Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2526 to 2550 of 5000 results

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... friend, is a wonderful word of hope for you or me or anyone who has ever been drenched in the storms of life. It is a word of hope for this old world that says, "the wrong shall fail, the right prevail." 1. Mack Stokes quoted by James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1988), p. 73.

2527. The Language of the Heart

Psalm 98:1-9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Soli Dei Gratia which means "To God alone be the glory." Thanks be to God for the gift of music, the language of the heart. 1. "Missouri School Music Newsletter," collected by Harold Dunn. 2. Paul Brand, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made quoted by James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 295. 3. Quoted by Robert Craft, Conversations with Igor Stravinsky, American Biography Service, p. 59. 4. http://www.homileticsonline.com/Installments/aug1494.htm.

2528. The Forgiveness Factor

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to them once more: "My child, your sins are forgiven ... Rise up and walk." 1. William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, CD-ROM edition (Liguori, Missouri: Liguori Faithware, 1996). Used by permission of Westminster/John Knox Press. 2. From Today in the Word, March 1989, p. 8 quoted by Bible Illustrator for Windows, diskette (Hiawatha, Iowa: Parsons Technology, 1994).

2529. Being a Christian “Survivor”

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... is beyond the capacity of you or me to correct. Paul understood that ... probably better than we do. He saw that this would be "survival of the fittest." So how do we become Christian "survivors"? If Paul were writing today, he might use illustrations drawn from the television experience, but as a creature of his own time, he talks of survival equipment in terms his contemporaries would understand. He uses a picture of the first-century's quintessential survivor, a Roman legionnaire, and suggests the way he ...

2530. The View From Jesus’ Pew

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... weary head on her humble palette, and quietly starved to death — an anonymous tragedy. But I bet not. I would be willing to bet the farm that this poor lady's needs were met ... and met and met and met. She knew. God can be trusted. 1. James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 460.

2531. Be Not Afraid?

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Kristin Borsgard Wee

... . 1. John O'Brien, The Art of Courageous Living (McMullan Books, 1950), p. 115. 2. Robert Luccock, If God Be For Us (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1954), p. 49. 3. Helmut Thielicke, How to Believe Again (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1972), p. 75. 4. Paul E. Holdcraft, Cyclopedia of Bible Illustrations (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1947), p. 120.

2532. Right-Handed Sinners!

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... sweetest joys but it can also be one of life's greatest dangers. How many parents of young people have said, "Our child was a good child who fell in with the wrong company"? We are judged by the company we keep. Dr. Ben Carson has a unique way of illustrating this. He grew up on the streets of Detroit in a single-parent home and broke out of that environment to rise and become one of the world's top pediatric neurosurgeons. Dr. Carson tells young people to go down to the fish market and look at the live ...

2533. King Me!

John 18:33-37

Sermon

... to proclaim good news to a hurting world — I came to recognize that "Chutes and Ladders" held a terrible theology. I would be the first to admit that the point of the game is not to teach theology, but pastors are always on the lookout for sermon illustrations, and my observation provided that for me. For those not familiar with the game, players shake the dice and move their pieces along an S-shaped path. As with all these games, reaching the top is the goal. But in "Chutes and Ladders" there's a catch ...

2534. Integrity: Words with Meaning

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... and chatter of meaningless words? Does your yes mean yes and your no mean no? What about in your business? Do your words have integrity? I remember hearing a story about the boardroom in which the CEO felt the company had lost its focus. So, as an illustration, he wrote on the whiteboard, "2 + 2," and asked the entire board, "Let's get down to basics once again. What is two plus two?" There was a mathematician on the committee who said, "The answer is 4." The vice president of marketing said, "I agree. The ...

2535. A Higher Calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... No, when they were away we made it a family project to clean up the lot." To my knowledge the neighbor never offered any words of gratitude for this act of kindness, but that was not the motivation for the good deed. To me, this was an illustration of responding to a higher calling. Instead of reacting to the neighbor's insolence, creating what would have certainly been a defensive spirit on the part of the neighbor, and a widening gulf in neighborly relations, the response was in keeping with Saint Paul's ...

2536. Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... first century Galilee. It is the very familiarity of this ongoing human need to earn our “daily bread” that makes the message Jesus’ parable imparts so startlingly foreign to our expectations. In Matthew the parable found in 20:1-16 acts as a kind of illustration of the comment made in 19:30 — “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Yet even that connection is fairly tangential. The greater focus of this parable is on what the “kingdom of heaven is like.” In this ...

2537. Needing a Change of Heart

Matthew 21:28-32

Illustration

Brian P. Stoffregen

The primary point of this parable of the two sons is about having a change in heart, not just about saying or doing the right things. The following stories might illustrate this point. Once there were two couples. Couple A were married in a large, beautiful church ceremony. They pledge life-long faithfulness and love to each other in the moving words of their vows. However, their life together has been one of abuse both physical and verbal. They both have ...

2538. At the Banquet...In Your Pajamas

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... s invitation to come to the banquet table. Will we put on the garment of Christ’s love? The choice is ours and ours alone to make. 1. http://www.day1.net/index.php5. 2. Preaching Today. Cited in Edward K. Rowell, 1001 Quotes, Illustrations, and Humorous Stories (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2008), pp. 328-329. 3. Helen Almanza, http://www.tarrytownumc.org/sermons/sr20070715.html. 4. God Was Here, and I was Out to Lunch (Nashville: 2001). 5. Edward F. Markquart, http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com ...

