In Sermon Illustrations: "Yes Lord"

Covetousness And The Emperor's New Grove

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 3, 2013

COVETOUSNESS AND THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROVE In Disney's thirty-ninth animated film, "The Emperor's New Groove," self-proclaimed "King of the World" Kuzco (COOS-coh), who had an evil female advisor named Yzma (EEZ-muh), made plans to demolish an entire village to build a new water park. At the highest ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:1-29

Tags: Greed

Jesus Is The Answer

Contributed by Tim Smith on Feb 11, 2015

Krister Sairsingh, a former Hindu from Trinidad who is now the Chaplain to international students at Harvard. Let me read you some excerpts from his story. After making great progress in the Hindu spiritual disciplines something happened that unsettled him deeply. During my final year of high ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:1-32

Tags: Evangelism, Conversion, Jesus Is The Answer

Denomination: Methodist

Just Let Go !

Contributed by Bruce Simpkins on Mar 11, 2015

In my younger years I thought it would be an exciting adventure to try sky diving. After checking into it, I found I could get a big discount if I brought 5 friends to jump with me . . . so I did. It was a beautiful sunny day in California when we arrived for a half day training and then an ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Tags: He Is Strong, I Am Weak

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes: Phurah, The Servant Of Gideon

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Oct 5, 2021

Introduction: Phurah, Gideon’s servant, is only mentioned twice in the entire Bible—here in this passage—but what he did certainly speaks volumes. Text, Judges 7:9-11, KJV: 9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered ...read more

Scripture: Judges 7:9-11

Tags: Gideon, Phurah, Unsung Heroes

Denomination: Baptist

Acorn Theology

Contributed by Todd Catteau on Dec 10, 2021

I love fall. I love the cooler weather. I love the changing colors. I love football. I love fall with this exception—raking leaves. I have a big oak tree out in my front hard and it is amazing how many leaves that tree can produce. I was out raking the other day and not only was I amazed at all ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:9, 1 Corinthians 15:58

Tags: Patience, Steadfastness, Parable, Endurance, Autumn, Sower, Seed, Parables, Evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Unsung Heroines-Salome

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 23, 2022

Introduction: She’s only mentioned in two verses, and only in one of the Gospels. Her deeds of love for Jesus, though, far outweigh any lack of text. Her name is Salome and she’s another unsung heroine of the Bible. Text: Mark 15:40-41, KJV: 40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom ...read more

Scripture: Mark 15:40-41, Luke 24:1-11

Tags: Salome, Unsung Heroines

Denomination: Baptist

Seeking God

Contributed by Richard L. Brown on Aug 6, 2023

“Seeking God” Isaiah 55: 1-9 08/06/23 When my grandson Isaiah was three years old, he had a problem of wandering off and hiding. One day my daughter Maeghan and my wife Becky were shopping at a local mall and of course, he slipped off. All of a sudden, they realized he was missing. They ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-9, Luke 11:9, Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29-31

Tags: Seeking God, Obeying God

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

P-U-L-L Or Pray Until Lesson’s Learned!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 30, 2023

Introduction: A lot of us might remember the acronym P-U-S-H, standing for Pray Until Something Happens! The other day, something happened to me to give a bit of a humorous slant or angle on that idea. Text: Proverbs 3:13-14, KJV: 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:13-14

Tags: Wisdom, Learning

Denomination: Baptist

[129]. A Message From A Poem – Historic Glimpses - Past, Present, Future

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 12, 2025

[129]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HISTORIC GLIMPSES - PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE The bible is so true that we can count the future as historical. The title of this poem is Historical Glimpses and is in three sections – what is past; what is present; and what is future. God knows the end from the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:35-39

Tags: Jesus, Earth, Future, Past, Historic, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Byron Deel, Grew Up With An Alcoholic And Abusive ...  PRO

Contributed by Ian Biss on Oct 1, 2001

Byron Deel, grew up with an alcoholic and abusive father. Byron had two brothers and three sisters, a large family, but his dad spent the family income on alcohol, and he drank and ranted and raved and hit them. When Byron was twelve, his father walked away from the family, and did absolutely ...read more

Scripture: Mark 7:6

Tags: God The Father, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Grace Brethren

The Hunger And The Hunt

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Nov 13, 2010

THE HUNGER AND THE HUNT "She was not beautiful but her eyes were magnificient. They were piercing and caught the light as jade shards and occasionally as she passed into shadows you could catch glimses of the hunger betrayed in the depths of their opalescent gaze. As the inquisitive marvelled at ...read more

