In Sermon Illustrations: "Joy And Celebration"

It Interests Me That God Tests Me By Allowing Me ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Dec 27, 2009

"It interests me that God tests me by allowing me to go through difficult situations in order to prove the quality of my character, the genuineness of my worship and the motivations of my service. What is your Marah? I can sing praises easily when things are working out well for me. Throughout my ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Man Found A Cocoon Of The ...

Contributed by Timothy Brown on Feb 7, 2010

Illustration: A man found a cocoon of the emperor moth and took it home to watch it emerge. One day a small opening appeared, and for several hours the moth struggled but couldn't seem to force its body past a certain point. Deciding something was wrong, the man took scissors and snipped the ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Baptist

John Piper, The Preaching Pastor Of Bethlehem ...

Contributed by Jesse Roncales on Mar 27, 2010

John Piper, the preaching pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in reflection in Romans 8:16-17, says, “No pain, no gain. No cross, no crown. No ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Hurricane Victims' Suffering Lead Them To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

Hurricane Victims’ Suffering Lead Them to Christ 38-year-old Carlotta Bennett was riding out Hurricane Katrina in her attic with her family. The winds had blown her house way off its foundation, and the rising water was threatening to flood the house to the roof and drown the five people in the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Christina Recently Gave Birth To Our First ...

Contributed by Chris Surber on Jun 17, 2010

Christina recently gave birth to our first daughter. After three sons I am very pleased to have a little girl. Recently I was speaking to the academic dean of the seminary where I am pursuing doctoral studies. The school had asked for individual and family photos of students like me who are ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Christian Church

The Classical Artist Renoit Is Revered In The ...

Contributed by Grant Sisson on Aug 29, 2010

The classical artist Renoit is revered in the world of art. He left many works of art that are respected and admired the world over. But Mr. Renoit had a problem later in life that caused him terrible pain – he had arthritis in his hands. Arthritis in an artist’s hands is about like a musician ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

70 Funerals In One Day

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Nov 24, 2010

70 FUNERALS IN ONE DAY During a forty-year ministry, I would guess that many pastors do seventy or more burials. But this wasn't over the full span of his ministry. In fact, it wasn't even a full year. In one day, Pastor Rinkart did burial rites for up to seventy people and did the same the next ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Lutheran

Pain Passes, But Beauty Remains  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2011

PAIN PASSES, BUT BEAUTY REMAINS Pierre Auguste Renoir is a famous French artist who lived in the late 19th century to the early 20th century. He was known for his paintings, mostly depicting family life. But there was one disease that tormented this gifted artist -- he had arthritis that plagued ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Shoot The Moon

Contributed by Jason Bonnicksen on Jul 17, 2011

SHOOT THE MOON The other day I needed to take my mind off things, so I opened my computer and played a game of hearts. Now, like all card games, no matter how diligent you play, there's time when the unexpected happens, and you're hand turns to disaster. One sneaky move from an opponent and it's ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Lutheran

The Parable Of The Fig Tree  PRO

Contributed by Ty Tamasaka on Jul 26, 2011

THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE 6 "Then Jesus told this story: 'A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7 Finally, he said to his gardener, 'I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:6-9

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Other

1 Peter 4:12 "Dear Friends, Do Not Be Surprised ...

Contributed by Brad Henry on Nov 11, 2011

1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” I have a doctor’s appointment this morning to see what is going on. I am tried all the time, can hardly move with pain and a host of other ailments. OK so I ...read more

Tags: Suffering Joy In

On Suffering  PRO

Contributed by David Tack on Jan 11, 2012

ON SUFFERING "It is a very difficult matter to understand when God permits affliction or loss to come into our lives. Our humanity wants to cry out, "Why me God? I love you and faithfully serve you. Why did you permit this sorrow to happen to me?" . . . one reason for affliction is to make us into ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:17

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Denomination: Baptist

Pursuit Of Happiness

Contributed by Larry Hinkle on Dec 12, 2019

A disgruntled early American once complained to Ben Franklin, “so where is all this happiness that the Constitution was supposed to guarantee me?” Franklin is said to have responded, “The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it ...read more

Scripture: John 15:11

Tags: Happiness, Joy

Denomination: Methodist

To One It’s Monday To Another It’s Wednesday

Contributed by James Snyder on Jan 11, 2020

Time goes so fast at times that I do not always remember what day it is. I get so busy trying to get my work done that I forget if it’s Monday or Friday. It is a good thing I am getting older because I have a built-in excuse for forgetting what day it is. Recently, the Gracious Mistress of the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 15:13

Tags: Happiness, Joy

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Greatest Singer!

Contributed by Tony Abram on Mar 13, 2022

J.S. Bach said, "All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul's refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub." He headed his compositions: "J.J." "Jesus Juva" which means "Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:17

Tags: Joy, Singing

No Worms

Contributed by David Dunn on Sep 28, 2025

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. Why not use some props? So four worms were placed into four separate jars. ××The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol, pure vodka. ××The second worm was put into a jar filled with ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:18, James 1:22

Tags: Discernment, Joy

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

First Harvest  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 11, 2002

FIRST HARVEST In 1621, Edward Winslow, one of the fifty or so members of the Plymouth colony, wrote these words, describing the first harvest festival: "Our harvest of corn came in well, and God be praised, we had a good increase of Indian Corn, and our Barley crop was also good, but our crop of ...read more

Tags: Joy, Thanksgiving Holiday

The Weekend Following September 11th, Syndicated ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

The weekend following September 11th, syndicated columnist and former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan drove to Lower Manhattan to witness the relief effort taking place at Ground Zero. She found herself focusing on the convoy of trucks filled with rescue workers coming off their ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Joy

Larry Norman Funeral Was A Going Away Party

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 25, 2024

What a gathering! Over 500 poured into a church this morning to pay our respects to Larry Norman. As we entered, we were handed ‘circus programs’ (instead of a boring pamphlet) that read: "Larry Norman Presents: A Going Away Party." It was a gathering of friends, family and fans ...read more

Tags: Funerals, Christian Music, Death, Celebration, Heaven, Mourning  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Dear Abby Recorded A Powerful Story. A Young Man ...  PRO

Contributed by Ernest Canell on Jan 2, 2001

Dear Abby recorded a powerful story. A young man from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was a custom in their affluent community for parents to give their graduating children a new car, and the boy and his dad had spent weeks visiting one dealership after another. The week ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Joy

Denomination: *other