In Sermon Illustrations: "Trials And Difficulties"

In Coping With Grief

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

In Coping With Grief. 1. FANNIE JOHNSTON FLINT, who was cancerous, arthritic, incontinent, blind, orphaned, managed enough ability to get a pen into her warped hands and write a hymn, many of them, in fact. Perhaps you know this one: He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater; He sendeth ...read more

Tags: Easter Resurrection

A Methodist Pastor Named Walter Everett ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

A Methodist Pastor named Walter Everett understood the importance of forgiving those who sin against you. When Michael Carlucci was convicted of manslaughter for shooting Everett’s son, the bereaved father set an example that challenges all of us who claim to be Christians. Walter stood up in court ...read more

Tags: Faith General

New Every Morning

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Sep 13, 2007

New Every Morning Yea, “new every morning,” though we may awake, Our hearts with old sorrow beginning to ache; With old work unfinished when night stayed our hand With new duties waiting, unknown and unplanned; With old care still pressing, to fret and to vex, With new problems rising, our minds ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Rejected On Earth, Accepted In Heaven

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 29, 2010

REJECTED ON EARTH, ACCEPTED IN HEAVEN In 1888 Campbell Morgan was one of 150 young men who sought entrance to the Wesleyan ministry. He passed the doctrinal examinations but then faced the trial sermon. In a cavernous auditorium that could seat more than 1,000 people sat three ministers and 75 ...read more

Tags: Salvation

Denomination: Brethren

Garlands Of Heaven

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Dec 29, 2011

GARLANDS OF HEAVEN In India, whenever I preached I would get a garland made of carnations or roses or some other kind of flower. (This was done as a gesture of honor.) They smelled nice at first, but they were bulky and awkward (most of them would hang down almost to your knees), and after your ...read more

Tags: Servanthood

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Looking At The Door

Contributed by Kevin Humphrey on Mar 12, 2013

LOOKING AT THE DOOR A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse. The lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick: "Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this ...read more

Tags: Doubt

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Joy

Contributed by Terry Laughlin on Aug 11, 2008

Joy In Galatians 5: 22 we read that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy. The Greek word means an inner gladness, a deep pleasure which comes from an inner assurance and confidence that God does all things for His good purposes. This joy is not the same as the joy found in ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22, Matthew 2:1-23

Tags: Fruit Of The Spirit

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

But The Most Inspiring Stories Aren't Those Of ...  PRO

Contributed by Alan Perkins on Sep 29, 2002

But the most inspiring stories aren’t those of Olympic champions or world-class mountaineers. Most of us will never compete for a gold medal, or stand triumphantly on top of the world’s highest peak. No, the stories which really hit home are those of men and women who overcome great obstacles just ...read more

Tags: Faith General

Denomination: Baptist

Abilene Christian University Researchers, Dr. ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 5, 2006

Abilene Christian University researchers, Dr. David Lewis and Dr. Carley Dodd have recently concluded a cross-generational study (six different tests) to measure fathers’ positive and negative influences upon teens’ spirituality. The found that "every time" dad’s role "as teacher came out be the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Call, Children, Gift, Father, Fatherhood, Fathers Day, Youth, Parenting  (view more)  (view less)

After World War Ii, A Group Of ...

Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on Feb 26, 2006

ILLUSTRATION: After World War II, a group of German students volunteered to help rebuild an English cathedral that had been severely damaged by German bombs. As work progressed, they became concerned about a large statue of Jesus, whose arms were outstretched and beneath which was the inscription: ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Assembly Of God

When My Parents Lived With Me On Holmes Street, ...

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Apr 5, 2007

When my parents lived with me on Holmes Street, Papa asked Mama one day if we could have some of those good Kentucky Fried chicken breasts. Mama sent “Sonny Boy” to get it. In the KFC on Summer Avenue there was a person marching not just to the sound of a different drummer; she was bopping to the ...read more

Denomination: Pentecostal

Andy Was Raised In A Christian Home And Knows All ...  PRO

Contributed by Daryl Bahn on Jul 7, 2001

Andy was raised in a Christian home and knows all about God—but lately he’s wandered away. He’s become more concerned about “keeping up with the Joneses” and keeping up with the bills. Church has become less important, and God no longer is a part of his daily life. He’ll get around to it ...read more

Tags: Faith Vs. Works, Apologetics General, Misconceptions

Denomination: Lutheran

On December 29, 1987, A Soviet Cosmonaut Returned ...  PRO

Contributed by James Dunn on Mar 12, 2002

On December 29, 1987, a Soviet cosmonaut returned to the earth after 326 days in orbit. He was in good health, which hasn’t always been the case in those record-breaking voyages. Five years earlier, touching down after 211 days in space, two cosmonauts suffered from dizziness, high pulse rates, and ...read more

Tags: Endurance, Doubt

Denomination: Baptist

Ranking The Silver Screen's All-Time Top Romantic ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 26, 2002

Ranking the silver screen’s all-time top romantic films "You must remember this: A kiss is just a kiss ..." So begins the signature song from the 1942 movie "Casablanca." The American Film Institute (AFI) had no difficulty remembering. Its new list of the 100 best US screen romances ranks the ...read more

Tags: Romantic Love, Marriage General

Never Mind ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 8, 2009

NEVER MIND ME A good many years ago, during a Massachusetts winter, a brother and sister were walking on the ice. He was 9 and she was 11. They hit a thin patch and fell through. Kicking to the surface, they yelled for help. Summoned by their screams, a man came running, dived into the icy water ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8

Tags: Sacrifices

The Power Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

THE POWER OF GOD Hudson Taylor: "Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:13

Tags: Power

M ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 13, 2009

MINDLESSNESS In 2009, we celebrated the 500th birthday of John Calvin, who was born on July 10, 1509, in Noyon, France. Calvin went into self-exile in Geneva because France was opposed to the Reformation. The reason I mention this is because of the remarkable work that Calvin did in Geneva. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Worldliness

An Interesting Incident Happened During The ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Trent on Feb 8, 2007

An interesting incident happened during the victorious march of Alexander the Great to conquer the known world for the Grecian empire. A young soldier became greatly frightened in the heat of battle, dropped his sword and shield and fled. An officer dispatched several soldiers to apprehend the ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

On January 9, 1985, A Congregational Pastor In ...

Contributed by Joel Vicente on Mar 6, 2004

On January 9, 1985, a Congregational pastor in Bulgaria named Christo Kuleczef, was arrested and put in jail. His crime was preaching in his church, just like I am right now. It was a crime because the week before the village committee had appointed a new pastor. The secular committee who runs the ...read more

Tags: Endurance, God In The Hardships

Denomination: Baptist

Just Like Mom's

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 5, 2004

JUST LIKE MOM’S Cathy Thomas, a former associate at the Orange County Register in Santa Ana, California, is a cooking teacher of considerable repute. She calls herself, however, "no stranger to the gastronomic adventures of Mother’s Day." Back when it was first in vogue during the 1980s, she ...read more

Tags: Mother's Day, Parenting