In Sermon Illustrations: "Darkness"

Battlefield Away From Home

Contributed by Gregg Bitter on Sep 15, 2009

BATTLEFIELD AWAY FROM HOME He cherished every letter that came from her. His deployment had started six long months ago. No end date was in sight. These were the days before emails and webcams. Those handwritten letters from his sweetheart was his only lifeline out of those trenches to back home. ...read more

Tags: Bible Study

Denomination: Lutheran

Miraculous Protection Of Matt And Lora Higgens ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 17, 2009

Miraculous Protection of Matt and Lora Higgens during the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya in 1960 in Answer to Prayer In 1960, the Mau Mau uprising gripped Kenya. During that time, missionaries Matt and Lora Higgens had to drive through hostile territory on their way to Nairobi, well aware that many had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 91:1-16

Tags: Prayer Answered

The Good Outcast: Longhaired Biker

Contributed by Otis Mcmillan on Dec 16, 2009

THE GOOD OUTCAST-LONGHAIR-BIKER Now it came to pass that a certain man was traveling Lonesome Street, a lonely and dark road from Tom's Tavern to Bill's Bar. After many visits to this bar, the consumption of liquor got a hold of him, stripped him of all his goods and left him destitute and dying ...read more

Tags: Parable Good Samaritan

Denomination: Methodist

You Are Not Alone

Contributed by Jim Kane on Mar 14, 2010

YOU ARE NOT ALONE Reed Lessing tells the story of a Native American ritual for training young braves: "On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe. But on ...read more

Tags: Suffering Loneliness

Denomination: Church Of God

Drinking From My Saucer (By John Paul Moore) ...

Contributed by Dennis Selfridge on May 22, 2010

Drinking From My Saucer (By John Paul Moore) “ I've never made a fortune and it's probably too late now But I don't worry about that much I'm happy anyhow and as I go along life's way I'm reaping better than I sow I'm drinking from my saucer 'Cause my cup has overflowed. Haven't got a lot of ...read more

Tags: Growth In Christ, Blessings

Denomination: Wesleyan

Freedom In Marriage Lies In ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2010

Freedom in Marriage Lies in Submission In the movie The Poseidon Adventure, the ocean liner S.S. Poseidon is on the open sea when it hits a tidal wave and tips over. Because of the air trapped inside the ocean liner, it floats upside down. In the confusion, the survivors can’t figure out what’s ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:21-24

Tags: Marriage Obligations

The Hitchhiker

Contributed by Thomas Cash on Mar 3, 2011

THE HITCHHIKER There was a man the side of the road hitch hiking on a very dark night in the middle of a storm. It was late at night and no cars were passing. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly, he saw a car coming towards him and stop. Without further ...read more

Tags: Fear And Worry

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Unknown Treasure

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2011

THE UNKNOWN TREASURE A rock hound named Rob Cutshaw owns a little roadside shop outside Andrews, North Carolina. Like many in the trade, he hunts for rocks, then sells them to collectors or jewelry makers. He knows enough about rocks to decide which to pick up and sell, but he's no expert. He ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:44

Tags: Parable Treasure

Spurgeon On Truth And The Spirit

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2011

SPURGEON ON TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT The great 19th century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, made a wonderful analogy about the Holy Spirit’s role in leading us into God’s truth: "Truth may be compared to a cave or grotto, with wondrous stalactites reaching from the roof, and others reaching from ...read more

Scripture: John 16:5-15

Tags: Holy Spirit In Believers

A Darkened Mind

Contributed by Andy Grossman on Feb 15, 2012

A DARKENED MIND The god of this age, Satan, wants people to be blinded to the Truth. He loves a darkened mind. Sean Sellers was a willing mind. His parents were long haul truckers from Colorado. Sean filled the empty hours with the occult. He began with Dungeons and Dragons. The he began ...read more

Tags: Cults

Denomination: Holiness

The Deadly Hand

Contributed by Steve Kinnard on Feb 7, 2019

It was the nearly dark as James entered the room , over in the corner a poker game was getting ready to start. James joined in the poker game looking to beat the other players out of their hard-earned money. In this worldly realm it was just another poker game, with only money at stake, but in ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5

