Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 501 to 525 of 538 results

501. Use The Best Feed

Illustration

Michael P. Green

An old farmer attending a Sunday-school conference commented: “I find it amusing, all those papers and discussion on how to get people to come to the meetings. I have never heard a single address at a farmer’s convention on how to get the cattle to come to the rack. It’s simple—we just use the best kind of feed.”

502. Vines of Habit

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Have you ever noticed vines growing and spiraling around a chain-link fence? The fresh greens vines, the young ones, are easy to remove with a simple twist of your wrist. But the old think brown ones are very difficult to remove. It takes a lot of time and effort to break it off, and sometimes it won’t come off unless we are willing to also remove part of the fence itself. Bad habits are like a v...

503. Voltaire's Ironic Prediction

Illustration

Michael P. Green

In the midst of the enlightenment, when deism was spreading rapidly, Voltaire proclaimed that within twenty-five years the Bible would be forgotten and Christianity would be a thing of the past. Forty years after his death in 1778, the Bible and other Christian literature were being printed in what had once been Voltaire’s very own home!

504. Volunteers or Duty Bound

Matt. 25:21; 1 Cor 9

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Do you apply the same standards of faithfulness to your Christian activities that you expect from other areas of your life? If your car starts once every three tries, is it reliable? If your paperboy skips delivery every Monday and Thursday, is he trustworthy? If you don’t go to work once or twice a month, are you a loyal employee? If your refrigerator stops working for a day or two every now ...

505. Vvvrooommm

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

A city boy decided he need to cut some wood and would DIY it. He went into a hardware store early one morning and asked for a saw. The salesman took a chain saw from the shelf and commented that it was their “newest model, with the latest in technology, guaranteed to cut ten cords of firewood a day.” The customer thought that sounded pretty good, so he bought it on the spot. The next day the cust...

506. Waiting Vs Watching

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The Lord told us not only to wait for him but to watch for him, and he has pronounced a special blessing on those who watch. The difference between waiting and watching is illustrated in a story told of a Scotch fishing village. After days at sea, the skipper of a fishing boat was bringing his craft back home. As the boat neared the shore, the men gazed eagerly toward the dock, where a group of t...

507. Water Your Faith

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The desert is seemingly void of all life, but given a little rainfall, life springs into existence and beauty. Life is there, but it is dormant. Unbelief is like that. It is the desert of one’s being. But the potential for life is there and needs only to be watered by faith to spring into existence and beauty.

508. We Don't Like Pop

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A wife came to the conclusion that carbonated drinks were having negative physical effects on her family and herself and so decided that they should give them up. But how would she convince her three-year-old daughter, who liked them so much, that it was necessary to stop drinking them? As the wife was telling her husband of her decision, the little girl, who had heard the conversation, piped up ...

509. We Have No Record of It

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A wealthy English merchant who lived on the European continent was satisfied with nothing but the best. This attitude extended even as far as the cars he owned. His pride and joy was a Rolls-Royce coupe that he had owned for years and that had given great service all that time. One day, while driving down a bumpy road, his car hit a deep pothole, resulting in a broken rear axle. The owner had the...

510. What A Preacher Says

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

A minister was making a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. As he was pounding away, he noticed that a little boy was watching him. The youngster didn’t say a word, so the preacher kept on working, thinking the lad would leave. But he didn’t. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor said, “Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?” “No,” replied the ...

511. What Can I Give You

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The following appeared in Home Living, May 1980: My child, what can I give you? I should like to give you everything so that you lack for nothing, not even one single desire, but I know that for want of many things I have come to be satisfied with what I have and to think of others and their needs. I should like to give you a life full of fun and games, but I know that because of many “chores” a...

512. What Did You Expect?

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

A family sat down at the dinner table following church one Sunday. “The sermon was boring today,” said the teenage son. “Yeah, could you believe how the pastor stumbled over the reading of the Scripture?” his sister chimed in. “I’ve got to admit it was an uninspiring day,” said Mother. “The choir was terrible.” Finally, father, showing his leadership, said, “Hush, you guys. Quit complaining. W...

513. What Do You Make?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A new homeowner’s riding lawn mower had broken down, and he had been working fruitlessly for two hours trying to get it back together. Suddenly, one of his neighbors appeared with a handful of tools. “Can I give some help?” he asked. In twenty minutes he had the mower functioning beautifully. “Thanks a million,” the now-happy newcomer said. “And say, what do you make with such fine tools?” “Most...

514. What God Can't Do

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A young boy was waiting after church for his family. The pastor saw him standing around and struck up a conversation. Since the boy had just come from Sunday school, the pastor decided to ask him some questions to determine just how much the children were learning there. He said, “Young man, if you can tell me something that God can do, I’ll give you a big shiny apple.” Thoughtfully the boy replie...

515. What have you to live for?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Some time ago, psychologist William Moulton Marston asked three thousand persons, “What have you to live for?” He was shocked to find that 94 percent were simply enduring the present while waiting for the future. They would describe this as waiting for “something” to happen—waiting for children to grow up and leave home, waiting for next year, waiting for another time to take a long-dreamed-about...

516. What Is A Christian

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

A small boy sat in church with his mother and listened to a sermon entitled “What is a Christian?” Every time the minister asked the question, he banged his fist on the pulpit for emphasis. The tension produced by the sermon built up in the boy and he finally whispered to his mother, “Mama, do you know? Do you know what a Christian is?” “Yes, dear,” she replied. “Now sit still and be quiet.” Fi...

517. What is Love?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

What is love? It’s silence when your words would hurt. It’s patience when your neighbor’s curt. It’s deafness when the scandal flows. It’s thoughtfulness for another’s woes. It’s promptness when stern duty calls. It’s courage when misfortune falls.

518. When You Feel the Tug

Illustration

Michael P. Green

There is a story about a boy flying a kite. The kite was so high that it had disappeared into the clouds. A man came by and asked, “Why are you holding on to that string?” The boy said, “I’ve got a kite up there.” The man looked up and said, “I don’t see it.” The boy replied, “Well, I know it’s there because I can feel the tug.” That’s like the witness of the Holy Spirit within us. We may not alw...

519. When Your Struggles Subside, You're Ready

Illustration

Michael P. Green

A parable is told about man who fell into the water. It was obvious that the poor fellow couldn’t swim, as he thrashed about wildly. A man on the banks, a strong swimmer, watched until the wild struggles subsided. Then he dove in and pulled the man to safety. When the rescue was over, the rescuer explained his slowness to act. “If I had jumped in immediately, he would have been strong enough to dr...

520. Where Am/Was I

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Some of us are like Christopher Columbus when it comes to our understanding: He didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t know where he was when he got there. He didn’t know where he had been when he returned.

521. Where’s the Piccolo?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Sir Michael Costa was conducting a rehearsal in which the orchestra was joined by a great chorus. About halfway through the session, with trumpets blaring, drums rolling, and violins singing their rich melody, the piccolo player muttered to himself, “What good am I doing? I might as well not be playing. Nobody can hear me anyway.” So he placed his instrument to his lips but made no sound. Within m...

522. Which Way You Go

Illustration

Michael P. Green

In Alice in Wonderland, at one point Alice says to the Cheshire Cat, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where,” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. As with Alice, so with us and the church. Without objectives, we will have nowhere to go, and we’...

523. Which World?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

William Kelly was an outstanding student of the Bible whose scholarship and spirituality made him a real power for God in Great Britain at the close of the last century. Kelly had once helped a young relative prepare for Trinity College in Dublin and in this way came to the attention of the professors there. They urged him to take up work at the college and thus distinguish himself. When Kelly sho...

524. Who Put It There

Illustration

Michael P. Green

John Haldone, a scientist, once suggested to Monsignor Knox that in a universe containing millions of planets it was inevitable that life would appear by chance on one of them. “Sir,” said Knox, “if Scotland Yard found a body in your Saratoga trunk, would you tell them, ‘There are millions of trunks in the world — surely one of them must contain a body’? I think they still would want to know who p...

525. Who Was Paul?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

Some years ago, a clergyman of the Church of England attended an early-morning prayer meeting in behalf of Israel in an East London Jewish mission. Coming out on the street, he met another clergyman, who had attended a special service at St. Paul’s Cathedral on the anniversary of the conversion of the apostle Paul. After greeting each other, the second minister asked the other where he had been. H...

Showing results

Showing 501 to 525 of 538 results

501. Use The Best Feed

Illustration

Michael P. Green

502. Vines of Habit

Illustration

Michael P. Green

503. Voltaire's Ironic Prediction

Illustration

Michael P. Green

504. Volunteers or Duty Bound

Matt. 25:21; 1 Cor 9

Illustration

Michael P. Green

505. Vvvrooommm

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

506. Waiting Vs Watching

Illustration

Michael P. Green

507. Water Your Faith

Illustration

Michael P. Green

508. We Don't Like Pop

Illustration

Michael P. Green

509. We Have No Record of It

Illustration

Michael P. Green

510. What A Preacher Says

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

511. What Can I Give You

Illustration

Michael P. Green

512. What Did You Expect?

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

513. What Do You Make?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

514. What God Can't Do

Illustration

Michael P. Green

515. What have you to live for?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

516. What Is A Christian

Humor Illustration

Michael P. Green

517. What is Love?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

518. When You Feel the Tug

Illustration

Michael P. Green

519. When Your Struggles Subside, You're Ready

Illustration

Michael P. Green

520. Where Am/Was I

Illustration

Michael P. Green

521. Where’s the Piccolo?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

522. Which Way You Go

Illustration

Michael P. Green

523. Which World?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

524. Who Put It There

Illustration

Michael P. Green

525. Who Was Paul?

Illustration

Michael P. Green

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