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In Sermon Illustrations: "Surprise"

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  • Earthly Wealth  PRO

    Contributed by David Fox on Dec 11, 2001
    based on 3 ratings
     | 4,257 views

    <<ILL>> There was a greedy man with great wealth who was determined to take his money with him when he died. He gave strict orders that when he died all of his stocks and assets were to be liquidated and all his life’s earnings were to placed in his casket and buried with him. When He finally did ...read more

  • The Word ‘christian' Means Different Things To ...  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 26, 2002
    based on 2 ratings
     | 1,048 views

    “The word ‘Christian’ means different things to different people. To one person, it means a stiff, uptight, inflexible way of life—colorless and unbending. To another, it means a risky, surprised-filled venture, lived on tiptoe at the edge of expectation. Either of these pictures can be ...read more

  • An Old Legend Has It That A Wealthy ...  PRO

    Contributed by Melvin Newland on Aug 1, 2002
    based on 32 ratings
     | 3,169 views

    ILL. An old legend has it that a wealthy merchant of the 1st Century who wanted to meet the Apostle Paul encountered Timothy, who arranged a visit for him with Paul who, at that time, was a prisoner in Rome. Stepping inside the cell, the merchant was surprised to find a rather old man, ...read more

  • A Little Boy Wanted $100.00 Badly And Prayed To ...  PRO

    Contributed by Justin Meek on Aug 28, 2003
    based on 13 ratings
     | 24,529 views

    A Little Boy wanted $100.00 badly and prayed to God for a whole week, but nothing happened. So, he decided to write God a letter requesting the $100.00. When the Post Office got the letter addressed to God they forwarded it on to the Whitehouse. The President was very impressed, touched and amused ...read more

  • A Friend Of Mine Gave A Bible To Someone Who Was ...  PRO

    Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Dec 14, 2003
    based on 5 ratings
     | 1,730 views

    A friend of mine gave a Bible to someone who was going through a difficult time. The person was in real need, and their life had been one disaster after the other, but in all that time there was never any concrete attempt to give their life to God and follow him. As my friend gave a Bible to this ...read more

  • Both Glad And Sad  PRO

    Contributed by Dixon Olu. David on Feb 3, 2004
    based on 4 ratings
     | 3,691 views

    Illustration: Both Glad and Sad. We were told of an old legend about three men crossing a desert on horseback at night. Approaching a dried-up pond bed, they heard a voice commanding them to stop and dismount, pick up some pebbles, put them in their pockets, and not look at them until the morning. ...read more

  • Parents, It Is Especially Important For Us To ...  PRO

    Contributed by Timothy Smith on Aug 2, 2004
    based on 3 ratings
     | 2,584 views

    Parents, it is especially important for us to understand how our using God’s name correctly enhances our testimony because our kids are listening to our speech. A Sunday School teacher asked her class: "Does anyone know where the Lord lives?" One little boy said, "He lives in our bathroom." “Why ...read more

  • The Value Of The Necklace  PRO

    Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 13, 2005
    based on 4 ratings
     | 3,069 views

    An American tourist in Paris, who purchased an inexpensive amber necklace in a trinket ship, was shocked when he had to pay quite a high duty on it to clear customs in New York. This aroused his curiosity, so he had it appraised. After looking at the object under a magnifying glass, the jeweler ...read more

  • I Was 5, And I Was In Ca With My Parents, ...

    Contributed by Sherm Nichols on Nov 30, 2006
     | 457 views

    I was 5, and I was in CA with my parents, visiting a Christian school. My folks went into an office, and I lingered in the hallway. I’d always wondered what those red fire alarms would do if you pulled one. So, of course, I did. I found out real quickly what they did! I find out another thing ...read more

  • Natives Surrounded The Mission Station, Intent On ...

    Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Feb 26, 2007
     | 1,160 views

    natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to ...read more

  • People Can Be Very Forgetful About Important ...

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 26, 2007
     | 1,490 views

    People can be very forgetful about important things. The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon once wrote: A man goes into an inn, and as soon as he sits down he begins to order…his dinner, his bed…He stays at the inn for some time. By and by, the bill comes due, and it takes him by surprise. "I ...read more

  • Whipping The ...

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009
     | 2,178 views

    WHIPPING THE SAVIOR Love paid the price for your sins and mine! The great preacher W.A. Criswell saw this in an unusual dream he had one night. In this dream, Dr. Criswell saw the Savior. Jesus’ back was bare. And there was a soldier lifting up his hand and bringing down that awful whip on the ...read more

  • Gollum And The Ring

    Contributed by Davon Huss on Feb 15, 2010
    based on 1 rating
     | 2,294 views

    GOLLUM AND THE RING Many of us are familiar with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We cannot help but remember the character named Gollum. He was a hideous, pathetic creature who was possessed by the power of the ring. In fact, the ring was the reason for his hideous appearance. His obsession ...read more

  • Four Sets Of Teeth  PRO

    Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Mar 1, 2010
    based on 3 ratings
     | 2,717 views

    FOUR SETS OF TEETH Simon was an Orthodox Jew. He had a Gentile friend, James, who noticed that Simon owned four sets of false teeth. One day James asked his friend why he had so many sets of false teeth. Surprised by the question, Simon explained, "My friend, as you know, I keep kosher. I have ...read more

  • There Is A Fable Of A Kite Which Once Said To ...

    Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Jun 29, 2010
     | 1,566 views

    There is a fable of a kite which once said to itself, “If I could just get rid of that man who is holding me back, then I could fly above the clouds and kiss the stars.” One day the string broke. Now, at last, the kite was free to soar higher than it had ever gone before. But much to its surprise ...read more

  • Anxiety Is A Dud

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 13, 2010
     | 3,558 views

    ANXIETY IS A DUD What's worse than being trapped behind prison bars? Trying to live while avoiding capture. Sergei was a Latvian prison convict with ten months left to serve on his seven-year burglary sentence, when he decided to escape. But even after years of freedom, the escapee couldn't ...read more

  • Because I'm A Gentleman  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 23, 2011
    based on 3 ratings
     | 3,310 views

    BECAUSE I'M A GENTLEMAN A middle-aged business executive once approached the front entrance of the office building in which he worked. A young feminist came up at the same moment, so he stepped back and held the door open for her to pass on through. She looked at him and said with annoyance, ...read more

  • Samuel Chadwick: Guiding His Life By The Bible

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 19, 2011
     | 4,164 views

    SAMUEL CHADWICK: GUIDING HIS LIFE BY THE BIBLE Let me conclude by sharing something written many years ago by Samuel Chadwick. "I have guided my life by the Bible for more than sixty years, and I tell you there is no book like it. It is a miracle of literature, a perennial spring of wisdom, a ...read more

  • Wranglers, Not Stranglers

    Contributed by Davon Huss on Jul 3, 2011
     | 1,737 views

    WRANGLERS, NOT STRANGLERS Ted Engstrom tells about a literary group that once gathered at the University of Wisconsin. The members wanted to be poets, novelists, essayists and authors--and they had the talent to be successful. These young men met regularly to read and critique each other’s work. ...read more

  • What Makes Your Face Shine?  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 2, 2011
    based on 2 ratings
     | 4,170 views

    WHAT MAKES YOUR FACE SHINE? A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you put on your face to make it shine?" With surprise the man of God answered, "I don’t put anything on it!" His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do! All of you who believe in ...read more