Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 1901 to 1925 of 2273 results

1901. No Freedom Without the Word

Illustration

Staff

Anatoli Shcharansky, a dissident Soviet Jew, kissed his wife goodbye as she left Russia for freedom in Israel. His parting words to her were, "I'll see you soon in Jerusalem." But Anatoli was detained and finally imprisoned. Their reunion in Jerusalem would not only be postponed, it might never occur. During long years in Russian prisons and work camps Anatoli was stripped of his personal belongings. His only possession was a miniature copy of the Psalms. Once during his imprisonment, his refusal to ...

1902. What's Your Question

Luke 20:20-40

Illustration

Roger von Oech

The answer you get largely depends on the question you ask. Here's a grave example: Several centuries ago, a curious but deadly plague appeared in a small village in Lithuania. What was curious about this disease was its grip on its victim; as soon as a person contracted it, he would go into a very deep almost deathlike coma. Most individuals would die within twenty-four hours, but occasionally a hardy soul would make it back to the full bloom of health. The problem was that since early eighteenth century ...

1903. Call Him Minister

Illustration

H.B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman

Pastor can experience soul-weariness and it's easy to get cynical. A pastor offered a few lines of sarcasm to express his own frustration: "If I wanted to drive a manager up the wall, I would make him responsible for the success of an organization and give him no authority. I would provide him with unclear goals, not commonly agreed upon by the organization. I would ask him to provide a service of an ill-defined nature, apply a body of knowledge having few absolutes, and staff his organization with only ...

1904. Record Endurance

Illustration

Staff

When she was young, Florence Chadwick wanted desperately to be a great speed swimmer. At the age of six she persuaded her parents to enter her in a 50-yard race. She came in last, so she practiced every day for the new year. Again she entered and lost. When she was an 11-year old, Florence won attention and praise for completing the San Diego Bay endurance swim 6 miles in all. But she still wanted to be a speed swimmer. At 14 she tried for the national backstroke championship but came in second to the ...

1905. Life's Little Fragments

Illustration

Max Lucado

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength. People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. "This horse is not a horse to me," he would tell them. "It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?" The man ...

1906. Twelve Promises to Claim

Illustration

Staff

A promise from God is a statement we can depend on with absolute confidence. Here are 12 promises for the Christian to claim. God's presence "I will never leave thee" (Heb. 13:5) God's protection "I am thy shield" (Gen. 15:1) God's power "I will strengthen thee" (Isa. 41:10) God's provision "I will help thee" (Isa. 41:10) God's leading "And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them" (John 10:4) God's purposes "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, ...

1907. Do an About-Face

Illustration

Staff

Professor Drummond once described a man going into one of our after meetings and saying he wanted to become a Christian. "Well, my friend, what is the trouble?" He doesn't like to tell. He is greatly agitated. Finally he says, "The fact is, I have overdrawn my account" a polite way of saying he has been stealing. "Did you take your employer's money?" "Yes." "How much?" "I don't know. I have never kept account of it." "Well, you have an idea you stole $1,500 last year?" "I am afraid it is that much." "Now, ...

1908. Suffering for Independence

Illustration

Brett Blair

Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy ...

1909. What's Holding You Back?

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Leighton Ford

In preparing for this book on evangelism and witness, I have talked to a lot of people, and the fear issue comes up again and again. What makes people hesitate to share their faith? Here are some of the fears that have been mentioned to me: I am afraid I might do more harm than good. I don't know what to say. I may not be able to give snappy answers to tricky questions. I may seem bigoted. I may invade someone's privacy. I am afraid I might fail. I am afraid I might be a hypocrite. Perhaps the most common ...

1910. Be Prudent or Productive?

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In the Pacific Northwest there are three common prickly plants that populate the hedgerows and fence-lines — blackberries, salmon berries, and brambles. All three flourish without care and create impressive thickets for hiding all sorts of small critters. All three sport impressive thorns. But only one of them is valued and hunted down every fall. Brambles bear no edible fruit at all — lots of snagging, snarly vines, but nothing to eat. Salmon berries produce pretty salmon colored gems that are beautiful ...

