In Sermon Illustrations: "John Updike"

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 General, Friendship New Friends

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: Money, Sin Bondage To

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

A Catholic Sister, Sister Chris Schenk, Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A Catholic sister, Sister Chris Schenk, was shocked when she took theology classes several years ago (1994) that taught Mary Magdalene, “a woman who had been one of Jesus’ most courageous apostles had been turned into a prostitute.” Then Schenk learned there were efforts to restore the reputation ...read more

Scripture: John 20:11-18

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Lynn Anderson, In "They Smell Like Sheep Relates ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Lynn Anderson, in "They Smell Like Sheep relates this story: “Several years ago in Palestine, Carolyn and I rode a tour bus through Israel’s countryside nearly mesmerized as the tour guide explained the scenery, the history, and the lifestyle. In his description, he included a heart-warming ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-5

Tags: People In Acts

On A Certain Isolated Pacific Island, When A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

On a certain isolated Pacific island, when a young man proposed marriage, it was customary to announce it to the entire village. Then he and the whole community would go to the young woman’s home. Her father would come outside and then – in front of the community – the father and suitor would ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Tags: Children, Marriage, Peace, Building, Obedience, Women, Mothers, Foundation, Employee, Car  (view more)  (view less)

Song - Jesus Loves Me, Senior Version *author ...  PRO

Contributed by William Akehurst on Jun 28, 2007

SONG - JESUS LOVES ME, Senior Version *Author Unknown* Jesus loves me, this I know, Though my hair is white as snow. Though my sight is growing dim, Still He bids me trust in Him. (CHORUS) YES, JESUS LOVES ME... YES, JESUS LOVES ME... YES, JESUS LOVES ME FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO. ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Grace Shown To Us  PRO

Contributed by Frederick Baker Ii on Sep 3, 2007

"God’s Grace Shown To Us" The Enemy of the world, Satan, was on the side of life’s road with a very large cage. The man coming towards him noticed that it was crammed full of people of every kind, young, old, from every race and nation." Where did you get these people?" the man asked. "Oh, ...read more

Scripture: John 8:36

Tags: Grace

Denomination: *other

Donald Miller, In His Excellent Book Searching ...

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Oct 2, 2007

Donald Miller, in his excellent book Searching for God Knows What, tells about going to a Bible college where he taught one of the classes. Speaking to this group of Bible students, he told them he was going to present the plan of salvation, but he was going to leave out one key element, and they ...read more

Scripture: John 17:3

Denomination: Methodist

Currently Rudy Is Locked Up And Locked Up Is What ...

Contributed by Sam Wrisley on Oct 24, 2007

currently Rudy is locked up and locked up is what he deserves. I met Rudy 4 years ago. He was drunk at a bus station. He wanted a bus ticket and I bought it for him. It would not be the last ticket i would buy for Rudy. Rudy was arrested for robbery when he was 17. The judge sentanced him to ...read more

Scripture: John 8:34-36

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

For Almost Forty Years, Margaret Lived With The ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Atwood on Jan 12, 2008

For almost forty years, Margaret lived with the memory of one soul-scarring day in the one-room schoolhouse she attended. From the first day Margaret came to class, she and Ms. Garner, her bitter and harsh teacher, didn’t get along. Over the years, the animosity between them only worsened until ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-41

Tags: Love, Healing, Encouragement, Depression

Denomination: Baptist

Warren Wiersbe, Theologian And Writer, Tells A ...  PRO

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Jan 21, 2008

Warren Wiersbe, theologian and writer, tells a story as taken from a source. “A miserable looking woman recognized F.B. Meyer (preacher and teacher) on the train and ventured to share her burden with him. For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10

Tags: Theologian

Denomination: Salvation Army