In Sermon Illustrations: "Parable Prodigal Son"

A Neighbor On The Other Side Of The World  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 26, 2004

A NEIGHBOR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD Pastor David Jeremiah tells a story about Bob Pierce. Pierce had advanced leukemia. But he went to visit a friend in Indonesia before he died. As they were walking through a small village, they came upon a young girl lying on a bamboo mat next to a river. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Too Afraid To Plant  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2005

TOO AFRAID TO PLANT A Georgia farmer, ragged and barefooted, was standing on the steps of his tumbledown shack. A stranger stopped for a drink of water and just to pass the time of day he asked: "How is your cotton coming along?" he asked. "Ain’t got none," replied the farmer. "Did you plant ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Choking The Word Of Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 19, 2005

CHOKING THE WORD OF LIFE Unless we know the difference between flowers and weeds, we are not fit to take care of a garden. It is not enough to have truth planted in our minds. We must learn and labor to keep the ground clear of thorns and briars, follies and perversities, which have a wicked ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

It Was The End Of The Autumn Season, Past ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Jan 24, 2005

It was the end of the autumn season, past bulb-planting time. The greenhouse operator had gathered all the unsold tulip bulbs and, finding that these leftovers were mostly in inferior anyway, was bagging them for the trash bin. The good ones had been sold, so he wasn’t concerned about the loss of ...read more

Tags: Death, Parable General

Denomination: Lutheran

A Discerning Commentator (Alexander Maclaren) ...

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Jul 28, 2005

A discerning commentator (Alexander Maclaren) writes: “The Parable of the Sower is both history and prophecy. It tells Christ’s ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Baptist

Abundance Isn't God's Provision For Me To Live ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Abundance isn't God's provision for me to live in luxury, but his provision ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:38

Tags: Parable Rich Fool

Not What We Have But What We Enjoy, Constitutes ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Not what we have but what we enjoy, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Tags: Parable Rich Fool

Nothing Is So Hard For Those Who Abound In ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

Nothing is so hard for those who abound in riches as to conceive ...read more

Tags: Parable Rich Fool

The Good Samaritan Has Lived In Memory For ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

The Good Samaritan has lived in memory for ...read more

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Shrek The Sheep Survives 6 Years In New Zealand ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 28, 2009

Shrek the Sheep Survives 6 Years in New Zealand Cave Do we need a savior – the story of Shrek the Sheep Have you heard the story of Shrek, the merino sheep that had evaded capture and shearing for 6 years? When he was finally discovered in his high mountain cave of New Zealand by musterer Ann ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:24-25

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Traveling Couple Misspells Destination In Gps And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 10, 2009

Traveling Couple Misspells Destination in GPS and Ends Up in Wrong Place Last July the BBC news reported on how a couple from Sweden typed Carpi into their GPS when they meant Capri. Their GPS did what it was suppose to and took them 400 miles off course. A tourism official in Carpi said, "Capri is ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:6

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Grateful Allen, An ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2009

Grateful Allen, An Outsider We all know about the good Samaritan, but how many of us have heard of the grateful Samaritan? We are going to meet him today, but firstly I want to tell you about my friend Allen. Allen was quite different from most people. To have called him unconventional would have ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:30-37

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Minister Runs Ad In Local Paper To Invite ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2009

Minister Runs Ad in Local Paper to Invite Straying Sheep Back into the Fold A few years ago I was reading a book by Stephen Gaukroger. He tells the story of a New York Methodist minister who saw the need to bring his ‘ninety nine righteous’ sheep back into the fold. He put an advert in the local ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-18

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

The Good Outcast: Longhaired Biker

Contributed by Otis Mcmillan on Dec 16, 2009

THE GOOD OUTCAST-LONGHAIR-BIKER Now it came to pass that a certain man was traveling Lonesome Street, a lonely and dark road from Tom's Tavern to Bill's Bar. After many visits to this bar, the consumption of liquor got a hold of him, stripped him of all his goods and left him destitute and dying ...read more

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Denomination: Methodist

Successful Businessman--Modern Day Rich ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

Successful Businessman--Modern Day Rich Fool John Ortberg tells the story of a successful businessman. He worked 14 hours a day, even on weekends. He thought the 40 hour work week was such a good idea he would often do it twice a week. His goal was to be the best businessman he could be. Even when ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:16-19

Tags: Parable Rich Fool

Hillel: "What Is Painful To You, Do Not Do Un...

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Jan 4, 2010

Hillel: "What is painful to you, do not do unto others". (Talmud, tracate Shabbat 31a; Midrash Avot de Rabbi Natan). Akiva states "Whatever you hate to have done unto you, do not do to your neighbor; wherefore do not hurt him; do not speak ill of him; do not reveal his secrets to others; let his ...read more

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Watch Out For The Weeds  PRO

Contributed by Christian Cheong on Feb 23, 2010

WATCH OUT FOR THE WEEDS Watch out for the weeds in your life – the things that come between you and God; between you and serving God. I like the way Rick Warren illustrates weeds. • You don’t have to plan for weeds to grow; it just grows. • The difference between a plant and a weed is this. ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Converted Gangster Was Quoted As Saying That ...

Contributed by John Perry on Apr 17, 2010

A converted gangster was quoted as saying that he had “Sown enough wild oats to be able ...read more

Tags: Parable Sower And Seed

Denomination: Pentecostal

Three Philosophies: The Good Samaritan

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Nov 10, 2010

THREE PHILOSOPHIES: THE GOOD SAMARITAN The parable of the Good Samaritan gives three philosophies of life— The robber's philosophy was "What you have is mine, and I will take it." The priest and Levite had the philosophy that "What is mine is mine, and I will keep it." The Samaritan's ...read more

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Denomination: *other

The Wandering Sheep

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 23, 2010

THE WANDERING SHEEP Dr. Andrew Bonar tells of how in the Highlands of Scotland, a sheep would often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they can't get out of. The grass on these mountains is very sweet and the sheep like it, and they will jump down ten or twelve feet, and then ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Denomination: Brethren