In Sermon Illustrations: "Paul In Prison"

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2008

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize The year Pete Rose was about to break Ty Cobb's all-time hits record in spring training, he was being interviewed. One reporter blurted out, "Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?" Without ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Tags: Character

Hold That Thought!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Jan 23, 2020

One church where I served as pastor has a ping-pong table in the fellowship hall, and sometimes a younger member or two asked me to join them in a game. Now, I was old enough to be their grandfather but that doesn’t stop them from asking! I did appreciate the fact that these youngsters, aged around ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:8

Tags: Children, Thoughts, Fun And Games

Denomination: Baptist

[131]. A Message From A Poem – Hurting People Hurt

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jul 12, 2025

[131]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – HURTING PEOPLE HURT When I was in England on ministry I went to a conference of church leaders and one of the speakers presented a very good talk on outreach for the unchurched people. One of the things he said was, “Hurting people hurt,” and I have not forgotten ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:15

Tags: Hurting, Christ Died, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Hurt, Brother, Healing, Walking In Love, Healed  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[173]. A Message From A Poem – Look Up Look Up

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 22, 2025

[173]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – LOOK UP LOOK UP Two lines I wrote in the poem are:- “Your heart is where your mind is set. Your mind is what your heart has fixed.” This is not a circular argument and is allied with this verse – {{Colossians 3:2 “SET YOUR MIND on the things above, not on the ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1, Colossians 3:2

Tags: The Mind, Set Your Mind, Christian Poems, Earthly, Look To Christ, Looking To Jesus, Heavenly Minded, Look Up, The Heart  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Lights Are On, But No One's Home---If Any Of You ...

Contributed by Peter Loughman on Mar 23, 2010

LIGHTS ARE ON, BUT NO ONE'S HOME---If any of you have ever owned an electric lawn mower, you know that electric lawn mowers tend to not be very powerful. Electric lawn mowers, as a whole, are underpowered garden tools. I have an electric lawn mower now and it isn’t very powerful, all I can say is ...read more

Tags: Wisdom, Fools For Christ

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

One Winters Night In 1935. Laguardia - - The ...  PRO

Contributed by George Rennau on Feb 21, 2001

One winters night in 1935. LaGuardia - - the mayor of New York city showed up at a night court in the poorest ward in the city. He dismissed the judge and took over the bench. That night a tattered old women was brought before him for stealing a loaf of bread. She defended herself by saying “my ...read more

Tags: Christian Love, Poverty, Giving General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Sir Douglas Bader Was A Pilot Who Lost Both His ...  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Mar 13, 2001

Sir Douglas Bader was a pilot who lost both his legs in a plane crash before WW2. He was fitted with artificial legs & resumed flying. In 1939, when Germany & England went to war, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. Flying with two artificial legs, he shot down 22 enemy airplanes in the Battle ...read more

Tags: Endurance, Human Body

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

History Records That During The Civil War, Many ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Hensley on Jun 27, 2001

History records that during the Civil War, many acts of violence were committed by both the armies of the north and the south. Once such act occurred in October of 1862 in the town of Palmyra, Missouri. According to W. E. Sutterfield, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Palmyra, the town was ...read more

Scripture: John 15:13

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, Cross Agony, Lordship Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

The Doolittle Raider  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Sep 23, 2001

THE DOOLITTLE RAIDER The entry for the May 8, 2000 Promise Keepers’ devotional guide, Men of Integrity, shared this story: After a daring and successful 1942 bombing raid over Japan, led by Jimmy Doolittle, Bombardier Jacob DeShazer was one of eight downed in Japanese-occupied China. The ...read more

Tags: Offering, God's Provision, Excitement, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Church Of God

I Once Read About A Lady, Who Was Placed In A ...

Contributed by John Williams Iii on Mar 20, 2002

I once read about a lady, who was placed in a institution in 1929 because of a nervous breakdown. She had left her native country and came to America with hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, nobody could speak her language. She was there until 1977--- for forty-eight years. Still, in all that time, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 39:1-23

Tags: Faith, God Brings Hope

Denomination: United Methodist

Bubba And The Potato Field  PRO

Contributed by Greg Buchner on Mar 3, 2003

Illus. - Bubba and the potato field An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was backbreaking work, and his son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man mentioned it in a letter he sent to his son by saying, “I’m not sure exactly what to do. ...read more

Tags: Finding Fulfillment

Denomination: Methodist

Cry Of The Streets  PRO

Contributed by Joel Vicente on Mar 19, 2005

CRY OF THE STREETS by Joel Vicente Inspired by the countless faces of people we minister to. These are the unheard voices of the streets. The Cry of the Streets If the streets could speak What would they cry I don’t have clothes without a tear Do not pass me by The other kids laugh at what I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:30-37

Tags: Poverty

Denomination: Baptist

I Heard A World War Ii Story That Shows How The ...  PRO

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 13, 2005

I heard a World War II story that shows how the smallest deed can make all the difference. During the last months of the War, the British conducted daily bombing raids over Berlin. One night the bombers were attacked by a large group of German fighter planes. During the dogfight one of the ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Kind Deed Of Pows Saves ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 16, 2009

Kind Deed of POWs Saves Lives There is a World War II story that shows how the smallest deed can make all the difference. During the last months of the War, the British conducted daily bombing raids over Berlin. One night the bombers were attacked by a large group of German fighter planes. During ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:27-28, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Tags: Kindness

I Remember Years Ago That A Man Wrote A Nasty ...

Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Jan 4, 2010

I remember years ago that a man wrote a nasty letter to me and included in it a curse and all kinds of false accusations. To this day, I don’t know why he wrote it. It was so vicious and untrue, but he had built up a case against me and it all bubbled out in this letter. It included distorted views ...read more

Tags: Confrontation, Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Life Of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2010

THE LIFE OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFER This week I want to look at the life of one of the most influential, conservative theologians of the 20th century. To say this man was brilliant would be an understatement. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Berlin in 1927 with a doctorate in ...read more

Scripture: John 12:23-26

Tags: Servanthood

God Delivers A North Korean Pastor's Son Through ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

God Delivers A North Korean Pastor’s Son Through His Honesty Duk-Soo was found by North Korean soldiers in the family cellar on November 20, 1950. He and his father, a Presbyterian pastor for 42 years, were taken to prison and told they would be executed in the morning. His father told him they ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 28:18

Tags: Truth

The Conversion Of George Whitefield

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 29, 2011

THE CONVERSION OF GEORGE WHITEFIELD In the 1730's in England, a young man named George Whitefield desperately wanted to be right before God. As a student at Oxford, he was part of the Holy Club, along with John and Charles Wesley. The members of that club rose early every day for lengthy ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Salvation

George Sweeting, In His Book The No-Guilt Guide ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. In 1968, Currier’s sentence was ...read more

Tags: Evangelism How To

Of Course We Know Practically Speaking That ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Of course we know practically speaking that every child will not have a father, a physical father present. Some fathers die or are incapacitated. But every child needs a father. The world and especially the African American community are suffering from father absence. There is a father hunger that ...read more

Tags: People In The Gospel