Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4926 to 4950 of 5000 results

4926. A Beautiful Doxology

Matthew 11:25-30

Illustration

James W. Moore

Early one morning some years ago, Robert Raines got into his car and started driving through the mountains. There was no one on the road (at that time) as the mountains were quietly beginning a new day. The beautiful colors of autumn were splashed all over the trees. It was a magnificent and glorious sight as the early morning sun glistened upon the wonders of the mountains and the valleys below. And then it happened… Robert Raines saw one of the most beautiful things he had ever witnessed in his life. ...

4927. Jesus Is the Answer (What’s the Question?)

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Illustration

We have all seen signs in years past that say "Jesus is the answer." That sounds good, but it is overly simplistic. Let us suppose someone is seeking the solution to three plus three. The answer here is not Jesus, it is six. We need to sow the Word of God in a responsible, mature manner. We must not be immature or silly as we do so. Rev. Earl Davis was doing a Children's sermon one Sunday, and he asked the children, "What is brown, furry, lives in a tree and eats nuts?" Dead silence from the children. ...

4928. Birdbaths and Flagpoles

Mt 13:1-23

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

"I want to start a garden, but my yard's a little problematic," a customer told the proprietor at the yard and garden center. "I get blazing afternoon sunshine for about two hours, but otherwise it's all shade." "What kind of soil," asked the proprietor. "Hard clay, lot of rocks," said the customer, "What do you recommend I plant?" "Hmmm," mused the store owner. "Why don't you look down Aisle B. We've got a big new supply of birdbaths and flagpoles . . . " Maybe you have a lawn like that - good for growing ...

4929. Seeing Christians

Matthew 13:1-23

Illustration

King Duncan

Bruce Larson tells about a young African woman who came to the U.S. from Angola. Her name was Maria and she was always laughing. One day she went to a meeting on evangelism in her church where they were talking about pamphlets, missions, campaigns, and all the rest. At one point someone turned to Maria and said, "What do they do in your church in Angola, Maria?" "In my church," said Maria, after a moment's thought, "we don't give pamphlets to people or have missions. We just send one or two Christian ...

4930. Will They Grow? God Only Knows.

Matthew 13:1-23

Illustration

Johnny Dean

One summer, for some reason I have yet to discover, I volunteered to be a summer camp counselor and resident musician for a group of 23 pre-teenagers. It was a trying time, that loooong week, but we all made it through somehow without maiming or killing anyone. On departure day, the vast majority of the campers were crying, sad to be leaving camp. I take that as a sign that they at least had a good time. But just so you know that every great once in a while, we ARE accorded the rare privilege of seeing the ...

4931. What Are You Chasing?

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

King Duncan

I knew a racing dog once... down Florida way...greyhound, if I remember right. He lined up on a track with all the other greyhounds. Gun went off. Dogs went off. Around the oval. Toward the wire. Chasing a mechanical rabbit. Until this particular greyhound retired. Called it quits, just like that. I didn't know him all that well. But, as luck would have it, I got invited to his retirement party. Talking to him afterward, I said: "Do you miss the glitter and excitement of the track?" "No," he replied. "Well ...

4932. Yearning for Security

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

Rudolf Bultmann

Man forgets in his selfishness and presumption ... that it is an illusion to suppose that real security can be gained by men organizing their own personal and community life. There are encounters and destinies which man cannot master. He cannot secure endurance for his works. His life is fleeting and its end is death. History goes on and pulls down all the towers of Babel again and again. There is not real, definitive security, and it is precisely this illusion to which men are prone to succumb in their ...

4933. I Don’t Weed Because…

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

Some of you can relate to one unknown homemaker who wrote: I don't do windows because . . .I love birds and don't want one to run into a clean window and get hurt. I don't wax floors because . . .I am terrified a guest will slip and get hurt then I'll feel terrible (plus they may sue me.) I don't disturb cobwebs because .. . I want every creature to have a home of their own. I don't Spring Clean because . .. I love all the seasons and don't want the others to get jealous. I don't put things away because ...

4934. Keeping It Fresh

Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 9:14-17

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

Usually the orthodox rabbis of Europe boasted distinguished rabbinical genealogies, but Rabbi Yechiel of Ostrowce was an exception. He was the son of a simple baker and he inherited some of the forthright qualities of a man of the people. Once, when a number of rabbis had gathered at some festivity, each began to boast of his eminent rabbinical ancestors. When Rabbi Yechiel's turn came, he replied gravely, "In my family, I'm the first eminent ancestor. His colleagues were shocked by this piece of impudence ...

4935. Everyone Wants a Winner

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

Bishop Ernest Fitzgerald tells about a slightly crooked Texan who was a big racer of horses. He took one of his prize thoroughbreds to London for an international race. The Texan was back in the stable area prior to the race feeding his horse some suspicious-looking little white pills. The Duke of Marlborough who also had a horse in the race, happened to see what the Texan was doing. "My good man," he said, "Don't you know that that is illegal. You cannot give a horse any performance-enhancing drugs. I ...

4936. It IS Enough

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

Johnny Dean

In an article in The Christian Century magazine the problem of homelessness in America was being addressed. It was a long article, it was the cover story, discussing every possible aspect of the problem. And in this long article, this extensive examination of a serious problem, in a Christian publication, not one mention was ever made of the church and what the church could do to help. Homelessness? Sounds like a government problem to me! Send them away, Jesus. But Jesus says, "No. You give them something ...

4937. Many Kinds of Bread

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

Johnny Dean

In the English language, in some contexts, the word "bread" is synonymous with food. In other parts of the world, that's not true. For example, in Eastern Asia, when you say "food," people automatically think of rice. In Malaysia, the same applies to sweet potatoes. For every culture there is a "staff of life." For most it's bread. It's the basic thing you need to stay alive. But all these words - bread, rice, and sweet potatoes - can also refer to the emotional and spiritual basics that keep us alive. ...

4938. We Have Nothing Here

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Lord, we have nothing here but five loaves and two fish. That is the response of the ages when people feel overwhelmed by the world around them. It is the response of the parent worried about her child. The child has so many peers who exert so much pressure and is with those peers at school and at play far more than he is with the parent. So many influences; so many temptations to face... Parents hungry for answers ask "What are we to do? We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." It is the ...

4939. The Loaves and Fishes Still Work

Mt 14:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

Educator Parker J. Palmer was en route to a conference when the plane he was on made an unexpectedly long layover at an airport. A truck that was supposed to deliver the refreshments for the next leg of the journey broke down. Finally the pilot decided that it was more important to get his passengers on their way than to wait for the snacks to arrive, so he took off. As soon as they were in the air the passengers started grumbling. "A ticket is a contract," one said loudly, "and snacks are part of the ...

4940. Compassion Is a Gift from God

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

A man named Al Wiener survived the Nazi concentration camps of World War II. He entered a labor camp when he was 15. Years in those camps took their toll. Over time his weight dropped to 80 pounds and he was weak and always hungry. He was slowly starving to death. In one labor camp he worked in a textile factory. There were German women who worked in the textile factory. They were forbidden from speaking to prisoners like Al. They were not even allowed to look them in the eye. One day a German woman ...

4941. Up Into the Mountain

Matthew 14:22-36

Illustration

St. Chrysostom

For what purpose doth He go up into the mountain? To teach us, that loneliness and retirement is good, when we are to pray to God. With this view, you see, He is continually withdrawing into the wilderness, and there often spends the whole night in prayer, teaching us earnestly to seek such quietness in our prayers, as the time and place may confer. For the wilderness is the mother of quiet; it is a calm and a harbor, delivering us from all turmoils.

4942. I Built a Shrine

Matthew 14:22-33

Illustration

King Duncan

When Jesus told those early disciples to fear not he was not telling them to seek safety and security. Rather he was telling them to move forward, but to always trust him. Years ago there was a little comic strip that spoke to this quite beautifully. The comic strip "B.C.," set in cavemen days, had its hero, B.C., sitting in his fur loincloth, opening a box. A letter in the box says, "Congratulations! You have just purchased the world's finest fire-starting kit!" The next picture shows him reading on, "The ...

4943. Stronger after the Struggle

Matthew 14:22-33

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

British naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace was without peer in the 19th century except for one name: Charles Darwin. One of Wallace's most astute observations about nature has gotten totally forgotten in the whole debate over the "survival of the fittest." Wallace made a surprising discovery about the saving nature of struggle. One day Wallace was observing moths struggling to hatch out from their cocoons. One of the larger insects seemed to be having a particularly hard time getting out. After hours of ...

4944. Others Better Qualified?

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Frank Lyman

I read that in their 1909 high school yearbook, students in the high school in Abilene, Kansas, where young Dwight D. Eisenhower attended school, voted him most likely to be a history teacher in the future. Strangely enough, they voted his brother, Edgar Eisenhower, as most likely to be elected President of the United States. The other disciples were probably surprised when Jesus named Simon "Rocky Johnson" and declared that "upon this rock I will build my church." Surely there were others who were better ...

4945. What Do You Believe about Jesus?

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

David E. Leininger

What exactly do you believe about Jesus? Some years ago, in my seminary days, our first course in Systematic Theology dealt with that question. Our professor described Jesus as "the proleptic, salvific, hidden appearance of the eschatological kingdom of God." Did you get that? Take notes; there might be a test at the end of this. "The proleptic, salvific, hidden appearance of the eschatological kingdom of God." On our way out of class that morning, with the words of our gospel in mind, we chuckled at the ...

4946. This House for You

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Johnny Dean

Once there was a rich man who wanted to do something good for someone in his community. He spent a few days just traveling around his neighborhood and the general vicinity. During his travels, he noticed the poor living conditions of a certain carpenter who lived nearby. So the rich man went to the carpenter and hired him to build a house. "Now this isn't just any old house you'll be building," the rich man said to the carpenter. "I want you to build this house for a very special person. I want you to use ...

4947. True Greatness

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Staff

Napoleon knew that great as his military power was, it was eclipsed by a greater albeit different power. Hear his words: "I know man and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love: and at this hour millions of people would die for him."

4948. Anger Is a Choice

Mt 18:15-35

Illustration

King Duncan

David Augsberger wrote abook a few years ago about anger. He noted that anger is a choice. He said the only thing we don't have a choice about is the adrenal in which is being pumped into our bodies. He told about a large rock in his front yard. One beautiful afternoon he decided to move it using a 2x4 for leverage. Somehow the 2x4 slipped and the rock rolled back, breaking his leg. David remembered that no one was home, and he wondered how he was going to get up the front steps and into the house to the ...

4949. Control Your Temper

Mt 18:15-35

Illustration

King Duncan

They said that World War II military hero George Patton couldn't or wouldn't control his temper as a young officer. Patton once ordered a mule shot. Why? It had gotten in the way of his jeep. He forced members of an anti-aircraft unit to stand at attention for being sloppily dressed, despite the fact that they had just beaten off an attack and some of the men were wounded. In one notorious incident, he slapped a hospitalized, shell-shocked soldier, and denounced the man for being a coward. Patton's ...

4950. I’ll Need Another Book…

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Johnny Dean

And Jesus said to Peter, "Here's what I want you to do, Rocky. Go down to Wal-Mart and buy one of those big spiral notebooks they have on their back-to-school specials rack. Pick out a bright-colored one - red or yellow or orange - so you'll be able to keep up with it and know where it is at all times. Better buy some pencils, too - lots of pencils. Then, I want you to write down the name of everyone you know in that big spiral notebook. Leave lots of space between the names, now. You'll need it! And be ...

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Antonyms: deficient, imperfect

Showing 4926 to 4950 of 5000 results

4926. A Beautiful Doxology

Matthew 11:25-30

Illustration

James W. Moore

4927. Jesus Is the Answer (What’s the Question?)

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Illustration

4928. Birdbaths and Flagpoles

Mt 13:1-23

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

4929. Seeing Christians

Matthew 13:1-23

Illustration

King Duncan

4930. Will They Grow? God Only Knows.

Matthew 13:1-23

Illustration

Johnny Dean

4931. What Are You Chasing?

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

King Duncan

4932. Yearning for Security

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

Rudolf Bultmann

4933. I Don’t Weed Because…

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43

Humor Illustration

King Duncan

4934. Keeping It Fresh

Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 9:14-17

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

4935. Everyone Wants a Winner

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

4936. It IS Enough

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

Johnny Dean

4937. Many Kinds of Bread

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

Johnny Dean

4938. We Have Nothing Here

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

David E. Leininger

4939. The Loaves and Fishes Still Work

Mt 14:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

4940. Compassion Is a Gift from God

Matthew 14:13-21

Illustration

King Duncan

4941. Up Into the Mountain

Matthew 14:22-36

Illustration

St. Chrysostom

4942. I Built a Shrine

Matthew 14:22-33

Illustration

King Duncan

4943. Stronger after the Struggle

Matthew 14:22-33

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

4944. Others Better Qualified?

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Frank Lyman

4945. What Do You Believe about Jesus?

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

David E. Leininger

4946. This House for You

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Johnny Dean

4947. True Greatness

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Staff

4948. Anger Is a Choice

Mt 18:15-35

Illustration

King Duncan

4949. Control Your Temper

Mt 18:15-35

Illustration

King Duncan

4950. I’ll Need Another Book…

Matthew 18:21-35

Illustration

Johnny Dean

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