline: “Bible Prophecies the US Government Doesn’t Want You To Know”. You don’t need ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

Denomination: Congregational

Oliver Wendell Holmes Once Attended A Meeting In ...  PRO

Contributed by Larry Elder on Jul 12, 2003

Oliver Wendell Holmes once attended a meeting in which he was the shortest man present. "Dr. Holmes," quipped a friend, "I should think you’d feel rather small among us big fellows." "I ...read more

Tags: Emotions

Denomination: Assembly Of God

John Newton Wrote To A Young Minister Advising ...

Contributed by Peter Bines on Sep 22, 2005

John Newton wrote to a young minister advising that God leads his people through distresses, including a sense of their sinfulness. And His purpose? To: ’…preserve in you a due sense of your own unworthiness, and to convince you, that your ...read more

Tags: Call Of The Disciples

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Life Is A Corrupting Process From The Time A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 8, 2006

Life is a corrupting process from the time a child learns to play his mother off against his father in the politics of when to go to bed; he who fears corruption fears life. Saul Alinsky (1909–1972), ...read more

Tags: Children

A Clear Sign

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 8, 2006

If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank. Woody Allen (b. 1935), U.S. filmmaker. article originally published in New Yorker (Nov. 5, ...read more

Tags: Apologetics God

65279;voltaire, The Noted French Writer, Who ...

Contributed by Steve Holmes on Jun 10, 2006

Voltaire, the noted French writer, who died in 1778, said that in one hundred years from his time Christianity would be swept from existence. Only fifty years after Voltaire’s death, the Geneva ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: *other

One Woman Who Went To Church All The Time Would ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

One woman who went to church all the time would always say, “I was ALWAYS a Christian. There was never a time that I was not a Christian. I didn’t NEED to get saved.” This is not scriptural because Romans ...read more

Tags: Salvation