In Sermon Illustrations: "Pastors"

Dream-Stealers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 19, 2011

DREAM-STEALERS Years ago, I heard Pastor Anthony Mangun tell a story at Because of the Times that I have never forgotten. . . . The story is told of a young man by the name of Monty, who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer, who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:14

Tags: Goals

Speaking The Same Language

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Jun 10, 2011

SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE Back in 1991, I went on a mission trip to the former Soviet Union. Twenty-or-so of us arrived on a snowy November day in Samara, a city of more than a million people located on the Volga River. We were there for about ten days, and our mission was to help start a ...read more

Tags: Preaching

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Ministry Meltdown

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2013

MINISTRY MELTDOWN My dear friends, when life seems overwhelming, don't get busy; get help! Otherwise, you'll just wear yourself out and those around you. That's what Bob Merritt, pastor of the Eagle Brook Church in Minnesota, was doing. In a recent issue of Leadership Journal he writes about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30

Tags: Stress

Great Quotes By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 16, 2020

While Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave many memorable quotations about freedom, civil rights, humankind and other critical issues, as a Christian pastor, some of his most notable quotes were on matters of faith. 1. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ...read more

Scripture: Amos 4:4, Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Justice, Civil Rights, Equality, Martin Luther King

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Coming Soon !?

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Apr 13, 2020

Many of us, I'm sure, remember hearing the words "Coming soon to a (fill in the blank) near you . . ."m intended to grab your attention. Well, sometimes that did indeed happen, as a lot of us want to find something new, maybe the latest and greatest thing to come our way. There are a ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-3, Acts 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Tags: Immanence, Coming Soon, Return Of Christ

Denomination: Baptist

The Difference Maker

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Sep 16, 2020

My pastor, Wana Archer, tells about a time when he was a teenager and worked at a restaurant for .25 cents/hour. In this restaurant, there was a gambling machine that looked like a pinball machine. A player would deposit a nickel and get one shot to hit the jackpot or win some money. He noticed ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-11

Tags: Holy Spirit, Obedience

Denomination: Baptist

I Was That Baby Boy Who Almost Died

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 15, 2022

When I was 15 years old, I met Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. It was the summer before my sophomore year in high school. That summer, the Lord called me to preach with an unmistakable calling on my life. I had a dream of one of my best friends one night. He was surrounded by flames and ...read more

Tags: Gospel, Miracles, God's Call, Prodigal Son, Testimonies, Father, Healing  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Losing Someone Or Something Is Very Heartbreaking

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Oct 17, 2023

In the midst of an unforgiving tempest, a cataclysmic convergence of nature's wrath struck with an unforgiving fury. Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands found themselves entangled in the merciless grip of a relentless tsunami. At that fateful moment, I stood as the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 91:1-4, Isaiah 41:10, Galatians 6:2, Matthew 25:35-36, Luke 15:11-32, Psalm 107:28-30, Philippians 4:6-7  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Tsunami Survival Tale, Banda Aceh, Andaman, Nicobar, Heartbreaking, Church, Earthquake, Care, Indonesia, Panicking, Islands  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Welsh Revival Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 2, 2009

Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 Modern world history also records times of revival due to the hearing of God’s Word undergirded with prayer. The little nation Wales once become known as “The Land of Revival.” It has its own unique spiritual heroes such as Saint David of the Celtic Church – William ...read more

Scripture: Acts 6:4-7

Tags: Revival

Passing The Torch: Lessons From Castro  PRO

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Dec 1, 2001

PASSING THE TORCH: LESSONS FROM CASTRO In August, President Fidel Castro celebrated his 75th birthday. The Cuban dictator came to power in 1959, after overthrowing former dictator, Fulgencio Batista. On the eve of his birthday, Castro made a powerful gesture. He publicly handed a Cuban flag to ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1

Tags: Devotion, Parenting, Zeal

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Indescribable Christ  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2002

INDESCRIBABLE CHRIST Dr. S.M. Lockridge was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, San Diego CA from 1953 - 1993. He entered heaven in 2000. He is well-known for a passage out of his sermon titled “He’s My King”: “He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, He’s eternally steadfast. He’s ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 25:1

Tags: Miracles Of Jesus, Peace, Jesus Christ, Trinity

Rach And I Have A Friend Who Is A Source Of Grief ...  PRO

Contributed by Christopher Lanham on Feb 17, 2005

Rach and I have a friend who is a source of grief for us. It is not that he has done anything to us – he is quite dear to us actually. Rather it is what he has done to himself, what he has chosen to believe. About ten years ago, this friend began absenting himself from church. He was getting ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Sin Separates. Sin Divides. Sin Brings Death To ...  PRO

Contributed by Clark Tanner on Sep 23, 2004

Sin separates. Sin divides. Sin brings death to relationships and destroys fellowship. God unites. God brings oneness and unity. On the day of Pentecost, God reversed the Babel process, and with one language from heaven, He demonstrated that all in Him will be sharers of one divine ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:11

Tags: Gifts Tongues

Denomination: Orthodox

The God Squad

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Feb 26, 2009

THE GOD SQUAD This week, we finished remodeling our old house and started moving into our new house. But last Monday I threw my back out while working on the house. I was frustrated and hurting. But the pain was not as bad as the feeling of not being able to finish my tasks which what I wanted to ...read more

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The First Mongolian ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 28, 2009

THE FIRST MONGOLIAN CHURCH The Christian authors, Bill and Amy Stearns, in their book entitled "20/20 Vision: Amazing Stories of What God Is Doing Around the World," describe how the Gospel of Jesus, the Christ, came to Mongolia. "In the 1870’s Swedish missionaries arrived in Mongolia - what was ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:8

Tags: Missions

Making The Workplace A ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2010

Making the Workplace a Ministry Priscilla and Aquila are regular people, with regular jobs, but the impact that they have for Jesus Christ goes beyond many who were called to full time ministry in their day. I have a friend back home, Michael. Michael is without a doubt a man with a call from ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Tags: Honesty, Workplace Evangelism

She Was Just Fifteen. Tears Filled Her Eyes And ...

Contributed by Ricki Lee Brooks on May 4, 2010

She was just fifteen. Tears filled her eyes and quivers moved her lips. Quickly she placed her hands over her ears. The shouting from her mother exploded her emotions and her restraint. And, suddenly, she screamed, “SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!” Conflict. From all accounts, he stood above the rest. ...read more

Tags: Dealing With Conflicts

The Church Without Outreach

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 26, 2011

THE CHURCH WITHOUT OUTREACH Fred Craddock tells the story of his first church. It was a beautiful little white church on a hill in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The church was beautifully maintained. The pews had been hand-hewn from giant poplar trees that had grown nearby. Little kerosene lamps on the walls ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

Tags: Church Purpose Of

[151]. A Message From A Poem – Jeremiah’s Description – Prophets Of Wind

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Aug 1, 2025

[151]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – JEREMIAH’S DESCRIPTION – PROPHETS OF WIND The catalyst for this poem was one verse in Jeremiah. It is Jeremiah 5:13. The prophet always had awful opposition from false prophets, and the people preferred the false ones. Josiah’s sons did of course. Jeremiah did ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 4:9, Jeremiah 2:26, Jeremiah 5:12-13

Tags: Wind, False Prophets, Liars, Christian Poems, Prophets Of Wind, Jeremiah, Persecution, Judgment  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Teach The Children  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 10, 2002

TEACH THE CHILDREN Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened... I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself ...read more

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Eve