In Sermon Illustrations: "Stories"

It Was An Unusually Cold Day For The Month Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Nov 1, 2004

It was an unusually cold day for the month of May. Spring had arrived and everything was alive with color. But a cold front from the north had brought winter’s chill back to Indiana. I sat with two friends in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town squire. The food ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 107:5-7

Tags: Faith, Christian Disciplines, Choice, Consequences

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Don't Underestimate An Act Of Love

Contributed by Billy Noel on May 18, 2009

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE AN ACT OF LOVE One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must ...read more

Tags: Christian Love

Denomination: Christian Church

Father Teaches Disobedient Daughter About Grace ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Father Teaches Disobedient Daughter About Grace and Consequences I’ve given you all the acronym before of “GRACE- God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” I’ll always remember a daddy-daughter moment with my oldest girl when she was maybe three years old. We raised our girls with loving discipline ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:18-25

Tags: Grace

Successful Businessman--Modern Day Rich ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 30, 2009

Successful Businessman--Modern Day Rich Fool John Ortberg tells the story of a successful businessman. He worked 14 hours a day, even on weekends. He thought the 40 hour work week was such a good idea he would often do it twice a week. His goal was to be the best businessman he could be. Even when ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:16-19

Tags: Parable Rich Fool

God Answers The Persistent Prayers Of A Father ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2010

God Answers the Persistent Prayers of a Father and a Congregation for a Wayward Daughter You never know what effect your prayers are having or what catastrophe you are preventing in the lives you are accountable for. In his book, “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire”, Jim Cymbala tells the story of his wayward ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Tags: Prayer Persistence

Afghan Spiritual Harvest

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 16, 2011

AFGHAN SPIRITUAL HARVEST In his book What Good Is God?, Philip Yancey writes: "This is a true story from Afghanistan that took place in the early 1970s, before the Russian occupation or the Taliban regime. At the time, the government allowed a small Christian church to service internationals who ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:9-11, Mark 19:1-20

Tags: Evangelism Fear Of

Sully And Second Nature

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 30, 2011

"SULLY" AND SECOND NATURE Thursday, January 15, 2009, was another ordinary day in New York City. Or so it seemed. But by that evening people were talking of a miracle. They may have been right. But the full explanation is, if anything, even more interesting and exciting. And it strikes just the ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Every Grandparent Can Testify That If Someone ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008

Every Grandparent can testify that if someone would have just told them that grandchildren were so much fun, the choice would have been made to have them first! **** She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter as she'd done many times before. ...read more

Tags: Family

Unsung Heroes: He Brought Meal To Save The Meal

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Nov 19, 2020

Introduction: This event took place in the days of Elisha, who followed Elijah as one of God’s prophets, during the days of Israel’s divided kingdom. Many of the people in both nations, Israel in the north and Judah in the south, gave up on the God of Israel and began to worship various false gods ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 4:38-41

Tags: Famine, Elisha, Unsung Heroes

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroines-Another Woman At A Well

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on May 7, 2022

Introduction: Many of us are familiar with the story of “the woman at the well” in Samaria who spoke with Jesus (John 4). Many years before, another woman, at another well, helped save David’s life and maybe even the kingdom! Text, 2 Samuel 17:15-20, KJV: 15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 17:15-20

Tags: Unsung Heroines, Wells, Hushai

Denomination: Baptist

So You Think Sins Don’t Matter?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 12, 2022

Introduction: Have you ever heard someone say, “Oh, sin doesn’t matter” or anything like that? There are plenty of times when, in the Bible, when it certainly did. Would you believe that only two major sins cost Israel thousands of their population? Let’s take a look. Text: Numbers 1:44-46, KJV: ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 1:44-46, Numbers 26:51

Tags: Moses, Sin, Balaam, Phinehas

Denomination: Baptist

Unsung Heroes At The 'battle Of The Ditches'!

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Aug 30, 2024

Introduction: Ask any veteran or anyone who served in the military for the strangest duty they ever performed and you may get some interesting replies! The soldiers in this story were asked (!) to put down their swords and take up some shovels in order to dig a lot of ditches! This story also has ...read more

Tags: Jehoshaphat, Elisha, Unsung Heroes, Ditches

Denomination: Baptist

The Ministry Of Truth And Honesty

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Dec 6, 2024

Introduction: If there’s one thing that’s sorely and surely needed these days, it’s truth and honesty. It’s no secret that both and each are in short supply. Just look at some of the so-called testimony which “witnesses” utter before either house of the U S Congress, for example. The concept if not ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:21

Tags: Paul, Truthfulness, Honesty

Denomination: Baptist

[045] A Message From A Poem – Christianity In True Action

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Mar 6, 2025

[045] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – CHRISTIANITY IN TRUE ACTION The title of this is “CHRISTIANITY IN TRUE ACTION” for it demonstrates the Christian ethic or precept, something lacking today in practical Christianity. This poem tells a story. God bless all those who minister to the poor and are ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:9, Galatians 2:10, Matthew 28:18-19

Tags: Poetry, Poem, True Christianity, Caring, Help The Poor, Outcasts  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[261]. A Message From A Poem – The Devil Snake

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 10, 2026

[261]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE DEVIL SNAKE Most people hate snakes. They run from them and scream out. Snakes are evil creatures but their cunning is well know. I have a love hate relationship with snakes. I think they are beautifully created which does not surprise me because Lucifer ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 11:8-9, 2 Corinthians 11:3, Revelation 12:9, Genesis 3:14-15, Genesis 3:1  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Bruise On The Heel, Bruise The Head, Western Brown Snake, Cunning, The Devil, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Cunning Snakes, Satan Is The Serpent, Serpent, Snake  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[334]. A Message From A Poem - What Foundation Do You Have?

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Apr 15, 2026

[334]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - WHAT FOUNDATION DO YOU HAVE? This poem is built on the parable of the house built on sand and the other built on rock. It is a well known parable – {{Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, AND ACTS UPON THEM may be compared with a wise ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 89:26, James 4:13-14, Ephesians 2:20, Matthew 13:15-16, Matthew 7:24-27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Salvation, Sand, Cyclone, Foundation, Destruction, Hurricane, House Built On Sand, Build On The Rock, Christian Poems  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

After Church…  PRO

Contributed by Melvin Newland on Feb 20, 2001

AFTER CHURCH... There he stood, in the midst of the Golden Corral restaurant, with Thousand Island dressing dripping from his hair, over his glasses, down his face, all over his jacket, pants, & shoes. And I’m not talking about a little bit of Thousand Island dressing, I’m talking about 2 gallons ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-17

Tags: Children, Hypocrisy

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Robert Fulghum In It Was On Fire When I Lay Down ...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Sharpes on Dec 18, 2001

Robert Fulghum in It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, tells a story involving his daughter, Molly. One day, as Fulghum was ready to leave for work, Molly handed him two brown paper sacks. In one was his lunch. What was in the other was a mystery. When Fulghum asked Molly what was in the mystery ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Denomination: Nazarene

Sowing Seeds Of Peace  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Feb 11, 2002

SOWING SEEDS OF PEACE In Europe, 1934, Hitler’s plague of anti-Semitism was infecting a continent. Some would escape it. Some would die from it. But eleven-year-old Heinz would learn from it. He would learn the power of sowing seeds of peace. Heinz was a Jew. The Bavarian village of Fourth, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:11-15

Tags: God Brings Hope, Peace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Praying For Reagan  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 29, 2002

PRAYING FOR REAGAN Peggy Noonan, in her book "When Character Was King" shares a facinating story about President Reagan and his belief in Prayer: "'Do you know about his ulcer?' Nancy Reagan asked me. We were talking about his early days in the governship. He came home a few months into ...read more

Tags: God's Omnipotence, Worry, Prayer Adoration, Prayer General