In Sermon Illustrations: "John Updike" showing 901-920 of 4,145

The White Man

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 7, 2011

THE WHITE MAN When Wycliffe translator Doug Meland and his wife moved into a village of Brazil’s Fulnio Indians, he was referred to simply as "the white man". The term was by no means complimentary, since other white men had exploited them, burned their homes, and robbed them of their lands. But ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-17

Tags: Christian Witness

My Sheep Know My Voice  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 9, 2011

MY SHEEP KNOW MY VOICE Do you all know much about Emperor Penguins? I was not very familiar with these birds until a few years ago when the documentary, March of the Penguins, came out. And as I watched this documentary, I learned many intriguing facts about this largest of the penguin family. ...read more

Scripture: John 10:27-29

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

People Matter

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2011

PEOPLE MATTER One woman told the time her professor in nursing school gave a pop quiz. She said "I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: 'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'" She thought: "Surely this was some kind ...read more

Scripture: John 10:14

Tags: Christian Values

Accepting The Good News  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2011

ACCEPTING THE GOOD NEWS A promotion by H. R. Block Inc. in 2001 offered walk-in customers a chance to win a drawing for a million dollars. Glen and Gloria Sims of Sewell, New Jersey, won the drawing, but they refused to believe it when an H. R. Block representative phoned them with the good ...read more

Scripture: John 5:45-47

Tags: Unbelief

He's No Longer In The Grave  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

HE'S NO LONGER IN THE GRAVE In 1887, twenty two years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, his coffin was dug up and opened because there were constant rumors that his body was not in the grave. So they dug it up and the body was there. The rumors continued so 14 years later they ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-20

Tags: Jesus Lives, Easter Resurrection

God Picks The Unlovable Ones

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

GOD PICKS THE UNLOVABLE ONES Anne Lamott described a time when a fellow church member told about adopting her son through an organization called A.S.K. -- Adopt Special Kids. Part of the adoption process included filling out a questionnaire checking "yes" or "no" for one's willingness to adopt ...read more

Scripture: John 4:1-42

Tags: Adoption

Spiritual Consumerism

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2011

SPIRITUAL CONSUMERISM In February 27 2009 article from the website “Slate” titled, “Why American churchgoers like to shop around” also caught my attention. That article cited statistics from a Barna Group survey that revealed that one in seven adults changes churches each year, and another one in ...read more

Scripture: John 4:19-24

Tags: Church Practices

Not If Jesus Is Like Dad  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2011

NOT IF JESUS IS LIKE DAD Some months ago I heard a touching story about a humble, consecrated pastor whose young son had become very ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of tests, the father was told the shocking news that his son had a terminal illness. The youngster had accepted ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-3

Tags: Father's Day

Safe Rooms

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2011

SAFE ROOMS Lynne and I and the family were moving to Tulsa from Missouri and were looking at potential homes. One thing we came across was a house with a 'safe room' or actually only a 'safe closet'. A closet, which served as a coat closet near the front door, was built with steel walls and a ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-21

Tags: Unbelief

He Wants To Be With His Master

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2011

HE WANTS TO BE WITH HIS MASTER Today’s story is about an old country doctor that dates back to the late 1930s when doctors made house calls. Isaac Pender was his name. Everyone in the area for two reasons respected him. First, he was an excellent doctor who provided compassion care for his ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-4

Tags: Heaven

When We Come Together

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 30, 2011

WHEN WE COME TOGETHER Dr. J. Vernon McGee told a story about a little community where there were three churches on the same corner, a Presbyterian church, Methodist church and Baptist church. One Sunday night, all the windows were open and they could hear each other singing. They didn't get along ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Tags: Unity

Fear Of Witnessing

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 31, 2011

FEAR OF WITNESSING Leighton Ford, Good News is for Sharing, 1977, David C. Cook Publishing Co., Page 15: In preparing for this book, I have talked to a lot of people, and the fear issue comes up front again and again. What makes people hesitate to share their faith? Here are some of the fears ...read more

Scripture: John 20:21-22

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Joseph Smith: If Someone Had Shared Grace...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Sep 19, 2011

JOSEPH SMITH: IF SOMEONE HAD SHARED GRACE... Jesus was gracious to the woman taken in adultery. Sometimes, that is what reaches people. Sometimes, Christians are like the scribes and Pharisees, choosing to be judgmental instead of gracious. In the 1820's, a young woman named Emma gave birth to ...read more

Scripture: John 8:3-11

Tags: Evangelism, Grace, Witnessing, Evangelism How To

Denomination: Baptist

Making A Dent In The Universe  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Oct 6, 2011

MAKING A DENT IN THE UNIVERSE When Apple founder Steve Jobs died, there were many posts on various websites about his spirituality (Jobs was Buddhist). One cartoon depicted him at the Pearly Gates while Saint Peter fumbles through the Book of Life. Steve, holding an I-Something, says, "I have an ...read more

Scripture: John 14:6

Tags: Witness, Death, Eternity, Commitment, Heaven, Impact, Steve Jobs, Christian Values, Christian Witness, Commitment To Christ, Truth Absolute, Technology, Vision, Salvation, Truth, Value, Passion  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Pouring Out Like Sweat  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 8, 2011

POURING OUT LIKE SWEAT Several years ago, Gatorade had an ad with Michael Jordan where he was covered in orange drops of sweat. The image says clearly that Michael Jordan is so full of Gatorade that it is literally pouring out of him like sweat. That’s an appropriate image of the Holy Spirit in ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15-24

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

Denomination: Methodist

Taste Is All Wrong

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Nov 29, 2011

TASTE IS ALL WRONG I remember one of the stories from the Chronicles of Narnia from the book "The Last Battle." It was the story of a number of dwarfs who just didn't believe in Aslan (who represented Jesus Christ in all the books). They were blind to reality refusing to be "taken in" by those ...read more

Scripture: John 12:39-40

Tags: Sin Deceptive

Denomination: Lutheran

Select The Greatest Gift

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Dec 11, 2011

SELECT THE GREATEST GIFT Even people of this world know the value of a thoughtful gift. When Pastor John Bisagno was working as chaplain to the Houston Oilers, the players gave him an autographed football which every player had signed inscribed with a Scripture from the Bible. Whenever he looks ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On A Practical Level I Really Do Like To Garden, ...

Contributed by Andrew Moffatt on Dec 30, 2011

On A practical level I really do like to garden, those of you who have listened to me preach for a while have probably heard me blather on about my vege garden, it’s looking great at present, I’ve got courgettes growing, tomatoes vines just starting to bear fruit, I’ve already harvested ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-27

Tags: Harvest, Growth, Born Again, Planting

Denomination: Salvation Army

I Know Where You Are, Just Tell Me What You Need  PRO

Contributed by H.b. Charles Jr. on Jan 16, 2012

I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED DR. C.C. MCCUTCHIN of Oklahoma was on the highway, traveling from Tulsa to Oklahoma City, to visit a member who was in the hospital. But on the way, he got a flat tire. Thankfully, he made it to a "Call Box" on the side of the road. But he had never ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-17

Tags: Communion, Communing, Prayer Answered

Denomination: Baptist

The Ultimate

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Feb 1, 2012

THE ULTIMATE In the early 1970s the Dallas Cowboys had a star running back named Duane Thomas who was kind of a head case. One year the Cowboys made it to the Super Bowl and someone asked Duane Thomas what he thought about playing in the "ultimate game." He replied "If this is the Ultimate Game, ...read more

Scripture: John 19:30

Tags: Apologetics Jesus