In Sermon Illustrations: "Absent From The Body"

God Redeems A Child's Death

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 28, 2011

GOD REDEEMS A CHILD'S DEATH These are bad things God allows in order to reveal Himself and accomplish some larger good that supersedes or overcomes the bad. Imagine the following scenario: Three little boys walk into a large electrical compound in Okinawa when the workmen momentarily walks to his ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: God In The Hardships

Gift Of Pearls

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jul 25, 2011

GIFT OF PEARLS A number of years ago, when our oldest was just a little tyke, a Chinese man we knew gave my wife a string of pearls as a gift. Anyway, the pearls he gave her were different from the ones we might find in a jewelry store; they were natural, not cultivated. Now, the most common ...read more

Tags: Parable Treasure

Denomination: Lutheran

Accepting The Good News  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

ACCEPTING THE GOOD NEWS A promotion by H. R. Block Inc. in 2001 offered walk-in customers a chance to win a drawing for a million dollars. Glen and Gloria Sims of Sewell, New Jersey, won the drawing, but they refused to believe it when an H. R. Block representative phoned them with the good ...read more

Scripture: John 5:45-47

Tags: Unbelief

Deficiencies

Contributed by Mark Adams on Aug 13, 2011

DEFICIENCIES I want to tell you about a weird thing that used to happen a lot to sailors during the 1600s. Vessels were getting more sea worthy, and adventures were taking people farther and farther from home. You might be on the same ship with the same people, with the same person cooking for ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Bad News, Then Good News  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

BAD NEWS, THEN GOOD NEWS Nearly 20 years ago at the height of Operation Desert Storm, Ruth Dillow received a very sad message from the Pentagon. The message stated that her son, Clayton had stepped on a landmine in Kuwait and was killed. Ruth later wrote these words, "I can't begin to describe my ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-20, Matthew 28:8

Tags: Emmaus Road, Post Easter, Easter Resurrection

The Anger Of King Henry Ii

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 18, 2011

THE ANGER OF KING HENRY II King Henry II of England, back in around 1200, had a lot of power. He put an end to a long and bloody civil war, and ruled both England and a large chunk of France for many years. He was so famous that a movie was made about him, about 25 yrs ago, starring Richard Burton ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

Tags: Anger

Beware Of Dog!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2011

BEWARE OF DOG! Upon entering a little country store a stranger noticed a sign saying "DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG!" posted on the glass door. Inside, he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor near the cash register. He asked the store’s owner "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:17-35

Tags: Giving, Receive, Blessed, Christian Witness

Buried Treasure

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

BURIED TREASURE In 1992 volunteers from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, excavating in Caesarea dug up 99 gold coins that had been stashed in a makeshift safe beneath the floor of what was once a private dwelling. Caesarea is considered one of Israel’s richest archaeological sites in that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44-46

Tags: Parable Treasure

They're Not Ready For Heaven

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

THEY'RE NOT READY FOR HEAVEN The movie The End of the Spear tells the true story of five missionaries who gave their lives to reach the violent Waodoni tribe in the jungles of Ecuador in the 1950s. Led by Nate Saint, the missionaries were eager to reach the Waodoni people before they all died off ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Tags: Missions

A Risk-Taker For God

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 31, 2011

A RISK-TAKER FOR GOD What does it mean to be a risk taker for God, for His Kingdom? 1. It means opening yourself up to change. 2. It is the acceptance of the fact that there is a need for change. 3. It is literally taking the behavioral steps necessary that will result in that change. 4. It is ...read more

Tags: Faith

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Perseverance: Scott, Handel And Spurgeon

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 7, 2011

PERSEVERANCE: SCOTT, HANDEL AND SPURGEON In 1826 the London firm of Hurst and Robinson went bankrupt, involving Sir WALTER SCOTT in a personal liability of 118,000 pounds. With noble determination Scott responded: "My right hand and I against the debt." From that time on he wrote novel after novel ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

Tags: Endurance

Wishing Vs. Hoping  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Clawser on Dec 3, 2011

WISHING VS. HOPING Eugene Peterson (Living the Message: Daily Help for Living the God-Centered Life) points out that what a lot of people call hope is in reality something different. It's wishing, not hoping: and wishing and hoping are not the same thing. "Wishing," Peterson says, "is something ...read more

Tags: Christmas Advent

Denomination: Other

I Want To Go Home

Contributed by Johnny A. Palmer Jr. on Dec 11, 2011

I WANT TO GO HOME Fred Smith, an influential Christian businessman was seriously ill in the summer of 2004. He was hospitalized, semiconscious, and not expected to live. Periodically he would mutter, "I want to go home, I want to go home." After an emotional family conference, the family ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

Anibal Sat In A Brazilian Jail Cell, Guilty Of ...

Contributed by Bret Toman on Dec 22, 2011

Anibal sat in a Brazilian jail cell, guilty of murder. He was a weightlifter, with bulging biceps, a leathery face and a tattoo of an anchor on his forearm that seemed to symbolize his personality. But he appeared to soften as the preacher talked with him about guilt, forgiveness, a God who knew ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Spurgeon's Poor Sermon

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 14, 2012

SPURGEON'S POOR SERMON Mr. Spurgeon once preached what in his judgment was one of his poorest sermons. He stammered and floundered, and when he got through felt that it had been a complete failure. He was greatly humiliated, and when he got home he fell on his knees and said, "Lord, God, thou ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:26

Tags: Holy Spirit General

Denomination: Baptist

The Heart Of The Saviour

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 19, 2012

THE HEART OF THE SAVIOUR I am reminded of the story of a wee lass who sought baptism and membership in a country church. The elders questioned the child in a perfunctory manner, but they were not inclined to believe that such a young person could actually understand what it meant to be saved. So, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Where Is The Church When It Hurts?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 13, 2012

WHERE IS THE CHURCH WHEN IT HURTS? Where is God in the midst of the storm? One author answered that question with this incident: "In Washington and Chicago, as I talked about the special edition of Where Is God When It Hurts?, inevitably the interviewer would turn the question back on me. 'Well, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-36

Tags: Comfort

A Tragic Dream Fulfilled--The Case Of Robert ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 1, 2012

A TRAGIC DREAM FULFILLED--THE CASE OF ROBERT BURNS Robert Burns, the famous poet, occasionally had times of serious reflection of the state of his soul. He recorded one of those times when he compared himself to the review of his past life. He wrote that he was like a lonely man walking amidst the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Trampled By Shoppers?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

TRAMPLED BY SHOPPERS? In November 2003, a sale on DVD players at a Florida Wal-Mart created a rush of shoppers that apparently resulted in one woman being trampled. Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. announcing the start to the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Tags: Greed

Bitter Rivalry Between Artists

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2012

BITTER RIVALRY BETWEEN ARTISTS In 1503, Julius II became Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He immediately began a building program to beautify the Vatican. In 1509, he commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo reluctantly agreed to paint the fresco, though ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:4

Tags: Envy