Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 151 to 175 of 900 results

151. Backsliding - Sermon Starter

John 6:56-69

Illustration

Brett Blair

There was once a term frequently used in the church. In the old days it was used often. You rarely ever hear it today. Indeed, in all my years in the ministry I have never preached a sermon on the topic until now. Despite the infrequency with which it is mentioned, the concept, I think, is still valid. It is backsliding. The term backsliding, I discovered in my research, was popularized in the 16...

152. Bad Apples

Matthew 25:31-46

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Separation of the good and bad. Props: A bushel of apples. The night before, damage half the apples by cutting them, bruising them, and taking a bite out of them. It would be best, if you can find some genuinely bad apples. Lesson: Set the bushel down in the middle and ask the child to sit in a circle around the bushel. Good morning? (response) I have a bushel full of...? (apples...

153. Basic Service: I Am The Resurrection and the LIfe

John 11:17-37

Eulogy

Brett Blair

This is not a tragic moment; it is a tender moment but not a tragic moment. We are sure of this because Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection and the life." Here is the decisive word for us today: "Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." We shall never die! We are here to celebrate the life of Eva Mae Kelly and we ...

154. Battle Hymn of the Reformation

Luke 8:26-39

Illustration

Brett Blair

Martin Luther, believed in demons but he believed in God more. In that great Hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" he writes: And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell hi...

155. Be At Peace With One Another

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Brett Blair

One person armed with the Gospel of peace can change the world. Telemachus did. Who was Telemachus? He was a monk who lived in the 5th century. And his story is a story of courage. He felt God saying to him, "Go to Rome." He was in a cloistered monastery but he put his possessions in a sack and set out for Rome. When he arrived in the city, people were thronging in the streets. He asked why all th...

156. Be at Peace with One Another - Sermon Starter

Mark 9:49-50

Illustration

Brett Blair

One person armed with the Gospel of peace can change the world. Telemachus did. He was a monk who lived in the 5th century. He felt God saying to him, "Go to Rome." He was in a cloistered monastery but he put his possessions in a sack and set out for Rome. When he arrived in the city, people were thronging in the streets. He asked why all the excitement and was told that this was the day that the ...

157. Be Careful How You Live

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

There are two birds that fly over our nation’s deserts: One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture. The vultures find the rotting meat of the desert, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They...

158. Be Careful How You Live - Sermon Starter

Eph 5:15-20; John 6:63

Illustration

Brett Blair

Years ago, Harry Emerson Fosdick, then at the height of his influence as minister of the Riverside Church, New York City, was making a tour of Palestine and other countries of the Near and Middle East. He was invited to give an address at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, where the student body comprised citizens of many countries and representatives from sixteen different religions. Wha...

159. Be Nice!

Matthew 10:1-42

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Teach the children courtesy and hospitality. Props: A Pitcher of ice cold water and enough cups for all the children and participants. You will need to adult participants sitting close to the front. Write out what the participants are to say or give them a copy of the children's sermon. We shall call them John and Susan. Lesson: [As you greet the children pour yourself a drink of w...

160. Be One

John 17:20-26

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Christian Unity. Props: Dollar sets taken out and dropped on a loud metal tray in the following order: 100 pennies, 20 nickels, 10 dimes, 4 quarters, and a dollar bill. Try to place each set in a different pocket. Lesson: I have a dollar in my pocket and it has been rather difficult carrying it around. Take the pennies out of your pocket and drop them slowly on the tray. Create a...

161. Bed But Not Sleep

Illustration

Brett Blair

Someone said that... Money will buy: A bed, but not sleep. Books, but not brains. Food, but not appetite. A house, but not a home. Medicine, but not health. Amusement, but not happiness. Finery, but not beauty. A crucifix, but not a Savior. What kind of wealth do you want? We celebrate the wealth of God's love in Jesus Christ. The wealth of God's love brings us what the wealth of the world canno...

162. Being Cool!

Mark 6:14-29

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Peer pressure can divert us from doing what is right and cause us to do evil. Props: A baseball, a skateboard, name brand sunglasses, and an opened pack of cigarettes. You may use any combination of items. The cigarettes are the necessary props. Alternative: If space allows have someone ride a skateboard down the isle and flip the skateboard up in the air before the children and th...

163. Believing Important Messages

Luke 1:39-56

Illustration

Brett Blair

On January 23, 1909, a small invention played a crucial role in the lives of 1500 people. The New York-bound ocean liner the "Florida" rammed into the "Republic." Jack Binns, the Republic's new wireless radio man, reassembled his contraption which had been destroyed in the collision. He sent out distress calls for the next 12 hours until the crew and passengers were rescued in the dawn light of Su...

164. Best Advice

Matthew 7:24-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

Fortune Magazine asked 19 accomplished people what was the best advice they ever got. Here are some of them: (Don't try to preach all 17 excerpts below. We suggest using 3 to 4 examples that mean the most to your community. Then skip down and use the conclusion to this illustration.) Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, got his from his days at Salomon Brothers: "Always ask for the order, a...

165. Better Than the Real Thing

John 4:1-26

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Props: A can of Coke, a can of Pepsi, and a communion Chalice. Lesson: Hide the Chalice behind your back.Holding the can of Coke and Pepsi before the kids: What do I have in my hands? (response) Which one is better? (response) To those who said coke: Why do you like Coke? (response) And to those who said Pepsi: Why do you like Pepsi so much? (response) You might want to adlib a bit about how much...

166. Beware of Angels

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Brett Blair

I wonder what I would have heard had I been there that night. It is a question that annually haunts me. Would I have heard the choirs of angels singing or simply the sounds of barnyard animals shifting around. Would I have seen the star in the sky that night or simply two poor and very frightened kids. Would I have felt the hushed silence of the divine presence, or simply the chill of a cold east ...

167. Big Changes

Luke 20:27-40

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: As we grow in life and as we grow with God, we will always have to deal with changes. Sometimes it means letting go of the old and accepting the new. Heaven will bring about the biggest of these changes. Props: A diaper, wipes, a baby bottle (or a jar of baby food and a baby spoon), and a pacifier. Lesson: I have something this morning I think you need. Hold up the diaper. Okay, wh...

168. Big Rocks

Luke 8:26-39

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: We must fill our lives with the important things first or the smaller things will overtake us. Props: One-gallon wide-mouthed mason jar (a pickle jar would be great), a dozen fist-sized rocks, a container of gravel, a container of sand, and a container of water. I suggest you try the illustration once before doing it in front of the children. You must hide the various elements to m...

169. Billy Graham Interview

Mt 28:16-20; Jn 21:1-14

Illustration

Brett Blair

SCHULLER: Tell me, what do you think is the future of Christianity? GRAHAM: Well, Christianity and being a true believer you know, I think there's the Body of Christ, which comes from all the Christian groups around the world, or outside the Christian groups. I think everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they're conscious of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ, and I d...

170. Blessed Are the Cheese Makers

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

Here is the infamous bit from Monty Pythons "Life of Brian." All great humor must have one essential element: Truth. This bit certainly has that. Jesus' words when misunderstood has lead to some pretty fantastic conclusions. And so, this is dedicated to all those knuckle headed interpretations throughout the years. There are two main characters in the bit who are called Trouble and Bignose. They a...

171. Blue Sky's the Limit

Illustration

Brett Blair

When God made the oyster, he guaranteed his absolute economic and social security. He built the oyster a house, his shell, to shelter and protect him from his enemies. When hungry, the oyster simply opens his shell and food rushes in for him. He has freedom from want. But when God made the eagle he gave the eagle blue skies and unlimited space to build his own home! So the eagle builds on the hig...

172. Born Again

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

Mark Leyner, a prolific modern writer out of New Jersey, asked a question asked a question in a national magazine (Time). It's a question we've all pondered: "Can a person really, and I mean fundamentally, change?" Mark Leyner says, No. There is no such animal, he says, as a changed man. "I don't believe in epiphanies, personal growth, midlife crises, or death bed conversions." He's convinced that...

173. Bought on a Good Name

Illustration

Brett Blair

You know the proverb, "a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." It's the beginning of Proverbs Chapter 22. Bill Gaither experienced the real world effects of a good name. He says that when Gloria and he married and they were teaching school in Alexandria, Indiana, where he had grown up, they wanted a piece of land where they could build a hous...

174. Brave Enough to Take It

Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

Brett Blair

There is story told out of Persia about a General who had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and the big, black door. As the moment of execution draws near, the spies are brought to the Persian General, who asks the question, "What will it be: the firing squad or the big, black door?" One spy, faced with this dilemma, hesitated for a long time. It wa...

175. Bread As A Weapon

John 6:25-59

Illustration

Brett Blair

200 years before Jesus arrived on the scene, the Roman Emperor Aurelian initiated something called the "bread dole." This meant that grain could be supplied to the poor for half price. The dole quickly became a political tool to be used by tribunes to buy voters. If Jesus were not careful, this whole thing of giving bread could quickly degenerate into a tool to win friends and influence people. He...

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Showing 151 to 175 of 900 results

151. Backsliding - Sermon Starter

John 6:56-69

Illustration

Brett Blair

152. Bad Apples

Matthew 25:31-46

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

153. Basic Service: I Am The Resurrection and the LIfe

John 11:17-37

Eulogy

Brett Blair

154. Battle Hymn of the Reformation

Luke 8:26-39

Illustration

Brett Blair

155. Be At Peace With One Another

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

Brett Blair

156. Be at Peace with One Another - Sermon Starter

Mark 9:49-50

Illustration

Brett Blair

157. Be Careful How You Live

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Brett Blair

158. Be Careful How You Live - Sermon Starter

Eph 5:15-20; John 6:63

Illustration

Brett Blair

159. Be Nice!

Matthew 10:1-42

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

160. Be One

John 17:20-26

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

161. Bed But Not Sleep

Illustration

Brett Blair

162. Being Cool!

Mark 6:14-29

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

163. Believing Important Messages

Luke 1:39-56

Illustration

Brett Blair

164. Best Advice

Matthew 7:24-29

Illustration

Brett Blair

165. Better Than the Real Thing

John 4:1-26

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

166. Beware of Angels

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Brett Blair

167. Big Changes

Luke 20:27-40

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

168. Big Rocks

Luke 8:26-39

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

169. Billy Graham Interview

Mt 28:16-20; Jn 21:1-14

Illustration

Brett Blair

170. Blessed Are the Cheese Makers

Matthew 5:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

171. Blue Sky's the Limit

Illustration

Brett Blair

172. Born Again

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

173. Bought on a Good Name

Illustration

Brett Blair

174. Brave Enough to Take It

Luke 24:36-49

Illustration

Brett Blair

175. Bread As A Weapon

John 6:25-59

Illustration

Brett Blair

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