In Sermon Illustrations: "Surprises"

Robert Robinson Had Been Saved Out Of A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Robert Robinson had been saved out of a tempestuous life of sin through George Whitfield’s ministry in England. Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three, Robinson wrote the hymn Come, Thou Fount. Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing, Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest ...read more

Tags: Stubbornness, Parable Prodigal Son

Bill Bright, Founder And President, Campus ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Bill Bright, founder and president, Campus Crusade for Christ - I know two law partners who used to hate each other. When one became a Christian, he asked me, "Now that I’m a Christian, what should I do?" I said, "Why not ask him to forgive you and tell him you love him?" "I could never do that" he ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

In The Late 1800's Ira Sankey Was Very Famous ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In the late 1800’s Ira Sankey was very famous for being D.L. Moody’s song leader. On Christmas Eve of 1875, he was traveling up the Delaware River on a steamboat. Some of the passengers recognized him and asked him to sing for them. So, he sang the old hymn, “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.” One of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:37

Tags: God's Omniscience

To Win Them, You Must Weep For Them  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 27, 2009

TO WIN THEM, YOU MUST WEEP FOR THEM A woman went to her pastor and said, "I’ve been a Christian for 20 years. I’ve read books on how to win souls. I’ve memorized scripture. I’ve taken courses on how to win the lost. And yet I haven’t won one person to the Lord. Why?" The pastor’s answer ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:41-44

Tags: Evangelism How To

Strangers Have Devoured His Strength - From Hosea ...

Contributed by Dwight L. Moody on Jun 11, 2009

Strangers have devoured his strength - from Hosea 7:9 What gives spiritual weakness like allowed sin? It was so with Israel, it will ever be so with us. Yielding to unhallowed association (with) strangers devour our strength. If you ever saw a cake not turned, baked only on one side, ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 7:9

Tags: Sin Bondage To

Denomination: *other

Spiritual Fruit: "This Has Been Plastered"  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 24, 2009

SPIRITUAL FRUIT: "THIS HAS BEEN PLASTERED" Benjamin Franklin learned that plaster sown in the fields would make things grow. He told his neighbors, but they did not believe him and they argued with him trying to prove that plaster could be of no use at all to grass or grain. After a little while, ...read more

Scripture: John 13:35, Mark 4:1-9

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Potato Piles

Contributed by Sylvester Fergusson on Aug 21, 2009

POTATO PILES A young man came to a farm looking for work. So the farmer set him to the task immediately. He had a barn that needed painting. So the task was handed to the young man. The farmer said to himself that it would take at least three days to finish the task but in two days the young man ...read more

Tags: Action

Denomination: Adventist

Christian Love Impacts A Heartless World  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 18, 2009

CHRISTIAN LOVE IMPACTS A HEARTLESS WORLD We live in a heartless world. The last United States census missed at least 5.7 million people who were anonymous even to the census takers. Every year thousands of unidentified and even unidentifiable bodies are found across North America. And only one out ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:1-2

Tags: Christian Love

Compassion For The Elderly, Post Office ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 5, 2009

Compassion for the Elderly, Post Office Style [FINDING MAMIE IN YOUR CHURCH] Mamie was an elderly woman, plagued with arthritis and a number of other ailments. So people were surprised to see her going regularly to the post office to buy stamps. One Christmas the lines were particularly long, but ...read more

Tags: Compassion

When I Was In Seminary, The Administration Asked ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Dec 24, 2009

When I was in seminary, the administration asked me to go on a recruiting trip back to Central College, from which I had graduated. So one of the professors and I flew into DesMoines, Iowa, where the college chaplain picked us up. He started to drive us to Pella, a trip of about an hour. The three ...read more

Tags: Evangelism The Lost

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

On December 7, 1941, A Japanese War Plane Piloted ...

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Jan 13, 2010

On December 7, 1941, a Japanese war plane piloted by Mitsuo Fuchida took off from the aircraft carrier Akagi. Fuchida led the surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Through the war years to follow, Fuchida continued to fly—often narrowly escaping death. At war’s end, he ...read more

Tags: Peace

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Sheep Dog  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 9, 2011

THE SHEEP DOG A man by the name of Keith Miller told of the time when his daughters were very young. They’d drop them off at the church’s children’s chapel on Sundays before the 11 am service. But one day Keith chanced to be in the class when the preacher was telling the story for the day to the ...read more

Scripture: John 10:11-18

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Researchers Find That Multi-Taskers Perform ...

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 27, 2011

RESEARCHERS FIND THAT MULTI-TASKERS PERFORM POORLY So you think you can multitask? Texting while driving? No problem. Watching television and reading the Bible? No problem. Checking your email while listening to a spouse, a child, or a friend? No problem. In reality, however, according to a team ...read more

Tags: Disciplines General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Lost (And Found) Baptistery

Contributed by Davon Huss on Nov 21, 2011

THE LOST (AND FOUND) BAPTISTERY Supposedly, it was constructed around 1828; sometime between then and about 1930 it was forgotten and unused till discovered in May of 2002. No one knows for certain when the open air baptistery of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church in Fort Gaines, Georgia, was last used. ...read more

Tags: Baptism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Wishing Vs. Hoping  PRO

Contributed by Thomas Clawser on Dec 3, 2011

WISHING VS. HOPING Eugene Peterson (Living the Message: Daily Help for Living the God-Centered Life) points out that what a lot of people call hope is in reality something different. It's wishing, not hoping: and wishing and hoping are not the same thing. "Wishing," Peterson says, "is something ...read more

Tags: Christmas Advent

Denomination: Other

A Lesson From A Light Bulb  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2012

A LESSON FROM A LIGHT BULB A missionary in Africa lived in his central mission which had a small generator to supply current for his church and a small rectory. Some natives from an outlying mission came to visit the pastor. They noticed the electric light hanging from the ceiling of his living ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Tags: Power

A Few More Hours

Contributed by Jerry Cosper on Jan 23, 2013

A FEW MORE HOURS A young lady busied herself getting ready for a blind date. He had promised dinner at an exclusive downtown restaurant with live music and dancing. Wanting to make a good first impression she had taken the day off work. She cleaned her apartment; she went out that afternoon to ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Baptist

The Umpire's Revenge  PRO

Contributed by Josh Hunt on Mar 6, 2013

THE UMPIRE'S REVENGE Forgiveness begins when we give up the quest to get even. This is difficult, because getting even is the natural obsession of the wounded soul. Stories about getting even always capture our attention. It wouldn’t surprise me if revenge is the theme of as many as half the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:32

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Baptist

Rent A Family…?

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 14, 2013

RENT A FAMILY...? I read a recent article about how people in Japan are so busy that older people can now rent a family. Here’s the quote: "In Japan, you can rent a family. Elderly Japanese who are isolated from their children by the frantic pace of modern life can rent a 'family' for lunch and a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Women And Proverbs

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on May 16, 2013

WOMEN AND PROVERBS From Chronological Life Application Bible: "Proverbs has a lot to say about women. How fitting that the book ends with a picture of a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the ...read more

Tags: Women

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational