Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 126 to 150 of 5000 results

1 Corinthians 14:1-25

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... is of value not only to the individual but also to the church. This contrast holds unless the one who speaks in tongues also interprets, so that the church may be made aware of the contents of an otherwise private conversation. Several illustrations reinforce the point. If Paul were to come to the Corinthians speaking in tongues, clearly his visit would do them no good unless he also communicated in the intelligible language associated with the other speaking gifts. Similarly, the sounds produced by musical ...

127. In Remembrance

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... forget. 1. Fred Bauer, Daily Guideposts (New York: Guideposts, 1983), p. 343. 2. Contributed. Source unknown. 3. Cited in Robert J. Morgan, Preacher’s Sourcebook: Creative Sermon Illustrations (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007), p. 521. 4. Rodney Killam, http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-rodney-killam-stories-atonement-easter-goodfriday-12925.asp. 5. Grayson, “World’s Most Expensive Meals [Infographic],”Daily Infographic (7-25-12). Cited at http://www.preachingtoday ...

128. Apostles of Christ

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... , Paul said he ministered in weakness in order to demonstrate the power of the Spirit (2:1–5), and in a poignant passage in 2 Corinthians, he lists apostolic hardships and reactions to make this point explicitly (2 Cor. 4:1, 7–12). He likely means to illustrate how the power of the Spirit allows him and the other apostles to minister in the face of abuse so that the reality of God’s grace is manifested. In being abused and then responding with grace, the apostles exhibit the reality of God’s saving ...

129. Expel the Immoral Brother!

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... both to be part of the church and to continue to live in a manner unworthy of the truth of the gospel. Paul mentions so-called Christians who are sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler. This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. Paul is calling for the Corinthians to exercise discretion; he is not attempting to catalogue activities that are unacceptable for Christians. In turn, Paul directs the Corinthians not even to eat with such a so-called Christian. This remark is ...

130. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

... , as he takes the references to an ox eating as it works and to agricultural activities as being indicative of God’s will that the apostles take their sustenance from those among whom they ministered. Paul’s images and uses of illustrations at this point are occasions for some critics to accuse Paul of an abusive attitude toward the real elements of creation. Rather, Paul’s style of exegesis is typical of his day. Philo of Alexandria, persherim (written interpretations of the Old Testament ...

131. Job’s Reply to Zophar

Job 12:1--14:22

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... know that God has already declared Job “my servant” (Heb. ʿabdi) and affirmed his blameless and upright character (1:8; 2:3). On the basis of appearances, Job can only conclude that God is treating him as an enemy to be crushed and defeated. 13:25 Job illustrates the extent of God’s enmity with two preposterous examples. God’s hostility toward Job is so extreme that it is almost as if he is chasing after a windblown leaf in order to torment it. Imagine a dry, withered leaf swept from its last hold ...

132. God Needs To Save This Family

Hosea 1:1-2:1

Sermon

James McLemore

... Lo-ammi, because they do not act like anybody in our family. They don't seem to love anybody in our family. We cannot even be sure that they are our family. Like Hosea, we need to be asking, "Lord, what are you doing with our families?" And like the illustration of the little boy praying, we need to say a prayer, "God needs to save our family!" If we look around us, don't we need to be saying, "God needs to save our family"? If we look at the condition of our society, we need to be praying, "God ...

133. Proper 24

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 119:1-176

Bulletin Aid

William E. Keeney

... though people no longer want to hear sound doctrine, he should carry out his ministry as an evangelist. Gospel. (Luke 18:1-5) Jesus tells the parable of the insistent widow who brings her case to an unprincipled judge. He uses it to illustrate the need for persistence in faith. Even though the cause may appear to be hopeless under the circumstances, the widow prevails. Jesus wonders if his followers will exercise a similar faithfulness in the face of adversity and delayed fulfillment of the kingdom. Psalm ...

134. The Door

Mark 9:40

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... that day, which means you decided to do something else. Jesus referred to himself as a door. In John 10:9, we hear him say, "I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." He used that illustration as he was talking about being the Good Shepherd. What he meant was that he was the way through which we can find what we really need for the living of life. But we have to decide to spend time with him if we are to learn from him. "One ...

135. Advent 2

Mark 1:1-8, 2 Peter 3:1-18, Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

... some currency. And yet, once you rise up from some gigantic inward struggle, renewed, refreshed, realizing that God has answered your prayers and empowered your life, you begin to realize exactly what that word really means. I record below a wonderful example of this from Sports Illustrated a few years ago. There's a relevant sermon in this passage then: If we are patient in prayer, and are sincerely trying to live by what we know to be the moral rules of life, we will discover that though there may be dark ...

136. All Saints' Sunday

Mt 5:1-12 · 1 Jn 3:1-3 · Isa 26:1-21 · Rev 7:9-17; 21:9-11, 22-27; 22:1-5 · Ps 24 · Ps 34 · Ps 149

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... : 1. Saints are not perfect, just holy 2. Luther stressed that we are saint and sinner at the same time 3. In baptism, we are made God's saints 4. As we grow in grace, we come to realize that identity 5. Sainthood is a process of becoming Illustration: I grew up in a largely Roman Catholic neighborhood in south Omaha and was secretly envious of my friends in Catholic school. No, it's not that I felt that the education they were receiving was superior to mine. That wasn't even an issue. But the Catholics ...

137. Baptism of The Lord

Mt 3:13-17 ·Acts 10:34-48 · Is 42:1-9

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... weeds until the cows came home. That same evening the father took his son to a surprise dinner. He gave his son what he deserved earlier in the day but later on, at the dinner party, he gave him what he did not deserve. The son experienced grace. Illustration: We have all experienced the pain of now measuring up -- the opposite of grace. A young pastor tells of one such experience in his life. It was a big day. Tommy was going to the local amusement park with his family. With joy he anticipated the little ...

138. Easter 6

Acts 8:9-25, 1 Peter 3:8-22, Acts 17:16-34, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... with words, if necessary." The best way to sell the gospel is to live it. 2. Sermon Title: Making God Known. Sermon Angle: Paul's life was devoted to making God known through Jesus Christ. The altar to an unknown God, which he observed in Athens, illustrates the plight not only of the pagan world but of many who call themselves Christians. They have concepts and ideas about God but they do not know him either intellectually or through experience. The task of the church is to reveal the way by which the ...

139. Easter 7

Jn 17:1-11 · Acts 1:1-14 · 1 Pet 4:12-19, 5:6-11 · Ps 68 · Ps 27 · Ps 47

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the leaders of a community, where he was about to have a campaign. At one point, he wrote to the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and asked for the names of those whom he should be praying for. The mayor sent Billy a copy of the phone book. Illustration: My daughter got a card in the mail informing her that her pastor was praying for her that day. She belongs to a very large and speedily growing congregation, where the pastor knows very few of his parishioners. How can pastors effectively pray for their flocks if ...

140. Epiphany 3

Mt 4:12-23 · 1 Cor 1:10-18 · Is 9:1-4 · Amos 3:1-8 · Ps 27 · Ps 139

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... the rolls. The idea is to shift the emphasis to mainstreaming these folks into the marketplace. Such an idea is undoubtedly easier to propose than to implement. However, to live in perpetual dependence is indeed a type of bondage, a prison without bars. Illustration: Back in the 1960s, during the infamous rule of Uganda's Idi Amin, a plane-load of Jews was imprisoned at the Entebbe airport. Knowing that this madman might well kill his prisoners, the intelligence of the state of Israel orchestrated a daring ...

141. Lent 1

Mt 4:1-11 · Rom 5:12-21 · Gen 2:7 - 3:7 · Ps 32

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... you don't give them what they want, they'll turn on you in an instant. Don't throw away your life for the rabble. It will change nothing. Why not just settle down, get married, raise a family and escape the pain and turmoil of your hectic existence? Illustration: The year that the Berlin Wall was brought down we took into our home a 17-year-old girl from East Germany. She had been raised in an atheistic, totalitarian country and this was her first taste of freedom. It was a little bit like turning loose an ...

142. Lent 2

John 3:1-21, Genesis 12:1-8, Romans 4:1-25

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... 's Spirit entered him and gave him a new life. From his being born anew, a new nation, God's own people, were born. Believe God, trust in his promises, follow in faith and you will be born anew no matter what your age. Cure for snakebite. Jesus illustrates his saving mission with the story of the bronze serpent. The Israelites bitten by the fiery serpents, sent as a punishment for rebellion, were instructed to look up to the bronze serpent, which was set on a pole in the midst of the camp. The snake on the ...