2539. Jesus Rescues Us

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . He rescued them from the darkness and brought them into the light. Oskar Schindler used his money, influence, and position to answer his Christian call to rescue over 1,000 Jews from probable death at the hands of the Nazis during World War II. His efforts clearly illustrate the basic theme from Isaiah in today's first lesson. It also properly shows how we must respond to God's Son, Jesus, who came to rescue us from fear, problems, and death. As we await his coming in time at Christmas, we must ponder how ...

2540. The Faithfulness of God

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... her gloves, and folded her hands in her lap. "Good morning, Arthur," she said, "I am here." Mrs. Dowson was faithful to the end and without regard to the past. Her commitment to her husband was total and without reservation. This touching little story provides an excellent illustration of the message in today's first lesson on this fourth Sunday of Advent, namely that God is ever faithful to us and will be so to the end. Today's second lesson from the second book of Samuel presents us with an image of King ...

2541. Baptism: The Light Shatters the Darkness

Genesis 1:1-5

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the darkness of the Battle of Britain and the blitz on London to the brightness of victory and a new day. Churchill's ability to inspire a nation to move from the darkness of near death to the light and promise of new life serves as an excellent illustration of how God moved the world from darkness to light at the dawn of creation. On this feast of the Baptism of our Lord we honor the action of John the Baptist toward Jesus in the Jordan River, but more importantly we recall our own baptism, which called ...

2542. Responding to God

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ; the third was an invitation to greater service of God. These invitations were always present, because they were gifts from God. Once the gift was found, it became a permanent part of who these people were. The lives of these three famous people present a good illustration of how it is necessary to respond to God. A sense of openness allows one to hear the call in a spirit of courage and conviction and sends the individual forward to do whatever it is that God asks of the person. Our first lesson today ...

2543. You Are in Good Hands with God

Isaiah 40:21-31

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Holocaust. This situation might prompt us to go in search of God, perceiving that God is somewhere else, that he is not present with us at the time. However, God is ever present; there is no need to go anywhere to find God. A short story illustrates the point. There once was a man who had grown weary of life. Bored and looking for something to do, he decided to leave his own hometown, his ancestral village, to search for the perfect Magical City where all would be different, new, full, and very rewarding ...

2544. Reconciliation: The Heart of Love

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... people he had hurt before he had the opportunity to change his ways would assassinate him. So goes, in summary, the last of Morris West's fictional trilogy of novels that describes popes and faith. The name of the book is Lazarus. Morris West's tale illustrates the important message of our need to look into our hearts, see if wrong has been done and then seek forgiveness and reconciliation if needed, but always knowing that forgiveness and God's love are ever present, all we need do is be open. God will ...

2545. A Death on a Long Friday

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... waits to greet us as well. Amen. 1. "Ah, Holy Jesus," words by Johann Heermann, Lutheran Book Of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1979), #123. 2. Gerald Kennedy, The Preacher and the New English Bible (New York: Oxford University Press, 1972), p. 134 ff. 3. Earl C. Willer, A Treasury of Inspirational Illustrations (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House Company, 1975), p. 44.

2546. Ascension Answers

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... of the frescos depicted the scene of the nativity; another a fortress or a city. The third fresco clearly presented the figure of Christ the King. The visitors took in quick breaths. Imagine — someone came to the top of that mountain 1,200 years before and illustrated their conviction about Christ on that wall. Someone long ago had come over the Alps from the south and proclaimed Jesus as Lord to the mountain folk who as yet did not know him. The Jesus of the artist(s) was the Kosmocrator (ruler of the ...

2547. Job Is for Real

Job 1:1, 2:1-10

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... live and still it is a beautiful wonderful place. It is our home. The first time Gotham historians think that someone looked at the city, as a whole was in 1853 in an electrotyped woodcut, "Bird's Eye View of the City of New York" from Frank Leslie's Illustrated News encompassed the town as a whole. These new panoramic views of the city changed the way the city saw itself. We need a panoramic view of our city, our planet, and ourselves. Was Job right in being furious? I think so. From that fury much can be ...

2548. Your God Shall Be My God

Ruth 1:1-18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... astonished and said, "Master, even here?" He replied, "Now I understand what it means, to love God with all thy soul." Then he held out the last words, "the Lord is one," until he died.1 It is such a pious, faithful commitment to a tradition that Ruth illustrates also when she decides to follow her mother-in-law back to Judah. How are we to apply such an idealistic story? Part of the beauty of our salvation is its universality — it is for all; but only in a complex and paradoxical way. For, as much as ...

2549. Which Mask Will You Wear?

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... a mask, then ditch it. Live a life of authentic Christian service. Give yourself to God. Give yourself to serving God’s children. 1. Alma Barkman, Daily Guideposts (Nashville: Ideals Publications, 2006), p. 308. 2. Biblical Illustrator. 3. Don Friesen, http://www.ottawamennonite.ca/sermons/examine.htm. 4. John F. Westfall, Enough Is Enough (New York: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993), p. 104. 5. Edward F. Markquart, http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_a_hypocricy_of_the_pharisees.htm. 6. Daily ...

2550. What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... Glaser, The Nose. Cited in Paul Grobman, Vital Statistics (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2005), p. 153. 3. John Stossel, Give Me a Break (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2004), p. 94. 4, Barbara Brown Taylor, Gospel Medicine (Cambridge, Mass: Cowley Publication 1995), pp. 145‑146. 5. Tony Evans’ Book Of Illustrations (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009). 6. Phillip W. Martin, Jr., http://obroskyds.webs.innerhost.com/eman/sermons/ Mark%201%20 %20Epiphany%205B.htm.

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