In Sermon Illustrations: "Hoping"

Small Things With Great Love

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE Gary Morsch is the founder of Heart to Heart in Kansas City. As a physician, he has done magnificient work around the world taking medical supplies to low income people. Several years ago, he took a trip to Calcutta and Mother Teresa's House for the Destitute Dying. He ...read more

Tags: Pride

Denomination: Methodist

The Brother's Song

Contributed by Bill Butsko on Apr 13, 2012

THE BROTHER'S SONG Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for his sister. Day after day and night after night, Michael sang to his sister in Mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love ...read more

Tags: Prayer Answered

Denomination: Christian Church

Doctor And Patient Saved From Hell

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Oct 13, 2012

In Beyond Death’s Door, Rawlings shares how his view of the afterlife forever changed on the day one of his heart patients “died” in his office. During a routine stress test on a treadmill, the man’s heart stopped and he collapsed. Immediately, Rawlings and his staff began emergency resuscitation ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:22-31

Tags: Hell

Denomination: Baptist

I Must Honor My Country

Contributed by Perry Greene on Nov 1, 2012

"I MUST HONOR MY COUNTRY." A foreign diplomat who often criticized American policy once observed a United States Marine perform the evening colors ceremony. The diplomat wrote about this simple but solemn ceremony in a letter to his home ministry. Quote: "During one of the past few days, I had ...read more

Tags: America

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

William Booth Our First General Was A Remarkable Man.

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Nov 12, 2012

William Booth our first General was a remarkable man; I have recently been reading a book that was published last year on his visions, with strangely enough the name “William Booth’s Amazing Visions”. In it the editor David Ravenhill mentions that “For far too long the Body of Christ [for the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:31-46

Tags: Judgement, Grace, Sin, Heaven

Denomination: Salvation Army

Spiritual Breakthrough.

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Feb 14, 2014

During the week I have been looking at a book by John Larsson where he called Spiritual breakthrough where he talks about Samuel Logan Brengle. In his recalling Brengle, Larsson talks of how at the age of twenty-five, Brengle was at a seminary training to be a minister but he was troubled. He ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Tags: Holy Spirit, Sanctification, Spiritual Encounter

Denomination: Salvation Army

Adversity

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Dec 27, 2014

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” - Mary Anne Radmacher Sometimes life deals us a situation so adverse, a loss so great, we feel unable to meet the challenge of facing day after day in our pain and loss. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:3-5

Tags: Adversity, Courage, Perserverance, Trials

Denomination: Charismatic

The Carnival Ride

Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 9, 2017

Some years ago, while our family was vacationing in the high Sierras, we decided to visit a small county fair near the town of Quincy. There weren't many people there that morning. In fact, we were about the only ones visiting the carnival rides. So when I climbed into the Tilt-O-Wheel with my ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15

Tags: Sin, Sin Cycle

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

A Lesson From A Pair Of Mildewed Shoes

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 22, 2020

A number of years ago I received a three-year assignment to Okinawa, Japan, as part of my Air Force experience. Hardly anybody I knew had much knowledge of that part of the world, so we really had no idea what to expect. We were in for a number of surprises! We lived in a motel, basically, for a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:33-34

Tags: Shoes, Life's Problems

Denomination: Baptist

I Am Not But I Shall Be

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Aug 22, 2021

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2) The one thing about getting older is that you get to look back on more things each year and have more to ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:2

Tags: Forgiveness, Change, Transformation, Failure

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroines-Naaman’s Maid

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 30, 2022

Introduction: Sometimes children know more than we think they do. This “little maid” knew about Elisha the prophet, and how God performed miracles through him. We know nothing more about her than what’s mentioned in these verses but through her one recorded sentence, she brought hope to a hopeless ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-4

Tags: Naaman, Unsung Heroines, Maids, Leprosy

Denomination: Baptist

In Whose Presence You Stand  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

IN WHOSE PRESENCE YOU STAND On March 22, 1824 an incident took place in Madison County, Indiana, which came to be known as the Fall Creek Massacre. Six white men murdered nine Seneca and Miami Indians and wounded another. Among the nine dead were three women and four children. The six men were ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Forgiveness General

Saved From Sharks

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Jul 22, 2009

Peter Michelmore reported this story in the Oct. 1987 Reader’s Digest: Normally the flight from Nassau to Miami took Walter Wyatt, Jr., only 65 minutes. But on Dec. 5, 1986, he attempted it after thieves had looted the navigational equipment in his Beechcraft. With only a compass and a hand-held ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Pentecostal

When I Was A Child Growing Up In North Central ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Sep 17, 2009

When I was a child growing up in North Central California, my favorite time of year was winter. While it seldom snows in the San Joaquin Valley, the great agricultural valley which runs nearly the full length of the State of California, only a little more than an hour’s drive away from Modesto are ...read more

Tags: Wisdom

Denomination: Christian Church

As The Parents Of Three Young Children, My Wife ...

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on Oct 24, 2009

As the parents of three young children, my wife and I often took advantage of many helps in order to be good nurturers. However, sometimes even our best efforts resulted in the unexpected. With hopes of teaching our oldest son the necessity of depending upon God, we began reading to him from the ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-14

Tags: Obedience

Man Sentenced To Hang For Indian Massacre ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 14, 2009

Man Sentenced to Hang for Indian Massacre Pardoned On March 22, 1824 an incident took place in Madison County, Indiana, which came to be known as the Fall Creek Massacre. Six white men murdered nine Seneca and Miami Indians and wounded another. Among the nine dead were three women and four ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Forgiveness, Forgiveness General

Dr. Meier Refuses Materialism And God Blesses His ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

Dr. Meier Refuses Materialism and God Blesses his Ministry In the mid – 1970’s, while Dr. Meier was a professor of pastoral counseling at Trinity Seminary near Chicago, he was offered a high-paying opportunity to leave his seminary position and become the administrator of a psychiatric clinic. “I ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:3-10

Tags: Materialism

Receiving Confirmation For A Significant Event Or ...

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Dec 19, 2009

Receiving confirmation for a significant event or activity is often important. When I was in the South African Air Force serving as an Air Traffic Controller, I used to tease the permanent force guys mercilessly. At a certain time each year they would receive news of promotions and new assignments. ...read more

Tags: Prophecy

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Miss Bettye And Her All-Night Prayer Kitchen  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 1, 2010

MISS BETTYE AND HER ALL-NIGHT PRAYER KITCHEN Just this last September (2009), the Chicago Tribune ran a story about Bettye Tucker, a Christian cook who works the night shift at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She has been doing her job for 43 years -- 28 of them on the night shift. On ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Medical Volunteer Transforms Life Of Man ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2010

Medical Volunteer Transforms Life of Man Previously Thought To Be In A Vegetative State The simple point to what God is reminding us of is, “The Extra Mile” can change a life and win a soul to Jesus. To me that makes the pain of going the extra mile a pleasure. I listened to an interview on Jeremy ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Compassion