In Sermon Illustrations: "John Updike" showing 821-840 of 4,145

Talk To Jesus Like Your Daughter

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

TALK TO JESUS LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER I was reading about a grieving woman. She went to the Rev. F. B. Meyer looking for help. She said, "Pastor, my daughter died last year. I miss her so much. I made breakfast for her every morning. And even when I had to go to work, I knew that she would be there ...read more

Scripture: John 11:35

Tags: God In The Hardships

Cry With Them

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

CRY WITH THEM I read about a young boy. Who was sent by his mom to the corner store to buy a loaf of bread. He was gone much longer than it should have taken him. When he finally returned, his mother asked, "Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you." "Well," he answered, "there was ...read more

Scripture: John 11:35

Tags: God In The Hardships

True ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

TRUE WORSHIP I want to read to you an excerpt from James Montgomery Boice’s book, "Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?" to preface my opening statements. This is from his chapter entitled, "Reforming Our Worship". In it he cites two sources from which he got his information. I cite my ...read more

Scripture: John 4:23-24

Tags: Worship, Worship Definition

Drink Deeply  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

DRINK DEEPLY Picture this: You have just finished a ten-mile hike on a 95 degree day, and on the entire journey you haven’t had a thing to drink. Stumbling with thirst, you come to your father’s house and plea for water. With love and concern, he brings you a cold pitcher of water and a glass and ...read more

Scripture: John 4:1-26

Tags: Faith

The Bridge ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

THE BRIDGE BUILDER An old man, going down a lonely highway, Came at the evening cold and gray, To a chasm vast and wide, Through which was flowing a swollen tide, The old man crossed in the twilight dim, The swollen stream had no fear for him. But he turned when safe on the other side, And built a ...read more

Scripture: John 17:20-26

Tags: Unity, Christian Unity

Punished For Helping

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

PUNISHED FOR HELPING Thu Feb 26, AP/ DENVER -- A good Samaritan who helped push three people out of the path of a pickup truck before being struck and injured has gotten a strange reward for his good deed: A jaywalking ticket. Family members said 58-year-old bus driver Jim Moffett and another man ...read more

Scripture: John 15:18-27

Tags: Fail, Good, Intention, Hardship Of Life

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

Looks Can Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING Girolamo Savonarola was one of the great preachers of the fifteenth century. He preached in the great cathedral of Florence, Italy, which contained a magnificent marble statue of Mary. One day he noticed an elderly woman praying before this statue and then realized it was ...read more

Scripture: John 4:23-24

Tags: Worship, Worship Definition

Something Better Down The Road  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

SOMETHING BETTER DOWN THE ROAD A football game was being played in Badger Stadium in 1982 in Madison, Wisconsin with more than 60,000 fans in attendance. The home team was losing. But out of the blue during time outs, when play was a at stop, the fans would jump up and roar with excitement. Why? ...read more

Scripture: John 16:33

Tags: Disappointment

Renoir: Pain Passes

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

RENOIR: PAIN PASSES In old age, Pierre Auguste Renoir, the great French painter, suffered from arthritis, which twisted and cramped his hand. Henri Matisse, his artist friend, watched sadly while Renoir, grasping a brush with only his fingertips, continued to paint, even though each movement ...read more

Scripture: John 16:33

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Fruitfulness As God's Work  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

FRUITFULNESS AS GOD’S WORK A few years ago, the Associated Press released a study done by an agricultural school in Iowa. It reported that production of 100 bushels of corn from one acre of land, in addition to the many hours of the farmer’s labor, required 4,000,000 pounds of water, 6,800 pounds ...read more

Scripture: John 15:5

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

No Good Reason, Just An Excuse  PRO

Contributed by Larry Moyer on Aug 5, 2009

NO GOOD REASON, JUST AN EXCUSE Some time ago I spoke to a man in the Air Force. He admitted to me that he did not know if he was going to heaven. So I pulled a 3x5 card from my pocket and said, "I would like you to list on that card whatever is keeping you from trusting Christ right now." He ...read more

Scripture: John 17:13-18

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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

Contributed by Robert Harmon on Aug 9, 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

Too Soft On People?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2009

TOO SOFT ON PEOPLE? A preacher named Ron Rose told a woman who came into his office complaining that his sermons always being about forgiveness and grace. She said he needed to come down harder on the sinners and in her words, "nail them." After her rant, Ron asked, "So, you’ve got forgiveness ...read more

Scripture: John 1:15-17

Tags: Grace

Speak And Spell God

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2009

SPEAK AND SPELL GOD Mary Farwell of Green Castle, Missouri, told of the time she was listening to her 5-year-old son, Matthew, as he worked on his Speak and Spell™ computer. He was concentrating intensely, typing in words for the computer to say back to him. Matthew punched in the word "God." To ...read more

Scripture: John 8:19

Tags: Children

The Devil Is A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 16, 2009

The Devil Is A Liar A well-paid, recently-promoted young executive dreamed he died and stood at the Pearly Gates. Peter asks: "Do you want to go to heaven or to hell?" "Let me know my options," he says. "Show me hell." Up pops a giant screen with a video playing. Girls in bikinis and well-built ...read more

Scripture: John 8:44

Tags: Satan

The Cost Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 16, 2009

The Cost of Salvation Several years ago, there was 14 year-old girl (Laura Montero) whose appendix burst while she and her family vacationed on a cruise ship off the Baja Coast. The ship was hundreds of miles from help, and the crew sent out a distress call looking for the nearest surgical ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Salvation, Gift Of Salvation

How To Get To Heaven  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN In 1997 there was survey taken by U. S. News and World Report, "Who do you think is mostly likely to get into heaven?" Mother Teresa had a 79%, Oprah Winfrey 66%, Michael Jordon 65%, Colin Powell 61%, Dennis Rodman 28% and O. J. Simpson 19%. The person completing the survey ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-3

Tags: Heaven

Sheep Know Shepherd's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 21, 2009

Sheep Know Shepherd’s Voice The contrast with the shepherd is even greater for the shepherd knows each sheep by name and his sheep follow his voice alone. Lloyd Ogilvie, the former Chaplain of the Senate and Pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church tells of being in the Middle East and watching a ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-18

Tags: Good Shepherd, Parable Lost Sheep

Alexander The Great On Hope

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

ALEXANDER THE GREAT ON HOPE Jesus is a sign of hope, and the friend of those who will not let hope die. He must increase, and we must decrease. The Macedonian king, Alexander the Great, was about to launch a great campaign. It would be trying and difficult. It would mean slogging across the ...read more

Scripture: John 3:25-30

Tags: God Brings Hope