In Sermon Illustrations: "John Updike" showing 701-720 of 4,145

From My Departed Husband  PRO

Contributed by Greg Madden on Jun 4, 2003

FROM MY DEPARTED HUSBAND A couple from north Oklahoma decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. Because they both had jobs, they had difficulty coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on Thursday, ...read more

Scripture: John 13:31-35

Tags: Hell, Heaven, Death

Denomination: Pentecostal

Our Guide  PRO

Contributed by Steven Simala Grant on Jun 5, 2003

OUR GUIDE Steven Simala Grant tells this story: I remember Christmas, 1980, when I was 9. My mom, who was a secretary in a small 3-person company, got a Christmas bonus – a trip for her and my brother and me to Disneyland. Plane and hotel, all covered – and even some cash. Her boss was not a ...read more

Scripture: John 16:13

Tags: Holy Spirit General, Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Baptist

Donald Gee Tells The Story Of When He Was Young ...  PRO

Contributed by Stephan Brown on Jun 18, 2003

Donald Gee tells the story of when he was young and tried to plant tomatoes. That particular summer was not very good for growing plants. His tomatoes never developed on the plants—not even little green tomatoes. He was thrilled when he came outside one day to find big red ripe tomatoes on his ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Tags: Character

Denomination: Assembly Of God

On The 4th Of July, My Family Went To A Drive In ...  PRO

Contributed by James Chandler on Jul 7, 2003

On the 4th of July, my family went to a drive in movie theater. We saw the movie "Finding Nemo". The movie was about a little fish named Nemo who swam too close to a boat. He was captured by a scuba diver and put in a fish tank in the office of a dentist. The whole movie was about Nemo’s ...read more

Scripture: John 8:36

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Forgiveness, Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Joy Is The Byproduct Of Obedience" (Source ...  PRO

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 3, 2003

“Joy is the byproduct of obedience” ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Tags: Basics Of Christianity, Faith

Denomination: Baptist

The Bread Of Comfort  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2003

THE BREAD OF COMFORT In his book entitled God’s Psychiatry, Charles Allen tells this story: As World War II was drawing to a close, the Allied armies gathered up many hungry orphans. They were placed in camps where they were well-fed. Despite excellent care, they slept poorly. They seemed nervous ...read more

Scripture: John 6:25-35

Tags: Bread Of Heaven, Bread Of Life, Jesus Teachings, Life-Giving, Lordship Of Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Oxygen And Bread  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2003

OXYGEN AND BREAD In his best selling book called, “Into Thin Air,” Jon Krakauer relates the hazards that plagued some climbers as they attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Andy Harris, one of the expedition leaders stayed at the peak too long and on his descent, he became in dire need ...read more

Scripture: John 6:24-35

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Christian Values

There Are Many Ways To Lie. Paul Uses The Word ...

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Aug 22, 2003

"There are many ways to lie. Paul uses the word falsehood. That word covers a wider scope. When I say, ‘don’t lie‘, the first thing that would come to your mind is that you shouldn’t tell a lie; speak an untruth. But we can lie with a glance. We can lie by our silence. We can lie with a ...read more

Scripture: John 8:44

Tags: Commandments Testimony

Denomination: Orthodox

A Book That Has Changed My Life Is What's So ...  PRO

Contributed by Pat Cook on Aug 26, 2003

A book that has changed my life is What’s So Amazing About Grace? In it the author, Philip Yancey quotes Mark Twain. Apparently Twain used to say he put a dog and a cat in a cage together as an experiment, to see if they could get along. They did, so he put in a bird, pig and goat. They, too, got ...read more

Scripture: John 11:45-56

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Baptist

Ready To Receive  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2003

READY TO RECEIVE At the wedding in Cana, it is interesting that Jesus waited until their resources had run dry before he performed the miracle. Only when the people came to the end of their supply were they ready to receive what Jesus had to give. John Piper, in an article entitled “The Present ...read more

Scripture: John 19:28

Tags: God's Provision, Miracles Of Jesus, Submission

Take A Moment And Poke Yourself In The ...  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on Oct 29, 2003

