“…what will happen to the wicked and to sinners?” (I Peter 4:18). A man died after living a consistently sinful life. Consequently, he wasn’t really surprised when he found himself in a line waiting to…
Sermon Illustrations
“ . . . O God, Your goodness, Your great tenderness, wipe away my faults” (Psalms 51:1). A sixteenth-century legend has it that Francis de Sales was approached by a woman who asked, “Is it…
“…we should not go on sleeping, as everyone does, but stay wide awake and sober” (I Thessalonians 5:6). An old mountaineer was undergoing a physical examination. “Have you been sleeping well lately?” the doctor asked.…
“. . . all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit” (II Cor. 3:18). A young man was…
“We feel we must be continually thanking God because your faith is growing so wonderfully and the love that you have for Him never stops increasing” (II Thessalonians 1:3). Describing the “Good Life” as he…
“A spiritual man… is able to judge the value of everything” (I Corinthians 2:14). Several years ago, a reader of a British newspaper wrote a “Letter to the Editor” which read as follows: Dear Sir,…
There once was a farmer who was well-known for his generosity. His friends could not understand how he could give so much and yet remain able to give even more. “We cannot understand how you…
“The harvest is the end of the world, while the harvesters are the angels” (Matthew 13:39). The story is told of a geologist who was exploring an area of the Swiss Alps in the early…
“…glory be to Him from generation to generation in the Church and in Jesus Christ for ever and ever– Amen” (Ephesians 3:21). There is an old Jewish parable about a traveler who comes upon an…
Whoever dubbed our times “The Aspirin Age” didn’t miss it by very much. It is probably correct to assume that there has never been a more stress-ridden society than ours. Former relaxed, extended-family lifestyles have…
In one of his writings, Ralph Waldo Emerson asks, “How do you measure success?” In his answer, he lists the following traits: To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world…
“Each of us should think of his neighbors and help them to become stronger Christians” (Romans 15:2) “What is success?” asked Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Success,” he said “was to know even one life has breathed…
“After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out” (Mark 9:26). The father of three children was doing his best trying to mediate the usual family quibbling around the dinner table. Fast…
“…they were astonished at His teaching” (Matthew 22:33). According to leading Educators, the number one qualification of a good teacher is enthusiasm for the subject being taught. Our word “enthusiasm,” comes from the Greek, and…
“And they were astonished at His teaching” (Mark 1:22). Back in the 1950s, graduate students at Johns Hopkins University began a study of 200 selected young men between the ages of twelve and sixteen who…
There is a magazine cartoon in which two persons who appear to be husband and wife are sitting on their living room sofa staring ahead at the TV screen. The “commercial” in progress depicts an…
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome” (I John 5:2). The story is told of the Old Testament period in which the Israelites were…
“Was there no one to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:18). A legend tells about a servant whose master died, leaving the servant a bag of blessings, full to the…
“…as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life” (Romans 6:4). A big four-engine commercial jetliner was coming in for a landing with several hundred passengers…
“Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God” (I Thessalonians 5:18). As he lay on his death bed, the renowned Jewish Theologian, Abraham Herschel, was visited by a…
