In Sermon Illustrations: "Tsunami Survival Tale"

Tear Down The Castle To Build The Wall

Contributed by Bob Joyce on Dec 28, 2010

TEAR DOWN THE CASTLE TO BUILD THE WALL The story is told that years ago in Ireland a certain castle was one of the architectural gems of the Emerald Isles. It was called Castle Wray. The structure fell into disrepair and finally was uninhabited. As often happens, peasants from nearby began to ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

Looking At The Light

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2012

LOOKING AT THE LIGHT A pastor told a story of a man in his congregation who had lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. He owed everybody. One day the pastor asked him, "How in the world are you even surviving? How can you smile? How can you be enthusiastic about Jesus and about life when ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-21

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

What Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes And Lilo And Stitch Tell Us

Contributed by Fr Mund Cargill Thompson on Apr 10, 2015

Two films. The 2014 film “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and the earlier “Lilo and stitch”. In the Dawn of the Planet of the apes, small groups of human beings and intelligent apes have both survived a deadly plague. A group of humans trying to restart a hydro electric generator stumble across ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:18

Tags: Fear, Overcoming Anxiety, Non-Anxious Presence, Ohana

Denomination: Anglican

Obituaries  PRO

Contributed by Terry Blankenship on Apr 14, 2009

OBITUARIES Jeruselem 33 AD Calvary Jesus Christ, 33, of Nazareth died Friday on Mount Calvary, also known as Golgotha, the place of the skull. Betrayed by Judas, Jesus was crucified by the Romans, by order of the Ruler Pontius Pilate. The causes of death were extreme exhaustion, severe torture, ...read more

Tags: Cross

Denomination: Baptist

His Last Thoughts Were Of His Children

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2010

HIS LAST THOUGHTS WERE OF HIS CHILDREN A Union sergeant was killed on the first day of fighting in Gettysburg. He was just one of more than 3,000 Union soldiers who died in the three-day conflict. When his body was found later that week, lying in a secluded spot in Gettysburg, he was holding a ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 3:1-2

Tags: Love, Father's Day

Teach Your Kids!

Contributed by Eduardo Quintana on Oct 4, 2015

God’s word instructs us to be teachers to our children. For the past 5000 plus years, children would help with the family business. If they were carpenters, the children would help doing work that was appropriate for them. As they helped, they would become masters at the skill that they were being ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Fatherhood, Teach Children, Dirty Shoes

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Newton's Story

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 21, 2025

The story of John Newton and the hymn Amazing Grace. Newton’s hymn has grown so familiar to us that we sometimes forget the depth of the testimony behind it. Those lines were not crafted by a saint who lived an unblemished life. They were written by a man who walked through the same spiritual ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 33:12, Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Grace, Redemption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Other Faiths On Heaven  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 14, 2002

OTHER FAITHS ON HEAVEN Heaven has many cartographers, and through the centuries many different heavens have been charted. To the variety of celestial landscapes in the West, Islam and Buddhism have raised their own particular paradises: the Koran details a heaven filled with beautiful, large eyed ...read more

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Heaven, World Religions

Critical Thinking With Being Critical!" Matthew ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jul 12, 2004

“Critical Thinking With Being Critical!” Matthew 7: 1-5 Key verse(s): 1-2 “‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’” Chuck Swindoll tells a humorous but rather sobering tale of the other side of the coin, the flip side that ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:1-5

Tags: Leadership General

Denomination: Lutheran

The Guest  PRO

Contributed by James Chandler on Jan 11, 2007

The Guest Author Unknown A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me ...read more

Tags: Truth

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Benefits Of The Repel Tower

Contributed by Chris Surber on Mar 9, 2009

THE BENEFITS OF THE REPEL TOWER I am not a fan of great heights. I have never been able to stand on the edge of a high cliff or at the top of a tall building without a quick heart beat and a dry throat. I have no problem with climbing a high hill or mountain, but to stand on the edge of falling ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Christian Church

Carrying Us Back To Our Room

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Apr 7, 2010

CARRYING US BACK TO OUR ROOM In a home of which I know, a little boy, the only son, was ill with an incurable disease. Month after month, the mother had tenderly nursed him, read to him and played with him, hoping to keep him from the dreadful finality of the doctor's diagnosis...the little boy ...read more

Tags: Death

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

This Baby Is For You

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 17, 2011

THIS BABY IS FOR YOU Pastor and author Richard Foster writes about genuine, joyous giving. "Giving with a glad and generous heart has a way of rooting out the tough old miser within us. Just the very act of letting go of money or some other treasure does something great within us."1 Such genuine, ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7

Tags: Birth Of Jesus

Christians: We Should Be Jumping For Joy!

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Oct 3, 2025

Christians: We Should Be Jumping for Joy! Acts 16:34 says, "Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household." The saved jailer rejoiced in His salvation! And that word "rejoiced" has the great ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:16-34

Tags: Evangelism, Paul, Demon Possession, Spiritual Transformation, Salvation, Missions, Silas, Crisis, Christian Service, Philippian Jailer  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

In The Nineteenth Century There Was A Successful ...  PRO

Contributed by Adam Cruse on Jul 18, 2001

In the Nineteenth century there was a successful attorney in Chicago by the name of Horatio Spafford. He was intelligent, successful, and godly. Early on in his success, he came to the realization that he needed to have balance both in his home and church as well. He loved them and He loved his ...read more

Tags: Descriptions Of God, Faith General, Assurance Of Salvation

Denomination: Baptist

Noel And Jill Seemed To Have Everything. They ...  PRO

Contributed by Russell Jeffares on Apr 3, 2002

Noel and Jill seemed to have everything. They worked in ministry with youth in Germany. Noel gave up a promising basketball career to pursue full time ministry. After five years of marriage Jill was six months pregnant. She was very excited about being a new mom. They eagerly prepared for the ...read more

Tags: Hardship Of Life

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Boli Zhang, A Young Chinese Writer, Was Born In ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on May 26, 2002

"Boli Zhang, a young Chinese writer, was born in Heilong Jiang Province in China. He studied writing at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing University. His news reporting had won several literature awards in mainland China and Taiwan. In 1989, Zhang participated in the ...read more

Tags: Assurance Of Salvation, Sharing Your Faith, Humility

Denomination: *other

Last Year (2002), A&e Produced A Made-For-Tv ...  PRO

Contributed by Rodney Buchanan on Sep 20, 2003

Last year (2002), A&E produced a made-for-TV movie entitled Shackleton: The Greatest Survival Story of All Time. It is the account of the British explorer Ernest Shackleton and the 27 men with him who attempted to cross the continent of Antarctica. Temperatures around the South Pole can reach as ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Methodist

Thomas Andrew Dorsey Was A Black Jazz Musician ...  PRO

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Sep 27, 2004

Thomas Andrew Dorsey was a black jazz musician from Atlanta. In the twenties he gained a certain amount of notoriety as the composer of jazz tunes with suggestive lyrics, but he gave all that up in 1926 to concentrate exclusively on spiritual music. "Peace in the Valley" is one of his best known ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 77:1-12

Tags: Examples Of Faith, Faith General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Thomas Dorsey Was A Black Jazz Musician From ...  PRO

Contributed by Tim Richards on Jun 22, 2005

Thomas Dorsey was a black jazz musician from Atlanta who was known in the early 1920’s for the suggestive lyrics he combined with original music. Then God touched his life and in 1926 he gave up the suggestive music and began to write spiritual music. In 1932 times were hard for Dorsey as they were ...read more

Tags: Death, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Baptist