1911. Patience Wearing Thin

Humor Illustration

Bobby Cole's partner at the Masters in Augusta one year was Sam Snead. Everybody loved Sam Snead. He was gracious and kind. He coached and encouraged others and rarely had a negative word to say to anyone. But after ten or twelve holes with obnoxious Bob Cole, even Sam Snead's patience was wearing a bit thin. They approached the next hole, a layup with a dog leg to the right, near some tall pine trees. Snead took out a three iron and laid up right down the middle. Then he turned to Cole. Snead said, "Son, ...

1912. Marvelous Martha

Humor Illustration

Dear Sue, This perfectly delightful note is being sent in paper I made myself to tell you what I have been up to. Since it snowed last night, I got up early and made a sled with old barn wood and a glue gun. I hand-painted it in gold leaf, got out my loom, and made a blanket in peach and mauve's. Then to make the sled complete, I made a white horse to pull it from DNA that I just had sitting around in my craft room. By then, it was time to start making the place mats and napkins for my 20 breakfast guests ...

1913. Grape Juice Dilemma

Illustration

Willard Scott

Willard Scott, the irrepressible weatherman on the TODAY program on television wrote a book entitled The Joy of Living. A very appealing part of that book is his warm description of growing up in a Baptist church. He tells how on one occasion when he was twelve years old, he took communion and had a most embarrassing thing happen to him. He describes it like this: "In the Baptist church, they serve grape juice rather than wine, in tiny little individual-sized plastic cups. "On this particular occasion, I ...

1914. Kids' Answers to Biblical Questions

Humor Illustration

The Church of England put out a list of children's answers to various Biblical questions: Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. Henry VIII thought so much of Wolsey that he made him a cardigan. The fifth commandment is: Humor thy father and mother. When Mary heard she was to be the mother of Jesus, she went off and sang the Magna Carta. Salome was a woman who danced naked in front of Harrods. Holy acrimony is another name for marriage. Christians can have only one wife. This is called monotony. The Pope ...

1915. Students Changing Light Bulbs

Humor Illustration

HOW MANY BIG TEN STUDENTS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB? At Michigan it takes two. One to change the bulb and one more to explain how they did it every bit as well as any Ivy Leaguer. At Northwestern it takes four. One to change the bulb, two to place bets on how long it will take, and one to run the book. At Michigan State it takes four. One to screw in the bulb, and three to figure out how to get high off the old one. At Ohio State it takes five. One to change it, two to talk about how Woody would ...

1916. The History of the World?

Humor Illustration

The true history of the world according to student bloopers: The inhabitants of ancient Egypt were called mummies. They lived in the Sarah Desert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cultivated by irritation. The Egyptians built the Pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The Pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain. The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book ...

1917. We Ache to Know God’s Blessings

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

In his book, Faith Works, Jim Wallis writes of a personal experience I heard him share in a class several years ago, while I was doing sabbatical study at Harvard Divinity School. Jim Wallis is a leader of the Sojourners community, intentionally located in a poor inner-city neighborhood of Washington, D.C. After living in that neighborhood for more than twenty years, Wallis found himself the victim of a mugging. Preoccupied with an upcoming speaking opportunity, Jim failed to "watch his back" as he turned ...

1918. Nervous Anticipation

Luke 1:26-38

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

When children are small and are just learning how to eat from a spoon, parents involuntarily open their mouths even as the baby opens his or her mouth. It's quite comical to see. Pastors who get to sit up front in church each week often get to see a similar spectacle whenever young children participate in a church service or Christmas program. When a son or daughter is up front speaking various lines, it's not uncommon to be able to look out into the congregation only to see the tyke's mom or dad on the ...

1919. Were You There?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an old spiritual that asks this very familiar question: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” It’s a question that has been asked through the ages. And every generation has provided its own answer. You and I must answer it as well. Were we there? Were we there when they crucified our Lord? We know the cast of the original Good Friday drama. They are listed in John’s telling of the passion narrative. Judas Iscariot was there. He definitely was instrumental in crucifying Jesus. John tells us ...

