Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 51 to 72 of 72 results

51. Philosophers and Pessimists

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

When it comes to talking about the hereafter, I like the words of St Paul: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, What God has prepared for those who love him." Resurrection is not some natural right that we are given. It is a remarkable gift from the grace of God. Gratis! Some Greek philosophers believed that we are, by nature, immortal spirits. The human body and life on ear...

52. The Dogmatics of Aluminum Foil

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

I sometimes marvel at Jesus' patience with the dogmatism and intolerance of the religious leaders. They argued about inconsequential matters and made people follow laws that they themselves could not keep. Here in Luke 20 they are arguing with Jesus, asking him about marriage in heaven. What is so obvious in this scene is that it's a set up. They don't even believe in heaven, the afterlife and res...

53. Misleading Questions

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

Misleading Questions: Luke 20:1-2 Chief Priest and Elders question Jesus about his Authority Luke 20:20 Spies are sent to catch him in a slip of the tongue Luke 20:27-33 Sadducees All are insincere tricks but Jesus proves to be more than a match for his adversaries. With the third misleading question, the Sadducees try to expose the resurrection as a ridiculous theological concept by posing an ...

54. The Political Controversies Of Jesus

Luke 20:27-47

Sermon

Brett Blair

Someone has figured that if we put all of the materials in the Gospels that tell us about the life of Jesus together that it would equal about 80 pages. Yet, most of that would represent duplication, for we know that some of the Gospel writers copied from others. If, therefore you eliminate the duplication, you would have only 20 pages that tell us about Jesus life and teachings. Of those 20 pages...

55. The Political Controversies of Jesus - Sermon Starter

Luke 20:27-47

Illustration

Brett Blair

56. Love the Questions

Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

Brett Blair

Rainer Maria Rilke's was a famous German poet and correspondent with an aspiring American poet. The letters were published in a book titled, "Letters to a Young Poet?" In the letter the "young poet" has many questions about their art form. Rilke doesn't mind. In fact she relishes the questions and says to the young poet: "Love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written ...

57. Truly Knowing One Another

Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Dr. W. A. Criswell, the beloved pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, was once asked, “Will we know each other when we get to heaven?” His answer: “We won’t really know each other until we get to heaven.”

58. Heaven's Chocolate Cake

Lk 20:27-38

Illustration

Michael P. Green

There are a lot question the Bible doesn't answer about the Hereafter. But I think one reason is illustrated by the story of a boy sitting down to a bowl of spinach when there's a chocolate cake at the end of the table. He's going to have a rough time eating that spinach when his eyes are on that cake. And if the lord had explained everything to us about what's ours to come, I think we'd have a ro...

59. Looking Ahead to the Transition

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

Author King Duncan tells about a young man he met in the small town of Maryville, TN. Duncan had just finished speaking to a group on the healing power of humor. This young man came up to him to tell him about the death of his brother. There were three brothers in their family. The family was quite involved in this small community and so, as youngsters, these three brothers were forced to accomp...

60. The Road Stops Here

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

Pastor Edward Markquart of Seattle tells about a poem titled, "The Midnight of March 31st." It's a story about a drunken truck driver. Markquart imagines this driver trucking across Eastern Washington. Finally he comes . . . in his mind . . . to the end of the highway . . . [The highway] seems to stop at the top of a hill that he can't see over . . . it is impossible for him to imagine that the ...

61. We’re Not Paradise People

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

Humorist Garrison Keillor in his delightful descriptions of the people in his fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon tells how difficult it will be for some of us to deal with that kind of perfection. He writes, "My people aren't paradise people. We've lived in Minnesota all our lives and it took a lot out of us. My people aren't sure if we'll even like paradise: not sure that perfection is all it's c...

62. A Lifetime to Prepare

Matt 25:1-13; Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

King Duncan

There is an old legend about a man who had a rather stupid servant. The master often got exasperated with his servant. One day in a fit of frustration he said to the servant, "You've got to be the stupidest man I've ever met. Look, I want you to take this staff and carry it with you. And if you ever meet a man stupider than you are, give him the staff." So the servant carried the staff. Often out ...

63. The Completely Accurate, but Totally Absurd Answers

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

In the children's classic, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, Milo, Tock and Humbug are traveling to the Lands Beyond. They are greeted by the twelve-faced Dodecahedron who is a specialist in problems. "I'm not very good at problems," admits Milo. "What a shame," sighs the Dodecahedron. "They're so very useful. Why, did you know that if a beaver two feet long with a tail a foot and a half long can build a d...

