Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4176 to 4200 of 5000 results

4176. The Moon Keeps Shining

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Illustration

The story is told of a judge who had been frequently ridiculed by a conceited lawyer. When asked by a friend why he didn't rebuke his assailant, he replied, "In our town lives a widow who has a dog. And whenever the moon shines, it goes outside and barks all night." Having said that, the magistrate shifted the conversation to another subject. Finally someone asked, "But Judge, what about the dog and the moon?" "Oh," he replied, "the moon went on shining - that's all."

4177. The Man Who Couldn't Hear - Sermon Starter

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

In ancient Greece it was customary for peddlers who walked the streets with their wares to cry out, "What do you lack?" The idea was to let people know they were in the vicinity, and also rouse the curiosity of the people. Coming out of their houses they would want to know what the peddler was selling. It might be something they lacked and needed, or simply something they desired. What do you lack? We may have sight and hearing, but what do we lack? Take an honest inventory of yourself. Have you found ...

4178. He Wasn't Listening

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

A story is told of a Father and his young daughter who had had a very strained relationship for some time. Returning from a trip, the Father did something that was very unusual for him. As he entered into the room he presented his daughter with a necklace that he had bought her. Completely overcome with joy by this unexpected act of giving, the young girl inadvertently dropped the necklace and went running from the room with tears in her eyes. She returned shortly only to find as she walked into the room ...

4179. The Buzzard, the Bat, and the Bumblebee

Mark 7:34

Illustration

Staff

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level ...

4180. Quiet Time Is for Listening

Mark 6:31

Illustration

Brett Blair

In Mark 6, in the middle of a bunch of chaos, Jesus took his disciples to a quiet place. I think I know why. There's a a fifth grade teacher who decided that she would use a listening process with her children. Every morning for five minutes she required them to be totally quite. That's hard for any of us to do, much less a fifth grader. She discovered that a great deal of good came from the experience of silence. After one of these quiet times she asked the students if they had heard anything. One boy ...

4181. Setting Lofty Goals

Mk 7:31-37

Illustration

King Duncan

Richard Wilkie wrote a book on the Lord's Prayer. In it, he described how Dr. Albert Schweitzer loved to play Bach on the organ. In fact, even while he was serving as a surgeon in the steamy jungles of Africa, he was still known throughout the world for his musicianship. He loved music, but he loved people more. One evening, as one of the nurses was preparing to leave, he stood at the gang plank preparing to bid her goodbye. As he took her hand he said, "Before you go, I want to recall an incident that ...

4182. She Thinks That I Am Real

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

A story is told of a family that went into a restaurant. The waitress walked up and, looking at the young boy, said: What will it be? The boy eagerly shouted back: "I'll take a hamburger, French fries, and a chocolate shake." The mother immediately interrupted: Oh, that's not what he wants. "He'll take the roast beef, a baked potato, and a glass of milk." Much to the surprise of both the mother and the boy, the waitress completely ignored her and again asked the boy: "And what do you want on that hamburger ...

4183. The Sermon Title

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Jesus started to get people's attention when he healed the deaf and mute man. Getting people's attention is important. Dr. Donald Macleod understood this. Generations of preachers at Princeton Seminary were schooled in their homiletical skills by Dr. Macleod. Among the points Dr. Macleod would make during the semester was the importance of choosing a compelling sermon title. In fact, he asked students to give their sermon title before beginning each sermon. He used to tell of Mrs. O'Leary who would hop on ...

4184. Be Opened!

Mark 7:31-37; Matt 25:31-46

Illustration

David E. Leininger

In a Peanuts comic strip Charlie Brown and Linus come across Snoopy who is shivering in the snow. Charlie says, "Snoopy looks kind of cold, doesn't he?" "I'll say," replies Linus, "maybe we'd better go over and comfort him." They walk over to the dog, pat his head and say, "Be of good cheer, Snoopy." "Yes, be of good cheer." In the final frame, the boys are walking away, still bundled up in the winter coats. Snoopy is still shivering, and over his head is a big "?". The message of the cartoon was powerful ...

4185. Labor Day

Illustration

King Duncan

According to Greek mythology, Sisyphus was once a cruel King of Corinth. And when he died, he was eternally condemned to push a giant boulder to the top of a steep hill. The closer he got to the top, the steeper the hill became, and the harder it was to push the boulder. Every time he had almost gotten the boulder to the top of the hill, he would lose control of it. It would roll over him and down to the bottom of the hill, where he would have to start all over again. On this Labor Day weekend I hope that ...

