In Sermon Illustrations: "Pastor Cave"

A Light In The Darkness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2011

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS In 1963, my grandfather was serving as the Senior Minister of West End United Methodist Church in Nashville. West End is situated right across the street from Vanderbilt University, and has always been a wealthy, predominately white church. One communion Sunday, a black ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:17

Tags: Racism

Deceiver  PRO

Contributed by Michael Walther on May 25, 2011

DECEIVER Ephesians 6.10-12 Especially, "schemes of the devil..." Here Paul explains the realities of evil in this world. How different this is from popular ideas about evil. There is a comical view of evil -- the character who wears a red suit and carries a pitch fork. Then there is the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-12

Tags: Satan

Denomination: Lutheran

Beware Of Dog!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 22, 2011

BEWARE OF DOG! Upon entering a little country store a stranger noticed a sign saying "DANGER! BEWARE OF DOG!" posted on the glass door. Inside, he noticed a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor near the cash register. He asked the store’s owner "Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:17-35

Tags: Giving, Receive, Blessed, Christian Witness

The Old Man And The Savior

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Nov 9, 2011

THE OLD MAN AND THE SAVIOR Jan Weinert wrote: "The old man came into the service shortly after it started. He sat at the end of my row, with two vacant seats between us. A noticeable hearing aid was in his ear, and he held the bulletin up to within inches of his thick glasses to try to read it. As ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Expectations And Reality

Contributed by Tim Hinrichs on Nov 29, 2011

EXPECTATIONS AND REALITY I had arrived only a couple weeks before in the Czech Republic and was living with a retired Czech couple in a small village. Being the only American in the area I was somewhat a celebrity. One day a couple elders from a local church visited me to ask if I would preach in ...read more

Tags: Disappointment

Denomination: Lutheran

The Heart Of The Saviour

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 19, 2012

THE HEART OF THE SAVIOUR I am reminded of the story of a wee lass who sought baptism and membership in a country church. The elders questioned the child in a perfunctory manner, but they were not inclined to believe that such a young person could actually understand what it meant to be saved. So, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

Tags: Evangelism Urgency

A Lesson From A Light Bulb  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 5, 2012

A LESSON FROM A LIGHT BULB A missionary in Africa lived in his central mission which had a small generator to supply current for his church and a small rectory. Some natives from an outlying mission came to visit the pastor. They noticed the electric light hanging from the ceiling of his living ...read more

Scripture: John 15:1-8

Tags: Power

Encouragement

Contributed by Don Berry-Graham on Mar 1, 2016

In August 1995, the church I pastored made the decision to do a major renovation on our thirty-five-year-old sanctuary. The first step was to put together a crew of people to do internal demolition. Around forty people showed up to take care of this task. Dust was everywhere as we ripped up ...read more

Tags: Encouragement, Encourage, Gifts Encouragement

Denomination: Baptist

No Tents In Heaven!

Contributed by Dr. David Hallum on Jun 24, 2016

I am not a camper. I spent one miserable weekend as a kid in an old, smelly canvas tent. It was designed to sleep 10, but 2 adults and 2 kids kicked, punched and threw sand all over one another all night. And that was while we were asleep. As I said, it was a miserable weekend. When I became ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 9:1-7

Tags: Camp, Tabernacle

Denomination: Baptist

He'll Find Me

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 20, 2022

Two men have ended up marooned on an island in the South Pacific. On the deserted island is one palm tree and nothing to see but the ocean. One guy is in a complete panic, pacing back and forth, ranting about how they are going to die, hungry and alone, that nobody will stumble on them until they ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:2-4

Tags: Giving, Tithes, Offerings

There Was A Man Traveling Through A Certain Area ...

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Apr 6, 2009

There was a man traveling through a certain area out west and he ran out of gas. As the economy was bad, he was really struggling. He didn’t have any money and was trying to get home to his wife and kids after interviewing for a job. So he looked in the phone book and called a sister church. The ...read more

Tags: Obedience

Denomination: Church Of God

You Can Trust ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2009

YOU CAN TRUST GOD A Canadian pastor, in a period of great turmoil, received the faithful help of God he needed from reading about the following true incident. In his town the local parks commission had been ordered to remove the trees from a street they were going to widen. As they were about to ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 26:4

Tags: Trust

Richard Wumbrand

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Jun 3, 2009

RICHARD WUMBRAND Richard Wumbrand was sent to study Marxism in Moscow, but returned clandestinely the following year. Pursued by Siguranþa Statului (the secret police), he was arrested and held in Doftana prison. Wurmbrand subsequently renounced his political ideals. He started to preach Christ. ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Talk To Jesus Like Your Daughter

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

TALK TO JESUS LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER I was reading about a grieving woman. She went to the Rev. F. B. Meyer looking for help. She said, "Pastor, my daughter died last year. I miss her so much. I made breakfast for her every morning. And even when I had to go to work, I knew that she would be there ...read more

Scripture: John 11:35

Tags: God In The Hardships

Don't Waste The ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2009

DON’T WASTE THE WISDOM Pastor Warren Weirsbe told of a time when an associate of his, a gifted secretary, was going through great trials. She had had a stroke, her husband had gone blind, and then he had to be taken to the hospital where (we were sure) he would die. He saw her in church one Sunday ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 14:33

Tags: Wisdom

Three-Fold Reward

Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Aug 23, 2009

THREE-FOLD REWARD Glenys and I were only married five years and in our second church. Money was tight and our needs were overwhelming. For a variety of reasons we were down to making an important decision – give our tithe or use it to buy groceries. Our faith was simple but strong. We decided our ...read more

Tags: God's Provision

Denomination: Salvation Army

When Church Is Miraculously Moved (Illustration: ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2009

When Church Is Miraculously Moved (Illustration: 7606) The faith that moves mountains is borne out by the church that was moved by the Hand of God. Such a church stands to this day in the village of Swan Quarter, North Carolina. Before it was built in 1874 the congregation eyed with longing a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:20-21

Tags: Miracles General

Accepting Forgiveness Can Be Difficult

Contributed by Greg Bond on Dec 28, 2009

ACCEPTING FORGIVENESS CAN BE DIFFICULT I’m sure that many of you, just looking at this title, already have emotions running through your mind. Maybe accepting forgiveness from God and acceptance into His fellowship, is something you have struggled with personally, or you know one person, or ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Denomination: Pentecostal

I Once Took A Graduate Level Class On The ...

Contributed by Ken Mckinley on Jan 10, 2010

I once took a graduate level class on the psychology of learning, and in that class we talked about the way people learn. And I remember one time we were talking about babies and how they perceive certain things. It was kind of amusing actually, but they did a study where they would sit a baby ...read more

Tags: Ignorance

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Sports And Church

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Mar 13, 2010

SPORTS AND CHURCH Football in the fall. Basketball in the winter. Baseball in the spring and summer. This pastor has been an avid sports fan all his life. But I’ve had it! I quit this sports business once and for all. You can’t get me near one of those places again. Want to know why... Every time ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Baptist