Sermon and Worship Resources

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Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... and lifestyle. Peter ought not to think about how many times he forgives one person or a hundred. Instead, the question is whether his character is continually evolving to become more reflective of God. Lewis Smedes imported a powerful parable from the Netherlands to illustrate that point. Fouke was the baker in a small Frisian town named Faken. He was a very righteous man. In fact, it seemed often that when he spat out his few words, they sprayed righteousness from his thin lips. He walked with upright ...

2477. Kingdoms in Conflict

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... the try-outs. There is a scene in Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, where a partnership is forged among those who would accompany Frodo on his journey to destroy the ring of power. The movie version makes for a very gripping visual illustration, and the original literary text is equally as moving. What comes through is a sense of selflessness as the bond that unites these creatures. Furthermore, each subsumes his will to the greater cause, and trusts an unseen and transcendent good for an outcome that ...

2478. Dressed for the Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Chris Ewing

2479. Unwanted Freedom

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Chris Ewing

... for the professional ministry. The Sunday school classes she taught were excellent. Her energies were limitless. She'd served on the church session, had been to General Assembly and was currently Presbyterian president. Agnes' church commitment was frequently used as an illustration to other church officers, young adults, and teens as a fine example of Christian charity and commitment. She was always the first in the house of grieving. Ever ready to bolster the weak or say a corrective word to a noisy ...

2480. Nations on Trial

Matthew 25:31-46

Drama

Chris Ewing

... from each other in their usual configuration.) This image can be brought back to the screen at appropriate intervals throughout the message, and at the conclusion. Additionally, projecting images, particularly from current news, of human need and/or headline collages illustrating the topics under discussion (immigration, hunger, sickness, and the like) can powerfully enforce what the different voices are saying. If the screen is used for images, it may be confusing to have Voice 4 and 5 attributions on the ...

2481. Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll!

Isaiah 7:10-16

Sermon

Tony Everett

Pastor Terry had planned what she anticipated would be an excellent children's message for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Using today's text, she intended to illustrate for the children and for the congregation the vital importance of paying attention to the signs of the coming Christ Child that God gives us. Her key verse was Isaiah 7:14a: "Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign." She had painstakingly constructed a "stop" sign, using red ...

2482. Restoration Frustration

Isaiah 63:7-9

Sermon

Tony Everett

... anticipation quickly declined from restoration frustration into aggravation, desperation, and humiliation. Perhaps God was still punishing them; or worse, God had cancelled God's eternal covenant of salvation. A familiar lament for the exiles in Babylon also may illustrate their perspective upon returning home: Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace! Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to aliens ... Mount Zion, which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it ...

2483. A Way of Seeing

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... is a different way of seeing. In some sense, that has been a major theme behind all my sermons. I've no doubt even stated it directly in a sermon or two, but going on the assumption that a crucial point bears repeating, I want to say it again, and illustrate it with some examples. Now to say that I can even sum up several years of sermons in one makes me sound a lot more organized than I am. I did not arrive here with a 3 x 5 card in my pocket with that theme written on it. I ...

2484. The Ladder from Our House

Genesis 28:10-19a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... to hear our pleas and strengthen us, and help us to climb to God. That is one of the treasures of our faith: Jesus is the ladder to God. Amen. 1. William Barclay, John, Vol. 1, Daily Study Bible Series, p. 94. 2. Thanks to Dr. Charles Ferrell for this illustration.

2485. Are We There Yet?

James 5:7-10

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... a reference to the second coming because they assume it will be taken as a kind of "pie in the sky when you die, bye and bye" escapist and quietistic theology. "Nothing to do until the Lord comes and takes us out of this wicked world." James' illustration of the farmer makes it abundantly clear that this is not what he had in mind. The farmer is patient "with" one thing and "until" another thing. The text says the farmer waits for the valuable fruit of the earth, being patient "with it" that is the fruit ...

2486. All About Me?

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-31

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... prison camp, survived the war, and was present, in 1971, when Maximilian Kolbe was beatified and then, in 1982, stood with his wife, his children, and his grandchildren as the Pope made Father Kolbe a saint of the Roman Catholic church. Like any illustration, this true story can be and had been misapplied. I use it only to make this point: There was nothing Francis Gajowniczek could do about the situation. The initiative was totally Maximilian Kolbe's. Paul is emphasizing our absolute dependence on God to ...

2487. So, Explain It to Me

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... important. Few of us would ever want our pastor to preach on the Trinity. It seems like the ultimate invitation to at least confusion if not total boredom. Instead we spend our energy trying to explain the Trinity. We have developed all kinds of interesting illustrations and examples to explain the Trinity, this phenomenon of one God in three persons. Let me cite a few of them for you. Water, H2O, one element, comes in three different forms: liquid, solid, and gas. Here I am, Steve Albertin, one person who ...

2488. In Spite of Evidence to the Contrary

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... " is utilized by Saint Paul in today's second reading from Romans (4:18). Paul calls it "hoping against hope." Or as I would like to paraphrase it, "in spite of evidence to the contrary." Paul draws on the ancient story of Abraham and Sarah to illustrate what this kind of faith is. You know the story. Aged Abraham and Sarah, long past the time of child bearing, both aged, gnarled, and withered, were devastated. Not to have children to carry on the family was a terrible fate to suffer in that world. Worse ...

