Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3951 to 3975 of 5000 results

3951. Fear of Being Pushy

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Dan Matthews

The only thing worse than a pushy telemarketer is a know-it-all evangelist. It is hard to imagine that, in an effort to spread the news of Christ, we can - at times - so thoroughly repel the very people we are trying to attract. There certainly is a style of evangelism that mimics the pushy sales person. The evangelist of this style pushes, bullies, scares and uses anything to get his way with the potential convert. I have had people who have tried to convert me, though I tell them I'm Christian, though I ...

3952. Sometimes You Have To Stay Under the Fig Tree

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

There are all kinds of Nathaniels in this world sitting under fig trees waiting to be called. Martin Luther King had been called and was prepared to lead but it was not he who began the civil rights movement. It was a woman. Like Nathaniel she was found sitting when she heard the call not under a fig tree but on a city bus. Rosa Parks, a seamstress by trade. She heard the call when she was told," You have to move to the back of the bus." When Andrew found Nathaniel under that fig tree he was there because ...

3953. They Would Think I Was a Jesus Freak

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Johnny Dean

A survey was once conducted among members of the Catholic Church and found that the majority of those who were interviewed reported having mystical, life-changing experiences with God. But the majority of those who reported having such experiences also said they had never told anyone about them. When they were asked to explain that, most of them answered, "Because people would think I was crazy, or a Jesus freak or something."

3954. A Drum Major for Righteousness

John 1:43-51

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Next week the nation remembers the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. He had his own story to tell about listening to the voice. He had gone into the ministry mostly because his father was a pastor and he always did what Daddy King wanted him to do. Martin wanted a quiet life as a professor, possibly President of Morehouse College in Atlanta someday. He did not intend to be a national civil rights leader. Through an odd turn of events, as a young pastor he was thrust into the forefront of the ...

3955. The Call to Be Champions

Mk 1:14-20

Illustration

King Duncan

Some of you football fans will remember when Bo Schembechler was the coach of the Michigan Wolverines. It's said that Schembechler used to work his players especially hard during spring practice to see what kind of young men he had, winners or quitters. He made a sign with a slogan on it and hung it above the locker room door. The sign read: "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." Of course, not everyone stayed. One morning Schembechler came to the office and looked at the sign. Underneath the words "Those Who ...

3956. The Need for Courage

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Eric Ritz

A few years ago Richard Cardinal Cushing wrote about the church's need for courage. He said: “If all the sleeping folks will wake up, and all the lukewarm folks will fire up, and all the disgruntled folks will sweeten up, and all the discouraged folks will cheer up, and all the depressed folks will look up, and all the estranged folks will make up, and all the gossiping folks will shut up, and all the dry bones will shake up, and all the true soldiers will stand up, and all the church members will pray up ...

3957. His First and Last Words to Peter

Mk 1:14-20; Mt 4:18-22

Illustration

Brett Blair

Jesus lived three years with his disciples. They went everywhere together and did everything together. They ate, slept, and breathed the life of Jesus and yet it was difficult for them to make the transition in their minds from a Messiah who would be a mighty King of Jews to a Messiah that would die for the sins of mankind. But Jesus never wavered in his mission. Throughout his entire ministry among the people and his training of the disciples he held in his heart this hope: That Peter along with the rest ...

3958. Reexamining Our Basic Assumptions

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

In Merle Miller's biography of Lyndon Johnson, he quotes President Johnson saying in 1969, after he had left office, "I never felt I had the luxury of re-examining my basic assumptions. Once the decision to commit military force was made, all our energies were turned to vindicating that choice and finding a way somehow to make it work." And, of course, it was that failure to reexamine the basic assumption that formed the tragedy of the Johnson administration – at the expense of tens of thousands of lives. ...

3959. A Job and A Ministry

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Michael D. Powell

Do you have a job in this church and this community . . . or do you have a ministry? There is a difference! If you are doing it because no one else will, it's a job. If you're doing it to serve the Lord, it's a ministry. If you're doing it just well enough to get by, it's a job. If you're doing it to the best of your ability, it's a ministry. If you'll do it only so long as it doesn't interfere with other activities, it's a job. If you're committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other ...

