In Sermon Illustrations: "Stories"

This Is Good  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

THIS IS GOOD The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!" One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:1-7

Tags: Hunger, Trusting God, Past, Fire, Memory, Attitude General  (view more)  (view less)

Infinity

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

INFINITY Let me introduce you to a person called Michael Rae. In his own words, he is on a path to immortality which involves a near-abstinence level of food, the dedication of an accountant to approve every calorie, and an obsession with death. The youthful, 38-year-old research assistant ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 40:27-31

Tags: Immortality

Xmas Or Christmas?

Contributed by Owen Bourgaize on Dec 15, 2008

Xmas or CHRISTmas ? I used to get annoyed when I saw the word 'Xmas' as an abbreviation for 'Christmas' as it seemed to take something of the wonder out of the story of Jesus coming to our world as a baby in order to become the Saviour of the World. It was all part of the commercialising this ...read more

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Baptist

Heroes Who Can't Swim

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 28, 2008

HEROES WHO CAN'T SWIM Paul Harvey tells the story of Ray Blankenship preparing his breakfast and gazing out the window, when he saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio, home. Blankenship knew that farther downstream, the ditch disappeared with ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

Tags: Christian Disciplines

In His Book Ghost Soldiers, Hampton Sides Tel...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

In his book Ghost Soldiers, Hampton Sides tells the story of a dramatic mission during World War II. On January 28th, 1945, 121 hand-selected Army Rangers slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines in an attempt to rescue 513 American and British POW’s who had spent three years in a hellish ...read more

Scripture: John 8:36

Tags: Christian Liberty

Honor Thy Father & Mother

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Jan 15, 2022

The reader may ask me why I did not try to escape what was in store for me after Hitler had occupied Austria. Let me answer the question by recalling the following story. Shortly before the United States entered WWII, I received an invitation to come to the American consulate in Vienna to pick up ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-2, Exodus 20:12, Matthew 15:4

Tags: Honor, Family, Obedience, Courage, 10 Commandments  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

He Knew The Shephard

Contributed by Ron Freeman, Evangelist on Apr 26, 2022

INTRODUCTION Story: He Knew the Shepherd 1. Three men gave a presentation from the 23rd Psalms. It went like this, a. The first man read from the Psalms with superb diction, clarity, and reverence. The audience stood up and gave him a standing ovation. b. The second man quoted the entire Psalms ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6, John 12:31-33, John 3:14-17

Tags: Read Well, Knew The Shepherd, Quoted The Psalms, Read The Psalms, Knew Shepherd In The Psalms, Christ, Shepherd, Preaching, Lift Him Up, Christ Centered Preaching, Spoke Well  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Emily's 9-5 Struggle

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 19, 2024

Emily, a young woman from the MZ generation, recently started her career with a standard 9-5 job. She quickly finds herself feeling trapped and miserable in this routine. Every morning, the thought of going to work at 9 AM and staying until 5 PM feels unbearable to her. She often voices her ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:17-22

Tags: Letting Go, Spiritual Growth, Comfort, Purpose, Danger  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Freezing To Death Can Actually Make You Feel Warm...

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 22, 2024

The man huddled on the cabin floor was slowly freezing to death. It was high in the Rockies in southwestern Alberta, and outside a blizzard raged. John Elliott had logged miles that day through the deep snows of the mountain passes. As he checked for avalanches and as dusk and exhaustion overcame ...read more

Tags: Wake Up, Spiritual Death, Messengers, Dogs, Witnesses, Sin, Deception, Satan, Salvation, Rescue, Lost, Death  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Last Supper By Leonardo Da Vinci

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 21, 2025

Story: Leonardo da Vinci took seven years to paint his famous picture the "Last Supper". He used living people to depict the figures representing the Twelve Apostles and Christ. He started the fresco with Jesus Christ himself. It is reputed that he viewed hundreds and hundreds of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Tags: Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci

Denomination: Anglican

The Donkey On The Way To Moriah

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 24, 2025

My name? Oh, I’m Steady—because that’s what Abraham always called me. I’m not fast, I’m not fancy—but I can walk a long way without complaining. I’ve carried all kinds of things for my master: water, wood, even tents through the desert wind. But one morning, he packed something different—firewood ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:17-19, Philippians 4:19, Psalm 37:5

Tags: Faith, Trust, Obedience, Journey, Provision  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

The Business Executive

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 25, 2025

Story: A business manager went on holiday to an island in Greece. One day, while he was on the beach, he was called up on his mobile phone by his secretary, wanting some help. He gave her some instructions and told her to call him back when she had finished. As he was pacing up and down ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

Tags: Fisherman, Business Manager

Denomination: Anglican

Don Richardson, In His Book Eternity In Their ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Sep 11, 2005

Don Richardson, in his book Eternity in Their Hearts, tells an amazing story of spiritual harvest. In an area once called Burma, which is now modern Myanmar, lying between China and Thailand, and touching the border of Laos, there lived about a quarter-million tribal people called the Lahu. For ...read more

Tags: Love Of The Disciples

Denomination: Methodist

Have You Ever Hurt Anybody?  PRO

Contributed by Ken Ritz on Dec 30, 2005

Brennan Manning tells a story in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel. 25 years ago, he had a drinking problem. He voluntarily entered a 28-day treatment program. Early on in the treatment program they had to sit in a circle with a leader and tell the other people in the group, about the extent of their ...read more

Tags: Richard Celtzer, Mortal Lessons, Addiction, Brennan Manning

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Elizabeth Griscom: Freedom Creates Courage  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

ELIZABETH GRISCOM: FREEDOM CREATES COURAGE On January 1, 1752, Samuel and Rebecca Griscom gave birth to a baby girl they named Elizabeth. Elizabeth grew up a Quaker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After completing her formal education, Elizabeth went on to work as an apprentice to John Webster, a ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:18-19

Tags: Independence Day

World War Ii Prison Camp Inmates In Burma ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 6, 2010

World War II Prison Camp Inmates in Burma Transformed by God’s Love and Grace, the Case of Ernest Gordon Ernest Gordon was serving as a captain in the British army during the Second World War when he was captured by the Japanese, marched with other prisoners into the Southeast Asian jungles, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48

Tags: Christian Love

My Dream  PRO

Contributed by Michael E. Bartee Sr. on Jan 21, 2011

MY DREAM This story is dedicated to all who have lost a loved-one who had suffered a long illness before dying. October, 1972, I visited Israel on a ’Holy Land Tour’. One night while staying at a hotel in Jerusalem, I dreamed that I was standing in a dimly-lit room. In the middle of the room ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:8-9

Tags: God's Sovereign Will

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Queen's Christmas Tree

Contributed by John Moyer on Dec 16, 2008

THE QUEEN'S CHRISTMAS TREE Among the cards we've received over the years, some were those Guidepost Christmas cards with stories in them. This is one of those stories. It was the first Saturday of the Advent season in Europe. The Queen’s royal woodsmen were searching the royal forest for the ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Holiness

Romans 8:28 We Know That In All Things God Works ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2008

Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, Sometimes we just want things to turn out well – especially in a bad situation. Story: Before Tom left for deployment to Iraq – he prayed that God will guide him in doing good in a land full of violence. ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Unsung Heroes: The Four Great Men Of Samaria

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 11, 2022

Introduction: There was war between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, where Israelites on each side fought, died, were captured and who knows what else. In this battle, the northern kingdom of Israel had won a great victory and were headed back home, loaded with the spoils of war. But that joy ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 28:12-15

Tags: Ahaz, Pekah, Unsung Heroes, Oded, Captives  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist