In Sermon Illustrations: "Coming Home"

Bible Riddles

Contributed by Noel Atkinson on Jan 17, 2011

BIBLE RIDDLES Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth? A. Ruthless. Q. What do they call pastors in Germany? A. German Shepherds. Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible? A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation. Q. Who was the greatest ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

Denomination: Baptist

Catherine Lawes: A Story Of Compassion

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 8, 2011

CATHERINE LAWES: A STORY OF COMPASSION Max Lucado relates this story. When Catherine Lawes’ husband, Lewis, became the warden on Sing Sing prison in 1921, she was a young mother of three daughters. Everybody warned her never to step foot inside the walls. But she didn’t listen to them. When the ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Tags: Compassion

Hard To Be Humble

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Mar 16, 2011

HARD TO BE HUMBLE Have you ever noticed how things that look easy, never are? For years, I've alpine skied; but, I've always wanted to snowboard. I thought, boarding can't be all that different. How hard can it be? After all -- if my daughters could learn, so could I. They picked up the sport ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 29:23

Tags: Humility

Denomination: Lutheran

Sing A New Song

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Mar 21, 2011

SING A NEW SONG Boom! Boom! The two-fold pounding of the avalanche cannon awoke me from my slumber. No, we didn't get snow last night, I mused. But sure enough, God dumped nine inches of fresh snow onto the mountains above. Now, I love winter; it's great skiing on fresh powder. However, I ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: Lutheran

Alexander Maclaren On The Right Stimulus For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 10, 2011

ALEXANDER MACLAREN ON THE RIGHT STIMULUS FOR ACTION It is perfectly legitimate, although it is by no means the highest motive, to appeal to feeling as a stimulus to action. We have a right to base our urging of Christian men and women to missionary work either at home or abroad, upon the ground of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Tags: Emotions

During World War Ii A Marine Was Serving In The ...

Contributed by Jonathan Campbell on Jun 23, 2011

During World War II a Marine was serving in the South Pacific. His platoon was under fire and they were trying to signal their comrades that they had taken a certain hill. Their sergeant issued an order for a man to take the American flag and raise it up on a pole to let other units know they had ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 17:9-15, Exodus 17:11

Tags: Prayer General

Is It Worth It?

Contributed by Michael Buckingham on Jul 1, 2011

IS IT WORTH IT? I see a young soldier, he looks barely 18 to me, he has got fear in his eyes, but he has one goal... to get glory and honour... I see him, going through his training, a hard routine, 20 press-ups followed by 30 crunches, then an hour jogging, and then more push-ups, by the end of ...read more

Tags: Glory

Denomination: Baptist

God's Glorious Creation

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Aug 28, 2011

GOD'S GLORIOUS CREATION Sometimes it’s good for us to get out of our environment to see the glory of God, and to be even more thankful for all he’s done and given, for that which he is doing now, and forevermore will do for all of creation. Going on vacation last weekend t refreshed my soul. ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 65:17-25

Tags: Glory

Denomination: Lutheran

For The Life Of An Enemy  PRO

Contributed by Derrick Tuper on Feb 14, 2012

FOR THE LIFE OF AN ENEMY A Baptist pastor named Peter Miller was from a small town in Pennsylvania who lived during the American Revolution. And there was another man who lived there named Michael Wittmann, an evil-minded sort who did all that he could to oppose and humiliate the pastor. He made ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Patton's Mistake

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 10, 2012

PATTON'S MISTAKE On August 3, 1943, General George S. Patton entered a tent in a military hospital in Sicily to visit wounded soldiers. He had just been briefed by one of his commanders that malingering was thinning out the ranks at the front. Amid the wounded warriors was an enlisted man ...read more

Tags: Mistakes

Denomination: Catholic

Spurgeon On Experiencing Fullness In Heaven

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2013

SPURGEON ON EXPERIENCING FULLNESS IN HEAVEN The renowned 19th-century English preacher C. H. Spurgeon told this story about King Cyrus, the man who conquered Babylon and freed the Jews from captivity: A visitor who was admiring Cyrus' gardens said it gave him much pleasure. "Ah," said Cyrus, ...read more

Scripture: John 4:34-38

Tags: Husbands Love, Evangelism Urgency

Is Heaven Real?

