In Sermon Illustrations: "Real Friend"

Stop For The Boat People

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

STOP FOR THE BOAT PEOPLE On Aug. 8, 2004, the Vietnamese community of Westminster, California, celebrated one of the kindest and bravest acts performed by a stranger on them. On Nov. 13, 1985, ninety-six Vietnamese refugees despaired for their lives and their families’ lives when the engine of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48

Tags: Christian Love

There's Always Hope  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE Ever felt like your life was the most unlucky of all? No matter what, the human spirit can be an amazing thing. Take for example the case of Larry Hanratty, who was named by the Los Angeles Times in 2007 the most unlucky man in California. This poor man was nearly executed to ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 3:19-30

Tags: God Brings Hope

The Golden Rule And The Holocaust  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

THE GOLDEN RULE AND THE HOLOCAUST Living the Golden Rule is pretty simple isn’t it? It’s just being considerate, mindful, and thoughtful but sometimes to live the Golden Rule requires great moral courage. It requires a willingness to sacrifice. In March of 1943, Bulgaria which had aligned with ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12

Tags: Christian Witness

Sinners Need Restoration Like Cast Sheep Need ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 22, 2009

Sinners Need Restoration like Cast Sheep Need Rescued One of the dangers facing a sheep is that it becomes ‘cast’ and one of the challenges facing a shepherd is to make sure that his sheep do not become cast. A cast sheep is one that has turned over on its back and is, become of it lack of agility ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6

Tags: Restoration

Christian Character Saves A Muslim

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 27, 2009

CHRISTIAN CHARACTER SAVES A MUSLIM From Betty Lukens--Nabil Kareen was a truck driver in the army of his country. But Nabil was more than a truck driver; he used his truck for smuggling, which was against Army rules. Nabil carried watches and quinine pills wrapped in bundles and hid them under the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Tags: Christian Witness

Discontented Home-Owner Becomes Content After ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 12, 2009

Discontented Home-owner Becomes Content After Realtor Describes House in Ad A home-owner was tired of his house. He’d lived there for many years, and he more he looked around at the house, the years, the neighbourhood, the more he wanted to be somewhere else. His critical eyes saw things that ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:12-26

Tags: Heaven

Peace Corps Manual Explains How To Escape From An ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 22, 2009

Peace Corps Manual Explains How to Escape from an Anaconda Pastor Jeff Nichols refers to a book by Gary Oliver called, Raising Kids to Love Jesus, in which he quotes from a U.S. Government Peace Corps manual for volunteers who work in the Amazon jungle. Among other things, this manual explains what ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 4:13-14

Tags: Satan

Giving Begets Giving  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Nov 30, 2009

GIVING BEGETS GIVING Leadership Magazine carried a story about four young men, Bible College students, who were renting a house together. One Saturday morning someone knocked on their door. And when they opened it, there stood this bedraggled-looking old man. His eyes were kind of marble-ized, and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:2

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Generosity Of Poor Man Surprises Bible College ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 30, 2009

Generosity of Poor Man Surprises Bible College Students Illustration from Leadership/Melvin Newland: Leadership Magazine carried a story about 4 young men, Bible College students, who were renting a house together. One Saturday morning someone knocked on their door. And when they opened it, there ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Tags: Giving General

Elementary School Student Doubts President's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 1, 2009

Elementary School Student Doubts President’s Identity On March 11, 1991, eight-year-old Anthony Henderson upset the distinguished leader of our nation, President George Bush. President Bush was visiting Anthony’s school and had sat down beside Anthony to read him a book. Suddenly in the midst of ...read more

Scripture: John 13:34-35

Tags: Christian Witness

Power Of The Translated Word Of God  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 6, 2010

POWER OF THE TRANSLATED WORD OF GOD This is a strategy still used today, because it works and this is how it is still used today: A friend of mine, Bill, was a bible translator for Wycliff Bible Translators in some very remote mountains in Bolivia. Bill was on the second Wycliff team. The first ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:24, Acts 12:1-25

Tags: Bible Influence

Rene' Gets Lost

Contributed by Paul Kendall on Apr 23, 2010

RENE' GETS LOST In her freshman year of college, my daughter Rene’ agreed to take some friends to the Tampa airport as they returned home for Christmas break. They showed her the way there-—and to get back-—she would simply follow the same route backwards and then come on home to celebrate ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:8

Tags: God Brings Hope

Denomination: *other

Why Be Buried With A Fork In Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

Why Be Buried With a Fork in Your Hand There was a woman who had been told she only had 3 months to live. Her doctor recommended that she start making preparations to die. And so, she contacted her Pastor to talk about her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral, what ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Heaven

Who Has Your ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

Who Has Your Back? Pastor and author John Ortberg tells the story of an evening when he was walking with some friends in Newport Beach, California. As they walked they passed one of the local bars just as a fight spilled out onto the street, like a scene from the old west. As they watched, three ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:1-8

Tags: Holy Spirit General

How Basketball Weighed In On Racial ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 30, 2010

How Basketball Weighed in on Racial Integration On Friday we watched the film, Glory Road, the 1966 story of how the integrated Texas Western basketball team defeated Adolph Rupp’s all-white Kentucky Wildcats. At a time when schools in the Southeastern Conference refused scholarships to black ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:26-29

Tags: Racism, New Years

Enemigos Destruidos  PRO

Contributed by Rolando Delgado on Sep 22, 2010

ENEMIGOS DESTRUIDOS Se cuenta que cierto emperador chino, cuando le avisaron que en una de las provincias de su imperio había una insurrección, dijo a los ministros de su gobierno y a los jefes militares que lo rodeaban: "Vamos. Seguidme. Pronto destruiré a mis enemigos." Cuando el emperador y ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Breaking The Heart Of The Father

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 30, 2010

BREAKING THE HEART OF THE FATHER D. J. Wilbur Chapman told a story related to him by R. A. Torrey of an old father and mother who determined to give their boy an education. They were as poor as they could be. They had a conference in their home, and decided to send their boy to the university. ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 23:22-26

Tags: God The Father

Discipleship And Pioneering

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 20, 2010

DISCIPLESHIP AND PIONEERING George Washington Bush was born in Pennsylvania in 1778 and was a veteran of the War of 1812 fighting in the battle of New Orleans. In 1830, he moved to Missouri where he met and married Isabella, a young German American. One of the first African Americans to head out ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Methodist

George Washington Bush Was Born In Pennsylvania ...

Contributed by Tim Smith on Oct 20, 2010

George Washington Bush was born in Pennsylvania in 1778 and was a veteran of the War of 1812 fighting in the battle of New Orleans. In 1830, he moved to Missouri where he met and married Isabella, a young German American. One of the first African Americans to head out West, Bush purchased six ...read more

Tags: Sacrifices

Denomination: Methodist

The Importance Of Public Confession

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 5, 2011

THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC CONFESSION There's a parable about an ancient philosopher who came to a city to save its people from its sins. The inhabitants of the city, who at first listened to the philosopher, gradually turned away. One day a child asked the learned man why he went on - did he not ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:32-33

Tags: Evangelism Urgency