Tags: Sin, Temptation

Denomination: Pentecostal

Jesus Is Watching You!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Aug 18, 2020

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shone his flashlight around, looking for valuables, and when he picked up a CD player to place in his sack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, "Jesus is watching you". He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Honesty, Jokes, Omnipresence Of God, Jesus Is Watching

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Conference With The Devil

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Apr 15, 2022

A fictitious story has been told of a conference between Lucifer and his demons. It seems as though Satan was upset because he had not deceived enough souls and so he called for a conference with his head demons. "What are we going to do! We are not claiming enough souls for the Kingdom of ...read more

Tags: Evangelism, Satan, Parable, Demons, Excuses, Invitation, Today, Time  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

This Old House

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

This old house once knew my children This old house once knew my wife This old house was home and comfort As we fought the storms of life This old house once rang with laughter This old house knew many shouts Now it trembles in the darkness When the lightning walks about Ain't gonna need this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Tags: Body, Temple Of God, New Body, Songs, Resurrection, Heaven  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

From Candle To Sunlight

Contributed by Jung Lee on Jan 16, 2024

Imagine human wisdom as a candle. It provides light, yes, but it's limited – flickering and weak, barely illuminating the surrounding darkness. Now, picture God's wisdom as the sun. Vast, powerful, and bright, it floods our path with clarity and insight, making what was once obscure and ...read more

Scripture: James 1:5

Tags: Boundless, Limitation, Human Wisdom, Wisdom, Power, Divine, Insight  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Winston Churchill's Resolve

Contributed by David Swanger on Jan 19, 2024

After the Nazis drove the British army from the European continent at Dunkirk and obtained France’s surrender in June of 1940, the Germans were certain that victory in Europe was at hand and that Great Britain would seek a peace agreement. France also believed that was true. French General Maxime ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:62

Tags: Resolve, Commitment

Necrotizing Fasciitis

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 7, 2024

It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it’s real. In recent years, scientists have discovered a kind of bacterial infection called necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly called flesh eating bacteria. Once this bacterium enters a human body, it can multiply rapidly. Within 24 hours, ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:15

Tags: Bitterness, Unforgiveness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Leopard’s Grunt

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 10, 2025

When I was about seven, our family escaped the summer heat of Rangoon and went up to the cool hills of Mussoorie, India. We stayed for a few weeks in a music building that had eight pianos and plenty of hiding places for kids playing hide-and-seek. One evening as dusk settled, we heard a low, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 91:1-4, Isaiah 41:10, Proverbs 3:25-26, John 14:27, 2 Timothy 1:7  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Trust, Faith, Fear, Protection, Discernment  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

[237 K] [11]. A Message From A Poem - Scenes From The Gospels - Part 11

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Dec 12, 2025

[237 K] [11]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - SCENES FROM THE GOSPELS - PART 11 They are here to enjoy! Scenes from the Gospels are very special to me. I love them. They have taken a lot of effort, and many, many months revision to get them as correct as possible with the difficult word limitations. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:1-4, Matthew 13:10-13, Matthew 21:1-9, Matthew 22:23-32, John 9:1-41, Matthew 7:7-12, Matthew 6:22-23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Wash In Pool Of Siloam, Jesus Enters Jerusalem, Good Gifts, Fish, Man Born Blind, Clarity, Knock, Eyes, Lamp Of The Body, Receive, Darkness, Colt, Palm Sunday, Ask, Seek, Light, Marriage, Sin  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A "Conquering" Faith

Contributed by Ken Pell on Jan 31, 2011

A "CONQUERING" FAITH The following story comes from Hank Hanegraaff's book, "The Last Disciple" (which refers to the Apostle John, the last one of the 12 to die). It is set within the historical context of first century Rome's persecution of the church. Leah is the sister of a young Christian ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-37

Tags: Persecution

Denomination: Nazarene