Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 701 to 725 of 1089 results

701. Lewis on the Importance of Salvation

Luke 13:1-9

Illustration

John Piper

... the thousands. One of the reasons I think God so greatly blessed the ministry of C. S. Lewis, and still blesses it, is that Lewis never had an elitist, artsy love for fine literature or fine music or fine culture in any form, though he himself was a great artist. In his life everything is subordinate to the salvation of lost sinners. I find what he says a tremendous inspiration to keep the perishing before our eyes as we do our work and pray how God would use us to wake them up. Listen to Lewis for the sake ...

702. The Other Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32

Illustration

Brett Blair

Sir Noel Patton was a renowned artist. He was known for his exquisite and beautiful paintings of birds and flowers and children at play. But in each of his paintings he would always put in the very corner some grotesque object, such as a serpent, or an eel. This is what Christ the master painter has done ...

703. The Awful Grace of Amazing Grace

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... been amazingly overused and amazingly misunderstood and amazingly trivialized — it is “Amazing Grace.” [This might be a time for you to play on the screen one or more of your favorite renditions of “Amazing Grace.” It has become almost obligatory for every artist to have one. For my favorite one by bass player Victor Wooten, see the URL below. Probably the most beloved rendition of the song today is the “My Chains are Gone” version by Chris Tomlin at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqJsBRFdrA0 ...

704. Radical Love at Home (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and she was graciously submitting along with the other slaves. Maybe she was a liberated Episcopalian out pursuing a career of her own. More likely, she was a good Jew, doing all the work and getting little credit for it. Back in the 1600’s, renowned artist Rembrandt did a painting of The Prodigal Son. It still hangs today in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rembrandt handles the question of the missing mother in a subtle way. She is portrayed in the hands of the father who has both of his hands on the back ...

705. Hope That Hangs In There

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of drought, creating an emergency so severe that even Atlanta came within 90 days of running out of water. The little town of Omre, Tennessee, was hauling water on fire trucks from Alabama and limited water availability to three hours a day. Christian artist Michael W. Smith and the mayor of Atlanta pleaded for people to hold prayer meetings asking God for rain. I don’t know for sure, but I heard the Baptists started sprinkling converts, the Presbyterians started dry cleaning, and the Methodists were ...

706. The Golden Hour

Jn 21:1-14

Illustration

King Duncan

Artist Bill Herring loves his home state of Texas. He sees beauty in the landscape, even in the dry desert ground and the dull, green bushes that squat along the horizon. Ordinarily, this landscape is dry and ugly. But then there comes what Herring calls the "golden hour." Sometime in the ...

707. Called by Many Voices

John 10:1-42

Illustration

John H. Pavelko

... rich and famous. They did not have a contest to see which shepherd would be the next "Israeli Idol." For us who do not live in an agrarian society, it is even harder to understand. I have never identified myself with a sheep. Popular artists write songs about soaring on the wings of eagles, not grazing with the lambs. Sheep have one particularly admirable quality. They will follow their shepherd wherever he leads them. They have learned to know him and trust him. They are not easily distracted by another ...

708. What Difference Does It Make?

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... "Very good." God didn't take off and go into hiding. On the contrary, from the very beginning God made Himself totally accessible. to man. More importantly, God wants a personal relationship with you. God created you. You are one of God's creative masterpieces. And an artist doesn't just walk away from his or her piece of art. In Exodus 19:5 God says: "Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples." II. It Makes a Difference to Jesus ...

709. Magnificent Fools

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... life in such a fashion. But a second look changed your mind, for draped across the back of the jeep was the broken, bleeding body of the young man’s wounded buddy. The fellow was obviously risking his life to save a friend. Beneath the cartoon the artist had this word, “P.S. He made it!” That lifted your feelings, but it wasn’t the important word. The important word of the cartoon was in bold face caps across the top: Magnificent Fool. The cartoonist would have you believe that the young man was a ...

710. Is It Okay To Laugh In Church?

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

James W. Moore

... is the joy fullest.” (Fosdick, Manhood of the Master, pp. 11-12) The Bible is indeed a radiantly joyful book. Here is a second thought… II. JESUS WAS ARADIANTLY JOYFUL PERSON. Unfortunately, our Lord has been too often pictured with a sad face. Artists have almost exclusively portrayed him as the man of sorrows. This is unfortunate because nothing could be more false to the character of Jesus than to picture him as sad and gloomy and all bleached out. To the contrary, everywhere he went, Jesus carried ...

711. The Church: The Dwelling Place of Wonder

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... he almost forgot why he was there. He took his portrait of Casals with the little bald-headed man bent over his cello, frozen in time against the plain stone wall of that chapel. Karsh said that he it that way to capture the loneliness of the truly great artists and the loneliness of the exile. Years later, when the portrait was on exhibition in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, another old, bald-headed man came day after day and stood for long moments at a time in front of the portrait. The Curator of the ...

712. The Darkness Where God Was

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... an anthem in our choir. “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” We see the glory of God in sunsets and starry skies in majestic mountains piercing the skies, and rain-forests with rich, greens the like of which artists have never been able to capture on canvas. But, let’s not forget that the glory of God may not just be in sunsets and starry skies. I sensed that frightful glory a few weeks ago driving home from church. It was the Wednesday night that the ...

