Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4651 to 4675 of 5000 results

4651. Closing the Curtains

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

The great thing about having small children is you have a great excuse to watch cartoons again. Well, I'll own up here. I watched them even before I had children. One cartoon that I am particularly fond of is Garfield the Cat. There is a great humor in those sarcastic witticisms of his. One cold winter night Garfield looks out the window and sees Odie the Dog peering through the window. Garfield thinks to himself: This is horrible. Here I am in the comfort of a warm house, well fed, and there is Odie ...

4652. The Name of Dives

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

Dives is not a name. It is a Latin adjective which simply means rich. This is how the tradition evolved which gave the rich man the name of Dives. If wealth prevents us from getting into heaven, then Abraham wouldn't be the one meeting Lazarus because he was a very wealthy man. The rich man does not end up in torment because he is rich, but because of his indifferent and uncaring attitude toward poor Lazarus.

4653. I Was Hungry

Luke 16:19-31; Matt 25:31-36

Illustration

Adrian Dieleman

I WAS HUNGRY and you circled the moon. I WAS HUNGRY and you told me to wait. I WAS HUNGRY and you set up a commission. I WAS HUNGRY and you talked about bootstraps. I WAS HUNGRY and you told me I shouldn't be. I WAS HUNGRY and you had napalm bills to pay. I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Machines do that kind of work now." I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "The poor are always with us." I WAS HUNGRY and you said, "Law and order comes first." I WAS HUNGRY and you blamed it on the Communists. I WAS HUNGRY and you said ...

4654. Are You a Missionary?

Lk 16:19-31

Illustration

King Duncan

Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary to Labrador was guest at a dinner in London together with a number of socially prominent British men and women. During the course of the dinner, the lady seated next to him turned and said, "Is it true, Dr. Grenfell, that you are a missionary?" Dr. Grenfell looked at her for a moment before replying, "Is it true, madam, that you are not?" That is a powerful question. Is it true that you are not a missionary? How would we like to deal with that question when we stand ...

4655. Which Kingdom?

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

James Merritt

I heard about a Sunday School teacher that told his class about the story of the rich man and Lazarus. He highlighted the good end of Lazarus and the bad end of the rich man. He pointed out how one man went to hell and the other man went to heaven. He also pointed out how rich one man was and how poor the other man was. After the teacher taught his lesson he said to the class, "Now which would you rather be, boys, the rich man or Lazarus?" One boy raised his hand and said, "Well, I'd like to be the rich ...

4656. Which Way Will You Go?

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

James Merritt

Here is a fascinating meteorological fact. When a drop of water falls on the Continental Divide, if it falls just a little to the one side of the Divide; that drop of water will continue to go and flow on toward the West until it goes out into the Pacific Ocean. But if that same drop of water falls and turns to the other side of the Continental Divide, it will continue to flow until it reaches the Mississippi Valley, down into the Mississippi River, down into the Gulf of Mexico, and finally out into the ...

4657. Nine Reasons They Did Not Return

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

King Duncan

Why did only one man cleansed from leprosy return to thank Jesus? Someone has made a list of nine suggested reasons why the nine did not return: One waited to see if the cure was real. One waited to see if it would last. One said he would see Jesus later. One decided that he had never had leprosy in the first place. One said he would have gotten well anyway. One gave the glory to the priests. One said, "O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything." One said, "Any rabbi could have done it." One said, "I was ...

4658. Does Everyone Do That?

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Frank Lyman

The story is told of a farmer who went into town for a little breakfast. As his meal was set before him, he bowed his head and offered a silent prayer. The man at the next table derided him, "Hey, does everybody do that where you come from?" "No," said the farmer. "The pigs don't."

4659. Have You Forgotten Something?

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Mark Trotter

I can recall three rhetorical questions that accompanied me throughout my childhood. The first was, "Were you born in a barn?" That usually came when I left a door open, or didn't clean up my room. The second was, "When will you ever grow up?" which was a question my sisters asked me as a carefully planned, relentless program of persecution. The third one was, "Have you forgotten something?" That was the parental admonition, usually for not saying thank you after receiving some gift. This last question is ...

4660. No One Should Carry a Burden Alone

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

King Duncan

Andrew Davison tells of visiting Dr. Albert Schweitzer, that great humanitarian, theologian, musician, physician and missionary at his jungle hospital at Lambarene, on the banks of Ogowe River. Schweitzer was eighty-five years old at the time. One event stands out in Davidson's mind. It was about eleven in the morning. The equatorial sun was beating down mercilessly, and a group of visitors was walking up a hill with Dr. Schweitzer. Suddenly Schweitzer left the group and strode across the slope of the hill ...

4661. Helping Others, Showing Gratitude

Lk 17:11-19

Illustration

King Duncan

A man named John Canuso made a deal with God. His nine-year-old daughter, Babe, had just been diagnosed with leukemia, and as he knelt at her bed, he swore: "You save my kid, I'll dedicate my life." God did indeed save his daughter. Babe married and had a boy, a child she thought she'd never have, after all the radiation and chemotherapy. John kept his promise. John was a builder by trade. In 1974, the year his daughter became ill, he reached into his own pocket to renovate and furnish a rundown ...

4662. There Is No Superman

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Just before takeoff on an airplane flight, the stewardess reminded Mohammed Ali to fasten his seatbelt. "Superman don't need no seatbelt," replied Ali. "Superman don't need no airplane either," retorted the stewardess. Ali fastened his belt. I like that story for two reasons. One I admire the quick wit and response of the stewardess. Arrogant braggers need to be brought down to size. Two, no matter who we are, none of us is self-sufficient. We can't make it on our own. There is no Superman. We better ...

Prayer does not need proof outside itself because its proofs are within. It is in the nature and function of man, like breathing, eating and drinking, and he practices it as part of his very being.

Samuel Johnson

4664. If You Just Hold Up Your Head

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Staff

In a Peanut's cartoon Lucy encourages Charlie Brown: "Look at it this way, Charlie Brown," she consoles. "These are your bitter days. These are the days of your hardship and struggle ..." The next frame goes on: "... but if you just hold your head up high and keep on fighting, you'll triumph!" "Gee, do you really think so, Lucy?" Charlie asks. As she walks away Lucy says: "Frankly, no!" Hope is like that. We speak of it more often than we believe in it. Hope is not a strong word for us. It has more to do ...

4665. Parable of the Crazy Old Lady

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

Frankly, don't we wish that Jesus had told this parable in a little different way. Couldn't he have gotten the same point across if He had told it something like this: Verily, verily I tell you that once upon a time there was a good lady who lived next door to an atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear her. He thought to himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn't she know there is no GOD!" Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and ...

4666. An English Grammar Reminder

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

I want you to reach back into your Junior High school experience and remember something your English teacher taught you. For some of you that's going to be quite a stretch. For others not so much. You know who you are. The concept I want you to pull up into your memory banks is the concept of a metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech in the English language where you use something totally unrelated to a particular idea, to describe that idea. Usually metaphors capture our attention, because in a few ...

4667. We Are God’s Answer to Injustice

Luke 9:18-27

Illustration

King Duncan

Listen to me. If you are being bullied in school, God knows about it and God hates it. If you are being harassed in the workplace, for any reason, God hates it. If you are being taken advantage of or if you are taking unfair advantage of someone else there will be a day of reckoning. If there is anyone anywhere praying for God to intervene and put an end to their oppression, eventually that prayer will be heard and that which is wrong will be set right. That's the promise of Scripture. Now, where does that ...

4668. A Long Flight

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Staff

The first transcontinental flight across the country from New York, NY to Long Beach CA was completed by American aviation pioneer Cal P. Rodgers in an early Wright flyer called the Vin Fiz after a soft drink company that sponsored the trip. On September 17, 1911 he left Sheephead Bay at Brooklyn NY and arrived in California on December 10, 1911, 84 days later. Rodgers actual time in the air was 3 days, 10 hours and 14 minutes. The airplane was forced down by weather and mechanical failure more than 30 ...

4669. Do You Call That Nothing?

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Staff

The French Jesuit scholar Claude Fraguier pursued a case at law for 20 years that his friends continued to tell him he had no chance of winning. Finally and firmly a judgment was made against him. With the decision his friends reminded him of their counsel with the admonishment that he could have spared himself much sorrow if he had listened to them earlier. After such a long legal battle he was left with nothing. He replied, "Every night before falling asleep I've managed to win this case. Do you call ...

4670. Preparation G

Humor Illustration

Staff

Milton Berle understood persistence. "Mr. Television" during the 1950's was one of the great entertainers of the 20th century on stage, in film, radio and finally as a pioneer of television. Here are a couple of his one-liners about persistence: How would the guy have felt if he quit after 6 UP? Or the guy that stopped at Preparation G?

4671. Do We Drive Him Crazy with Our Prayers?

Lk 18:1-8

Illustration

King Duncan

There is an old story about a tailor who visits his rabbi and says, "I have a problem with my prayers. If someone comes to me and says, `Mendel, you're a wonderful tailor,' that makes me feel good. I feel appreciated. I can go on feeling good for a whole week, even longer on the strength of one compliment like that. But if people came to me every day, one after another, hour after hour, and kept saying to me `Mendel, you're a wonderful tailor,' over and over again it would drive me crazy. It would soon get ...

Luke 18:1-8

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins, not through strength, but through persistence. Let our prayers be streams which beat upon the rock of Evil.

Frank Lyman

4673. 8 Signs You're Not Reading Your Bible

2 Tim 3:14-4:5

Illustration

King Duncan

A group of boys and girls was asked to sum up what they had learned from the New Testament. Here is a summation of what they had learned: "Jesus is the star of the New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Republicans. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. "Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to ...

4674. Changed from the Inside Out

2 Tim 3:14-4:5

Illustration

King Duncan

God equips us for God's service though scripture. Paul writes to young Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." How does the Bible rebuke, correct and train in righteousness? An old parable says it best. An elderly man lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Tennessee with his young grandson. Each morning, Grandpa was up early reading from his old worn‑ ...

4675. Three Secrets of a Life Well Lived - Sermon Starter

2 Tim 3:10 - 4:8

Illustration

Brett Blair

"I understand your church is looking for a pastor. I should like to submit my application. I am generally considered to be a good preacher. I have been a leader in most of the places I have served. I have also found time to do some writing on the side. I am over fifty years of age, and while my health is not the best, I still manage to get enough work done to please my congregation. As for a reference, I am somewhat handicapped. I have never served in any place more than three years, and the churches where ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 4651 to 4675 of 5000 results

4651. Closing the Curtains

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

4652. The Name of Dives

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

Brett Blair

4653. I Was Hungry

Luke 16:19-31; Matt 25:31-36

Illustration

Adrian Dieleman

4654. Are You a Missionary?

Lk 16:19-31

Illustration

King Duncan

4655. Which Kingdom?

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

James Merritt

4656. Which Way Will You Go?

Luke 16:19-31

Illustration

James Merritt

4657. Nine Reasons They Did Not Return

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

King Duncan

4658. Does Everyone Do That?

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Frank Lyman

4659. Have You Forgotten Something?

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Mark Trotter

4660. No One Should Carry a Burden Alone

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

King Duncan

4661. Helping Others, Showing Gratitude

Lk 17:11-19

Illustration

King Duncan

4662. There Is No Superman

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Prayer does not need proof outside itself because its proofs are within. It is in the nature and function of man, like breathing, eating and drinking, and he practices it as part of his very being.

Samuel Johnson

4664. If You Just Hold Up Your Head

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Staff

4665. Parable of the Crazy Old Lady

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

4666. An English Grammar Reminder

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Brett Blair

4667. We Are God’s Answer to Injustice

Luke 9:18-27

Illustration

King Duncan

4668. A Long Flight

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Staff

4669. Do You Call That Nothing?

Luke 18:1-8

Illustration

Staff

4670. Preparation G

Humor Illustration

Staff

4671. Do We Drive Him Crazy with Our Prayers?

Lk 18:1-8

Illustration

King Duncan

Luke 18:1-8

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins, not through strength, but through persistence. Let our prayers be streams which beat upon the rock of Evil.

Frank Lyman

4673. 8 Signs You're Not Reading Your Bible

2 Tim 3:14-4:5

Illustration

King Duncan

4674. Changed from the Inside Out

2 Tim 3:14-4:5

Illustration

King Duncan

4675. Three Secrets of a Life Well Lived - Sermon Starter

2 Tim 3:10 - 4:8

Illustration

Brett Blair

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