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In Sermon Illustrations: "Surprises"

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  • The Heating Plant

    Contributed by Christopher Gregas on May 17, 2011
     | 2,750 views

    THE HEATING PLANT Five young college students were spending a Sunday in London, so they went to hear the famed C.H. Spurgeon preach. While waiting for the doors to open, the students were greeted by a man who asked, "Gentlemen, let me show you around. Would you like to see the heating plant of ...read more

  • Picking And Choosing  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012
    based on 3 ratings
     | 6,381 views

    PICKING AND CHOOSING An extremely nervous patient came to his dentist for root canal surgery. He was brought into the examining room and made comfortable in the reclining dental chair. The dentist then injected a numbing agent around the patient's tooth, and left the room for a few minutes while ...read more

  • Humility Under Oath

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 15, 2012
     | 5,746 views

    HUMILITY UNDER OATH "Humility is something we should constantly pray for, yet never thank God that we have." Henry Augustus Rowland, professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University, was once called as an expert witness at a trial. During cross-examination a lawyer demanded, "What are your ...read more

  • I Sure Wish Jesus Could Have Been There!

    Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 28, 2014
     | 5,549 views

    I SURE WISH JESUS COULD HAVE BEEN THERE! A church had a special concert and the worship center was packed. The congregation had one of their greatest times of worship ever! Later that evening, a young mother from the church was putting her little boy to bed. He had enjoyed the concert so much ...read more

  • One Man Challenged Another To An All-Day Wood ...

    Contributed by Rev. Richard Norman on Apr 12, 2008
     | 1,610 views

    One man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked with all his might, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks throughout the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and somewhat annoyed ...read more

  • One Evening Six-Year-Old Bobby Asked His Father ...

    Contributed by Brian Harvison on Aug 1, 2008
    based on 1 rating
     | 1,754 views

    One evening six-year-old Bobby asked his father for a puppy. "Sorry, Bobby," his father said, "not now. But if you will pray real hard for two months, perhaps God will send you a baby brother." Little Bobby prayed real hard for a month, but nothing happened so he quit praying. But he was very ...read more

  • Soldiers In Your Cup

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 11, 2008
    based on 1 rating
     | 4,129 views

    Soldiers in Your Cup A sweet little boy surprised his grandmother one morning and brought her a cup of coffee. He made it himself and was so proud. He anxiously waited to hear the verdict on the quality of the coffee. The grandmother had never in her life had such a bad cup of coffee, and as she ...read more

  • Vow Of Silence

    Contributed by Donnie Martin on Dec 31, 2008
    based on 1 rating
     | 5,233 views

    Vow of Silence A monk joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. After the first ten years his superior called him in and asked, "Do you have anything to say?" The monk replied, "Food bad." After another ten years, the monk again had opportunity to voice his thoughts. He said, "Bed ...read more

  • Could Be Worse  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008
    based on 4 ratings
     | 2,428 views

    COULD BE WORSE It was a few days before Christmas on the Oregon coast. Two men whose families lived next door to each other opted to go sailing while their wives went Christmas shopping. An unexpected storm surprised the weekend sailors. Before long, the sea became angry, and the two had a ...read more

  • A Man Was Having Some Difficulty Communicating ...  PRO

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007
    based on 2 ratings
     | 1,848 views

    A man was having some difficulty communicating with his wife, and he concluded that she was becoming hard of hearing. So he decided to conduct a test without her knowing about it. One evening he sat in a chair on the far side of the room. Her back was to him and she could not see him. Very quietly ...read more

  • Several Years Ago A Submarine Was Being Tested ...

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007
     | 2,463 views

    Several years ago a submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible storm last night affect you?" The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm? We didn’t even know there was one" The ...read more

  • In Some Respects The Church Today Is Like A ...

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007
    based on 1 rating
     | 2,466 views

    In some respects the church today is like a football game. Bud Wilkinson, football coach of the Oklahoma Sooners before he joined the President’s Physical Fitness Program and later became a commentator for ABC, was asked, “What contribution does professional sports make to the physical fitness of ...read more

  • Go Beyond The Cross  PRO

    Contributed by Thomas Cash on Apr 7, 2009
    based on 3 ratings
     | 3,260 views

    GO BEYOND THE CROSS Every year, thousands of people climb a mountain in the Italian Alps, passing the "stations of the cross" to stand at an outdoor crucifix. One tourist noticed a little trail that led beyond the cross. He fought through the rough thicket and, to his surprise, came upon another ...read more

  • All Hail The Power

    Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on May 7, 2009
     | 3,184 views

    ALL HAIL THE POWER E. P Scott was a pioneer missionary to India who One day found himself surrounded by a murderous band of tribesmen. On impulse, he took out his violin and began to play and sing, "All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name." When he reached the stanza "let every kindred and every tribe" ...read more

  • Monkey Reading The Bible

    Contributed by John Bright on Jan 17, 2021
     | 2,376 views

    One day the zoo-keeper noticed that the monkey was reading two books - the Bible and Darwin's The Origin of Species. In surprise he asked the ape, "Why are you reading both those books"? "Well," said the monkey, "I just wanted to know if I was my brother's keeper ...read more

  • The Stranger By Billy Joel  PRO

    Contributed by Jim Luthy on Sep 21, 2001
    based on 66 ratings
     | 2,625 views

    "The Stranger" by Billy Joel Well we all have a face that we hide away forever And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone Some are satin, some are steel, some are silk, and some are leather They’re the faces of the stranger, but we love to try them on Well we all fall in love, ...read more

  • God Knows What He Is Doing  PRO

    Contributed by A. Todd Coget on May 30, 2002
    based on 7 ratings
     | 1,694 views

    GOD KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING Ever wonder if the Lord really knows what you want and need? David Smallbone felt God leading him to promote Christian concerts in his homeland, Australia, where only 5 percent of the people believed in Christ. When too few fans filled his seats during one major tour, ...read more

  • Magic Trick  PRO

    Contributed by David Korsen on Dec 13, 2005
    based on 9 ratings
     | 2,685 views

    INTRODUCTION Let’s have a little fun together... -I want each of you to think of a number between 1-9. -Now multiply that number by nine. -Add the digits of your answer together (if 35, 3 + 5 = 8). -Now subtract five. -Now if A=1, B=2, C=3 etc., what letter is represented by the number you have ...read more

  • In An Article Entitled "Lessons From A Tavern," ...

    Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007
     | 4,150 views

    In an article entitled “Lessons from A Tavern,” Chuck Swindoll writes: “An old Marine Corps buddy of mine, to my pleasant surprise, came to know Christ after he was discharged. I say surprise because he cursed loudly, fought hard, chased women, drank heavily, loved war and weapons, and hated chapel ...read more

  • Life Is War. That's Not All It Is. But It Is ...  PRO

    Contributed by Adam Cruse on Jul 18, 2001
    based on 123 ratings
     | 6,435 views

    “Life is war. That’s not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that ...read more