In Sermon Illustrations: "Pastor Jokes"

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

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

Burma Shave And The Church  PRO

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jun 15, 2010

BURMA-SHAVE AND THE CHURCH Dan Betzer told about the old Burma Shave commercials alongside the roadside. Some of you remember how advertisers would use several well-placed slogans on signs to promote their product. Burma Shave was famous for their billboard advertisements. For example, one ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Moody's Servant's Heart  PRO

Contributed by Gordon Curley on Nov 22, 2010

MOODY'S SERVANT'S HEART A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course ...read more

Scripture: John 13:13-15, Luke 14:16-24, 1 Samuel 18:8-11, Luke 14:49-53

Tags: Celebration, Salvation, Servant, Humble, Servanthood  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Brethren

Happiness Is The Lord

Contributed by Rodelio Mallari on Dec 12, 2010

"HAPPINESS IS THE LORD" Ira F. Stanphill was born in Belview, New Mexico, in 1914. He has written more than 550 songs, the most popular of which are "Mansion over the Hilltop," "Room at the Cross," and, of course, "Happiness Is the Lord." On any number of occasions the Lord has given a song to a ...read more

Tags: Happiness

Denomination: *other

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: Tithes, Offerings, Giving

Moving Story Of A Godly Father

Contributed by J Jeffrey Smead on Mar 13, 2023

Hear our Lords Words: BIBLE Be merciful ... even as your Father (in Heaven) is merciful. END (Luke 6:36) Some time ago ... I heard a touching story .... about a humble, ... consecrated pastor ... whose young son had become.... Extremely ill. After the boy had undergone an exhaustive series of ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:36, Proverbs 1:8, Matthew 6:1-18

Tags: Father, Father's Day, Salvation, Godly

Denomination: Anglican

John Harper's Last Convert

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 22, 2024

A man stood up in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada four years after the sinking of the Titanic in a testimony meeting and this is what he said. He said, “I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on that awful night, the tide brought a man toward me in the sea and his name was John ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:25-34

Tags: Testimony, Witnessing, Lost, Saved, Evangelism, Faith, Death, Believe, Trust, Salvation  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When God Opened An Unexpected Door For Cliff Barrows

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 10, 2024

Dr. James Dobson wrote a book entitled When God Doesn’t Make Sense, and, in his book, he shared an illustration that is very applicable to the point being drawn from this particular verse. Take a moment and reflect upon the following story: In 1945, a young associate pastor named Cliff married his ...read more

Tags: Will Of God, Call To Ministry, Open Doors, Sovereignty Of God

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Is He Welcome

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Feb 21, 2025

John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. Sadly, there are many buildings with church on the sign that Jesus is knocking on the door to get in. Some He has never been in and others He had been in but they turned Him by denying the Scriptures. Many people in those buildings ...read more

Scripture: John 1:11

Tags: Service, Wash, Salvation, Confession, Presence, Apostasy  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Take The Lord's Table To Others

Contributed by Mark Eberly on Aug 18, 2008

Take the Lord's Table to Others And just as we experience the presence of the Lord, I believe with every part of my being and more that we are to take this presence to share with those around us. We are to take the Lord's Table to other people. So as I talk about taking the Lord's Table to ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Church Of God