In Sermon Illustrations: "Mystery Found"

Payer Is The Strongest Form Of Abiding That There ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 12, 2008

Payer is the strongest form of abiding that there is. -- A retired teacher was giving her little nephew some help with his schools work. He was normally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, "Aunt Sally, may I kneel down and ask God ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Prayer Is The Strongest Form Of Abiding That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 27, 2008

Prayer is the strongest form of abiding that there is. -- A retired teacher was giving her little nephew some help with his schools work. He was normally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, "Aunt Sally, may I kneel down and ask God ...read more

Tags: Prayer General

Dancing With God

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 5, 2009

DANCING WITH GOD One of my very favorite stories is told by Gertrud Mueller Nelson in To Dance with God: Family Ritual and Community Celebration. It’s the first thing she says at the beginning of Chapter 1: "Some years ago, I spent an afternoon caught up in a piece of sewing I was doing. The ...read more

Tags: Discovery

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Christmas Traditions Around The World

Contributed by Garris Hudson on Dec 19, 2022

As Americans, we pride ourselves in "doing Christmas up big." Tons of gifts, big holiday feasts, huge trees, Lights on the houses. Here are some of the other ways people prepare for the celebration of Christmas: * In Italy they have no Christmas trees, instead they decorate small ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Birth Of Christ, Customs, Traditions

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Wide And Long And High And Deep Is The Love Of Christ?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Sep 14, 2024

In the last century, Napoleon's armies opened a prison that the Spanish Inquisition had used. They found the remains of a prisoner who had been incarcerated for his faith. The dungeon was underground. The body had long since decayed. Only a chain fastened around an ankle bone cried out his ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19, Romans 8:38-39

Tags: Hope, Suffering, Unconditional Love, Christ's Love

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Superior Love

Contributed by David Tack on Sep 18, 2024

“The strenuous Christian mandate to extend unconditional love towards those that hate you is a fatiguing duty for the soldiers of the cross of Christ! In the heat of a damning spiritual warfare, when the spiritual defensive battlefronts are diminishing, the fleshly armaments derived from the human ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16, Romans 5:7-8, Ephesians 2:4-7

Tags: Love, Unconditional, Soldier

Denomination: Baptist

Complaints -- Duh!

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 11, 2025

These are actual complaints received from dissatisfied customers by Thomas Cook Vacations (based on a Thomas Cook/ABTA survey): a. "It's lazy of the local shopkeepers in Puerto Vallarta to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time -- this should be ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 11:1, Colossians 3:13, Philippians 2:14

Tags: Wisdom, Contentment, Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, Sense, Complaints  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Story Of The Bears

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 21, 2025

Story: One day Bill Morris went out hunting in the woods just outside Prince George in British Columbia, Canada. It had been a slow day and he hadn’t found any game to shoot. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. He whirled around and saw two ferocious looking bears coming towards him. He ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

Tags: Christian Bears, Hunting

Denomination: Anglican

Angels - Do You Believe?

Contributed by John Bright on Mar 20, 2026

Please raise your hand if you believe in angels. Thanks, put your hand down. Please raise your hand if you believe in demons. Thanks, put your hand down. If you raised your hand both times, you have a Biblical view of angels. Too many church members have a view of angels that contains New Age ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:10-16, Jude 1:8-11

Tags: Angels, Demons, Billy Graham

Denomination: Methodist

Hat In Hand Thankfulness!" 1 Thessalonians 5: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 24, 2004

“Hat In Hand Thankfulness!” 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-28 Key verse(s): 18: “. . . give thanks under all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Thanksgiving! It is easy to forget, especially when our lives are so filled with other things. Perhaps that’s why we have a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Lutheran

Bible Leads Brazilian Prostitutes To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 10, 2010

Bible Leads Brazilian Prostitutes to Christ "Pastor is it OK to sell a Bible to a prostitute?" You see Laura was a member of a small church in Brazil. She sold Avon products to supplement the family income. One of her weekly routes took her through the red light district. One day after asking her ...read more

Scripture: John 8:1-11

Tags: Bible Influence

I Read Recently About A Woman Who Was Driving ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Peck on Feb 1, 2001

I read recently about a woman who was driving from Alberta, Canada to the Yukon. She didn’t know that you never travel that way alone, especially in a rundown Honda, Civic. So she set off on a road usually reserved for four wheel drive trucks. Eventually she found herself in a truck stop. Two ...read more

Tags: Church Small Groups, God's Provision, Friendship New Friends

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Leighton Ford(Billy Graham’s Bro In Law) ...  PRO

Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Feb 2, 2001

LEIGHTON FORD(Billy Graham’s bro in law) was traveling by airplane and found himself next to an empty seat. He was looking forward to the extra room when appeared the stewardess with an elderly woman, 96 yrs of age. ‘Mrs ____ will be sitting here next to your sir’. As the flight proceeded ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ, People In The Gospel, Lordship Of Christ

Do You Remember Reading This Article In The ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 23, 2001

ILL. Do you remember reading this article in the newspaper, "GIRL ACCUSED OF PRINCIPAL POISONING TRY"? It says, "An 11-year-old girl tried to poison her principal in an attempt to prevent her parents from learning that she had been in a fight at school, police said. The 5th grader had a ...read more

Tags: Sin Exposed

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

In An Earlier Century, There Lay A Large Boulder ...  PRO

Contributed by Greg Warren on May 1, 2001

In an earlier century, there lay a large boulder in the middle of the roadway. Traveler after traveler walked past the boulder, veering off the side of the road to get around it. All the while, they were shaking their head and muttering, "Can you believe that? Someone should get that big thing ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20, Psalm 61:1-8

Tags: Doing God's Will, Evangelism, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

It Started Like So Many Evenings. Mom And Dad At ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2001

It started like so many evenings. Mom and Dad at home and Jimmy playing after dinner. Mom and Dad were absorbed with jobs and did not notice the time. It was a full moon and some of the light seeped through the windows. Then Mom glanced at the clock. "Jimmy, it’s time to go to bed. Go up now and ...read more

During The Late 1800’s An English ...  PRO

Contributed by Tom Dooley on May 14, 2001

During the late 1800’s an English evangelist named Henry Moorhouse made several trips to preach in America. On one of those occassions he was taking a walk through a poor section of town when he noticed a small boy coming out of a store with a pitcher of milk in his hands. Just then, he ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10

Tags: God's Forgiveness, God's Holiness, Grace, Transformation

Denomination: Baptist

Many Years Ago A Man Conned His Way Into The ...  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Jun 5, 2001

Many years ago a man conned his way into the orchestra of the emperor of China although he could not play a note. Whenever the group practiced or performed, he would hold his flute against his lips, pretending to play but not making a sound. He received a modest salary an enjoyed a comfortable ...read more

Tags: Judgment, Jesus Teachings, Second Coming

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Headline Article In "The Saturday Star" For ...  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on Jul 11, 2001

The headline article in "The Saturday Star" for July 5, 1997 is about the latest milestone made in space when NASA’s Pathfinder successfully came to rest on the planet Mars Friday. Pathfinder established many firsts among which it was the first spacecraft to land on a planet without orbiting it; it ...read more

Tags: Creation, Apologetics God

Denomination: Pentecostal

Kay Arthur Has Become A Well-Known ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Aug 14, 2001

ILL. Kay Arthur has become a well-known Christian author & speaker who has influenced tens of thousands for Jesus. Her testimony is written in her book, "Lord, I Need Your Grace Because I Can’t Make It On My Own." In it she talks about her life & her struggles in coming to Christ. As a young ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Tags: Government

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