Sermon and Worship Resources

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John 17:6-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Three out of four Americans say there is no such thing as absolute truth and they see all truth as relative. But we Christians believe that Jesus Christ is absolute truth, and holy scriptures provide an absolute guide for faith and ethics. Let me illustrate our differentness. The Boy Scouts of America locked in a court battle right testing whether or not a private organization can set standards based on its own values. The Boy Scouts are being sued because a homosexual person believes he should e the right ...

1577. Judgment Day is Coming (Adapted)

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that this picture of the End Times is not biblical. I little later I want to show you how it is not based on the bible. For now let us look’ at Jesus depiction of the final Day of Judgment. Jesus told two simple parables or stories to illustrate the truth about Judgment Day. These stories were designed to be familiar to people who depended on agriculture and commercial fishing for a living. A farmer planted good wheat seed in a field. But under cover of night, an enemy came in and planted weeds. At first ...

1578. What Is Heaven Like?

Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:31-35

Sermon

Brett Blair

... like a lot of loot stashed away somewhere. The difference in these two teachings is this: In one he is talking about the rich and in the other he is talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. The criticism of the rich is a direct statement of fact. The illustration about the Kingdom being a hidden treasure is a simile. It is a figure of speech using the word “like.” “The Kingdom of heaven is LIKE a hidden treasure” is poetry. This is why I get so frustrated when I hear Christians say, “I take the Bible ...

1579. Passing the Easter Miracle On

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Donald Macleod

Three short illustrations fit aptly into the pattern of our thinking today: 1. Mark Antony, in his eulogy at the funeral of Julius Caesar, had just whipped up the emotions of the crowd to fever pitch, and as they broke out into a vengeful mob seeking Brutus and the other traitors, Antony stood ...

1580. See the Resemblance

John 1:1-18

Illustration

Larry Powell

... a woman sweeping a house, or drawing water at a well, baking bread, old wineskins bursting with new wine, lamps flickering in the night, patches on old garments). He enjoyed and absorbed the movements in nature and referred to them in order to illustrate his message; birds gathering into trees, foxes going into dens, figs withering, storm clouds boiling. Jesus affirmed life in such a positive manner, experiencing and relating to God’s great intention and design for all he had made, that we may understand ...

1581. Born to Play This Game

Matt 10:1-4; Mark 13:13-19

Illustration

Brett Blair & Stephen Brown

... to play this game!" The God who calls us, tells us: "You were born to reach out, to minister to a broken dying people. Do it well, do it with compassion because this is your function in the world." Note: For a longer treatment of this illustration you can incorporate the coach's entire speech and pull out the memorable line "you were born to play this game" for emphases afterwards. Here's the full speech: Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that’s what you have here, tonight, boys. That ...

1582. His Lust to Be Number One

Illustration

Lloyd J. Ogilvie

An ancient Greek legend illustrates beautifully the plight of combative competition. A certain athlete ran well, but he still placed second. The crowd applauded the winner noisily, and after a time a statue was erected in his honor. But second place finisher came to think of himself as a loser. Envy ate away at him ...

1583. Wade In The Water

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... rivers he could have washed in, why the Jordan? You might wonder that, too, if you have ever seen the Jordan. While in rainy times it may flow a pretty good stream, it is not the "mighty Jordan" that a songwriter imagined, or that Sunday school illustration artists have sometimes painted. The Jordan is only a few yards wide in most places, and rather sluggish. One is not apt to be swept away by its current. So, to wade out and bathe in this torpid tributary was beneath Naaman’s dignity. It is interesting ...

1584. The Scandal Of Redeeming Love

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... prophet 750 years before the time of Jesus, reveals his own painful marital woes before the people in order to also reveal a God of infinite love. The foolishness that some might have perceived in Hosea, in continuing to love his wayward wife, illustrates the wonderful love of God, whose love is not shortened by human disobedience. That love still extended to Israel in its abrogation of the covenant relationship, and even when it abandoned Yahweh, whoring after the pagan Baal gods. And the love of Yahweh ...

