Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4576 to 4600 of 5000 results

4576. How Much Land Does A Man Need?

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not satisfied with his lot. He wanted more of everything. One day he received a novel offer. For 1000 rubles, he could buy all the land he could walk around in a day. The only catch in the deal was that he had to be back at his starting point by sundown. Early the next morning he started out walking at a fast pace. By midday he was very tired, but he kept going, covering more and more ground. Well into the afternoon he realized that ...

4577. The Sin of the Barn Builder

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

Notice that the man in the story is already rich before the abundant crop comes in. Notice also that he already had barn enough to store the crop. But here's the problem. The harvest was so good he couldn't store it all. What to do? he asks himself. Should I give it way or sell it at the market? Neither. I will build bigger barns and keep it for myself. He is not thankful for the riches that he already has. He wants more to insure his security. He doesn't want to live for the day; he wants to live today ...

4578. Where There Is a Will…

Luke 12:13-21

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

A 6th grade teacher posed the following problem to her arithmetic classes: "A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars. One-fifth is to go to his wife, one-fifth is to go to his son, one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity. Now, what does each get?" After a very long silence in the classroom, little Joey raised his hand. The teacher called on Joey for his answer. With complete sincerity in his voice, Joey answered, "A lawyer!" He's probably right. Where there is a will, there is often a ...

4579. Earthen Vessels

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Jesuit Chant

This is an early morning chant especially loved by Jesuits: We hold a treasure not made of gold; In earthen vessels wealth untold. One treasure only, the Lord the Christ In earthen vessels.

4580. Christians in the Midst of Affluence

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

Bishop William Willimon was chaplain for many years at Duke University. He is a well-known writer and speaker. He says wise things in a witty way. Once Willimon and his wife had a group of students over to their home after a chapel service. They had a picnic, then some of the students lingered to play basketball or to talk. Willimon sat on the patio with one student who said, "Dr. Willimon, thanks for having us over to your home. This is the first time I've ever been in a faculty home." "That's a disgrace ...

4581. A Just and Simple Lifestyle

Lk 12:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

A resolution came out years ago from the Lausanne conference of evangelicals which all of us would be wise to heed. The resolution went like this: "We humbly commit ourselves to develop a just and simple lifestyle, and to support one another in it." A just and simple lifestyle . . . Most of us have too much stuff, and like the rich landowner in Jesus' parable, we have to build bigger houses and bigger garages just to hold our stuff. Some of us even have so much that we rent mini-warehouses to hold it all. ...

4582. People Get Ready! - Sermon Starter

Luke 12:22-48

Illustration

Brett Blair

Curtis Mayfield passed away in 1999. At the height of the Civil Rights struggle Mayfield, the lead singer of The Impressions, wrote his most memorable lyrics. Listen to the Chorus: People get ready There's a train, a comin' You don't need no baggage You just get on board All you need is faith To hear the diesels hummin' Don't need no ticket, You just thank the Lord In that turbulent decade Curtis Mayfield was calling people to a higher purpose. The chaos of the 60's left this nation in much confusion from ...

4583. A Palace in Heaven

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

There is a legend from the first century about the disciple Thomas who was sent by Christ to India. Thomas was employed by the local king Gundaphorus to build a new palace, and he was given money to buy materials and hire workmen. Thomas gave the money to the poor, but always assured the king that his palace was rising steadily. The king became suspicious when Thomas kept putting off his requests to see the work in progress and finally sent for Thomas. "Have you built my Palace?", he asked. "Yes", Thomas ...

4584. Door to Door

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Two young missionaries were going door to door. They knocked on the door of one woman who was not at all happy to see them. The woman told them in no uncertain terms that she did not want to hear their message and slammed the door in their faces. To her surprise, however, the door did not close and, in fact, almost magically bounced back open. She tried again, really putting her back into it and slammed the door again with the same amazing result - the door bounced back again. Convinced that one of the ...

4585. Staying Ready

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

There is praise here for the servant who is ready when the Lord returns, and He is going to return. We don't know when or how, but you can't read the New Testament faithfully and miss that message. Do you remember that hilarious scene in one of Peter DeVries' novels? A character named Stan Waltz is terrified by the deafening night-time explosion of a fireworks factory in the town. Persuaded by his wife, who belongs to a fundamentalist Christian sect, that it is the second coming of Christ, Stan hastily ...

4586. The Saddest Story

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Bishop Peter Storey from South Africa tells a story of three men in town for a convention. They were assigned rooms on the 51st floor of the convention hotel. They had been out for an evening having had a late dinner and entertainment. When they came in, the elevator was out of order. Can you imagine that? In a room on the 51st floor and no way to get there but to climb the stairs. It was a terrible dilemma, but they had no alternative. Being creative, they decided that they would devise a way to make that ...

4587. Stay Awake! Routine Can Be a Blessing

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Wallace H. Kirby

One of the musicians who played many years for Toscanini said that the maestro had the ability to make the orchestra feel it was playing a well-known work for the first time. Each repeated playing of the score was done as if it were the premiere performance. After once recording the Beethoven Ninth Symphony, Toscanini said he had been conducting the Beethoven Ninth for over fifty years. He continued, "Now I think I finally understand it." Routine can yield its blessings if we stay awake.

4588. Watching E.T.

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Wallace H. Kirby

I knew that the movie "E.T." would be a bore and that there would be nothing in it for me. Science fiction has never been an interest of mine. Tolkien's little creatures bored me. I just knew that a movie about an ugly little creature from outer space could not hold my attention. The first few minutes of the movie confirmed my reservations. But then, after somehow staying awake, I began to succumb to the charms of that movie. It spoke a different message than is usually wrapped around such matters. Beyond ...

4589. Trouble Makers

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

Thank God for those free thinkers throughout Christendom who have brought fire upon the earth, the early Church and the Catholic Church which has prevailed for almost 2000 years holding the banner of Christ. Martin Luther, who called the church back to a Gospel which emphasized grace rather than works. John Wyclif and William Tyndale, who against the wishes of church leadership produced the Bible in the language of the people. William Wilberforce, against the will of many within the church, fought the evil ...

4590. A Safe Place to Stand

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

In the days of the westward expansion in North America, when men saw that a prairie fire was coming, what would they do? There was no way for them to outrun it or guess the safe route out. So, the pioneers took a match and burned the grass in the area around them. As the roar of the flames approached, they were not afraid. Even as the ocean of fire surged around them there was no fear. They were standing where the fire had already been. Jesus said, "I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish ...

4591. Not Peace but Division

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

Jesus said, "Do you think I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." That saying of Jesus has always struck me as one of the most disturbingly honest things Jesus ever said. There's a legend, which may actually be true because it sounds real, that when Abraham Lincoln was first introduced to Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, he said, "So this is the little lady who started the Civil War." However true that incident may be, she wrote not to bring peace, but ...

4592. How to Run the Race

Luke 12:49-59

Illustration

Brett Blair

During WWII, a Jewish family named Rosenberg was confined to a concentration camp where prisoners could escape the gas ovens as long as they could work. A young boy in the family was partially disabled from birth and could not carry a full workload. The parents were separated during the day by their separate work responsibilities, so they would hasten in the evenings to check on the condition of each family member. One evening the father's worse fears were realized. He could not spot his disabled boy. Then ...

4593. We Need God

Lk 12:22-34, 49-53

Illustration

King Duncan

Jimmy Stewart was one of Hollywood's most loved and most respected actors. According to all accounts, Stewart's character and integrity were byproducts of being raised by loving and honorable parents. He himself once wrote of his father's wise and loving advice to him before Jimmy went off to fight in World War II. In a letter, Alex Stewart wrote, "My dear Jim boy, Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to the worst sort of danger . . . I am banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm ...

4594. A Crippling Spirit - Sermon Starter

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

I want to encourage you to do something. If you have never read Victor Hugo's memorable novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, pick up a copy and read it. Hugo uses an interesting literary technique in the story. The reader is allowed to see the basic decency and humanity of Quasimodo, the hunchback, while the crowd sees him only as a monstrous freak. The story, in its essence, is part tragedy, and part hope. Our text this morning, not surprisingly, comes from Luke's Gospel. This story also, is part tragedy ...

