In Sermon Illustrations: "New Coat"

There Was Once A Missionary On Furlough With Her ...

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Feb 16, 2008

There was once a missionary on furlough with her husband and family after an unusually tiring stint of service. She had been looking forward to this time with great anticipation. For the first time she was going to have a place of her own, a new, large townhouse-styled apartment with a patio. She ...read more

Denomination: Other

Louis L'amour, Famed Writer Of Novels About The ...  PRO

Contributed by Ed Wood on Feb 18, 2003

Louis L’Amour, famed writer of novels about the American West, wrote a short story that described a man who liked books. The man was noticed acting suspiciously as he perused the shelves in a library. He took down a leather-bound copy of Shakespeare’s King Lear and ran his fingers gently over the ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

Denomination: Baptist

The Triumphal Entry Has About It An Aura Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 22, 2003

The triumphal entry has about it an aura of ambivalence, and as I read all the accounts together, what stands out to me now is the slapstick nature of the affair. I imagine a Roman officer galloping up to check on the disturbance. He has attended processions in Rome, where they do it right. The ...read more

Louis L'amour, Famed Writer Of Novels About The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Louis L’Amour, famed writer of novels about the American West, wrote a short story that described a man who liked books. The man was noticed acting suspiciously as he perused the shelves in a library. He took down a leather-bound copy of Shakespeare’s King Lear and ran his fingers gently over the ...read more

Tags: Bible Influence

A Mother's Embrace

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on May 6, 2011

A MOTHER'S EMBRACE My own mother was a remarkable embodiment of both beauty and duty. She was lovely in appearance, and I think early in her life she turned many a head. But her real beauty was her embrace of duty. She worked hard from the time she was a child until, in her final years, she could ...read more

Tags: Mothers

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Let's Be Like God

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Nov 30, 2008

LET'S BE LIKE GOD There’s a fable of a couple living in poor circumstances who were given the opportunity to make four wishes, guaranteed to come true. They could ask for whatever they wanted and they would have them! It seemed too good to be true. They were rather modest at first and asked for ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Kent Hughes, Who Pastored In Chicago, Tells ...

Contributed by Glenn Durham on Aug 13, 2008

Kent Hughes, who pastored in Chicago, tells something which happened to a dear friend. This lady was a missionary on furlough after a particularly difficult season of service. Now, for the first time since they had been missionaries, they had bought a place of their own to rest and recover. The ...read more

Tags: Mercy

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Some Years Ago Before The Death Of Mother ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

Some years ago before the death of Mother Theresa, a television special depicted the grim human conditions that were a part of her daily life. It showed all the horror of the slums of Calcutta and her love for these destitute people. The producer interviewed her as she made her rounds in that ...read more

Tags: Compassion, Forgiveness General, Poverty

I Am Reminded About The Story Of This Particular ...

Contributed by David Rogers on Nov 23, 2004

I am reminded about the story of this particular church. One Sunday morning the congregation arrived to find a dirty old vagrant lying beside the door. Some looked at him and said how awful that someone like that is sitting outside our beautiful church, why the pastor should make him move on we ...read more

Tags: Humility, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Baptist

I Enjoyed Watching The Dick Van Dyke Show When It ...  PRO

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Jul 27, 2005

I enjoyed watching the Dick Van Dyke show when it was on in the 60’s. The main two characters were Rob and Laura Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. In one episode it was very close to time for Laura to deliver their baby. There was a scene where they were going to bed for the ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Orthodox

The Wheat Of Heaven  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 3, 2006

The Wheat of Heaven Taken from the stalk of Calvary Placed within the dark, cold earth Silent lies the Wheat of heaven There to wait resurrection birth Left alone in fragrant seed coat Till the time had come to pass It would soon give way to victory Life eternal sprang forth at last When ...read more

Tags: Easter Good Friday

Billy Graham Tells A Story About Albert ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Billy Graham tells a story about Albert Einstein, who was going on a train to an out-of-town engagement. The conductor stopped to punch his ticket. The great scientist, preoccupied with his work, with embarrassment rummaged through his coat pockets and briefcase to no avail. He could not find his ...read more

Tags: Commitment To Christ

Afraid Of The Grave  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2011

AFRAID OF THE GRAVE Cemeteries can be spooky places. I heard a funny story about a guy in Scotland we'll call Ian McGregor. After a long evening in the pub, Ian took a shortcut to his house that took him through a dark cemetery. He accidentally fell into a freshly dug grave. Ian tried to climb ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:1-12

Tags: Easter Resurrection

He Knows What Can't Be Seen

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

HE KNOWS WHAT CAN’T BE SEEN There is no way to grasp, even remotely, what God knows about me, my life, and anything to do with me. There is a story of a photographer who went to the docks to take a picture of the "The Great Eastern". Its hull was black, having been coated with tar. That same day ...read more

Tags: God's Omniscience

Parables: Ground ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

PARABLES: GROUND RULES The parables help clarify the ground rules of the kingdom. If you’ve ever played baseball, you know that certain parks have ground rules, and the umpires and coaches discuss these rules before each game. For example: At Wrigley Field, a ball that gets lodged in the vines ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17

Tags: Parable General

A Thief And A Priest

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2012

A THIEF AND A PRIEST The story is told about a Catholic priest who was walking down an alley behind his church when a thief jumped out from behind some garbage cans and pressed the muzzle of his gun into the priest's ribs. The thief said, "Give me your wallet!" Without hesitation, the priest ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:1-23

Tags: Christian Values

I Want To Share A Story From Reader's Digest, ...

Contributed by Warren Lamb on Oct 23, 2007

I want to share a story from Reader’s Digest, December 2002, which was taken from a story by Lee Hill Kavanaugh, of the Kansas City Star. It goes like this: Perry Bice turned off the engine but remained behind the wheel. Parked in his driveway was a wheelchair-accessible van, a huge red and gold ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

While I Was In Bible College I Worked Part Time ...  PRO

Contributed by Dan Cormie on Feb 28, 2005

While I was in Bible College I worked part time on the side for a construction company as a laborer. One day I was given the job of moving the 2 x12 planks the brick layers use on their scaffolding from one job site to another across town. This was supposed to be a two or three trip job as the ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Mennonite

Wolf Licks Bloodied Knife To Death  PRO

Contributed by James Pless on Jun 20, 2006

Wolf Licks Bloodied Knife To Death Radio personality Paul Harvey tells the story of how an Eskimo kills a wolf. The account is grisly, yet it offers fresh insight into the consuming, self-destructive nature of sin. "First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Baptist

Do You Know Where Pearls Come From? They Come ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 25, 2006

Do you know where pearls come from? They come from oysters. An oyster is a shellfish that lives in the ocean. They have a very hard shell that protects them, but sometimes something like a small grain of sand can get inside the shell and it causes a lot of pain and discomfort for the oyster. God ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Independent/Bible