In Sermon Illustrations: "John Updike"

Drop That Baby!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

"DROP THAT BABY!" A pastor called on a lady from his church and found her very despondent and feeling that God had forsaken her. Looking at the baby in the woman’s arms, the pastor said to her, "Drop that baby on the floor." Startled by the suggestion, she looked at him in disbelief. "Well," he ...read more

Scripture: John 10:22-30

Tags: God In The Hardships

The Shepherd's Voice

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2012

THE SHEPHERD'S VOICE If you know and follow Jesus as Shepherd you will be able to flee from untruth and ungodly belief systems. D.L. Moody told the following: A friend, who was traveling in the East, heard that there was a shepherd who still kept up the custom of calling his sheep by name. He ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-18

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Character And Witness

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 15, 2012

CHARACTER AND WITNESS John Bunyan said of Christians: "When all their garments are white the world will count them His," and the skeptical German poet Heinrich Heine said to Christians, "You show me your redeemed life and I might be inclined to believe in your Redeemer." The authentic life that ...read more

Scripture: John 17:20-23

Tags: Christian Witness

The Prayer Of Grandma Jones

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

THE PRAYER OF GRANDMA JONES I'd like to tell you the story about an old lady that everybody called "Grandma Jones." She had a close relationship with Jesus. And she knew that Jesus wanted her to be a soul-winner. She wanted to lead others to Christ. However, Grandma Jones was pretty much home ...read more

Scripture: John 4:4-38

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Skydiving Sacrifice

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

SKYDIVING SACRIFICE The strength of sacrifice; in May 2002 Robert Bonadies and his fellow instructor Jim Olko were preparing to skydive, along with a novice - Cindy Hyland, in Connecticut. The jump was to be from 12000 ft, falling at 120 mph, which would take just 68 seconds with no parachute. ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-14

Tags: Heroism

A Lesson From A Light Bulb  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2012

A LESSON FROM A LIGHT BULB A missionary in Africa lived in his central mission which had a small generator to supply current for his church and a small rectory. Some natives from an outlying mission came to visit the pastor. They noticed the electric light hanging from the ceiling of his living ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Tags: Power

Wheat ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 5, 2012

WHEAT HARVEST I grew up in Wellington, Kansas which is a small farm town of about 8,000 people located 30 miles south of Wichita, Kansas. Wellington’s big claim to fame is being the Wheat Capitol of the World. The farmers of my home town produce more wheat per capita than anywhere else in the ...read more

Scripture: John 4:34-38

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

Story: Excerpt From ¨loving Mercy" By Simon Ponsonby

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Aug 12, 2012

Story: When Maddy and I were in Oxford at Wycliffe Hall, we used to go to Church in St Aldates. About 11 years after leaving Wycliffe, I was in Oxford one Sunday and so I decided to go to the evening service at St Aldates (08-07-2012). As I walked in. I looked at the bookrack in the entrance and ...read more

Scripture: John 20:1-19

Tags: Forgiveness, Christian Love

Denomination: Anglican

Guiding Light

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 20, 2012

GUIDING LIGHT Do you remember this intro? “And now, The Guiding Light.” It is an old one. According to Guinness Book of World Records The Guiding Light was the longest running drama of all time. It came on the air in January 25, 1937 five days after President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12

Tags: Darkness, Change, Soap, Jesus Life, Guiding Light  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Fly To The Light  PRO

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 20, 2012

FLY TO THE LIGHT Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky has this huge sanctuary that seats thousands upon thousands. Sometimes birds get in there. The facilities department has the job of trying to figure out how to get these birds out. The last thing you want Sunday morning is a bird ...read more

Scripture: John 8:12

Tags: Light, Darkness, Escape, Jesus Teachings

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Worship At A Garbage Dump

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2012

WORSHIP AT A GARBAGE DUMP Imagine a town built atop an active landfill. That is "Garbage City" in Cairo, Egypt, longtime home to an impoverished, marginalized community of Coptic Christians for whom life is only going to get harder. The so-called Zabbaleen have been the trash collectors of Cairo ...read more

Scripture: John 4:24

Tags: Worship General

You Gotta Look At It!  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2012

YOU GOTTA LOOK AT IT! A man was seated on a park bench when a little chap of about five sat down beside him and started winding what appeared to be a most prized possession--a watch. "My, what a pretty watch," remarked the man. "Does it tell you the time?" "No sir," replied the boy; "you gotta ...read more

Scripture: John 17:17

Tags: Hold, Bible Truth

The Door

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 27, 2012

THE DOOR There is a small metal door painted white in the side of a tiny mission church in Johannesburg South Africa. This door is changing lives. On it are painted the words “door of hope.” That is exactly what it is for various babies within the city. On average some forty to fifty babies were ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-10

Tags: Baby, Salvation, Missions, Hope, Door, Jesus Christ, I Am, Saving  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Go Get Your Mother!

Contributed by Joe Bertone on Aug 27, 2012

GO GET YOUR MOTHER! One of my favorite stories of a door is the story of the Amish boy and his father who went to the big city for the very first time. They were amazed by everything they saw. Having grown up and lived all their lives on a rural farm everything was completely new to them. The ...read more

Scripture: John 10:7-10

Tags: Door, Change, Transformation, Mystery, Elevator, Amish  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Torpedo Approaching  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2012

TORPEDO APPROACHING Allow me to tell you a story about a young man named Bill, who joined the Navy, when World War II began. One night his ship came into Boston, and he decided to visit his former pastor and friend, Rev. Stidger. During their visit together, Rev. Stidger said, "Bill, tell me the ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-17

Tags: Heroism

The White Man

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Sep 8, 2012

THE WHITE MAN When Wycliffe Bible 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. ...read more

Scripture: John 13:14-17

Tags: Christian Witness

Denomination: Brethren

Talk About Rising To The Top Of Your Field, ...  PRO

Contributed by Kelly Mitchell on Sep 25, 2012

Talk about rising to the top of your field, Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her influence on modern dance has been compared to Picasso’s on modern visual arts, Stravinsky’s on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright’s on architecture. We should ...read more

Scripture: John 12:25-26

Tags: Fulfillment, Worldliness, Workplace Balance, Workplace Success

Denomination: Baptist

The Bible: Like No Other Book

Contributed by Hal Seed on Nov 9, 2012

THE BIBLE: LIKE NO OTHER BOOK The Bible has been burned and banished by more people and cultures than any other book. For centuries the only translation of the Bible available to the peoples of Europe was a fourth-century Latin translation called the Vulgate. Only priests and scholars knew Latin, ...read more

Scripture: John 16:33

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus Cared

Contributed by C. Philip Green on Jan 2, 2013

JESUS CARED Henri Nouwen once said, "What we see, and like to see, is cure and change. But what we do not see and do not want to see is care: the participation in the pain, the solidarity in the suffering, the sharing in the experience of brokenness. And still, cure without care is as ...read more

Scripture: John 11:35

Tags: Restoration, Caring Love

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Show Us God  PRO

Contributed by Lalachan Abraham on Jan 9, 2013

SHOW US GOD The Greek philosopher Socrates made this statement: "Oh that someone would arise, man or god, to show us God." In the minds of scholars, here's one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived; and yet he, himself, had beating in his own breast--and he admitted it--oh that god could ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14

Tags: Messianic Prophecies

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational