In Sermon Illustrations: "Struggles"

Millionaire /Giving Is Not A One Time Enrollment ...  PRO

Contributed by Scott Epperson on Nov 22, 2006

millionaire /giving is not a one time enrollment fee but daily we must belong to the Lord I Dare You to Do It Again A little church was having a homecoming service to which ex-members, who had moved away, were invited. One of the former members had become a millionaire. When asked to speak, the ...read more

Tags: Homecoming

Denomination: Pentecostal

I Think That One Of The Reasons It's A Wonderful ...

Contributed by Randall Bergsma on Dec 19, 2006

I think that one of the reasons It’s A Wonderful Life has been a Christmas classic film is because it captures a characteristic of the Christ of Christmas even if unwittingly so. The story is all about fresh starts and second chances. Reflect with me if you’ve seen the film: When they were just ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Life Examples: Jacob: Wrestling With God (Gen. ...  PRO

Contributed by Nathan Parker on Mar 10, 2007

Life Examples: Jacob: Wrestling with God (Gen. 32:24-32) The story of Jacob alternately comforts and confounds. For while we could look upon many of his decisions with contempt-and even wonder why God would so favor such a man-it equally reassures us to realize that the God who extended grace to ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 32:24-32

Denomination: Baptist

Asserting Leadership - The Lion Was Proud Of His ...  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 16, 2007

ASSERTING LEADERSHIP - The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom. One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew he was the king of the jungle. He was so confident that he bypassed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear. "Who is the king of the jungle?" ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Lion Was Proud Of His Mastery Of The Animal ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom. One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew he was the king of the jungle. He was so confident that he bypassed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear. "Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear ...read more

Tags: Lordship Of Christ

Finishing The Race

Contributed by Chris Supper on Nov 3, 2010

FINISHING THE RACE August 1992. Derrick Redmond from Great Britain was favored to win the 400-meter race during the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, but as he powered around the backstretch, his hamstring snapped. Redmond tried desperately to finish the race, but he still had half the ...read more

Tags: Endurance

Denomination: Baptist

Are You Worth Saving?

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Nov 14, 2010

ARE YOU WORTH SAVING? Bishop Moore tells the story of a little boy who was swimming one day in a lake when suddenly he suffered some type of physical difficulty and could swim no farther. The boy struggled for his life. He had gone under twice, when he felt the strong arm of a man lifting him. The ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: *other

The Pursuit Of Joy

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 31, 2010

THE PURSUIT OF JOY Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found: Not in Unbelief — Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: “I wish I had never been ...read more

Tags: Joy

Denomination: *other

Pain Passes, But Beauty Remains  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 26, 2011

PAIN PASSES, BUT BEAUTY REMAINS Pierre Auguste Renoir is a famous French artist who lived in the late 19th century to the early 20th century. He was known for his paintings, mostly depicting family life. But there was one disease that tormented this gifted artist -- he had arthritis that plagued ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5

Tags: Suffering Joy In

Deal With Habits Early On

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Apr 13, 2011

DEAL WITH HABITS EARLY ON An elderly teacher, with a pupil by his side, took a walk through a forest. Suddenly he stopped and pointed to four plants close at hand. The first was just beginning to peep above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small ...read more

Tags: Christian Disciplines

Denomination: *other

Pretender Dr. Nick

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 24, 2011

PRETENDER DR. NICK What does it take to be turned around if you are a pretender? Dr. Nick Yphantides can help us. Although he was a true Christian he was living part of his life in a purely hypocritical manner. Dr. Nick’s specialty was preventative medicine. Every day he was trying to help ...read more

Tags: Hypocrisy

Denomination: Lutheran

A Fork In The Road

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 1, 2012

A FORK IN THE ROAD Several artists were asked to illustrate their concepts of temptation. When their paintings were unveiled, some of them depicted man's attempt to achieve fame and fortune at any cost. Others pictured mankind’s struggle against the alluring desires of the flesh. The ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 4:10-19

Tags: Temptation Resisting

Daddy, What Does It Feel Like To Die?  PRO

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 19, 2014

Years ago I heard the compelling story of a young pastor whose son was very sick and not expected to live long. Night after night the pastor and his wife would put their boy to bed and say a prayer hoping for a miracle. One evening, the boy looked at his father and said, "Daddy, what does it feel ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-6, 2 Timothy 3:1-9

Tags: Death, Children, Heaven, Grief

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Yanking And Pulling.

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Jun 19, 2020

A woman that had boarded a plane to visit family struggled to wedge her suitcase into the tight overhead bin. Eventually triumphantly closing the door and taking her seat. When the plane landed, she got up opened the bin and found her suitcase was struck so she began yanking and tugging. The ...read more

Scripture: James 5:10-11

Tags: Persistence, Resilience

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Resilience When Faced With Insurmountable Problems

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Sep 13, 2020

A woman that had boarded a plane to visit family struggled to wedge her suitcase into the tight overhead bin. Eventually triumphantly closing the door and taking her seat. When the plane landed, she got up opened the bin and found her suitcase was struck so she began yanking and tugging. The ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 10:28

Tags: Resilience, Insurmountable Problems

Denomination: Independent/Bible

High Seas

Contributed by Roy Fowler on Oct 13, 2020

The thunder roared like a waking dragon. As the water churned and the ship rocked wildly like a kite on a string. I watched helplessly as the splinter sized crack in the mast grew until I was sure it would snap. The crew on deck wallowed and struggled to move in the thigh deep water to try and keep ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Tags: Trust, Storms

Denomination: Independent/Bible

A Few Weeks Ago, I Shared Some Questions That ...

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 7, 2008

A few weeks ago, I shared some questions that Gordon MacDonald believes are being asked by people at different stages of life. Now not only did those questions really interest me and cause me to think about the questions that I am asking at this point in my life, the story that MacDonald opened the ...read more

Denomination: Church Of God

The Early Church Of God Reformers Believed That ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Jul 15, 2008

The early Church of God reformers believed that at a second point in time after we begin believing in Jesus, God Himself sends His Spirit to guide and direct in order to surrender our entire lives into His care. They found many people believed in Jesus but then experienced God in such a profound ...read more

Tags: Sanctification

Denomination: Church Of God

There Is A Story About A Traveler Who Fell In...

Contributed by Aubrey Vaughan on Oct 6, 2008

THERE IS A STORY ABOUT A TRAVELER WHO FELL INTO A DEEP PIT AND COULDN’T GET OUT. SEVERAL PERSONS CAME ALONG AND SAW HIM STRUGGLING IN THE PIT. THE SENSITIVE PERSON SAID, "I FEEL FOR YOU DOWN THERE." THE REFLECTIVE PERSON SAID, "IT’S LOGICAL THAT SOMEONE WOULD FALL INTO THE PIT." THE AESTHETIC ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Baptist

The Treasure Of The Church  PRO

Contributed by Anne Benefield on Mar 5, 2009

THE TREASURE OF THE CHURCH St. Lawrence was martyred in 258 A.D., but we remember him not for his martyrdom. We remember him as the Archdeacon of Rome. His responsibilities included maintaining the sacred vessels of the small, struggling church and distributing alms to the poor. While he was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 15:13-16

Tags: Poverty

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed