Sermon and Worship Resources

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Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

R. E. Lybrand

... honor on your parents is by showing them that you're proud of them! Just as much as you like to know that your parents are proud of you, they like to know you are proud of them! Let me share a true story with you that will illustrate this point: It was opening night at the opera, and the leading soloist had laryngitis. The huge crowd, which had gathered in the great concert hail, was angry. They came to hear the famous singer. But, instead, an understudy would be singing the leading role. When the curtain ...

1377. It isn't Fair

Matthew 20:1-16

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: To illustrate the fact that life may not always seem fair, but we should not let that make us bitter towards others, but happy for others who do well. Props: Some kind of candy to give the children that they can eat in the sanctuary and that will keep them occupied; e. ...

1378. Encounters With Christ II: Jesus and Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

... . Some people think their religious experience is the only valid one… and they try to force their way on everybody they meet. They don’t understand that God is big enough to relate to each one of us differently, individually, uniquely, personally. Let me illustrate. Some years ago in another church a party was given to recognize a married couple for their outstanding work in the church’s youth program. Let me tell you about this couple. I will call them Betty and Bill. They had very different ...

1379. Encounters With Christ IV: Jesus and the Woman at the Well

Sermon

James W. Moore

... . Don’t change. I love you as you are.’ And then he said: “I relaxed. I came alive. And suddenly I changed! Now, I know that I couldn’t really change until I found someone who would love me whether I changed or not.” (The Preacher’s Illustration Service. Volume 12, No. 1, Ventnor, NJ) Then deMello ends with this powerful question. “Is this how you love me, God?” Indeed it is! And that’s what Jesus shows us here in John 4. Jesus took the initiative that day and reached out to the woman and ...

1380. Encounters With Christ VII (Easter): Jesus & Mary Magdalene

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... of Mark Twain. Would you say the house is just like Mark Twain described it in his books?” “O, I don’t know,” said the tourist… “wouldn’t have the foggiest notion. I’ve never read any of his books!” (Thanks to Rod Wilmoth for this illustration 1-17-93) Visiting his shrine, but ignoring his books. Sadly, that may be a pretty good description of how many people deal with Jesus Christ. They visit his shrines, but fail to accept Him and follow Him and fail to apply His teachings to their daily ...

1381. A Sealed Promise

Ephesians 1:13

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

Exegetical Aim: To illustrate the permanence of a seal. Props: A piece of writing paper, a pen, a candle, a match, and something to leave an impression in wax A ring with some kind of insignia would be best. You will probably want to practice this at home before doing it for the children. ...

1382. Throw Your Heart at the Sky

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Carl Jech

... in the grace of God. One of the most touching expressions of this trust is the wonderful gospel song, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me." More than once Jesus is pictured as using the birds of the air to illustrate the experience of warm, personal trust in God. Oscar Hammerstein also captured this ethos of personal faith and trust in his lyrics relating to birds. In South Pacific he countered pessimism with the observation that "every whippoorwill is selling me a bill, and telling me ...

1383. Jesus Meets Buddha and Confucius

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Carl Jech

... and infinite, multiple identies through which we can work out our karma, reincarnational thinking encourages a relatively laissez faire or detached attitude toward issues of social justice and ethics. In contrast, the Christian attitude is characterized by a certain impatience, as illustrated by a cartoon I saw recently in which a little guy is looking up to heaven and saying, "Er ... in case you haven't noticed ... the meek are still getting creamed down here ..." As we have noted many times, the whole ...

1384. The Necessity of Repentance

Luke 13:1-9

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

Call to Worship Pastor: Even though crises are not always caused by sin, the truth remains that we must repent of our sins, or face a worse crisis. People: We believe in God's final judgment, but we still excuse ourselves from sincere repentance. Pastor: Jesus illustrated our condition with a fruitless fig tree that was given a final chance to bear fruit. People: We do not want to wait until it is too late. May God help us to turn from our sinful ways. Collect Almighty God, whose patience with our sins is ...

1385. The Narrow Door

Luke 13:22-30

Bulletin Aid

Carl Hoefler

Call to Worship Pastor: Jesus illustrated salvation as struggling to enter through a very narrow door. People: We are afraid he means not many of us will be saved. Pastor: Jesus is neither trying to keep us out nor fill us with fear. He is warning us to take seriously the Christian life if we expect ...

1386. No Ignorant Brethren

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

Rev. Kenneth H. Sauer

... When we look at the New Testament we find that there is a very close relationship between the faith of the first. Christians which is described in rich language, and the life of the first Christians which is supremely practical and pragmatic. We have an illustration of this connection in today's text. 1 Thessalonians was the first book of the New Testament to be written, coming before A.D. 50. It thus represents the faith of the earliest Christians. They had a strong belief in the immanent return of Christ ...

1387. Dollar Signs and Life Symbols

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Rev. Donald R. Shank

... in our life and faith. I also want to talk about our lives' symbols. I'll be asking you to think in terms of the images you have of your life - non-verbal images primarily. The symbols or insignias that point up what you're doing with your life; that illustrate your values or what you intend your life to mean. If you had to draw a symbol of your life, using something familiar or abstract or a combination, what would that symbol look like? What would it say about you? Oh, not in terms of your role in your ...

