In Sermon Illustrations: "Retire" showing 341-360 of 420

On A Scale Of 1 To 10, How Optimistic Are You ...  PRO

Contributed by Bruce Emmert on May 7, 2001

On a scale of 1 to 10, how optimistic are you about your future? In that great mid-life crisis movie, City Slickers, Billy Crystal’s character Mitch attends career day at his son’s grade school. Mitch is anything but optimistic. His son had told everyone that his dad was a submarine captain, but ...read more

Tags: Faith, God Brings Hope

Denomination: United Methodist

Do You Remember Bubba Smith? He Was One Of The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

Do you remember Bubba Smith? He was one of the greatest football players ever to play in the NFL. He once commented that his tactic as a defensive lineman was to tackle the whole offensive backfield and then toss out players one by one until he found the one with the football. After he retired from ...read more

Tags: Sports

C. Over The Centuries People Have Come Up With A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

C. Over the centuries people have come up with a lot of different ideas about Christian stewardship and giving. 1. There’s a story told about a couple of guys who were discussing their approaches to giving. a. One man said, “Here’s how I decide how much to give. I cash my paycheck in small bills, ...read more

Tags: Giving General

Close: (The Following Illustration Can Be Found ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

CLOSE: (the following illustration can be found on the internet – the event occurred April 25, 2003) Maurice Cheeks is the retired All Star point guard who at one time coached the Portland Trail Blazers. His team had just finished warming up for a playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks. The ...read more

Tags: Faith General

A Full Life  PRO

Contributed by Ovidiu Radulescu on Apr 25, 2011

A FULL LIFE A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. "Not very long," answered the Mexican. "Well, then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the ...read more

Scripture: John 21:1-19

Tags: Season, Contentment, Balance, Commandments Covet

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

An Unusual Baptism On The Mission Field  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2012

AN UNUSUAL BAPTISM ON THE MISSION FIELD Some time back, a retired missionary dropped by our church. She had served faithfully in Africa, and one day, she happened upon a small baptismal service. A fellow missionary took three new converts to the center of a shallow river, and dug a hole in the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 6:3-5, John 16:12-15

Tags: Baptism

Healing House: "I Thought You Were Dead."  PRO

Contributed by Tim Smith on Jan 6, 2013

HEALING HOUSE: "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD." Healing House is in Kansas City, Ks. It's a home for drug addicts started by a woman named Bobbie Jo. Bobbie Jo had been walking the streets for many years but then someone cared enough to share the Gospel with her and she was born again. At the same time, ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-10

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Methodist

You're Not Home Yet!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 25, 2023

An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years, and they were returning to New York City to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Missionaries, Heaven, Faithfulness, Spiritual Fruit, Rewards, Fruit Of The Spirit  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Who Lives In Your House?  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 9, 2001

Who Lives In Your House? Author: Unknown Once there was a very wealthy young man who lived in a great,elaborate house with dozens of rooms. Each room was more comfortable and more beautiful than the one before it. One day he decided to invite the Lord to come and stay with him. When the Lord ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ, Satan, Discipleship

Carl's Gospel Garden  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 28, 2011

CARL'S GOSPEL GARDEN He didn't talk much. He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake. Even after living in our neighborhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well. Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning. The lone sight of him ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:22-25

Tags: Christian Witness

Fisherman  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Jones on Jan 16, 2003

Fisherman American businessman was at a pier in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The ...read more

Tags: Joy, Christian Disciplines

Denomination: Holiness

I Doubt You'll Recognize This Man. His Name Is ...

Contributed by Darren Mccormick on Nov 7, 2006

I doubt you’ll recognize this man. His name is Heinrich Schliemann. In 1871, Heinrich Schliemann began to fulfill a dream he’d had since his youth----he started excavating an ancient city in Turkey. He was looking for the lost city of Troy---and to the amazement of many, this retired ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The American Businessman Was At The Pier Of A ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 4, 2001

The American businessman was at the pier of a small costal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11, John 2:1, Acts 7:54-60, Ecclesiastes 5:18

Tags: Stand

Near-Death Experiences And Feelings

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES AND FEELINGS Recently a television reporter followed up on the people who survived that air travel incident in which a huge section of the plane simply tore off, somewhere near Hawaii. You may remember that there was some kind of metal fatigue and a whole section of the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:9, Jeremiah 17:7-8

Tags: Emotions

Rare Italian Automobile Good Only For ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 24, 2009

Rare Italian Automobile Good Only for Show I heard this week about a very, very special automobile. It was built in the 1920’s by the Italian manufacturer Bugatti, and it was designed to be sold to the outrageously wealthy. This car was equipped with 450 horses under the hood; it was some 22 feet ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21

Tags: Materialism

All I Could Do Was Listen And Talk

Contributed by Scott Jensen on Feb 5, 2012

"ALL" I COULD DO WAS LISTEN AND TALK The author Stephen W. Sorenson wrote in Discipleship Journal: For two years, because of severe tendinitis in both wrists, I could not pick up my young daughter, carry a log, or even open a twist-off pop bottle. To make matters worse, my wife and I, with help ...read more

Tags: Friendship General

Denomination: Lutheran

Sacrifice On The Mission ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 27, 2012

SACRIFICE ON THE MISSION FIELD Let me leave you with this true story I read about two faithful women, who were cross-bearers for Christ. Irene Ferrel graduated from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles with a burden for overseas missions. She found her place in the Congo, where for 10 years she ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 3:19-23

Tags: Missions

You Can't Believe A Single Word He Says!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Dec 4, 2023

A guy sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale." He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees an old black mutt just sitting there. "You talk?" he asks. "Yep," the mutt replies. "So, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:15

Tags: False Teachers, Lies, Liars, Discernment, Truth, Preaching, Last Days  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Good Man Wants To Get Into Heaven

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Jul 21, 2024

I was recently at the gym having a conversation with someone I just met. Within a matter of 10 minutes, I realized that this man was a better man than me. He had volunteered in more countries than I could count in 10 minutes of our conversation. He was a teacher, he served the poor in many ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 3:23

Tags: Grace, Justification, Good Works, Works Righteousness

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Fake News Or Truth?

Contributed by Roger Hasselquist on Sep 30, 2024

Donald Trump has often spoken of what he calls, “fake news” when describing what he considers biased reporting. And it is true that most reporting about Trump is negative, while his opponents receive more favorable treatment. But did you know that the phrase “fake news” was first coined by ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:6-12

Tags: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Fake News, Sure Witness, Jesus Is Son Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