4186. Why Must We Carry a Cross? - Sermon Starter

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

Can people change instantly at salvation? Some traditions call it repentance and renewal. Some call it Sanctification of the believer. Whatever you call it most traditions expect some quick fix to sin. According to this belief, when someone gives his or her life to Christ, there is an immediate, substantive, in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character. We go to church as if we are going to the grocery store: Powdered Christians. Just add water and disciples are born not made. ...

4187. The Hill of Crosses

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

The people of Lithuania take cross bearing a little more seriously than we do. For them the cross symbolizes faith, hope and love. There are crosses everywhere in the countryside, on roads, in city parks and village squares. Communities and individuals erect crosses to bring them health and to commemorate events like weddings, births and christenings. Crosses are also erected to commemorate historical events. One of these is the Baltic Way, in which millions of people linked hands stretching across the ...

4188. Who Do You Say He Is?

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

Herb Miller

If I told you to pull out a piece of paper and write on it who you say Jesus is what would you write? We all have some answer; we all have some images of Jesus. Some of them are the images we learned as children in Sunday school which have proved troubling and we don't' have anything to replace them with. Sometimes we dismiss Jesus on the basis of what we knew about Jesus at age six. Some of us have never examined the evidence for ourselves. One of my main goals in preaching is to gain a fresh hearing for ...

4189. Under Control

Mk 8:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

There was a certain bishop, in the horse and buggy days, who had two horses named Pride and Prejudice. He said on one occasion that people thought it was awful that a bishop should be drawn hither and thither by Pride and Prejudice, but he reassured them that it was a wonderful thing that a Bishop would have Pride and Prejudice under control. That's a wonderful thing for any of us. It is the test of our manhood and womanhood that we are able to deny ourselves. The world says that to be a real man or a real ...

4190. Public Notions of Jesus' Identity

Mt 16:13-20; Mk 8:27-30

Illustration

Brett Blair

Some, said Peter, say that you are Elijah. Now why would people think that Jesus was the long deceased prophet Elijah? Elijah was, of course, a highly revered personality in the religious life of the Hebrews. His defeat of the 450 prophets of Baal on the top of Mt. Carmel was a story that was known even by little children. It was a commonly held belief among the Hebrews that one day Elijah would return and that would mark the end of the world. In the very last passage in the Old Testament, in the Book of ...

4191. Get into the Action

Mark 8:31--9:1

Illustration

King Duncan

There is a ridiculous story about a group of animals in the jungle who decided to have a football game. The problem was that no one could tackle the rhinoceros. Once he got a head of steam, he was unstoppable. When he received the opening kickoff, he rambled for a touchdown. The score was seven to nothing immediately. Somehow, they managed to keep the ball away from him the remainder of the first quarter. At the beginning of the second quarter, the other team tied the score 7 to 7. The lion tried to warn ...

4192. Take Up Your Cross

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian and Olympic champion had his story documented in the film Chariots of Fire. He was ready to forfeit an Olympic medal rather than to run on Sunday. He eventually does run in the Olympics, in another race not scheduled for Sunday. God made me for running, he tells his sister. He made me fast. And when I run I feel pleasure. To give it up would be to hold God in contempt. We feel like cheering as he crosses the tape and wins Olympic gold. After that, however, he gives ...

4193. Take Up Your Cross

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

G. Curtis Jones

In 1580, a Dutch Protestant leader named Klaes was arrested and condemned as a heretic. Eventually he was burned at the stake. When the tragedy was over, his dear wife took their small son by the hand and walked through the back streets of town to the hill where their loved one had perished as a Christian martyr. At the place of execution, the bereaved widow gathered up a few of the ashes, placed them in her satchel, and hung it around her boy's neck, saying, "Son, I place these ashes on your heart, and on ...

4194. Personal Understanding

Mark 8:27-30

Illustration

Brett Blair

Her name was Sarah Dowerday. Born with only one leg, she received national attention several years ago for climbing to the top of Mt. Reiner in Seattle Washington. To document this fascinating human-interest story, a CBS camera crew went along. When she finally reached the snow-capped peak they ask her how she felt: "Once you have experienced the peak, your life is never the same." Friends, once you have come to the point that you truly can echo the words of Peter: Thou art the Christ the son of the living ...