143. Proper 12

Mt 13:31-33, 44-52 · Rom 8:26-39 · 1 Ki 3:5-12 · Ps 105

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... but I still remember its appeal. Paul says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness (v. 26). We all experience weakness, whether we're young or old, male or female. God doesn't help us by turning us into a muscle-bound brute but by lending us his strength. Illustration: Those of you who have witnessed a loved one die of cancer know of its debilitating weakness. One of the hardest things for me was to observe the helplessness of my once strong dad. He couldn't stand up or sit up by himself. He couldn't go to ...

144. Proper 7

Mt 10:16-39 · Rom 5:12 – 6:11 · Jer 20:7-13 · Gen 21:8-21 · Ps 86

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... God, there is no room for love - if we only love God, he is not a fitting object of worship 2. Jesus teaches that we should fear God, not people (v. 28) 3. Jesus also teaches that we can love God because he loves us (vv. 29-31) Illustration: One of the central reasons for family breakdown in our society is that parents no longer claim, yea, demand, their rightful authority. Children no longer fear God or their parents. Don't misunderstand; I'm not advocating that parents rule with an iron hand or that fear ...

145. Trinity Sunday

Mt 28:16-20 · Jn 3:16-18 · Gen 1:1--2:4a · Ex 34:4-9 · 2 Cor 13:11-13 · Ps 8

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... of Christ - to walk the walk as well as talk the talk 3. Harm comes from sharing the gospel in the wrong way (examples) 4. The greatest harm stems from refusing to share the gospel 5. Share concrete ways to witnessing in the right way Illustration: Life is three-dimensional. One of the early Greek philosophers posited that there were three primary elements of life in this world--earth, fire and water. We also employ the language of the Greeks to describe our humanity--body, mind and spirit. Jews, Moslems ...

146. What’s Going on at Your House?

Mark 3:31-35

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

... twofold. One, if Satan is at war with himself, he’s already a loser! Again what does he mean? He means: suspicion breeds suspicion, fingerpointing encourages fingerpointing, cruelty encourages cruelty, violence encourages violence, and war encourages war. He’s illustrating human nature. Distrust breeds more distrust. Even in the church, we tend to define our Christian loyalties by doctrines and practices which, by nature, create barriers and walls of separation. Why, if truth could be established by one ...

147. Giving with Open Hands

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

... and an imperceptible grunt, “Mer’ Cs’ms.” No one needs to draw a diagram of the hurt that goes into that scene. The gift, given without personal feeling carries more power to demean than the money has power to buy. We are saturated with illustrations of parents who work night and day to provide their children with everything money can buy, while withholding time and attention. To give with the back of the hand implies that little care or affection goes with the gift. After a while the gift itself ...

148. Read the Directions

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... by permitting one to copy the model. In Christ the world has its model of what God intended life on this earth to be. In “getting it together,” we need to copy the model. The qualities which Proverbs recommends for assembling the good life are supremely illustrated in the life of Jesus Christ. Take the matter of integrity or having a good name. Christ made many promises to the world in the New Testament. Across almost 2,000 years not one of them has failed. Joshua appreciated the faithfulness of God. In ...

149. Lent 2

Mk 8:31-38 · Rom 4:13-25; 8:31-39 · Gen 17:1-7, 15-16; 22:1-18 · Ps 22

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... faith. 2. For him the goal of life was not self-expression but obedience to God. 3. God's order to offer his son as a sacrifice was the supreme test of faith. 4. God can only do great things through those who pass the absolute obedience test. Illustration: A young man recently took the bar exam in the state of Iowa. One section of the exam contained several questions. He had to answer a certain number of them (something like 7 out of 10) but the instructions explicitly stated that a certain question must be ...

150. Epiphany 4

1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Deuteronomy 18:14-22, Mark 1:21-28

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... Lord, has the power to cast out the demons that we let into our lives. Outline: 1. The realm of the evil and demonic are real. 2. We permit demonic forces to enter our lives gossip, jealousy, rage, war. 3. Jesus has power and authority over the demonic (illustrated in our text). 4. He can free us from demonic forces if we give him access. Over twenty years ago the movie The Exorcist was all the vogue. The story line had a raging demon take possession of a young girl, played by Linda Blair. Her parents seek ...

Showing results