1388. The Great Banquet Feast

Luke 14:15-24

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

... it would be to get into the Kingdom of God! Solo 1: He was fascinated by the story. Solo 2: He was moved by the great things Jesus told. Solo 4: How God will reward those who open their hearts to the unfortunate. Solo 1: Jesus replied with this illustration. Narrator: A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to arrive. Solo 2: [Calling to those on the right] Come, for all is now ready. [Pause ...

1389. The Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

... are unprepared; not ready for work, for meals, for events they just seem to "put things off" naturally. That may be acceptable when dealing with earthly matters but when it concerns heavenly matters, if is tragic. Jesus said: Jesus: The Kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Solo 1: Sounds like a big wedding! Solo 2: Ten bridesmaids, Solo 3: Waiting for the great event, Solo 4: Going out to meet the bridegroom. Solo 3: What joy! Solo ...

1390. The Talents - A Parable of Stewardship

Matthew 25:14-30

Drama

Robert A. Lehmann

Theme: A parable of stewardship Characters: Narrator Four solo voices (Solo 4 doubles as Servant 1, Solo 2 doubles as Servant 2, and Solo 1 doubles as Servant 3) Narrator: The Kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going into another country, who called his servants together and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone. Solo 1: He called them because they belonged to him. Solo 2: He trusted them. Solo 3: He gave what he had to ...

1391. Take Up Your Cross

Luke 8:1-15

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

It'll make you undefeatable! In Luke 8:4-8, our Lord tells a parable about "the sower and the seed" to illustrate the proclaiming of the Word and human response. It is curious to note the audacious, almost reckless way in which the seed is sown. The sower must have been really throwing wildly, because we are told that some seed fell on the footpath, some on shallow rocky ground, some among ...

1392. The Drag Net

Matthew 13:47-52

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: a piece of netting. Lesson: Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by a fisherman - he casts a net into the water and gathers in fish of every kind, valuable and worthless. Will God miss you? Suppose the time comes for everyone to live in heaven and you are here on earth. Do you think that He will remember that you are ...

1393. When The Cheering Stopped

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

... these chapters what you will find is a persistent call to commitment. Consider a few of the events after he enters Jerusalem: Hungry one morning Jesus stops by a fig tree and finds no figs. He withers the tree because it is producing no fruit. It's an illustration: Jesus demands fruitful committed lives. A Parable is told: Who is more committed? The son who says, “I will work” and then does not or the son who says, “I will not work,” repents, and gets the work done? It is the son who does the work ...

1394. Gorbachev! Christ is Risen!

John 20:1-18

Illustration

... calls for a loved one and we are left behind. When loneliness threatens to take over every waking moment of our lives the cross emerges from the crowd. And as it does the figure of Jesus Christ obscures all that hate, death, and loneliness can muster. Phillips Brooks' short poem illustrates this: Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer; Death is strong, but Life is stronger; Stronger than the dark, the light; Stronger than the wrong, the right; Faith and Hope triumphant say, Christ will rise on Easter Day.

1395. Love One Another

John 13:31-38

Illustration

Lee Griess

... high band, unsure of our parts, tentative in our roles, reluctant to trumpet forth the music of faith that God desires of us. And that's because we have trouble deciding what's most important. An incident a couple of summers ago in San Antonio, Texas, illustrates what I'm talking about. It was a hot, 99-degree August day when a ten-month-old baby girl was accidentally locked in a parked car by her aunt. Frantically the mother and the aunt ran around the auto in near hysteria, while a neighbor attempted ...

1396. The Kind of Church to Become

Acts 2:1-13

Illustration

Johnny Dean

In his marvelous book, The Kingdom of God is a Party, Tony Campolo tells a story that illustrates how I believe the church must begin to live out our witness in the new millennium. Campolo was attending a Christian conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. Since there was a six-hour time differential between Honolulu and his hometown in Pennsylvania, on his first night there Campolo experienced some confusion in ...

1397. What Jesus Saw In Martha

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

1398. The Friend At Midnight

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... school, and accept the responsibilities that go along with discipleship? We all want to have a meaningful prayer life. But how many of us persistent about it? Jesus considered this such an important point that he later told another story in Luke 18 that illustrates the same thing—the importance of persistence in prayer. He told of a widow who had a court case that she wanted settled. These Roman magistrates were notoriously corrupt and since she had no power to bully or intimidate them and not money ...

1399. Come From Anywhere

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

... ones are lighted home. Long centuries ago a Canaanite woman, whose name we do not know, demonstrated dramatically that the path of faith is the open way to God. And Jesus made it clear that day that by this path anyone may come from anywhere. Let me illustrate the truth of this. It is said that in ancient Greece, when the Grecian gods were supposed to dwell at the summit of Mount Olympus, an aged man, extremely ill, painfully made his way to the foot of that mountain, seeking the succor of the gods. Here ...

1400. The Quality of Mercy

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

... to put it! And to provide that place we need the soul-stretching exercise of forgiving people their offenses against us. I have been saying that our forgiving others helps put us in condition to receive the forgiveness of God. Now, let us change the figure a wee bit and illustrate this another way: Our forgiving others opens the gates by which God's forgiveness of our sins may enter. You see, God's gifts to us come in at the same gate our gifts to others go out, and if our giving gate is closed, so is our ...

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