Sermons & Devotionals by Sermon Illustrations II

A traveler tells us that he once witnessed a battle between a poisonous spider and another insect. Every time the insect was bitten, and before the poison could work, it settled on the leaves of a plant close by and sucked them, returning to the battle as strong as ever. The traveler, however, remov... Read More

Blood is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible and is essential to the doctrine of Christ's atonement. It lies at the very heart of the Gospel, for it is through "the blood of his cross" that Jesus reconciled us to God (see \reference{Colossians 1:20-23}{Colossians 1:20-23}). Some years ago a terrib... Read More

Leslie B. Flynn told a story that illustrates a great truth. An orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy's cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron dr... Read More

A poor soldier in Russia was sitting one day in his barracks in deep despair, for he owed a great deal of money, and he knew not where to get it. He got a piece of paper, and made on it a list of all his debts, and underneath wrote: "Who shall pay these debts?" He then fell asleep, and while he slep... Read More

A preacher once met a member of a cult who challenged his views about the deity of Christ. "You say that Jesus Christ is coequal with the eternal Father, but He cannot be, for no son is ever as old as the one who has begotten him." The minister thought for a moment and then replied, "You yourself ha... Read More

"What is your minister like? Is he eloquent and intellectual?" What answer can be true of you? "Well, I cannot tell you about his sermons; I always think of Christ when I see him." Is that true of you? Then, to you to live is Christ. In a famous Russian palace, in the salon of beauty, a certain arti... Read More

"I want this pearl. How much is it?" "Well," the seller says, "it's very expensive." "But, how much?" we ask. "Well, a very large amount." "Do you think I could buy it?" "Oh, of course, everyone can buy it." "But, didn't you say it was very expensive?" "Yes." "Well, how much is it?" "Everything you ... Read More

In 1936 radio broadcast was transmitted to America from England. Just before the voice of King Edward VIII was to be heard, someone stumbled over a wire in the control room of WJZ (now WABC, New York) and snapped the only line of communication between the two great countries. The engineers were fran... Read More

The most popular non-Biblical saint in Christendom, he is the patron of children, sailors, merchants, bankers, thieves, scholars, Greece, Sicily, Russia, and New York City. Traditionally, he is identified as a fourth-century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor. His relics were stolen from Myra in the Middl... Read More

The print medium often intentionally distorts what we write. Over the years since I became a Christian, I have always deliberately explained that I have "accepted Jesus Christ." These words are invariable translated into "Colson's professed religious experience." I discovered that one major U. S. da... Read More

A minister, going through a mental institution, was stopped by a woman, who asked: "Mr. Minister, what work of man will there be in Heaven?" "None, my dear lady," he said, thinking to answer as quickly as possible and get away. "Oh, yes, there will! Can't you tell me?" "No, I cannot; but will you te... Read More

Peter Marshall in his characteristically trenchant manner describes 20th century Christians in these words: "They are like deep-sea divers encased in suits designed for many fathoms deep, marching bravely forth to pull plugs out of bathtubs."... Read More

The ministry of British preacher Charles Spurgeon was often marked by controversy, as journalists and other groups carped at his work. One day a friend of Spurgeon's remarked, "I hear you are in hot water again." "I'm not the one in hot water," Spurgeon answered. "The other fellows are. I'm the man ... Read More

Back in the days of sailing ships a young sailor went to sea for the first time. The ship encountered a heavy storm in the North Atlantic. The sailor was commanded to go aloft and trim the sails. As the young sailor started to climb, he made a mistake and looked down. The roll of the ship combined w... Read More

A Chinese Christian thus described the relative merits of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity: "A man had fallen into a deep, dark pit, and lay in its miry bottom groaning and utterly unable to move. Confucius walked by, approached the edge of the pit, and said, "Poor fellow, I am sorry for you... Read More

In the third century, Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, wrote to his friend Donatus: "It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and wisdom which is a thousand t... Read More

In FAMILY CIRCUS, the little boy opens the door and looks at the first winter snow: "God gift-wrapped the world!" A real good point could be made about our heavenly Father gift wrapping the world in love with the Birth of Christ! Dr. John Bardsley... Read More

What did December 25 originally celebrate? For some time before the coming of Christianity, December 25 was a time of pagan celebration. The pagans knew that at this point in their calendar the shortest day and longest night had passed, that little by little the sun would rise higher and remain long... Read More

Suppose that in time of war a man says, "I wish to serve my country and to defend her from her enemies." If he tries to carry out that resolution alone, he can accomplish nothing. He can be effective in that purpose only by standing shoulder to shoulder with others of like mind. It is so with the ch... Read More

I never cease thrilling at the heart of Abraham Lincoln. There is a story of two women relatives of General Lou Wallace who came to the White House when Lincoln was president asking about General Wallace. He had been involved in a vicious battle and they wanted to make sure he had survived. After le... Read More