64. Fear of Dying

Lk 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

Warren Buffett, a financial investment genius and the second-richest man in America, has his doubts about life beyond the grave, and it worries him. Buffett admits, "There is one thing I am scared of. I am afraid to die." His biographer Roger Lowenstein, writes: "Warren's exploits were always based on numbers, which he trusted above all else. In contrast, he did not subscribe to his family's relig...

65. Ordinary 32

Lk 20:27-38 · Zech 7:1-10 · 2 Thess 2:13--3:5 · 1 Chron 29:10-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Zechariah 7:1-10 Not fasting but justice and compassion Yahweh desires. Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai. He supported Haggai in his call for re-building the temple. Zechariah preached in Judah to the returned exiles between 520 and 518 B.C. He probably saw the temple completed in 516. While Haggai was primarily concerned with the re-building of the temple, Zechariah called for r...

66. A Law Against Dying?

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

In a civilized society, there are laws that cover almost every facet of human life. And sometimes those laws can be overreaching or burdensome. It’s the price we pay for living as part of a community instead of as a bunch of unorganized loners. But at least most of our laws make sense. Maybe we’d complain less about the laws of our state or town if we lived in a town where there are laws that don’...

67. A Trick Resurrection

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Richard Hasler

In Louisiana, a woman lies buried beneath a grove of 150-year-old oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal Church. Only one word is carved on her tombstone: “Waiting.” This person who died may be waiting for the resurrection of the dead, but the Sadducees who raised this question in the conversation with Jesus certainly did not believe in the resurrection. They were only trying to use a trick qu...

68. God IS

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Human beings have a hard time imagining anything outside of our realm of experience. Not only that but in our current culture, respect for authority has dwindled. Mistrust abounds not only of each other but of anything that smacks of authority or even more so of the unknown. We live day to day a comfortable and comforting existence in which we can be sure of certain things. Or can we? Take this ...

69. Like All the Others

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

Many of you know Charles de Gaulle as the famous French WWII soldier, statesman, author. What you probably did not know was that Charles and Evonne deGaulle were the parents of a very mentally disabled child. She was a treasure and a great concern to them both. No matter how bad things were in France, Charles would always make time for he and his wife to have time with their daughter. Almost every...

70. Jesus' Final Exam

Luke 20:19-40

Sermon

Will Willimon

Have any of you visiting alumni ever had a dream in which you dreamed that you were back here in school at Duke during an exam? It's a fairly typical alumni dream. The dream often involves some problem you have with the exam. You have studied all night for the final in organic chemistry. But now, on the morning of the exam, you find that the classroom door is locked by Dr. Wilder. You pound on the...

71. The God Of Abraham, Isaac And Jacob

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Jill J. Duffield

“Lickety Split ice cream cones sell for $1.75 each. The Yummy Tummy sells ice cream cones for $2.15, each but will give you a free cone after you buy five. One store is offering the better deal. How much will you save if you buy six ice cream cones at that store?” Do you remember these sort of problems in your math class? Problems about various trains leaving different stations at various times, a...

72. To Be Alive

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

What does it mean to be alive? This is a question that we ask ourselves today in a multitude of ways. In the Middle Ages, alchemists longed to find the secret to immortality of both body and soul. Today, psychologists might explain that “feeling alive” depends upon our psychological state of mind. The science of medicine explores ways that we can extend our physical bodies. Futurists delve into wa...

Showing 51 to 72 of 72 results

51. Philosophers and Pessimists

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

52. The Dogmatics of Aluminum Foil

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

53. Misleading Questions

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

54. The Political Controversies Of Jesus

Luke 20:27-47

Sermon

Brett Blair

55. The Political Controversies of Jesus - Sermon Starter

Luke 20:27-47

Illustration

Brett Blair

56. Love the Questions

Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

Brett Blair

57. Truly Knowing One Another

Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

Michael P. Green

58. Heaven's Chocolate Cake

Lk 20:27-38

Illustration

Michael P. Green

59. Looking Ahead to the Transition

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

60. The Road Stops Here

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

61. We’re Not Paradise People

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

62. A Lifetime to Prepare

Matt 25:1-13; Luke 20:27-40

Illustration

King Duncan

63. The Completely Accurate, but Totally Absurd Answers

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

64. Fear of Dying

Lk 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

65. Ordinary 32

Lk 20:27-38 · Zech 7:1-10 · 2 Thess 2:13--3:5 · 1 Chron 29:10-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

66. A Law Against Dying?

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

67. A Trick Resurrection

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Richard Hasler

68. God IS

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

69. Like All the Others

Luke 20:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

70. Jesus' Final Exam

Luke 20:19-40

Sermon

Will Willimon

71. The God Of Abraham, Isaac And Jacob

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Jill J. Duffield

72. To Be Alive

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Showing 51 to 72 of 72 results