3960. The Personal Touch - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

One day Lamar Hunt, the man who started the American Football League and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, came across his daughter's Super Ball and was given the inspiration for the name of the championship game between his upstart AFL and the old guard National Football League. "Why not," he wondered, "call our championship game the Super Bowl?" The name caught on quickly and thus, an American tradition was born. Today's the big game! And there is an interesting story behind one of the players. If you ...

3961. How Do You Know You Are Called?

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Staff

How do we know we are called? How do we know to what we are called? An age-old question to which a wise minister and author has given us an answer worth pondering. Frederick Buechner, in his book, "Wishful Thinking," says it well. He says that a good rule for finding one's vocation is this: Our special mission in our life is usually A. That which we'd love most to do and B. It is work that the world most needs to have done. Buechner says that if we really get a kick out of our work, we have probably met ...

3962. A Symphony of Teamwork

Mk 1:14-20; Rom 12:4

Illustration

King Duncan

There was an interesting article in National Geographic about the Mbuti men of central Africa, also known as Pygmies. These small people have a unique way of making music and reinforcing social bonds. The men whittle musical pipes out of soft wood. But each pipe is only able to play a single note. One man may whittle a pipe that can play an A flat; another may whittle a pipe that plays a D, another plays an F sharp. Because each man can only play one note, all the men must work together to create music. If ...

3963. Finding the Right People

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Eric Ritz

Warren Buffett, the nation's most successful financial investor and one of the richest men in America, has some very valuable advice on hiring the best people for your business. He says, "Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don't have the first, the other two will kill you." If you were looking to hire someone to work for you, where would you begin? Wouldn't you begin with someone you could trust? Jesus saw ...

3964. Color Blind

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

How would you describe a color to someone who had been blind since birth? What can you say about "blue" or "red" or "green" to someone who has no concept of color, of bright, light, or dark? Well, you would almost have to use examples from the sense the blind person did have - touch, scent, sound, taste. Blue is "cold" compared to a "hot" red. Green is smooth and sweet, while yellow is sharp and pungent. Purple has the depth of a bruise. Orange may not rhyme with anything, but is feels like the sun on your ...

3965. Authority without Relationship

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

James W. Hewitt

A young second lieutenant at Fort Bragg discovered that he had no change when he was about to buy a soft drink from a vending machine. He flagged down a passing private and asked him, "Do you have change for a dollar?" The private said cheerfully, "I think so, let me take a look." The lieutenant drew himself up stiffly and said, "Soldier, that is no way to address an officer. We'll start all over again. Do you have change for a dollar?" The private came to attention, saluted smartly, and said, "No, sir!"

3966. What an Understatement!

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

Now comes the understatement: The people in the congregation, having witnessed a scene to rival anything in The Exorcist, look around at each other and say, "What is this? ... A new teaching!" A new teaching? If this had happened in any congregation I know, they may have sat for hours in stupefied silence, they may have rushed to the altar in sudden repentance, or they may have jumped out of the church windows in terror, but the last thing they would have done was to comment on how this casting out of a ...

3967. What's The Other Reason?

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

A few years ago a teacher noticed one of her students, a shy young girl, was having trouble working out her arithmetic assignment. The teacher went to the child quietly and asked if she could help with any questions knowing the girl was timid about asking for help. When the problem was sorted out the little girl thanked the teacher. The teacher told the little girl not to be shy about asking questions, "That's one of the reasons I am here." The little girl thought about that for a moment and asked quietly ...

3968. Under New Management

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

A certain Army man had been a heavy drinker for 35 years. For all those years he had been angry - angry at everyone and everything. Finally, he encountered Christ and his whole life changed. He was speaking once before a group of medical people. He told them of his personality change, how he was now sober as he once had been drunk; considerate as he once had been severe; concerned for others as once he had been selfish and self-serving. A psychiatrist, who believed that personalities are so firmly set in ...

3969. Christ's Life Changed Culture

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

Kenneth Woodward writing in Newsweek magazine gives us a glimpse of what Christ's coming meant to the world. He writes, "Whether we like it or not, Christ's life radically changed human culture throughout the world. Before Jesus came, the world was ruled by the ‘might makes right' theory. But Jesus' teaching about humility and turning the other cheek redefined our views of human character, of war, of masculinity. Jesus' commitment to the poor, to women and children opened the way for civil rights and ...