4195. Personal Understanding of Jesus' Identity

Mk 8:27-38; Mt 16:13-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

Who do you say that I am? I would suggest to you this morning that that is the most urgent, the most relevant, the most theological question that confronts us today. Wherever we turn in life we are faced with the implications of this question. Throughout the ages various individuals have attempted to answer that question posed by Jesus. Ernest Renan, a French writer, answered it by saying that Jesus was a sentimental idealist. Bruce Barton, an American businessman, said that who Jesus was the greatest ...

4196. Models of Morality

Mark 8:31--9:1

Illustration

King Duncan

When Elvis first appeared on television on the Ed Sullivan show, the cameras would only show him from the shoulders up. Compare that with MTV, where little is left to the imagination. When Clark Gable uttered a mild oath in Gone With the Wind, it was a nationwide sensation. Today obscenities spew forth from our televisions. Little children use words that would make sailors blush. When film star Ingrid Bergman abandoned her husband to live with Roberto Rossalini, her film career in this country plummeted. ...

4197. The Measure of Greatness - Sermon Starter

Mark 9:33-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

Some years ago St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City was seeking a new president. Over one hundred candidates applied for the position. The search committee narrowed the list to five eminently qualified persons. Then somebody came up with a brilliant idea: let's send a person to the institutions where each of the five finalists is currently employed, and let's interview the janitor at each place, asking him what he thinks of the man seeking to be our president. This was done and a janitor gave such a ...

4198. Carry Someone with You

Mark 9:30-37

Illustration

King Duncan

There was a tribe of Indians who lived a long time ago in the state of Mississippi. They lived next to a very swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that if somebody happened to fall in or stumbled into it they could be swept away downstream. One day the tribe was attacked by a hostile group of settlers. They found themselves with their backs against the river. They were greatly outnumbered and their only chance for escape was to cross the rushing river. They huddled together and those who ...

4199. Would That Get Me Into Heaven?

Mark 9:30-37

Illustration

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked the children in my Sunday School class. "NO!" the children all answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?" Again, the answer was, "NO!" "Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again. Again, they all ...

4200. Must Do to Be

Mk 9:33-37

Illustration

King Duncan

A group of European theologians once visited Mother Teresa in Calcutta. She said to them, "You try to do what I am doing, then you will be able to enjoy what I am doing." She took them to one of her childcare centers and picked up a child who was playing in the mud and gave the child a kiss. She waited for her guests to do the same. None of them did.

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 4176 to 4200 of 5000 results

4176. The Moon Keeps Shining

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Illustration

4177. The Man Who Couldn't Hear - Sermon Starter

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

4178. He Wasn't Listening

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

4179. The Buzzard, the Bat, and the Bumblebee

Mark 7:34

Illustration

Staff

4180. Quiet Time Is for Listening

Mark 6:31

Illustration

Brett Blair

4181. Setting Lofty Goals

Mk 7:31-37

Illustration

King Duncan

4182. She Thinks That I Am Real

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

4183. The Sermon Title

Mark 7:31-37

Illustration

David E. Leininger

4184. Be Opened!

Mark 7:31-37; Matt 25:31-46

Illustration

David E. Leininger

4185. Labor Day

Illustration

King Duncan

4186. Why Must We Carry a Cross? - Sermon Starter

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

4187. The Hill of Crosses

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

4188. Who Do You Say He Is?

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

Herb Miller

4189. Under Control

Mk 8:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

4190. Public Notions of Jesus' Identity

Mt 16:13-20; Mk 8:27-30

Illustration

Brett Blair

4191. Get into the Action

Mark 8:31--9:1

Illustration

King Duncan

4192. Take Up Your Cross

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

4193. Take Up Your Cross

Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

G. Curtis Jones

4194. Personal Understanding

Mark 8:27-30

Illustration

Brett Blair

4195. Personal Understanding of Jesus' Identity

Mk 8:27-38; Mt 16:13-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

4196. Models of Morality

Mark 8:31--9:1

Illustration

King Duncan

4197. The Measure of Greatness - Sermon Starter

Mark 9:33-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

4198. Carry Someone with You

Mark 9:30-37

Illustration

King Duncan

4199. Would That Get Me Into Heaven?

Mark 9:30-37

Illustration

4200. Must Do to Be

Mk 9:33-37

Illustration

King Duncan

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