In Sermon Illustrations: "Gods Purposes"

God Moved Christian Across Pond To Save Him From Drowning

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Sep 25, 2025

God Moved Christian across Pond to Save Him from Drowning One of my favorite miracle stories is from Jan Ramsey. My wife Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with Jan. She was a member of First Baptist in Swartz. Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad, James, and I think he was 81 at the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-24

Tags: Nathan The Prophet, Solomon's Temple, Mother's Womb, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, King David, Fearfully Made, Wonderfully Made, Creation, Light, Darkness, Presence  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Ravi Zacharias Tells In One Of His Books About A ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Henes on Jun 21, 2001

Ravi Zacharias tells in one of his books about a trip he made to Vietnam in 1971 to travel the country and preach. Wherever he traveled for a month in Vietnam a Vietnamese man who translated for him accompanied him. They were both young, and they saw many things that shocked them, things neither ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence, God In The Hardships, God's Provision

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Unlocking Your Godly Potentials

Contributed by Godsgift Bee Willie on Feb 13, 2025

Deus Vocatio (Called of God) and the Mission Idea of The Called of God and God's Mission However; The idea of the called of God in systematic theology by Louis Berkhof point it out clear that "Calling precedes or predate regeneration; this mean calling go back to Jeremiah 1:5 that reveals ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 1:5, Isaiah 61:1-7

Tags: Potential, Unlock, The Call Of God

Denomination: Pentecostal

B. Tennessee Williams Tells A Story Of Someone ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2001

B. Tennessee Williams tells a story of someone who forgot- the story of Jacob Brodzky, a shy Russian Jew whose father owned a bookstore. The older Brodzky wanted his son to go to college. The boy, on the other hand, desired nothing but to marry Lila, his childhood sweetheart- a French girl who ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Lordship Of Christ, Promises Of God

A German Soldier Was Wounded. He Was Ordered To ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles Trout on Jan 25, 2001

A German soldier was wounded. He was ordered to go to the military hospital for treatment. When he arrived at the large and imposing building, he saw two doors, one marked, "For the slightly wounded," and the other, "For the seriously wounded." He entered through the first door and found ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:10-12

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of, Accomplish, Church Purpose Of, Great Commission

Denomination: Baptist

When It Comes To Community Ministry, We Finally ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Nov 3, 2001

When it comes to community ministry, we finally put our program where our mouth is. Instead of expecting the community to come to church, we ...read more

Tags: Sharing My Testimony, Church Purpose Of, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Church Of God

Most Churches Do A Good Job Of Getting People ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Nov 25, 2001

“Most churches do a good job of getting people to first base or maybe even second base. People will receive Christ, be baptized and join the church (that’s getting them to first base). Some churches also do an excellent job of helping believers develop the habits that lead to spiritual maturity ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of, Growth In Christ, Sharing My Testimony

Denomination: Church Of God

Sunday Morning August 31 1997 We Awoke To The ...  PRO

Contributed by David Whitten on Nov 29, 2001

Sunday Morning August 31 1997 we awoke to the news that seemed to rock the world. It was the of a Princess. Millions watched as news reporters described in great detail the events that caused the of Princess Diana. Up dates told every late breaking tid bit of information. The world sat hungrily ...read more

Tags: Sharing My Testimony, Great Commission, Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Why Go To Church  PRO

Contributed by Dean Kennedy on Aug 26, 2002

Why Go To Church A Churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I’ve gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25

Tags: Church General, Church Small Groups, Worship Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bishop Lindsey's Story  PRO

Contributed by Sheila Crowe on Sep 26, 2002

Bishop Lindsey’s Story I recently had the opportunity to hear our Bishop, Lindsey Davis, speak. He is an avid golfer, so much so in fact that when we went to Augusta for the North Ga Conference meeting they gave him a green jacket – I’m not sure why – I’m kidding I do know the significance of a ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of, Sharing Your Faith, What Is Evangelism?

Denomination: United Methodist

Ways To Know Your Church Is Unfriendly  PRO

Contributed by Ken Kersten on Jun 3, 2003

Ways to know your church is unfriendly. When the sign out front says – For members only When the parking lot has a sign that says – unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owners expense. When the church lobby has a sign that says – no loitering When you say “Praise the Lord” and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:10-12

Tags: Funny, Church Purpose Of, Church General, Church, Quotes  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Man Was Driving Through A Mining Region One ...

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Oct 10, 2004

A man was driving through a mining region one Sunday when he noticed a large number of mules in an open field. When he inquired about this unusual sight, he was told that the work animals had been brought up from the dark passages below to preserve their eyesight. Unless they were regularly ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of, Mule, Mining, Preserve, Light, Sun  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Life Without Easter  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 13, 2009

LIFE WITHOUT EASTER The story is told of a young mother who found herself on the last train out of Poland during Hitler’s regime. She had her first-born toddler and her newborn nursing infant with her. The bombing was fierce, and the train had to stop many times for the passengers to take cover. A ...read more

Scripture: Mark 16:6

Tags: Easter, Joy, Purpose, Eternal Life, Easter Resurrection  (view more)  (view less)

Going To The Movies With Penguins!

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Feb 27, 2023

A truck driver was hauling a load of 500 penguins to the zoo. Unfortunately, his truck broke down, so he waved down another truck and offered the driver $500 to take the penguins to the zoo. The next day, the first truck driver picked up his repaired truck. When he drove into town, he couldn’t ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Evangelism, Communication, Missions, Purpose, Great Commission, Mission  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Emily's 9-5 Struggle

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 19, 2024

Emily, a young woman from the MZ generation, recently started her career with a standard 9-5 job. She quickly finds herself feeling trapped and miserable in this routine. Every morning, the thought of going to work at 9 AM and staying until 5 PM feels unbearable to her. She often voices her ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:17-22

Tags: Letting Go, Spiritual Growth, Comfort, Purpose, Danger  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

I Will Not Vex My Father

Contributed by N A on Dec 5, 2009

I WILL NOT VEX MY FATHER "There is the story of half-a-dozen boys who had severe fathers, accustomed to beat them within an inch of their lives. Another boy was with them who was well beloved by his parents, and known to do so. These young boys met together to hold a council of war about robbing ...read more

Tags: God The Father

Denomination: *other

A Rabbi And Soap Maker Who Went For A Walk ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Dec 11, 2000

"a rabbi and soap maker who went for a walk together. The soap maker had some negative things to say about religion: "What good is religion? Just look around you. what do you see? Trouble, misery, wars - even after all these years and years of preaching and teaching about goodness, truth, peace. ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Lutheran

Listen Slowly  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hensley on Oct 18, 2000

LISTEN SLOWLY Writer Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few days. He got nervous and tense about it. "I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day," he ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God

Denomination: Baptist

In Readers Digest, Alexander Saul Writes: "I ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 1, 2001

In Readers Digest, Alexander Saul writes: "I have spent well nigh fifty years working on the history of the Russian Revolution. In the process I’ve collected hundreds of personal testimonies, read hundreds of books, and contributed eight volumes of my own. But if I were asked today to formulate ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 5:1-19

Tags: God's Provision

Shake It Off And Step Up  PRO

Contributed by Travis Moore on Feb 12, 2001

SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule "braying", or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Baptist