In Sermon Illustrations: "Preparing For Death"

Robert Green Was Born June 5th, 1935. After High ...

Contributed by Ronnie Knight on May 9, 2008

Robert Green was born June 5th, 1935. After high school he joined the US Navy from which he retired. He was a good husband, a wonderful father of two children, and the best uncle a boy could have ever had. After retiring from the Navy, Uncle Bobby settled his family in Panama City, Florida where he ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness

Denomination: Baptist

Last Lecture

Contributed by Don Hawks on Aug 2, 2008

LAST LECTURE You may have heard about the death of 47 year old Carnegie Mellon University computer-science professor Randy Pausch last week from pancreatic cancer. Pausch was most famous for his "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" speech made last fall just after he learned he had months to ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness

Denomination: Methodist

Bud's Last Chance

Contributed by Brian Matherlee on Sep 4, 2008

Bud's Last Chance Bud wasn't a church-going man. His wife was. She was panicked when she called me one day. "Pastor Brian, please come quickly, Bud's in trouble." Now, I had been visiting Bud in the hospital for some time and he had never shown any desire for the Lord…but he did now. I was ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness

Denomination: Wesleyan

Meaningless Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2008

Meaningless Life Mark Twain expressed thoughts about the meaningless of life in view of man’s inevitable death. Shortly before his death, he wrote, "A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;...they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

Tags: Death Nearness

The Last Invitation

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Feb 14, 2009

THE LAST INVITATION While pastoring at the FBC of Cherryville, North Carolina, a disturbance was observed, and shortly afterward a man was taken from the balcony of the church [and placed] in an ambulance. He was dead before they got him to the hospital. He died before the invitation could be ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness

Denomination: Baptist

Joke: Doctor: I Have Some Good News And I Have ...

Contributed by Rev Dr Randall M Deal Sr on Mar 29, 2009

JOKE: Doctor: I have some good news and I have some bad news. Patient: What’s the good news? Doctor: The good news is that the tests you took showed that you have 24 hours to live. Patient: That’s the good news? What’s ...read more

Tags: Death, News

Denomination: Baptist

The Parental Challenge Of Helping Teenagers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 30, 2010

The Parental Challenge of Helping Teenagers Face Their World And I wanna share a story with you. It’s a traumatic one and one that actually happened. I did a funeral about four or five years ago and in this funeral it was really bizarre, because as the high schoolers came in about a third of them ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Tags: Death, Parenting

What Occupies Your Heart?

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 12, 2011

WHAT OCCUPIES YOUR HEART? I squirmed a bit as I forced myself to listen to my friend cataloging her problems. After three hours, I interrupted her gently to ask, "If you were to draw a circle to represent your life, what would be in the center?" She thought a moment, then said, "My problems." My ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 26:3

Tags: Death Nearness

John Quincy Adams: The Decayed Tenement

Contributed by Jon Lipka on Mar 4, 2012

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS: THE DECAYED TENEMENT In 1846, former president John Quincy Adams had a stroke. Upon his return to Congress the following year, it was apparent that his health was failing. When asked about his health Adams replied, "I inhabit a weak, frail, decayed tenement battered by the winds ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness

Denomination: Anglican

The Next One

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Aug 16, 2013

THE NEXT ONE Eugene Peterson wrote about visiting a monastery. While on the way to the refectory for lunch, he and the monks he was visiting walked past a graveyard with an open grave. He asked one of the monks which member of the community had died recently, and he was told, "Nobody. That grave ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:12

Tags: Death, Time

Denomination: Baptist

Casualties Of War

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 13, 2014

In the movie Casualties of War, Michael J. Fox plays Private Erikson, a soldier in Vietnam who is part of a squad that abuses a young Vietnamese girl. Though Private Erikson doesn’t participate in the crime, he still struggles with what has happened. He tells "Just because each of us might at any ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:14

Tags: Death, Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Man Who Made A Pet Out Of A Rattlesnake

Contributed by David Goering on Nov 2, 2019

ILLUSTRATION: the story of the man who made a pet out of a rattlesnake. The "Memphis Commercial-Appeal" tells of a man across the river in Arkansas who had a pet rattlesnake. He had found it as a baby snake, taking it, fed it, and made a pet of it. The reptile would come when he ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:23

Tags: Death, Sin

Praying For Enemies

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

I once invited a guest lecturer to speak to a counseling class I was teaching and asked him to specifically discuss the topic of forgiveness. He told a powerful story from his own life that day to illustrate his point that we should forgive. His brother had many struggles, and one day there was a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-45

Tags: Death, Forgiveness

Meeting With God In A Cesspit

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Mar 15, 2011

MEETING WITH GOD IN A CESSPIT Philip Yancey shared about "a conference on evangelism sponsored by Billy Graham in Manila. A Cambodian man mesmerized the audience with his story of daily meditation. Under the Pol Pot regime he was held in a concentration camp like those depicted in the movie ...read more

Tags: Disciplines Meditation

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

As She Awoke This Day, Thoughts Of Sunday Danced ...  PRO

Contributed by Ian Biss on Sep 30, 2001

As she awoke this day, thoughts of Sunday danced through her mind, Nancy was looking forward to Easter, the whole family would be coming over to visit this year because they were all close to home. Now that the grandchildren were getting older, the Easter egg hunts became more lively with all the ...read more

Tags: Death, Death Nearness, Easter Resurrection

Denomination: Grace Brethren

An Old Preacher Was Dying. He Sent A Message For ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2005

An old preacher was dying. He sent a message for his doctor and his lawyer, both church members, to come to his home. When they arrived, they were ushered up to his bedroom. As they entered the room the preacher held out his hands and motioned for them to sit, one on each side of his bed. The ...read more

Tags: Jesus, Crucifixion, Death, Death Nearness

Keep Your Fork  PRO

Contributed by Dennis Jones on Feb 15, 2005

KEEP YOUR FORK There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness, Death, Knowledge, Funerals Christian

Denomination: Pentecostal

Morrie: In His Own Words  PRO

Contributed by Don Hawks on Oct 16, 2002

1. Morrie: In His Own Words By Morrie Schwartz: · Learn how to live, and you’ll know how to die. Once you know how to die, you know how to live. · Death ends life, not a relationship. · Dying is only one thing to be sad over. Living unhappily is something else. · Everything that gets born ...read more

Tags: Death Nearness, Fulfillment

Denomination: Methodist

From My Departed Husband  PRO

Contributed by Greg Madden on Jun 4, 2003

FROM MY DEPARTED HUSBAND A couple from north Oklahoma decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. Because they both had jobs, they had difficulty coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on Thursday, ...read more

Scripture: John 13:31-35

Tags: Hell, Heaven, Death

Denomination: Pentecostal

We Should Be Like Little Johnny. After Church, ...  PRO

Contributed by Rich Young on Jan 17, 2001

We should be like little Johnny. After church, Johnny tells his parents he has to go and talk to the minister right away. They agree and the pastor greets the family. "Pastor," Johnny says, "I heard you say today that our bodies came from the dust & when we die our bodies go back to dust.” "Yes, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:19

Tags: Death, Death Nearness, Dust, Adam, Creation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed