Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4801 to 4825 of 5000 results

4801. Blessed Are the Cheese Makers

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

Here is the infamous bit from Monty Pythons "Life of Brian." All great humor must have one essential element: Truth. This bit certainly has that. Jesus' words when misunderstood has lead to some pretty fantastic conclusions. And so, this is dedicated to all those knuckle headed interpretations throughout the years. There are two main characters in the bit who are called Trouble and Bignose. They are at the back of the crowd when Jesus is giving the Sermon On The Mount: Trouble: Well go and talk to him ...

4802. Beatitudes as a Song

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Eugene H. Peterson

This adaptation of the Beatitudes is from Message by Eugene H. Peterson: 3. You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5. “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 6. “You’re blessed when you’ve ...

4803. Let My Little Light Shine - Sermon Starter

Mt 5:13-20

Illustration

King Duncan

There are all kinds of theories about how to motivate people. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton hadn't won a game in eight weeks. A critical press was suggesting that he be dropped from the starting lineup. The future looked bleak, and Sutton felt terrible. Then, before a game, Dodgers manager Walter Alston tapped him on the shoulder. "I'd like to speak with you, Don," he said. Sutton prepared himself for the worst. "Don," said Alston, "I know how the past couple of months have been for you. Everyone' ...

4804. The Language of God

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

There was a mother mouse who decided to teach her children about the world. So she gathered all of her little mice and set out for a walk. They walked down the hall and turned to the right. Then they went down the hall and took another right. And suddenly they found themselves in front of the family cat dozing in the sunlight. The mother mouse was scared. But she didn't want to give in to her fright. So she signaled to the children to be very quiet and to follow as she began to tip toe quietly and slowly ...

4805. The Temptation We Face Everyday

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Warren Hudson

"One night at the end of a special Saturday night worship service," writes Warren Hudson of Ontario, Canada," a thunderstorm unleashed a bolt of lightning that plunged the church into darkness." With the congregation seated in total darkness, the pastor felt his way to the kitchen to find some candles. The pastor handed out the candles to everyone present. Persons lit their candles in much the same way as many churches do on Christmas Eve, each person lighting the candle of the person next to them. The ...

4806. A Better Influence

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Eric Ritz

One of my favorite Peanuts cartoons showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown. She said, "Guess what, Chuck. The first day of school and I got sent to the principal's office. It was your fault, Chuck." He said, "My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?" She said, "You're my friend, aren't you, Chuck? You should have been a better influence on me."

4807. Do You Sell Salt?

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Phil Thrailkill

In his book, Led by the Carpenter, D. James Kennedy writes: "A man walked into a little mom-and-pop grocery store and asked, ‘Do you sell salt?' ‘Ha!' said Pop the proprietor. ‘Do we sell salt? Just look!' And Pop showed the customer one entire wall stocked with nothing but salt. Morton salt, iodized salt, kosher salt, sea salt, rock salt, garlic salt, seasoning salt, Epsom salts, every kind imaginable. ‘Wow!' said the customer. ‘You think that's something?' said Pop with a wave of his hand. ‘That's ...

4808. Changing the World

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

James McCormick

It was during the early days of television. A workman was placing television transmitters at the very top of the Empire State building in New York City. Seeing him at work up there, so far off the ground, a reporter thought this would make a fascinating human interest story. So, when the workman had completed his task and had returned to the ground, the reporter approached him and asked, "Aren't you frightened to work under conditions like that? Isn't it dangerous to work so high off the ground?" The ...

4809. A Light in the Darkness

Mt 5:13-20

Illustration

King Duncan

Let me tell you a story about one of the most remarkable young men who ever lived. This young man had been left blind in both eyes by a childhood accident. In nineteenth-century France, when this young man lived, blind children had little help and few hopes. But then a kindly priest, Father Jacques Palluy, took an interest in the lad. He was amazed at the boy's intelligence and eagerness to learn. With his parents 'permission, Father Palluy enrolled the boy in the Royal Institute of Blind Youth in Paris. ...

4810. What about the Truth?

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

James Merritt

I'm reminded of a dialogue that took place in a class one day when the teacher came in and welcomed the students and said, "Now I want to lay down some ground rules. First, since no one has the truth, you should be open-minded to the opinions of your fellow students." Well, at that point a young lady raised her hand. The teacher said, "Elizabeth, do you have a question?" Elizabeth said, "Yes, I do. If nobody has the truth, isn't that a good reason for me not to listen to my fellow students? After all, if ...

4811. Turning on the Lights Despite the Risk

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

One of the boldest and most dramatic decisions of World War II was made by Admiral Marc Mitscher in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Late in the afternoon of June 20, 1944, Mitscher had dispatched a bombing mission against the fleeing Japanese fleet. It was pitch dark when the first of the flyers began returning to their carriers. But with the fleet under strict wartime blackout regulations and the pilots' fuel supplies running dangerously low, many of the flyers would never be able to find their way back ...

4812. Truth: The Most Powerful Idea

Gen 1:1; Luke 10:27

Illustration

Max Anders

Marilyn vos Savant, the brilliant woman who reportedly has the highest I.Q. ever recorded, writes a syndicated column in which she answers tricky questions from people who want the benefit of her intelligence. Someone wrote to ask what she thought is the most powerful idea. Marilyn vos Savant replied that "truth" was the most powerful idea she knew of, because it is not affected by how we relate to it. Whether or not we know it, or whether or not we agree with it, doesn't matter, because truth is still ...

4813. Kilkenny Cats

Matthew 5:21-26

Illustration

Staff

Jesus warns us against anger, and reminds us to find a better way to resolve our conflicts. It is impossible to avoid confrontations and conflict, but we should never let anger poison our relationships or lead to damage that is impossible to undo. It reminds me of a traditional Irish poem: There once were two cats of Kilkenny, Each thought there was one cat too many; So they fought and they fit, And they scratched and they bit, Till, excepting their nails, And the tips of their tails, Instead of two cats ...

4814. Get Rid of Your Anger

Mt 5:21-26

Illustration

King Duncan

Don't let your anger fester and grow. Act quickly. Get rid of it. It will do you no good. Author Kent Crockett tells about Sam and Jacqueline Pritchard, a British couple, who started receiving mysterious phone calls to their home in the middle of the night. The person on the other end never said anything. After a long pause, he would hang up. The Pritchards changed their phone number to stop the harassing night calls. The stalker changed his tactic. He started sending them obscene and threatening anonymous ...

4815. My Best Demons

Matthew 5:21-26

Illustration

Kathleen Norris

Kathleen Norris writes, "When I think of the demons I need to exorcise, I have to look inward, to my heart and soul. Anger is my best demon, useful whenever I have to go into a Woman Warrior mode, harmful when I use it to gratify myself, either in self-justification, or to deny my fears. My husband, who has a much sweeter nature than I, once told me that my mean streak grieved him, not just because of the pain it cause him but because it was doing me harm. His remark, as wise as that of any desert Abba, ...

4816. Going the Second Mile

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

James Merritt

Bill Walton learned that to play basketball for John Wooden you had to give up some rights. Coach Wooden had a rule against facial hair. If you played for him no facial hair was allowed. After a ten day break from school, Bill Walton came to practice wearing a beard. Coach Wooden walked up to him and said, "Bill, have you forgotten something?" Walton replied, "Coach, if you mean the beard, I think I should be allowed to wear it, it's my right." Coach Wooden said, "Do you really believe in that?" He said, " ...

4817. What Christians Are Really Made Of

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

C. S. Lewis

This text from Matthew makes me recall the words of C.S. Lewis, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am."

4818. Going Beyond Duty: The Second Mile

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

James Merritt

Shortly after the battles ended the American Revolution, but before the peace had been negotiated, George Washington was with his troops in Newburgh, New York. But they began to grow very restless because they hadn't been paid. Washington had begged the Continental Congress to do what they said they would do and pay the soldiers, but they refused. Well, some of the officers began to organize a rebellion. They talked about marching on Philadelphia, which was at that time the seat of the reigning national ...

4819. A Christian Conception of Justice

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Woodrow Wilson

The nature of men and of organized society dictates the maintenance in every field of action of the highest and purest standards of justice and of right dealing.... By justice the lawyer generally means the prompt, fair, and open application of impartial rules; but we call ours a Christian civilization, and a Christian conception of justice must be much higher. It must include sympathy and helpfulness and a willingness to forego self-interest in order to promote the welfare, happiness, and contentment of ...

4820. Rain on the Unjust

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Mark Twain

Mark Twain once said, "The rain is famous for falling on the just and unjust alike, but if I had the management of such affairs, I would rain softly and sweetly on the just, but if I caught a sample of the unjust outdoors, I would drown him."

4821. Showing Courage

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

In the movie "Ghandi", the great Indian leader is walking one day with a Presbyterian missionary, Charlie Andrews. The two suddenly find their way blocked by young thugs. The Reverend Andrews takes one look at the menacing gangsters and decides to run for it. Gandhi stops him and asks, "Doesn't the New Testament say if an enemy strikes you on the right cheek you should offer him the left?"Andrews mumbles something about Jesus speaking metaphorically. Gandhi replies, "I'm not so sure. I suspect he meant you ...

4822. Forgiveness Should Be the First Response

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

James Merritt

Let me give you a simple rule. Be quick to defend others, but be slow to defend yourself. Abraham Lincoln once said, "I never give an explanation of my actions to my critics." He said the reason is simple. "My friends don't need an explanation and my enemies wouldn't believe it." Now that is wise advice, but having said that I think it is worth noting that Jesus suggested two cheeks, not dozens of them. He was not advocating we become a doormat to people who try to abuse us or walk all over us. Paul went ...

4823. I’ll Fix Anthony

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Judith Viorst

In Judith Viorst's children's book, "I'll Fix Anthony," the younger brother complains about the way his older brother Anthony treats him: "My brother Anthony can read books now, but he won't read any books to me. He plays checkers with Bruce from his school. But when I want to play he says, "Go away or I'll clobber you." I let him wear my Snoopy sweatshirt, but he never lets me borrow his sword. Mother says deep down in his heart Anthony loves me. Anthony says deep down in his heart he thinks I stink. ...

4824. Say Gracias!

Matthew 6:25-34

Illustration

Mike Ripski

The late Roman Catholic priest and prolific writer on the spiritual life, Henri Nouwen, felt God call him from his faculty position at an Ivy League University to live with the poor in South America. In his book, "Gracias!" he writes: In many of the families I visited, nothing was certain, nothing was secure, MAYBE there would be food tomorrow. MAYBE there would be no sickness tomorrow. Maybe…maybe not. But whatever came to these people, they still greeted life with joy and with "Gracias!" What I presumed ...

4825. The Helpful Blacksmith

Matthew 6:19-24

Illustration

Mike Ripski

Once upon a time there was a blacksmith who worked very hard at his trade. It came time for him to die and go to heaven. God sent an angel to get him. But he refused to go. He said, "My neighbors are now planting and sowing their crops, and I'm the only blacksmith in town. If something happens to their equipment, it'll need to be fixed, and if I'm not here to do it, they won't be able to get their crop in. So would you please leave me, so I can serve my neighbors?" The angel had never run into anybody that ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 4801 to 4825 of 5000 results

4801. Blessed Are the Cheese Makers

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

4802. Beatitudes as a Song

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Eugene H. Peterson

4803. Let My Little Light Shine - Sermon Starter

Mt 5:13-20

Illustration

King Duncan

4804. The Language of God

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

4805. The Temptation We Face Everyday

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Warren Hudson

4806. A Better Influence

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Eric Ritz

4807. Do You Sell Salt?

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Phil Thrailkill

4808. Changing the World

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

James McCormick

4809. A Light in the Darkness

Mt 5:13-20

Illustration

King Duncan

4810. What about the Truth?

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

James Merritt

4811. Turning on the Lights Despite the Risk

Matthew 5:13-16

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

4812. Truth: The Most Powerful Idea

Gen 1:1; Luke 10:27

Illustration

Max Anders

4813. Kilkenny Cats

Matthew 5:21-26

Illustration

Staff

4814. Get Rid of Your Anger

Mt 5:21-26

Illustration

King Duncan

4815. My Best Demons

Matthew 5:21-26

Illustration

Kathleen Norris

4816. Going the Second Mile

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

James Merritt

4817. What Christians Are Really Made Of

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

C. S. Lewis

4818. Going Beyond Duty: The Second Mile

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

James Merritt

4819. A Christian Conception of Justice

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Woodrow Wilson

4820. Rain on the Unjust

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Mark Twain

4821. Showing Courage

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

4822. Forgiveness Should Be the First Response

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

James Merritt

4823. I’ll Fix Anthony

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Judith Viorst

4824. Say Gracias!

Matthew 6:25-34

Illustration

Mike Ripski

4825. The Helpful Blacksmith

Matthew 6:19-24

Illustration

Mike Ripski

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