In Sermon Illustrations: "Hymn Stories"

They Didn't Live Happily Ever After

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Dec 4, 2010

THEY DIDN'T LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER For the first time in her life, four year-old Suzie had just been told the story of "Snow White." She could hardly wait to get home from nursery school to tell her mommy. With wide-eyed excitement, she retold the fairy tale to her mother that afternoon. After ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Brethren

Heaven And The Post Office

Contributed by Ken Henson on Jul 5, 2012

HEAVEN AND THE POST OFFICE When I was a teenager, we went to a meeting with Billy Graham in a high school football stadium. There were probably 20,000 people sitting in the bleachers in the cold of the morning to hear Billy Graham. And he related a story about how he arrived in a small village ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:1-9

Tags: Children, Heaven, Preaching, Billy Graham

Denomination: *other

Drive-Thru Fellowship  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 21, 2014

DRIVE-THRU FELLOWSHIP This week I read a story about a pastor traveling with a Brazilian seminary student. Along the way the pastor asked the student if he would like to stop for a cup of coffee. The student said, "I would be honored." So he swung into a Starbucks, went through the drive-thru. ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Fellowship, Sharing Life

The Mansion Builder

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 7, 2025

A story is told of a believer who arrived in heaven and was greeted by an angel who offered to show him his new home. They walked down golden streets lined with breathtaking mansions. Each home seemed larger and brighter than the one before—until they reached a small, simple cottage at the end of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21, Revelation 22:12, 1 Timothy 6:18-19, Luke 12:33-34

Tags: Eternity, Stewardship, Faithfulness, Generosity

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Jesus Is The Answer To Our Dilemma

Contributed by Bokang Abednego Nkhahle on Oct 7, 2019

The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon while he was busy threshing wheat to hide it from the midianites. And said to Gideon, the Lord is with you mighty man of Valour. The one who reside in you is bigger that your dilemma. Gideon did not realise his potential until the angel appeared to him and ...read more

Scripture: Judges 6:12

Tags: Power, Authority, Be Courageous

Some Thoughts On Forgiveness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

SOME THOUGHTS ON FORGIVENESS Bernard Meltzer was a United States radio host for several decades. His advice call-in show was called "What's Your Problem?" Meltzer said, "When you forgive, you in no way change the past--but you sure do change the future." ------- Mark Twain had some sour thoughts ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:12

Tags: Forgiveness General

A Movement To Jesus Within Islam

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2009

A MOVEMENT TO JESUS WITHIN ISLAM In an article entitled, "A Movement to Jesus Within Islam" this story is told: There was a Muslim holy man, a Sufi master, named Isaac. He lived in a remote region of a Muslim country, where he had a large following. Several thousand people looked to him for ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Islam

We Weren’t Expecting That

Contributed by James Snyder on Jul 1, 2023

Sometimes things happen that you never expected. When those unexpected things happen, if they are good, that is a blessing, if they are bad, that’s a different story. I learned this expectation of good from my good old Uncle Ted. He was a truck driver, and boy, did he have the stories to ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:15

Tags: Expectation, Free Lunch

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Parable Of The Fig Tree  PRO

Contributed by Ty Tamasaka on Jul 26, 2011

THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 6 "Then Jesus told this story: 'A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Other

A Sobbing Little Girl Stood Near A Small Church ...  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jun 4, 2001

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it ’was too crowded.’ "I can’t go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:1

Tags: Giving General, Christian Disciplines, Church Practices

Denomination: Church Of God

About 25 Years Ago, Cruz And Debbe Santiago Met ...  PRO

Contributed by Clyde Grimes on Dec 28, 2002

About 25 years ago, Cruz and Debbe Santiago met at Coney Island beach in New York City. They were homeless. They were addicted to drugs. They were experimenting with witchcraft. They were involved in gangs. They lived in the meager shelter underneath the Coney Island boardwalk. That was their ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To, Evangelism Fear Of

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

As A Kid, I Loved This Gilligan's Island! I ...  PRO

Contributed by Bill Huffhine on May 27, 2004

As a kid, I loved this Gilligan’s Island! I would jump off of the school bus, race across the yard, bolt through the door and down the hall to dump my books off on my bed, get back to the living room just in time to plop on the floor 12 inches away from the screen (yes mom, I know I’ll hurt my ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Free Methodist

Power Of A Praying Mother  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 28, 2004

POWER OF A PRAYING MOTHER The year was 1820 and Peter Richley was a grateful man. He had survived one of the strangest and most harrowing events known to mankind. The ship which he had been traveling on sank. He was rescued. By some strange twist of circumstance, however, this ship sank. He was ...read more

Scripture: James 5:1-10, James 5:1-10

Tags: Prayer Answered, Prayer General, Mother's Day

While Grace And Mercy Are Basically One And The ...

Contributed by R. David Reynolds on Dec 25, 2004

While grace and mercy are basically one and the same characteristic of God, we can “split hairs” and see a distinction. Vaughan Durston, Founder of “U. B. David and I’ll B. Jonathan Inc.,” shares two stories that make this clear. Remember Rolfe Barnard’s definition: “Grace is God’s favour that ...read more

Tags: God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Methodist

Twenty-Six Men Standing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 14, 2011

TWENTY-SIX MEN STANDING A missionary on furlough told this true story while visiting his home church in MI. "While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every 2 weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to the nearest large city for supplies. This was a journey of 2 days and required ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:18

Tags: Prayer Answered

Zacharias: Changed Lives Show The Truth Of ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 11, 2011

ZACHARIAS: CHANGED LIVES SHOW THE TRUTH OF CHRIST In his book Has Christianity Failed You? Ravi Zacharias points to one of the greatest proofs for the truth of Christ and the reality of his resurrection: the changed lives of Christians. He writes: "During the course of nearly 40 years, I have ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Miss Bettye And The Power Of Prayer

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 2, 2012

MISS BETTYE AND THE POWER OF PRAYER A 2009 article in the Chicago Tribune told the story of Bettye Tucker, a Christian cook who works the night shift at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She has been doing her job for 43 years--28 of them on the night shift. She sees a steady ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We Will Tell Your God On You!

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Apr 13, 2015

by Amy Carson Phillips (Adapted by Melvin Newland) “Night is falling on the Congo, O’er the jungles far and near. Soon the blackness will be brooding - He who walks will walk in fear. Yet no black man seeks his hut, All are waiting on the shore, Gazing, peering through the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Poem, Mission Of Church, Evangelism, Hope, Africa, Despair  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God Still Has One More Move

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Sep 22, 2023

This is a story about a painting in a famous art gallery in France. The painting depicts two chess players, one of whom is Satan, who appears arrogantly confident, and the other is a man who looks forlorn. If Satan wins, he wins the man's soul. (The painting is now popularly known as ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:4, 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 4:7, Ephesians 6:11, 1 Peter 5:8-9  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Painting, Control, Player, Chess

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

An Observation About Context

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Mar 16, 2020

Context is very important, even in the little things. For example, people have done a lot of damage to Bible verses, stories, doctrines, etc., because they did not or do not consider the context. Someone once remarked that a Bible verse out of its context is like a diamond away from a necklace: ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:1-13, Matthew 4:1-11

Tags: Context, Temptations And Testings

Denomination: Baptist