In Sermon Illustrations: "Pain And Suffering"

A Man Went To The Doctor After Weeks Of Symptoms. ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Wallace on Aug 31, 2004

A man went to the doctor after weeks of symptoms. The doctor examined him carefully, then called the patient’s wife into his office. “Your husband is suffering from a rare form of anemia. Without treatment, he’ll be dead in a few weeks. The good news is, it can be treated with proper nutrition.” ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines, Faith, Endurance

Denomination: Wesleyan

Almost Everyone Would Rather Have Sunshine Than ...

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 30, 2004

Almost everyone would rather have sunshine than showers. But just imagine what our world would be like if it never rained again. An example of such a place is in Northern Chile. Franklin Elmer, Jr., described a region between the great Andes mountain range and the Pacific Ocean where rain never ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships, Human Body

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

B. We Can Be Thankful Even During The Most ...  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 22, 2004

B. We can be thankful even during the most difficult circumstances in life. We see an especially inspiring example of a brave and thankful heart in the story behind one of the church’s thanksgiving songs #788 in our hymnal, Now Thank WE All Our God. This hymn was written during the 30 years war ...read more

Tags: Thanksgiving Holiday

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Jesus Was Crucified, Not In A Cathedral Between ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 20, 2005

Jesus was crucified, not in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves. - George F. MacLeod The cross cannot be defeated, for it is defeat. - Gilbert K. Chesterton There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon We ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:5

Tags: Lordship Of Christ

John Ortberg In His Book The Life You've Always ...

Contributed by Eric Schall on Oct 23, 2006

John Ortberg in his book The Life You’ve Always Wanted takes a chapter and deals with the unexpected suffering in this life that we all come up against. He tells this story: “A couple come in for counseling. They desperately want to have a baby. They have waited and prayed for twelve anxious, ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Family  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Landry on Dec 18, 2006

Family Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail’s pace of the ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

How Many Of Us Have To Go Down That Far Before We ...

Contributed by Brian Menear on Apr 1, 2007

How many of us have to go down that far before we decide we need to change our direction? Many people find the story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale hard to believe. How many think it’s just a story made up to Illustrate something? There is an account of a whaling ship in 1891 called the Star ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Few Years Ago During The Easter Season A Very ...  PRO

Contributed by Matthew Sickling on Apr 3, 2007

A few years ago during the Easter season a very unusual cross was constructed on the front lawn of a church in Dallas, Texas. The cross, which was at least 10 feet tall, became extremely controversial. Many people in the community, some of whom were church members, wanted the cross to be taken ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Billy Graham's Continuing Hope

Contributed by Brian La Croix on Apr 27, 2009

BILLY GRAHAM'S CONTINUING HOPE Billy Graham has been through the grinder in recent years. He lost his beloved wife, and he is suffering from the effects of Parkinson’s disease, making him unable to continue his crusade work. In his latest letter to the public, he has this to say about the hope ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Wesleyan

The Rich Man Had No Excuse As Lazarus Sat Right ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 13, 2009

The rich man had no excuse as Lazarus sat right outside his gate. He can’t claim that he didn’t know or didn’t see the poor. Sound familiar? “I don’t know any poor.” We live in the suburbs so we don’t have to see the poor. We applaud laws that keep the homeless from sleeping where we can see them ...read more

Tags: Poverty

Denomination: Church Of God

Confusing Messages

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Aug 19, 2009

CONFUSING MESSAGES PARIS (AFP) – Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate two or more times per week cut their risk of dying from heart disease about threefold compared to those who never touch the stuff, scientists have reported. ...the new study, led by Imre Janszky of the Karolinska Institute ...read more

Tags: False Teaching

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Only A Full View Will Do  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

Only a Full View Will Do But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [2Cor. 3:18]. I wish I had spent more time looking in the "mirror," beholding Him more. In the Word of God we ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Tags: Jesus Christ

It Is Well With My Soul  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Mar 1, 2010

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL Horatio Gates Spafford, a 43-year-old Chicago Businessman, suffered financial disaster in the great Chicago fire of 1871. He and his wife were still grieving over the death of their son shortly before the fire, and he realized they needed to get away for a vacation. Knowing ...read more

Tags: Anxiety

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Something He Didn't Do

Contributed by Josh Cougle on Apr 6, 2010

SOMETHING HE DIDN'T DO My fourth daughter Kezzi is struggling through some things lately; one of them is lying. She's an obvious liar too. A month or so ago, someone left the milk out. Not a huge thing in itself, but Kezzi isn't supposed to pour the milk. Now that complicates it. I call all of the ...read more

Tags: Easter Palm Sunday

Denomination: Baptist

A Marriage Made In Heaven

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 8, 2010

A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN An elderly Italian man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite Italian sprinkle cookies wafting up the stairs. Gathering his remaining strength, he lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against ...read more

Tags: Marriage General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christians Still Persecuted

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 23, 2011

CHRISTIANS STILL PERSECUTED * Last year (July 2009), Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo, a nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City was told that she would help a doctor perform an abortion or be fired. Even though the hospital knew it was against her Christian values. * In September of 2009 at Pace ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 6:9-11

Tags: Persecution

Many Clearly Biblical, Crucial Beliefs Are Under ...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 3, 2011

Many clearly Biblical, crucial beliefs are under assault these days. One of those beliefs is our conviction that Christ died as our substitute, that he took our sins upon himself when he died on the cross, and that he paid the penalty for our sins and offered himself as a sacrifice to the Father, ...read more

Tags: Atonement

Denomination: Independent/Bible

If He Hadn't Taken My Son

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Apr 15, 2011

"IF HE HADN'T TAKEN MY SON" Imagine the following scenario: Three little boys walk into a large electrical compound in Okinawa when the workmen momentarily walks to his truck to get some tools. One of those boys touches a live wire and is instantly electrocuted to death. The parents are ...read more

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Denomination: Baptist

Hit By A Rock

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 28, 2011

HIT BY A ROCK Corrective suffering is tribulation or affliction God allows in our lives to chasten us for unforsaken sin in order to turn us back to Him. In the city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the broken end of a high voltage wire was lying on the pavement, along which the engineer was walking, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-12

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Is God Good?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 25, 2011

IS GOD GOOD? Randy Alcorn talks about what happened to his friend, Ethel Herr in his new book, What Good is God. She had had a double mastectomy. Then two months later, doctors discovered that the cancer had spread. One of Herr's friends in shock asked her, "And how do you feel about God now?" ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Tags: Trials And Difficulties