1585. The Ten Commandments - Part 1

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... . And yet, as a society, we never seem to have fathomed the depth of their meaning. We have not grasped their intensity. We are not interesting in following the Ten Commandments, but rather the eleventh Commandment——thou shalt not get caught. Illustration……….. I am deeply concerned that there is an ever increasing number of young people who are fuzzy when it comes to values. The Ten Commandments raise the question: are there some values that are ageless and universal. The problems that beset ...

1586. Stewards and Our Bodies

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... has a divine commission to practice a vocation as a ministry, it’s one in the health professions. In Jesus’ ministry, he demonstrated God’s desire for healing to take place for those who were mentally and physically ill. The gospel illustrates that. To be this special instrument of healing is a divine commission and ought always be approached in awe, reverence, and humility. Never should the medical doctor or the church-related hospital let their ministries of healing be directed by greed, selfishness ...

1587. Resurrection: From Burn-Out to New Vision

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... could go back to a place where you once felt close to God, where would it be?" (A person who cannot remember being close to God may be able to identify a place where he or she felt inspired, or experienced inner peace.) Discussion Questions 1. Illustrate from personal experience the difference between "running on faith" and "running on fear." How does a person move from fear to faith? 2. On a blackboard or newsprint, list at least five different things that God did to restore Elijah’s faith after he was ...

1588. A Shepherd Who Became a Sovereign

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... , the captain ... Bathsheba, Abigail, Michal, and the other women who crossed the path of David. Everybody (well, almost everybody) seemed to like him. There was something captivating and appealing about him. One exploit of three of David’s "mighty men" illustrates how his associates felt about him. These three faithful followers were with David during a campaign against the Philistines, when he casually expressed a desire. In an offhand manner, David remarked, "What I wouldn’t give for a drink from ...

1589. A Reed Who Became a Rock

John 1:35-42

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... that as Peter passed by, his shadow might touch the sick and bring healing (Acts 5:15; see Isaiah 32:2). This may have been superstitious, but it is also an indication that here is a reed who became a rock. Many are the incidents that illustrate the rock-like Peter of the early days of the Church, including the story of Dorcas, a beautiful Christian woman who had died. Her friends sent for Peter ... he entered her room ... dismissed the crowd ... knelt ... spoke softly unto her ... took her by the hand ...

1590. A Man Who Wanted to Burn a City

Luke 9:46-50

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... was this man, this Son of Thunder - of all his disciples and followers - whom Jesus trusted enough to ask him to care for his mother. His Patience With Peter I like to picture John as a man of great understanding and solicitude. And I like to illustrate this with a story that isn’t scriptural - that is, it isn’t actually stated in the Bible, although I do believe that it is implied. Remember what Peter did following the arrest of Jesus? Three times - even with blasphemous oaths - he denied that he even ...

1591. Martin Luther: the Shape of Grace

Children's Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... now call Halloween, he nailed a notice on the doors of a village church and began the Reformation. I brought two things that tell us about Martin Luther. The first is a law book. The second is this Bible with a chain around it. The law book illustrates that Martin Luther started to study law at the University of Leipzig. One day, when he was walking home from the university through a storm, lightning struck very near to him. Martin was terribly frightened. He prayed to St. Anne and asked that if she saved ...

1592. John Calvin, God’s Man

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... further envision his being found guilty by Judge Leo Oxburger* in spite of attorney Phil Miller’s* pleas, brought to Nollen Plaza mid-morning, and hanged for his crime on a gallows constructed by our Neumann Brothers* Construction Company? *The point of the illustration is that these individuals are all members of the author’s large congregation in Des Moines, Iowa. We consider today a saint of the church who could, and did, envision such a city government. It all happened in the sixteenth century in ...

