In Sermon Illustrations: "Godly Hope"

The Best Years Of My Life

Contributed by Jim Blevins on May 14, 2009

THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE Man at a seminar heard the following: "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man's wife!" The crowd was shocked! Then he continued "My mother!" The crowd laughed and he finished the rest of his speech which held everyone's attention. The young ...read more

Tags: Mothers

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Preacher Was At A Seminar And Heard The ...

Contributed by Jim Blevins on May 16, 2009

A preacher was at a seminar and heard the following: "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man’s wife!" The crowd was shocked! Then he continued "My mother!" The crowd laughed and he finished the rest of his speech which held everyone’s attention . The young preacher liked ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Three Stages Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

THREE STAGES OF LIFE John Claypool, at one time pastor of the Crescent Hill Baptist Church, had a little daughter who suffered with leukemia. When she went into remission, everybody thought that maybe God had healed her. But on an Easter Sunday morning, she went into a terrible relapse. In his ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:31

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

A Friend Of Mine Shared This With Me A Few Days ...

Contributed by Robert Harmon on Aug 8, 2009

A friend of mine shared this with me a few days ago after suffering the loss of his beloved wife. She sent this to him the day she was involved in a serious car accident. He has found a great deal of peace from the words... G U I D A N C E Author Unknown When I meditated on the word GUIDANCE, I ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-6

Tags: Humility, God's Guidance

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Basement People Vs. Balcony People

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 3, 2009

BASEMENT PEOPLE VS. BALCONY PEOPLE Keith Miller, in his book Passionate People, which he co-authored with Bruce Larson, describes two kinds of people -- "basement people" and "balcony people." "Basement people" are the discouragers in our lives. They may be people from our past, or present, but ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25

Tags: Encouragement

David Livingstone,

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

David Livingstone, "I Never Made A Sacrifice" In the mid-seventeenth century, a somewhat well-known Englishman was captured by Algerian pirates and made a slave. While a slave, he founded a church. When his brother arranged his release, he refused freedom, having vowed to remain a slave until he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Servanthood

Falling After Dark

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2011

FALLING AFTER DARK There is a story told about a construction worker. This construction worker was employed on a high-rise building project, which required him and others to work after dark. He was busy on the edge of one of the walls which was many stories high, when he suddenly lost his balance ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7

Tags: Fear And Worry

Carey: God's Sovereign Will  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 14, 2011

CAREY: GOD'S SOVEREIGN WILL William Carey, who is called the father of modern missions, began his missionary career to India in 1793. He served the Lord in that country for 40 years, never once returning to his home in England. And throughout those years he translated portions of the Bible into ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:10

Tags: Gods Will, Still God, God's Sovereign Will, I Can Do All Things

Refining Sap To Maple Syrup  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 3, 2011

REFINING SAP TO MAPLE SYRUP Dr. David Osborn at Denver Seminary says, "Too often we try to use God to change our circumstances, while He is using our circumstances to change us." (Compass, April 2003) You see, God is right now in the process of making us like Christ. Think of the process of ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4, Psalm 13:1-6, Psalm 34:15-16

Tags: Sanctification

Only In Obedience Are We Free

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Feb 19, 2012

ONLY IN OBEDIENCE ARE WE FREE In his book "Run with the Horses," Eugene Peterson tells how he saw a family of birds teaching their young to fly. Three young swallows were perched on a dead branch that stretched out over a lake. One adult swallow got alongside the chicks and started shoving them ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Brethren

Washington Monument Setbacks

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 18, 2012

WASHINGTON MONUMENT SETBACKS In the pursuit of our dreams, there are often setbacks along the way. In 1836, the fledgling Washington National Monument Society announced that they had chosen Robert Mills' plans for the construction of a monument to our nation's first president. Mills had slaved ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-13

Tags: Endurance

The Eventual Rescue

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2012

THE EVENTUAL RESCUE How many of you like Winnie the Pooh stories? In one poignant story, we see Pooh Bear walking along a river bank. Eeyore, his stuffed donkey friend, suddenly appears floating downstream, on his back of all things, and is obviously troubled about the possibility of drowning. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-37

Tags: Compassion

The Moral Basis Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2012

THE MORAL BASIS OF GOVERNMENT Richard Halverson, present chaplain of the United States Senate, wrote: ``To be sure, men will abuse and misuse the institution of the State just as man because of sin has abused and misused every other institution in history including the Church of Jesus Christ, but ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7

Tags: Government

Eat, Drink And Be Merry...?

Contributed by Perry Greene on Sep 11, 2012

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY...? After the "Cold War" was over, a squadron of Russian pilots was invited to participate in tactical war games at a U.S. Air Force base. A gala dinner was planned by the Base Commander. Thinking to relax the guests, he offered a WW II toast to open the meal. Smiling, he ...read more

Tags: Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Peace And The Chicken

Contributed by David Simpson on Jan 15, 2013

PEACE AND THE CHICKEN As you and I well know, there are so many times when the circumstances around us are not peaceful. There is tension and turmoil that is so unsettling. It reminds me of the chicken that fell out of the chicken truck a few years ago. I pulled into the church driveway one ...read more

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Christian Church

Mr. Incredible, Jesus, And The Pharisees

Contributed by Nickolas Kooi on Jun 1, 2018

In the movie The Incredibles, there is a scene where ex-Super Hero Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible, has a confrontation with his boss. Mr. Incredible has been forcibly retired from the hero business for years, and is working at an insurance company. He is doing a good job, but too good of a job. He ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:1-6

Tags: Healing, Sabbath, Sabbath Controversy, Healing By Jesus

Denomination: Lutheran

Notre Dame On Fire

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Apr 18, 2019

Just this last Monday (April 15, 2019), many of us were horrified to watch the great Cathedral of Notre Dame on fire. Its great spire toppled into the roof of the cathedral, and many feared that Paris’ most iconic landmark would be a total loss after standing for 850 years. However, early the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:20-23, Romans 6:4

Tags: Sanctification, Salvation, Restoration

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Spite Fence ...

Contributed by Roberta Karchner on May 2, 2020

I would like to tell the story of one of the most famous spite fences in the world. It is, by the way, one of the reasons why privacy fences are often limited to 6 feet. The story begins with two people. Nicholas Yung, an undertaker, who built a cottage in San Francisco in 1855 with his wife and ...read more

Tags: Grace, Anger, Retaliation, Neighbors, Spite, Fences  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Why Bad Things Happen

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Jun 19, 2020

So, what should we say then when bad things happen? Some may say God is still all powerful and all knowing so it seems like it’s still God’s plan that this bad thing happened isn’t it? Kinda, sort of or maybe. There is a difference between what God allows and what God wants. I know that sounds ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:4-5

Tags: Dont Ignore Gods Instructions, Follow Gods Instructions

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Servanthood & Father Damien

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Aug 4, 2022

When visiting the Hawaiian Island many tourists will visit the island of Molokai. It has quiet charm, gentle breezes and a soft surf. Father Damien came to the island for a different reason. He came to help people die. He came there because leprosy came there first. No one knows how ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:1-4, Mark 10:42-45

Tags: Evangelism, Servanthood

Denomination: Lutheran