Contributed by Tim Smith on May 11, 2014

The Bible uses the word heaven 532 times in the Bible. The Hebrew word for "heaven" is shamayim and is plural meaning "heights," "elevations." It is found in the first verse of the Bible. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" and in Gen 2:1 "Thus the heavens and the earth were ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-7

Tags: Heaven

Denomination: Methodist

Coffee Doesn't Trust Me  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 25, 2014

My pet finch Coffee runs into a serious problem once in a while. Her claws grow so long she loses the ability to control them. They get stuck in the nest and she can’t get them out. Once we found her nearly dead, hanging for hours upside down with one claw ensnared in her wicker home. Carol rescued ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Surrender, Trust In God, Rest In God, Pruning, God's Care  (view more)  (view less)

Freedom

Contributed by Tim Smith on Sep 25, 2016

In the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA, there’s a special display for a rickety, home-made aluminum kayak. This tiny, makeshift boat seems oddly out of place in the midst of displays for impressive Navy vessels and artifacts from significant battles on the sea. But a bronze plaque tells museum ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2

Tags: Freedom, Persecution

Denomination: Methodist

Persecuted For Faithfulness

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Aug 6, 2018

Many of our sisters and brothers are persecuted even in our own time. Voice of the Martyrs reports, for example, the experience of a young man named Philip, who lives in Laos. Philip walked two hours to another village to hear the gospel. Just three weeks after he returned home as a new believer, ...read more

Scripture: John 15:18-20

Tags: Persecution, Faithfulness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Life-Spans

Contributed by Tony Abram on Jul 2, 2021

LIFE-SPANS A lightening bolt lasts 45 to 55 microseconds. The average running shoe worn by the average runner on an average surface will last 350 to 500 miles. A hard pencil can write up to 30,000 words or draw a line more than 30 miles long. Most ball-point pens ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:10, John 3:16

Tags: Long Life, Longevity, Promise

Movie – Saving Private Ryan. It Is Loosely Based ...

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on May 6, 2007

Movie – Saving Private Ryan. It is loosely based on the story of four brothers who served during WW II. Because it was believed three of them had died in battle, a Division was sent deep into enemy lines to bring the last one home alive. It is this scene where Tom Hanks, playing Captain John ...read more

Denomination: Salvation Army

A Man Put Up A Sign In His Yard That Read: ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A MAN PUT UP A SIGN IN HIS YARD THAT READ: "PUPPIES FOR SALE." AMONG THOSE WHO CAME TO INQUIRE WAS A YOUNG BOY. "PLEASE, MISTER," HE SAID, "I’D LIKE TO BUY ONE OF YOUR PUPPIES IF THEY DON’T COST TOO MUCH." "WELL, SON, THEY’RE $25 EACH." THE BOY LOOKED CRUSHED. "I’VE ONLY GOT TWO DOLLARS AND FIVE ...read more

Tags: Heaven

Clara Hale Answered That Clarion Call In A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

CLARA HALE ANSWERED THAT CLARION CALL IN A SIMILAR “DO OR DIE” KIND OF SPIRIT, CLAIRE SAFRAN WROTE A DEEPLY MOVING STORY ABOUT SEVENTY-NINE YEAR OLD, AND THE DRUG-ADDICTED INFANTS SHE CARED FOR IN HER HOME IN HARLEM. D. IN AUTHOR BOB ITALIA’S 19993 BOOK: "CLARA HALE: MOTHER TO THOSE WHO NEEDED ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

The Truth Is Successful People Have Failed Just ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The truth is successful people have failed just as much if not more, but they get back up and try again. Unsuccessful people are the ones who refuse to get up and that’s when they are defeated. The major league baseball player with the most strikeouts totaling 1316 is the same player that set a ...read more

Tags: Cross Agony