1593. Mother Teresa and the Dying Poor

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... Books (c) 1982, New York. After the morning chores they go out into the slums of their city to the dying, the lepers, and the abandoned of every age, including murderers. Here they seem to experience best the joy of loving. Perhaps Mother Teresa illustrates where we also can find satisfaction for our lives. It rests in humility, sharing, and serving those who do not deserve it. It is in having mercy. Think of the implications for stewardship. We who have chosen the much-more-difficult way, according to ...

1594. Not of the World

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... not want anybody to be poor. God does not want us to have to rely on anyone else for our earthly financial security." While the sentiment expressed here is all right, such a statement simply cannot square with biblical realities. These true stories have illustrated for me the incredible ways in which the values of the world that we live in and the values held by some Christian people are virtually indistinguishable from each other. The world’s agenda has become the church’s agenda in these instances. In ...

1595. How Can We Meet Grief?

2 Samuel 18:19--19:8

Sermon

Edward Chinn

... Be A Transformed Person, E. Stanley Jones wrote: "Meister Eckhart said, ‘God’s every affliction is a lure’ - a lure to help you to help others. You are made tender by your sorrow, and that tenderness can make your service tenderly effective." Dr. Jones illustrated that quotation by telling the story of Josephine Butler. This woman had only one child whom she loved very much. One day, as Josephine Butler arrived home in her carriage, this little girl ran to the railing and fell, dying at her mother’s ...

1596. A Way Back In

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... at school, and she discussed them with me in a dispassionate manner. She listened patiently, caringly - knowing what I was going through and loving me all the while - until I found my way back in. We would have to look far to find a better illustration of helping another come back in than the Marshall Plan. Following World War II the monies earned from the sale of surplus war materiel were funneled back into the defeated nations. In little time they became self-sufficient and found their way back into the ...

1597. A Streak of Common Sense

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... come to feel that two conditions help determine what is genuine common sense. First, a person must think through to the long-range consequences; and, two, the person must keep faith with the daily requirements which must be met to arrive at the desired goal. A handy illustration is known to us all. The honored story of "The Three Little Pigs" spells it out. Three little pigs left home to make their way in the world. The first found a man with straw and decided he would make his house out of straw. He would ...

1598. Epiphany 5

Mark 1:35-39, Mark 1:29-34, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Job 6:1-7:21

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... good. People: NOT FOR ITS OWN SAKE, BUT ONLY AS A SIGN THAT GOD’S PROMISED KINGDOM WAS AT HAND. Leader: Did not Jesus heal the sick, cleanse the possessed, and raise the dead? People: YES! NOT TO CALL ATTENTION TO HIMSELF, BUT TO ENHANCE AND ILLUSTRATE WHAT POWER GOD’S COMPASSION HAS, EVEN IN A FALLEN WORLD. Collect God of power and might, whose Son Jesus worked wonders as signs of your dawning Kingdom, fill us with your Holy Spirit; that, like Christ, we may work miracles out of our compassion for ...

1599. Confronting Hypocrisy With Humility (I)

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

Brett Blair

... and how do they get there. We will look at that in a moment. I But first, what is it that keeps most leaders from being effective leaders? It is Hypocrisy. It can quickly undermine the work of the greatest teachers. What is hypocrisy? Charles Shultz illustrated it well in one of his Peanuts cartoons. Lucy is playing her role as psychiatrist. She sits in her booth with the sign that reads: "Psychiatric Help - 5 cents." The sign below says, "The Doctor Is In." Lucy says to Charlie Brown, "Your life is like ...

1600. The Miracle of Salvation

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

... to me, and then if you subsequently lose my dime, and if you see in my eyes the loss - and then if out of my tragedy I say you are forgiven, you feel a bit of the meaning of forgiveness. That is a simple - in every sense of the word - illustration, but perhaps it hints at the meaning of the cross. We see in it God’s cost in forgiveness - the depths to which he would go - even the death of his Son - to dramatize his forgiveness. Only when forgiveness costs is it really forgiveness. Then, too, Jesus died to ...

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