713. When a Person Is Called

Galatians 1:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... one cookie, gave another away, therefore eleven is the correct answer.” Now, obviously Rembrandt used his imagination, because in his painting, rather than 13 persons being on the boat there are 14. What’s going on here? You wonder what sort of mistake has the artist made? You look closely and rather quickly locate Jesus. Then you try to pick out the disciples. There’s Peter, yes that’s Peter. And that one looks like John, yes. And there’s one who has quizzical look on his face. It must be Thomas ...

714. When It's Time to Reconcile

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Artist Billy Davis recorded a song a few years ago that goes something like this: “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony, I’d like to hold it in my arms and keep it company. I’d like to see the world for once all standing ...

715. Finding Our Place in All Creation

Genesis 1:1, 26-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to understand that we are the creation of God. II. AND GOD SAW ALL THAT HE HAD MADE AND IT WAS VERY GOOD. V. 31 In fact, good seems to be the prominent word of the creation story of Genesis 1. It was good, it was very good. Like an artist that has painted a masterpiece, a poet who has stirred souls with a poem, a musician who has raised the congregation to its feet in praise, so it is that the God of creation steps back from his work and says, “Ah yes, that’s what I want it to ...

716. The Darkness Before the Dawn

John 13:18-30, John 13:31-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... one that would portray that image? He looked high and low. Down in a dark Roman dungeon he found a wretched, unkempt prisoner to strike the perfect pose. The prisoner was released to his care and when the portrait of Judas was complete the prisoner said to the great artist, “You don't recognize me, do you? I am the man you painted seven years ago as the face of Christ. O God, I have fallen so low." Judas betrayed our Lord for 30 pieces of silver. At the showdown, Judas took the cash and let the credit go ...

717. Praising God All Day Long

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to generation, faithfulness is there. On a day like today, I just want to serve the Lord with gladness. I just want to come into His presence with singing. I just want to remember that I belong to God and that is all that really matters. If I were an artist, I would offer Him a painting. If I were an architect, I would build Him a beautiful sanctuary like this one. If I were a poet, I would write Him a poem. If I were a musician, I would sing Him a song. Since I am who I am, I ...

718. Believe

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... found some deep beliefs that I need in my life to carry me through the days of my living. I. I BELIEVE THAT GOD IS CLOSER THAN WE THINK. “And they will call him Immanuel—which means God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Several years ago, artist Bette Midler recorded the song, “From a Distance.” In that song, Bette Midler declares that “God is watching us. God is watching us. God is watching us from a distance.” It’s a beautiful song, but it is terrible theology. It is not what we believe as ...

719. The Exalted Christ

Mark 9: 2-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... scars are much more difficult to remove than outer ones." Could your soul use a lift today? Has depression, difficulty, duties and daily routines caused your soul to sag, your spirit to falter, your heart to sink? Christ came to lift us. Contemporary Christian artist, Tim Hughes, wrote a beautiful praise and worship song which goes: “Light of the world you stepped down into darkness, Opened my eyes; let me see. Beauty that made the heart adore you, Hope of life spent with you. So, here I am to worship ...

720. In Prayer’s Way

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Clapton has written an amazing autobiography (Clapton: An Autobiography [2008]). You all know who Clapton is. Some would place Clapton in the top 10 or even top 5 guitarists of all time. He was ranked #53 on the Rolling Stones magazine list of the "Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". He is the only person ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times. In his 2008 autobiography he tells of the time in his life when his drinking problem was so severe that, as he put it, “I ...

721. Finding Our Place in the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Christian artist, Twila Paris, does a song entitled, "How Beautiful is the Body of Christ." Some of the lyrics go like this: How beautiful when humble hearts give The fruit of pure lives so others may live. How beautiful the hands that serve The wine and the bread to the sons of ...

722. Being Open to the Impossible

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... before driving back to Gulfport that evening. I remember it, as though it were yesterday. It is one of those times that has a permanent place in our store of pleasant memory: the quaint French Quarter, New Orleans jazz, Preservation Hall, Jackson Square, Bourbon street, artists displaying their paintings on the street — but what I remember most was Jerry and I deciding to eat, and seeking a place to eat on the resources we had – those four rolls of coins: 2 rolls of nickels, 1 roll each of dimes and ...

723. The Horror before the Blessing

Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... disappear. In some cases, the family never knows what became of the "disappeared one." A Catholic priest, Ernesto Cardinal, went to the Archipelago of Solintename in Central America to teach the natives there about the Bible. When they heard this story, one local artist painted a picture of this scene, as though it had happened on his island. His rendering of this scene showed green-uniformed soldiers with AK-47s, shooting babies, and tying up the men. The background to the scene is the lush vegetation of ...

724. Return to the Lord, Your God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Lee Griess

... upon a ram has been caught by its horns in the bushes. God provided the sacrifice to take the boy's place. Up in the corner of the painting, however, is another figure. It is Jesus carrying his cross to Golgotha. It's an amazing picture, especially for a Jewish artist, and it is a theme for us in Lent. Lent reminds us that there is one who bears our sins before the throne of God. There is one who hears the cries of our hearts and receives them. There is one who waits to welcome us home. That is why ...

725. Ecological Politics

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... of animal cries, and his hands are directing the choreography of a marvelous beastly dance. The bear is on its hind legs, not to swipe and strike but to gyrate with the tempo of the child's clapping. The snakes slither in pairs forming artistic designs in the desert sands. Above, the vultures and hawks swoop and turn and bank and dive in aviary formation. The lions and tigers nod their heads as if in rhythm to celestial instrumentation. Slowly, and with mesmerizing fascination, the adults creep back to ...

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