Take a moment and poke yourself in the bellybutton (I’d tell you to poke your neighbor, but that might get us into trouble!) Our navel is a constant reminder that we all started life connected to another human being (Dr. Richard Dobbins, founder Emerge Ministries). We spend ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-5

Tags: Friendship New Friends, Friendship General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Year Was 1630. The Place Was The ...  PRO

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on Oct 29, 2003

The year was 1630. The place was the Massachusetts Bay along the Atlantic coast near the place known as Plymouth Rock. On board the ship the Arabella John Winthrop, the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company challenged the Puritan settlers to establish a new kind of Christian community. ...read more

Scripture: John 15:11-17

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Sadly, We Are Sometimes Ashamed Of Jesus. I'm ...  PRO

Contributed by Peter Schmidt on Nov 20, 2003

Sadly, we are sometimes ashamed of Jesus. I’m guilty of it, and so are all of you. Sometimes we might not hide our faith, but we don’t go out of the way either to let people know that how much Jesus means to us. “Oh man, my friend will think I’m nuts if I tell him about the Savior. I don’t want to ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-14

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Lutheran

In January, 1995, According To An Article ...  PRO

Contributed by Richard Tow on Dec 8, 2003

“In January, 1995, according to an article written by Gary Thomas, J. Robert Ashcroft had fewer than forty-eight hours to live, but he was holding on to life, hoping to see his son, John Ashcroft, sworn into the U.S. Senate the following day. [John Ashcroft, as we all know by now…is our Attorney ...read more

Scripture: John 5:37

Tags: Workplace Evangelism

Denomination: Charismatic

My Resolve For This Vision Is Reflected In The ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 23, 2003

My resolve for this vision is reflected in the prayer below: More than anything else in heaven or on earth, I pray for the power to love my fellow person, to break through the condemning bigotry, the crippling prejudice, the stifling self-centeredness that smothers God’s Spirit within me, and to ...read more

Scripture: John 16:24

Tags: Prayer Adoration, Prayer Supplication

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Spotlight And A Laser Beam  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Dec 30, 2003

[illustration] Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between a spotlight and a laser beam? How can a medium-powered laser burn through steel in a matter of seconds, while the most powerful spotlight can only make it warm? Both may have the same electrical power requirements. The ...read more

Scripture: John 17:11

Tags: Unity, Backward, Fear, Forward, Humor  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

January 8, 2004 Usatoday Reported This On Their ...  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Chan on Jan 15, 2004

January 8, 2004 USATODAY reported this on their website: Woman admits she lied about losing $162M lottery ticket CLEVELAND (AP) — A woman admitted through tears Thursday that she lied about losing the winning ticket for a $162 million lottery prize, saying: "I wanted to win so badly for my kids ...read more

Scripture: John 1:16

Tags: Sin Bondage To, Money

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Unconditional Acceptance  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Jan 19, 2004

A lady says: I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree.  The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I  wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called ...read more

Scripture: John 5:27-31

Tags: Unconditional Love

Denomination: Lutheran

Out Of 453 Prophecies About The Coming Of Jesus, ...  PRO

Contributed by Val Black on Jan 25, 2004

Out of 453 prophecies about the Coming of Jesus, 196 told about His FIRST Coming. On the day that He was crucified, every one of those 196 prophecies had been fulfilled. If there are 453 prophecies in the Old Testament about the Coming of Jesus and 196 were fulfilled at His first coming, that ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-3

Tags: Second Coming, Messianic Prophecies

Denomination: Charismatic

Car Radio. (I Kings 19:9-13 ...  PRO

Contributed by Raymond Petzholt on Mar 25, 2004

Illustration: Car Radio. (I Kings 19:9-13 Elijah, still small voice). One of my Professors at Seminary shared about a time he was driving to a speaking engagement with his wife. There was a storm coming so he needed to listen to the radio to hear the weather report. But he also wanted to talk ...read more

Scripture: John 10:27

Tags: Prayer In The Spirit, Prayer Adoration

Denomination: Baptist