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In Sermon Illustrations: "Surprise"

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  • Ron Mcclung Is A Former Pastor Of 33 Years And ...

    Contributed by Steve Smith on Aug 28, 2007
     | 1,741 views

    Ron McClung is a former pastor of 33 years and wrote these words: “God sees the dream in our hearts. People all around us have dreams of being better than they are, of doing better and climbing higher. Yet, sometimes we don’t recognize the dreams because we don’t see them clearly as God does. ...read more

  • Its Like This Story Of A Frightened Soldier Who ...

    Contributed by Guy De Swardt on Apr 2, 2010
     | 2,798 views

    Its like this story of a frightened soldier who was running from sniper bullets. He dove into a bunker thinking that he was alone. To his surprise another soldier crawled into the bunker as well. The second soldier happened to be wearing a cross around his neck. “Thank goodness you’re here”, said ...read more

  • Battling The Temptation To ...

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2010
     | 8,606 views

    Battling the Temptation to Steal Listen to the man who was tempted: A man in a responsible position, entrusted with large sums of money, was one day tempted to put some of the cash to his own account. He knew that it would be a long time before his theft could be discovered. He resisted the ...read more

  • Burning Down Or Smoke Signals?

    Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 30, 2010
    based on 1 rating
     | 1,651 views

    BURNING DOWN OR SMOKE SIGNALS? A shipwrecked man was once washed ashore on an uninhabited island. Using the few things he managed to salvage from the wreck and from whatever he could find on the island, he painstakingly built himself a hut. That little hut was the only protection he had from the ...read more

  • Legend Of A King And A Heavy Stone

    Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 12, 2010
     | 2,394 views

    LEGEND OF A KING AND A HEAVY STONE There are certain lessons of grace that can be learned only in the valley of pain and distress. Show me a Christian who has suffered much and deepened his dependence on God, and I will show you a sensitive soul full of compassion for others, and with a deep ...read more

  • A Savior, Not An Example

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 12, 2011
     | 5,741 views

    A SAVIOR, NOT AN EXAMPLE D.M. Stearns was preaching in Philadelphia. At the close of the service a stranger came up to him and said, "I don’t like the way you spoke about the cross. I think that instead of emphasizing the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and ...read more

  • The Slightest Wish  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 18, 2012
    based on 2 ratings
     | 3,168 views

    THE SLIGHTEST WISH During the War Between the States, General Lee one day sent word to Stonewall Jackson that the next time he rode in the direction of headquarters the Commander-in-Chief would be glad to see him on a matter of no great importance. General Jackson received the message and ...read more

  • Billy Graham: Strong Statements

    Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 20, 2012
    based on 1 rating
     | 2,712 views

    BILLY GRAHAM: STRONG STATEMENTS The preacher to the Presidents, Billy Graham, now 93 years old, has come out with some surprising statements in the past few months. Recently, Mr. Graham quotes his late wife Ruth as saying, "If God doesn't punish America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and ...read more

  • No Slackers  PRO

    Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 2, 2013
    based on 2 ratings
     | 5,921 views

    NO SLACKERS A large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. This new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant ...read more

  • New Perspective

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 15, 2013
    based on 1 rating
     | 6,452 views

    New Perspective A guy was crossing the street to visit his neighbor. As he started to cross the street, a car was bearing down on him, so he stopped and backed up to the curb. The car stopped, so he started to cross, and the car started to move toward him. He changed direction and went back to the ...read more

  • The Way To Heaven

    Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Sep 24, 2019
    based on 1 rating
     | 5,825 views

    . A pastor was trying to teach a children’s class about how to be saved. .”If I sold everything I have and gave it to the church, would I go to heaven?” The children answered, “No.” The pastor said, “Very good. That’s right. And if I worked hard at keeping the 10 commandments, would that get me ...read more

  • Hat-Tip To SermonCentral Illustration Bank: On ...

    Contributed by Jay Winters on Dec 27, 2007
     | 1,264 views

    Hat-tip to SermonCentral illustration bank: On Christmas Eve of 1906, off the coast of Massachusetts, ships carrying sailors that would have liked to be someplace else than a boat on Christmas Eve received a message from the coast in morse code. “CQ….CQ” it said, indicating that an important ...read more

  • God Wants You To Rejoice In Your Relationship!  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2008
    based on 2 ratings
     | 2,719 views

    God wants you to rejoice in your relationship! *God wants our churches and our marriages to be alive and overflowing with joy. So the Old Testament tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength; the New Testament tells us to “rejoice in the Lord always.” Then in Proverbs 5 in words too vivid ...read more

  • Thankless Job  PRO

    Contributed by Mike Dubose on May 8, 2008
    based on 4 ratings
     | 4,687 views

    THANKLESS JOB I read about a stay-at-home mom who went to a PTA meeting one night. While she was gone, her husband and oldest daughter decided they would clean the kitchen for mom and surprise her when she got home. Well, they washed all the dishes, put away the pots and pans, cleaned the ...read more

  • Angel Warriors  PRO

    Contributed by Paul Wallace on Oct 28, 2008
    based on 5 ratings
     | 4,978 views

    Angel Warriors John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile 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 ...read more

  • A Great Story For Mother's Day

    Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 19, 2022
     | 975 views

    Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they ...read more

  • Keys To Understanding The Parables

    Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 13, 2022
     | 617 views

    KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING THE PARABLES Parables provide insight into the nature, coming, growth and of the Kingdom of God. Parables are by design intended to be surprising. They often sneak up on us. Parables are used to simulate thinking and cause the hearer to carefully contemplate what they ...read more

  • Power In Holy Communion

    Contributed by Roy Fowler on Apr 18, 2023
     | 2,039 views

    I've been thinking about holy moments, how Christ has surprised me by his presence. One of those moments came when I visited and had Communion with a member who was dying of cancer. Near the end of the visit I asked her how I could pray or for what she would like me to pray for. She expressed ...read more

  • He Waited 42 Years To Marry Her!

    Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jun 12, 2023
    based on 1 rating
     | 985 views

    Richard Armstrong, in Make Your Life Worthwhile, reports the story about a man in Wales who sought to win the affection of a certain lady for 42 years before she finally said, "Yes." The couple, both 74, recently became "Mr. and Mrs." For more than 40 years, the persistent, ...read more

  • The Atheists And The Pharisees

    Contributed by Ross Cochrane on Oct 9, 2010
    based on 1 rating
     | 3,586 views

    THE ATHEISTS AND THE PHARISEES He was wide eyed but unable to speak properly. The nurses told me that he did not have long to live. Brian (not his real name) was experiencing spasms of pain and shortness of breath. He was groaning, and looked weak, drawn and afraid. I offered to pray for him. I ...read more