2489. Boast in Our Suffering

Romans 5:1-8

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... God's agape love in Christ. Today brings to mind some experiences at the ELCA Youth Gathering held in San Antonio. It was an amazing and memorable week. One of the most memorable experiences of the entire gathering was something that, in retrospect, is an illustration of what Paul is saying in this reading: Because of God's love in Christ, we can "boast in our suffering." Our boasting, our joy and confidence, is not in ourselves but in Christ. Suffering can be a gift because suffering gets our attention and ...

2490. A Spiritual “Re-formation”

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... Exodus, God is described as being "slow to anger" (Romans 34:6), which literally means to be "long of nose." The other word means "to burn or to grow hot."2 We often think of anger in degrees of heat or in the shades of red used by cartoonists to illustrate anger. Anger in and of itself is a human emotion that can motivate us to make changes for the better. Jesus became so angry with moneychangers that he threw them out of the temple. Jesus cursed a fig tree, causing it to wither. It's the way in which we ...

2491. Lifestyles of the Rich and Faithful

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... humbly said, "Oh, it's no big deal. I'm the treasurer over at First Church, and I do this with our budget all the time." The apostle Paul is feeling a little squeezed, also, as he takes his financial concerns to the Corinthian congregation. The illustration of sowing seeds that Paul uses to explain himself sounds a little like one of Jesus' parables, doesn't it? However, Paul is talking about money when he says, "the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also ...

2492. All Things Work Together For Good

Romans 8:28

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

... mistake. He did something a lot worse. Jonah thought about it, and then he disobeyed God on purpose! He chose to do what he did. But God was able to use even that for good. He took Jonah’s deliberate disobedience and turned it into a great sermon illustration for the people of Nineveh. The key here was that Jonah loved God and was finally willing to obey him. And God can do that for you, too. Sometimes bad things happen to us. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we disobey God on purpose. No matter what ...

2493. Luke 15:1-10

Luke 15:1-7

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... than any of the other tellings. Luke’s attention to detail brings this short parable to life, while his carefully chosen vocabulary ties it firmly to the themes of “lost” and “found” that runs through all three of these illustrations. In Matthew’s version the sheep simply “wanders off.” Here in Luke’s text the focus is on “losing (“apollymi”) and “finding” (“heurisko”) the lone sheep. Matthew’s text merely states that the shepherd “rejoices” over the found sheep ...

2494. Compound Interest Your Life

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... life and prays for a whole new kind of life for that young survivor. I shall never forget the Los Angeles Times story, replete with photos, of an accident on the Santa Monica Freeway near the Crenshaw Boulevard overcross. This one story illustrates the difference between a life of self-interest, a life of current interest, and a life of compound interest. A California Highway Patrol officer reported that a huge tangle of vehicles resulted from a runaway hubcap. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. But ...

2495. Sitting at the Big People Table

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... cooked. But with A GRATITUDE ATTITUDE we can GIVE THANKS IN ALL THINGS and GIVE THANKS TODAY or any day. 1. An original Thanksgiving tale to be read aloud to kids from www.dads.com, © 1992 Howard D. Fencl 2. Parson Bible Illustrator For Windows 3. The AutoIllustrator: Preaching Magazine, Vol. 2, #3. (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN) 4. The AutoIllustrator: Preaching Magazine, Vol. 1, #3. (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN) 5. The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970 ...

2496. Rolling Thunder or Voice of God?

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or look at the question this way: is it possible that there are no coincidences?" (1) I love that scene. And it illustrates HOW Jesus could still seek to glorify God and have hope in the face of the Cross. B. In the midst of everything going on around him and the eminence of the cross, Jesus saw signs of hope. Why? Because of His Hope Jesus knew God is in charge ...

2497. At Cross Purposes

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... me. You see . . . I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend." Not very many of us will ever be asked to give up a child. And hopefully none of us will ever be put into the position that father was put into. But his story perfectly illustrates what Jesus was talking about. Jesus took up His Cross so we could have life. In taking up His Cross, Jesus threw us that lifeline. All He asks is that we be At Cross Purposes and become people of the WAY. We do that by FOLLOWING, TAKING UP OUR CROSS ...

2498. Don’t Blow Off What Is God-Breathed!

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... lectern, chaining up the word of God inside the church. Among the most popular of the “libri catenati” (“chained books”) in Protestant circles were the Bible and Fox’s Book of Martyrs (immensely popular because it contained gruesome illustrations made from woodcuts even the illiterate could easily comprehend). Martin Luther spent hours pouring over a Latin Bible chained within the Augustine monastery at Wittenberg, and his reading of this “chained book” changed the world. In most Protestant ...

2499. God the Diver

Luke 19:1-10

Illustration

Raymond Cannata

C.S. Lewis has this really helpful illustration. He says that in the incarnation, Jesus was like a diver. He is God in heaven looking down into this dark, slimy, murky water. That's our sinful, polluted world. God dives in, He gets himself wet. And then God came up again, dripping, but holding the precious thing he ...

2500. The Prayer of a Thief

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... thief and take that important step today. 1. Eugene M Donaghy, http://www.eugenemdonaghy.co.uk/jokes1.htm#joke20. 2. Daniel Butler and Alan Ray, Crimes and MisDumbMeanors (Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press, 1998), pp. 16-17. 3. Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004. 4. http://www.sumcnj.com/sermons/srm2003/Sermon07.13.03.htm. 5. Manfred Schreyer, http://www.spiritrestoration.org/Sermons/2003/Can-we-lose-our-salvation.htm 6. Douglas Warren Drown, http://binghamcongregational ...

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