4595. Everyone’s a Critic

Lk 13:10-17

Illustration

King Duncan

One night at Birdland, the legendary jazz bar, Cab Calloway was introducing a promising young saxophone player. As the sax player finished his set, a self-appointed jazz critic came over to the young player and said, in front of Cab, "You aren't that good, man. All you can do is play like Charlie Parker." Cab took the young man's sax and handed it over to the critic. "Here," he said, "you play it like Charlie Parker." Isn't it true that whenever you are trying to do something significant, somebody comes ...

4596. Born to Greatness

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

There was a certain man who went through the forest seeking any bird of interest he might find. He caught a young eagle, brought it home and put it among the fowls and ducks and turkeys, and gave it chicken food to eat even though it was the king of birds. Five years later, a naturalist came to see him and, after passing through the garden, said ‘That bird is an Eagle, not a chicken.' ‘Yes' said the owner, ‘but I have trained it to be a chicken. It is no longer an eagle.' ‘No,' said the naturalist, ‘it is ...

4597. Sickness Rearranges Priorities

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

In 1971, in Plano Texas, a woman by the name of Linda gave birth to a boy she named Lance. She did what many mother's do with boys. She molded his temperament by involving him in a variety of sports. He soon showed an aptitude as an athlete and by the age of 13 his skills were confirmed when he won the Iron Kids Triathlon—a combination of swimming, biking and running. Three years later at the tender age of 16 he became a professional triathlon athlete. When most children were trying to compete at their ...

4598. Shame on You!

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

John P. Jewell

I was waiting my turn to see the emergency room doctor when a young mother came through the doors with her child, maybe three or four years old. The little girl was crying and the woman who, I took to be the child's mother, was holding a bloody handkerchief over the little girl's mouth. She looked around frantically for someone to help and rushed to the desk and said, "My daughter's been hurt and I need to see..." She was cut off in mid-sentence, "You need to take a seat and wait for one of the clerks to ...

4599. Living in a Plastic Bubble

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Mark Trotter

I feel as though I live in a plastic bubble. It surrounds me, but it cannot be seen. I see everyone around me, I hear them speak. Behind their words, they hide from me. They look at me and think they know me. But they don't see my bubble, they don't look long enough to see it. I try to talk with them, to share myself, but my words return, unlistened to. And nobody hears. I move through the days insulated in my protective bubble. I reach out to ones that I love, but they don't notice. They don't feel my ...

4600. Rules and Routine

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Any classroom teacher, especially one with a large number of students, will quickly confirm the importance of rules and regulations in keeping a classroom running smoothly and even in keeping the students happy. Everyone likes to know how the people around them are going to behave and when things are going to happen. There is real safety in knowing the people around you will honor the rules. There is also real security in following a routine and knowing what will happen next. Rules and routines are an ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 4576 to 4600 of 5000 results

4576. How Much Land Does A Man Need?

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

4577. The Sin of the Barn Builder

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

4578. Where There Is a Will…

Luke 12:13-21

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

4579. Earthen Vessels

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Jesuit Chant

This is an early morning chant especially loved by Jesuits: We hold a treasure not made of gold; In earthen vessels wealth untold. One treasure only, the Lord the Christ In earthen vessels.

4580. Christians in the Midst of Affluence

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

4581. A Just and Simple Lifestyle

Lk 12:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

4582. People Get Ready! - Sermon Starter

Luke 12:22-48

Illustration

Brett Blair

4583. A Palace in Heaven

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

4584. Door to Door

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

4585. Staying Ready

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

4586. The Saddest Story

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

4587. Stay Awake! Routine Can Be a Blessing

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Wallace H. Kirby

4588. Watching E.T.

Luke 12:32-40

Illustration

Wallace H. Kirby

4589. Trouble Makers

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

4590. A Safe Place to Stand

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

4591. Not Peace but Division

Luke 12:49-53

Illustration

Brett Blair

4592. How to Run the Race

Luke 12:49-59

Illustration

Brett Blair

4593. We Need God

Lk 12:22-34, 49-53

Illustration

King Duncan

4594. A Crippling Spirit - Sermon Starter

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

4595. Everyone’s a Critic

Lk 13:10-17

Illustration

King Duncan

4596. Born to Greatness

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

4597. Sickness Rearranges Priorities

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Brett Blair

4598. Shame on You!

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

John P. Jewell

4599. Living in a Plastic Bubble

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

Mark Trotter

4600. Rules and Routine

Luke 13:10-17

Illustration

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