Tags: Desire

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Guidance From A Fortune Cookie?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Feb 21, 2020

My wife and I occasionally balance our diets with some good old Chinese food! Besides, every cook deserves at least one day off and I plan on doing this for my favorite gal as often as I can! One of the best things about these restaurants is wondering what kind of "fortune" we'll ...read more

Scripture: John 7:17

Tags: Bible, Guidance, Word, Fortune Cookies

Denomination: Baptist

Misapplied Scriptures: The "Mizpah” Moment

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 17, 2023

Full disclosure: Sermon Central has accepted and posted a complete message on this text and context called “Jacob-His Mizpah Moment”. This illustration is not an abbreviated form of that message, only a brief attempt to post some highlights. In addition, this verse/passage was featured back in the ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 31:49

Tags: Laban, Jacob, Mizpah

Denomination: Baptist

[008] Message From A Poem - A Tale Of The Fish’s Tails

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jun 1, 2024

[008] MESSAGE FROM A POEM - A TALE OF THE FISH’S TAILS “Take the line of least resistance; go with the flow; jellyfish that drift; leave me out of it; I see both sides; don’t involve me; I don’t want to know!” The world is full of compromise and it gets worse. We can expect no less from this ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 16:13, Galatians 5:1, Ephesians 6:11, Ephesians 6:13-14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Compromise, Resist, Fish, Stand Firm, Fish Tails, Opposing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[087]. A Message From A Poem – For All Christians - The Three Os

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 24, 2025

[087]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – FOR ALL CHRISTIANS - THE THREE Os There are 9 poems in this Trilogy series. This poem is part of a Trilogy - three sets of three. The first set is addressed to MEN, the second to ALL CHRISTIANS and the third is SPECIFIC. This is the third one in the second set ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:45, James 4:6, 1 Samuel 15:22, Hebrews 5:8-9

Tags: For All Christians, Obey, Opposition, Poetry, Open, Poem, Oppose, Obedience, Wrong  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[205]. A Message From A Poem – One Hair Here And One Hair There

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 17, 2025

[205]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – ONE HAIR HERE AND ONE HAIR THERE Well, well, well! How many of us are bald? How many are heading that way? I remember when I was a kid my mother used to say to me, “Tell the barber to thin out your hair.” There used to be some sort of clippers that would do ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:20-21, Luke 12:7, 2 Kings 2:23

Tags: Numbered, Glorious Bodies, Alopecia, Falling Out, Hair, New Bodies  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[210]. A Message From A Poem – Our Pilgrim Journey

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Sep 23, 2025

[210]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – OUR PILGRIM JOURNEY When I was to do the Introduction for this poem I noticed that it had only 3 stanzas. I don’t write poems that short, so back there in 2021, I may have intended coming back to it to add more. I can not remember now. Anyway I did add all the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3-4, 1 Peter 2:11, Hebrews 11:13

Tags: Home, Pilgrim, Pilgrim Journey, Christian Poems, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Movement To Jesus Within Islam

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

A MOVEMENT TO JESUS WITHIN ISLAM In an article entitled, "A Movement to Jesus Within Islam" this story is told: There was a Muslim holy man, a Sufi master, named Isaac. He lived in a remote region of a Muslim country, where he had a large following. Several thousand people looked to him for ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Islam

Unintentionally Humorous Texts: Micah’s Misfortunes, Part 1

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 7, 2024

Introduction: The days of Israel’s judges, before Samuel and the kingdom, were known as ‘seesaw days”: Israel alternated between being true to the God of Israel, then abandoning Him to worship the idols of other nations. Israel would be oppressed, and then cry out to their God for help, but then ...read more

Scripture: Judges 17:1-6

Tags: Micah, Ephraim, Idols, Teraphim

Denomination: Baptist

[062a]. A Message From A Poem – Does Suffering Cancel Out A God Of Love?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 14, 2025

[062A]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – DOES SUFFERING CANCEL OUT A GOD OF LOVE? THE POEM AS IT IS WILL NOT FIT IN THE ILLUSTRATION SPACE AVAILABLE. I HAVE HAD TO SPLIT IT INTO THREE PARTS. THIS IS THE FIRST PART PART 1 INTRODUCTION TO THIS POEM This is my most serious poem because it addresses ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 45:6-7, John 3:16, Exodus 34:6-7

Tags: Comfort, Suffering, Tragedy, God Of Comfort, God Of Love, Hurt, Pain, Love, Compassion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational