Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 551 to 575 of 900 results

551. Redemptive Joy! - Sermon Starter

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

Brett Blair

In 2000 a homeless man by the name of William Wallace Brown, Jr. was buried in the graveyard of the prestigious St. John's Episcopal Church, across from the White House. This would not be unusual except that St. John's is called the "church of presidents." Since 1808, the time of the James Madison presidency, nearly every U.S. leader has worshiped there. So how is it, that this street bum was laid...

552. Reexamining Our Basic Assumptions

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

In Merle Miller's biography of Lyndon Johnson, he quotes President Johnson saying in 1969, after he had left office, "I never felt I had the luxury of re-examining my basic assumptions. Once the decision to commit military force was made, all our energies were turned to vindicating that choice and finding a way somehow to make it work." And, of course, it was that failure to reexamine the basic a...

553. Reflecting Light in the Dark Places

Luke 5:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

Alexander Papaderos, a doctor of philosophy, worked for many years trying to bring peace between the bitterly divided countries of Europe after WWII. His motivation for doing so stems from his childhood and a very odd event which took place. "When I was a small child," he said, "during the war we were poor and lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. ...

554. Rejection and Refusal to Listen

Luke 13:31-35

Illustration

Brett Blair

Robert Fulton, an artist and engineer was responsible in the early 1800's for putting sailing ships out of business. He made the steamboat a standard on the open seas. It is said that he presented his idea to Napoleon. After a few minutes of this presentation Napoleon is reported to have said, "What, sir, you would make a ship sail against the wind and currents by lighting a bonfire under her deck...

555. Relay for Life

Mt 16:24; 2 Tim 4:7

Illustration

Brett Blair

In January 1926, six-year-old Richard Stanley showed symptoms of diphtheria, signaling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome. When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective anti-diphtheria serum. But it wasn't long before Dr. Welch's supply ran out, and the nearest serum was in Nenana, Alaska 1000 mi...

556. Religion of the Founders

Illustration

Brett Blair

John Adams, our second U.S. President, observed the following: “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” A few decades later the House Judiciary Committee Report,...

557. Repairing our Lives

Mark 1:1-8

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: How God repairs our lives when we repent. Props: 8"x11" paper and tape. You will need one of each for every two or three children. If you want to make it interesting use several different kinds of tape. Optional: On each piece of paper draw the letters A, B, C, D, etc. You will be able to name the teams when they are done. Lesson: Good morning! (response) Does anyone know what Chr...

558. Repent Your Way To A Merry Christmas

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

A number of years ago a couple traveled to the offices of an Adoption Society in England to receive a baby. They had been on the waiting list a long time. They had been interviewed and carefully scrutinized. Now at last their dreams were to be fulfilled. But their day of happiness was another's pain. Arriving at the offices of the Society they were led up a flight of stairs to a waiting room. Afte...

559. Repent Your Way To A Merry Christmas

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Brett Blair

560. Repent Your Way to a Merry Christmas - Sermon Starter

Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

561. Rest

Matthew 11:25-30

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: In Christ there is rest from weariness. Props: A wrist watch. Lesson: How is everyone? (response) We are going to pretend like we are all sleeping. Everyone lay your head down. Let them rest for a few seconds. Ring, ring, ring. Look at your watch. Well, good morning it’s 7:00 and time to get up. Ok, everyone get up. Imitate the motions for them. Let’s Stretch. Everybody stretch....

562. Rewards

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Brett Blair

After serving as a missionary for forty years in Africa, Henry C. Morrison became sick and had to return to America. As the great ocean liner docked in New York Harbor there was a great crowd gathered to welcome home another passenger on that boat. Morrison watched as President Teddy Roosevelt received a grand welcome home party after his African Safari. Resentment seized Henry Morrsion and he tur...

563. Richie Rich

Luke 16:19-31

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: We must show concern and care for others. Props: Photographs of children who are shoeless, shirtless, and hungry. Lesson: Good morning! (response) How many of you have shoes on this morning? (response) How many of you have dirty socks on? (response) Just checking. I wonder how many shoes we have here. Let's count them. Everyone stick out your shoes. Count with me. Count the shoes. ...

564. Saving a Church - Sermon Starter

Hebrews 11 & 12

Illustration

Brett Blair

I imagine that different letters in the New Testament were written with varying degrees of haste. Paul wrote an angry letter to the church at Corinth. You can tell that as he wrote it he had a lot of things on his mind. On the other hand, the Book of 1st Thessalonians consists almost entirely of prayers and praise. Obviously, there was not a great sense of urgency about the letter. When Paul wrote...

565. Saving the Best for Last - Sermon Starter

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

The Jews attached great importance to the high moments of life. Thus a wedding was not just a brief ceremony, but an experience shared by the entire community. The typical wedding feast could last up to seven days. That sounds strange to our modern way of thinking, but this offered a bright interlude in an otherwise dreary existence. The ceremony would begin on Tuesday at midnight. After the weddi...

566. Saving The Best Till Last

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

567. Scandelon

Matthew 16:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

Some years ago Michael Card, a contemporary Christian artist, wrote a song called Scandelon. It is about the scandalous nature of the cross. The chorus goes: He will be the Truth that will offend them one and all. A stone that makes men stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And many will be broken so that He can make them whole. And many will be crushed and lose their very soul. Peter underst...

568. Science is Amazing

Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

Brett Blair

5th and 6th graders were asked to define some things in our world scientifically. When asked to define the law of gravity, the child wrote, "no fair jumping up without coming back down." Pretty good. Another said about thunderstorms, "You can listen to thunder and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it, you got hit, so never mind." A couple of them responded to questions abou...

569. Sealed by God

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Props: A warranty for a small appliance, the small appliance, an electric receptacle if possible. For purposes of the children's sermon, I will refer to a hand mixer. You may adapt the children's sermon to the type of appliance you can bring. Lesson: Good morning. Do any of you know what this is? (Hold up the mixer) Yes, it's an electric mixer. Have you ever seen your Mommy or Daddy use this? (Re...

570. Seinfeld's Last Episode

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

Most of you remember the Seinfeld show and many of you were fans. In its final Episode, which aired at the end of the 1998 TV season, the main characters (Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer) receive a one year sentence for failing to help someone who was being robbed. What happens is this: Jerry has just received a contract from NBC to do a sitcom and the network is flying them all to Paris as a g...

571. Sermon Outline on Prayer

Lk 11:1-13; Mt 6:5-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

Prayer forces us to consider our principle need: Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done. Prayer forces us to consider our physical need: Give us this day our daily bread. Prayer forces us to consider our personal need: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Prayer forces us to consider our pious need: Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

572. Servants of the Most High

Jn 15:1-8; Rom 7:7-8:2

Illustration

Brett Blair

In Letters to Scattered Pilgrims, by Elizabeth O'Conner, envisions that Christians can transform the world. Listen to her vision: "If we are each obedient to our visions the cities would have green spaces, birds in their trees, and architecture to quicken the awareness of the divine life throbbing in the whole of the world. And the towns? the towns would have galleries to hold the works of their a...

573. Set Free

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

Everyone knows the story of Helen Keller. I love that moment, let's call it the Helen Keller Moment, when she learned that a sign, a hand movement, could represent letters of the alphabet, learning that W A T E R could be represented by five distinct movements of the hands. Of that moment she said, "The living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!" There's a word for that: ...

574. Setting the Prisoners Free

Luke 4:14-30

Illustration

Brett Blair

No greater image of oppression and captivity exist today than that of World War II's Nazi concentration camps. Elie Wiesel, a teenager then, witnessed the death of many family members. He recalls the day when he, as well as the other prisoners, were finally liberated from Auschwitz by the allies. On that day powerful, strong soldiers broke down the fences of the concentration camp to release the p...

575. Shaping People's Lives Through Forgiveness

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Brett Blair

At the University of Notre Dame in 1981 a rather prophetic lecture was given that predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union. The lecturer called Communism “a sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written." A year later the same speaker told the British House of Commons that the march of freedom and democracy "will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of histo...

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Showing 551 to 575 of 900 results

551. Redemptive Joy! - Sermon Starter

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

Brett Blair

552. Reexamining Our Basic Assumptions

Mark 1:14-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

553. Reflecting Light in the Dark Places

Luke 5:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

554. Rejection and Refusal to Listen

Luke 13:31-35

Illustration

Brett Blair

555. Relay for Life

Mt 16:24; 2 Tim 4:7

Illustration

Brett Blair

556. Religion of the Founders

Illustration

Brett Blair

557. Repairing our Lives

Mark 1:1-8

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

558. Repent Your Way To A Merry Christmas

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

559. Repent Your Way To A Merry Christmas

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Brett Blair

560. Repent Your Way to a Merry Christmas - Sermon Starter

Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

561. Rest

Matthew 11:25-30

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

562. Rewards

Matthew 20:1-16

Illustration

Brett Blair

563. Richie Rich

Luke 16:19-31

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

564. Saving a Church - Sermon Starter

Hebrews 11 & 12

Illustration

Brett Blair

565. Saving the Best for Last - Sermon Starter

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

566. Saving The Best Till Last

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

567. Scandelon

Matthew 16:21-28

Illustration

Brett Blair

568. Science is Amazing

Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

Brett Blair

569. Sealed by God

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

570. Seinfeld's Last Episode

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Brett Blair

571. Sermon Outline on Prayer

Lk 11:1-13; Mt 6:5-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

572. Servants of the Most High

Jn 15:1-8; Rom 7:7-8:2

Illustration

Brett Blair

573. Set Free

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

574. Setting the Prisoners Free

Luke 4:14-30

Illustration

Brett Blair

575. Shaping People's Lives Through Forgiveness

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Brett Blair

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