Jump directly to the Content
Jump directly to the Content

Sermon Illustrations

Home > Sermon Illustrations

He Did More in Retirement

J. Oswald Sanders was nearing his ninetieth birthday when he died, working on his last book. Before he was 50, he was afflicted with arthritis so badly that he could hardly get out of bed. He could have taken a nice retirement. Instead he entered the most procreative years of his life.

At age 50 he left a prosperous career as an attorney in New Zealand to lead the China Inland Mission (now Overseas Missionary Fellowship). Remarkably, as he entered his second and third careers he was totally freed from arthritis.

After several years of leading the mission, he retired, only to take on the directorship of a Christian college. Another step downward. Then he retired again. A widower twice, he certainly deserved a rest. But rather than taking it easy, he accelerated, spending his last 20 years speaking around the world over 300 times per year. His respect grew even though he never sought the limelight or tried to maintain his position.

Related Sermon Illustrations

Building Birdhouses to Support Missions

Retired pastor Sam Duree, age 77, could be enjoying his golden years in an easy chair. However, instead of just letting the days fly by, Duree is building birdhouses to support a Moscow ...

[Read More]

Luis Palau Receives a Scripture to Stand on

Luis Palau, the Argentine-born international evangelist, describes how God expanded his ministry:

I was organizing campaigns for other evangelists, but I wanted to be an evangelist ...
[Read More]