3970. Two Kinds of People in This World

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

The British journalist and Christian apologist G. K. Chesterton once said that there are two kinds of people in the world: When trees are waving wildly in the wind, one group thinks it's the wind that moves the trees. This is the customary and ancient view of things. The invisible is behind the scenes giving energy to the visible. But more and more we hear of a new breed that thinks the wind is nothing but the product of the movement of the trees themselves. As if trees can fan the air and drive the wind! ...

3971. Jesus Christ Marked Down 50%

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

Staff

Chuck Swindoll tells about a commercial product put out by one of the largest department stores in our nation. It proved to be disastrously unsuccessful. It was a doll in the form of the baby Jesus. It was advertised as being unbreakable, washable and cuddly. It was packaged in straw with a satin ribbon and plastic surroundings, and appropriate biblical texts added here and there to make the scene complete. It did not sell. The manager of one of the stores in the department chain panicked. He carried out a ...

3972. The Lord Has Authority over Demons

Mark 1:21-28

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

The Lord has authority over demons. That's the good news for the day. No demon can stand up to Christ. Now obviously, few of us are conscious of being demon possessed. You may have heard about the preacher who asked one elderly lady how it was with her soul. "Oh," she replied, "the old devil has been giving me a rough time." Immediately her husband protested. "Now hold on," he said, "she's not too easy to live with herself."

3973. Everyone Is Looking For You! - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:35-39

Illustration

Brett Blair

The great architect Frank Lloyd Wright was fond of an incident that may have seemed insignificant at the time, but had a profound influence on the rest of his life. The winter he was 9, he went walking across a snow-covered field with his reserved, no- nonsense uncle. As the two of them reached the far end of the field, his uncle stopped him. He pointed out his own tracks in the snow, straight and true as an arrow's flight, and then young Frank's tracks meandering all over the field. "Notice how your ...

3974. All Our Strength

Matthew 11:25-30

Illustration

Donald M. Tuttle

The story is told of a little boy and his father. They were walking along a road when they came across a large stone. The boy looked at the stone and thought about it a little. Then he asked his father, "Do you think if I use all my strength, I can move that rock?" The father thought for a moment and said, "I think that if you use all your strength, you can do it." That was all the little boy needed. He ran over to the rock and began to push on it. He pushed and he pushed, so hard did he try that little ...

3975. We Will Be Made Whole

Mark 1:29-39

Illustration

Frank Hegedus

How can you know when you have been healed? Seems like an odd question. For many, the answer is obvious: when the pain is gone, the fever has come down, and the disease is no more. But the Gospel gives a better answer. "The fever left her," we are told of Peter's mother-in-law, "and she began to serve them." As she was healed, she immediately began to serve others. When we are ready to help others in their need and focus once again outside ourselves we will know that we too have been cured. We will no ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 3951 to 3975 of 5000 results

3951. Fear of Being Pushy

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Dan Matthews

3952. Sometimes You Have To Stay Under the Fig Tree

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

3953. They Would Think I Was a Jesus Freak

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Johnny Dean

3954. A Drum Major for Righteousness

John 1:43-51

Illustration

David E. Leininger

3955. The Call to Be Champions

Mk 1:14-20

Illustration

King Duncan

3956. The Need for Courage

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Eric Ritz

3957. His First and Last Words to Peter

Mk 1:14-20; Mt 4:18-22

Illustration

Brett Blair

3958. Reexamining Our Basic Assumptions

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

3959. A Job and A Ministry

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Michael D. Powell

3960. The Personal Touch - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

3961. How Do You Know You Are Called?

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Staff

3962. A Symphony of Teamwork

Mk 1:14-20; Rom 12:4

Illustration

King Duncan

3963. Finding the Right People

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Eric Ritz

3964. Color Blind

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

3965. Authority without Relationship

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

James W. Hewitt

3966. What an Understatement!

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

3967. What's The Other Reason?

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

3968. Under New Management

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

3969. Christ's Life Changed Culture

Mark 1:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

3970. Two Kinds of People in This World

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

3971. Jesus Christ Marked Down 50%

Mark 1: 21-28

Illustration

Staff

3972. The Lord Has Authority over Demons

Mark 1:21-28

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

3973. Everyone Is Looking For You! - Sermon Starter

Mark 1:35-39

Illustration

Brett Blair

3974. All Our Strength

Matthew 11:25-30

Illustration

Donald M. Tuttle

3975. We Will Be Made Whole

Mark 1:29-39

Illustration

Frank Hegedus

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