1920. Sandbox First, Soapbox Second

Mark 1:29-34, Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

This sermon has a very simple, but very difficult, message: Faith is a social practice, but one that requires solitude. Genesis 2:18 reads: “It is not good for man to be alone.” Daniel 10:8 reads: “I was left alone, and saw the great vision.” Sometimes society, sometimes solitude. Sometimes it is not good to be alone. Sometimes we need to be left alone to see what God has for us to see. The most talked about movie at the time of this sermon’s composition is “The Artist,” a 2011 French comedy-drama film ...

1921. Toss Your Cap Over the Wall

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Even though this is baseball season, I want to begin with a basketball story. It is about Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest professional basketball player of all time. One night he scored sixty-nine points in a single game. In that same game, rookie Stacey King made his inauspicious debut. He shot one free throw and made it. After the final buzzer, a reporter asked King for his thoughts on the game. Stacey King, with tongue planted firmly in his cheek, replied: “I’ll always remember this as the night ...

1922. When You Are Wrongly Criticized

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anyone here like criticism? How do you respond to criticism? Does being criticized bring you down or fire you up? Do you want to hunker in your bunker or lob your own volley of vitriol back at your critics? Learning how to respond to criticism is a lifetime journey. That’s because critics will be accompanying you from cradle to grave! In every election year there is no shortage of negative, critical remarks flying around the airwaves. Of course all politicians virtuously claim they hate “negative” ads. And ...

1923. Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20-30

Sweet

King Duncan

One of Mark’s favorite literary recipes is the “Markan sandwich.” It is called the “Markan sandwich” because Mark likes to use the technique of inserting one story into the middle of another in order to demonstrate the connectedness between the two. In this week’s gospel text Mark begins with a narrative about Jesus’ personal family (3:20-21). But suddenly he interrupts it with the story of accusations of the scribes. Hence “Markan sandwich.” In this story, some scribes insist that Jesus is possessed and ...

1924. The Awesome Power of a Mustard Seed (Father's Day)

Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

A man was out on the golf course. He spotted another man who seemingly had four caddies. “Why so many caddies?” the first man asked the second. The second golfer replied, “It’s my wife’s idea. She thinks I should spend more time with the kids.” Well, that’s one way of doing it. I suspect he’s the same Dad who was asked by his wife when they brought home their first baby to help with changing diapers. “I’m busy,” he said, “I’ll do the next one.” The next time came around and she asked again. The husband ...

1925. When Others Serve Your Head on a Platter

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

This summer saw the “resurrection” of an old tale of family rivalry and betrayal. The show that started an industry of prime time “soap operas” is back on the air. Do you know show I’m talking about? . . . . Dallas. The ever-evil “J.R.” Ewing and all his battling, back-biting, embittered family have returned, with new generations, all of whom are admirably carrying on the family tradition of unabated greed and hatred. Added to yet another season of “Kardashians” and the History channel’s presentation of “ ...

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Showing 1901 to 1925 of 2273 results

1901. No Freedom Without the Word

Illustration

Staff

1902. What's Your Question

Luke 20:20-40

Illustration

Roger von Oech

1903. Call Him Minister

Illustration

H.B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman

1904. Record Endurance

Illustration

Staff

1905. Life's Little Fragments

Illustration

Max Lucado

1906. Twelve Promises to Claim

Illustration

Staff

1907. Do an About-Face

Illustration

Staff

1908. Suffering for Independence

Illustration

Brett Blair

1909. What's Holding You Back?

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Leighton Ford

1910. Be Prudent or Productive?

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1911. Patience Wearing Thin

Humor Illustration

1912. Marvelous Martha

Humor Illustration

1913. Grape Juice Dilemma

Illustration

Willard Scott

1914. Kids' Answers to Biblical Questions

Humor Illustration

1915. Students Changing Light Bulbs

Humor Illustration

1916. The History of the World?

Humor Illustration

1917. We Ache to Know God’s Blessings

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

1918. Nervous Anticipation

Luke 1:26-38

Illustration

Scott Hoezee

1919. Were You There?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

1920. Sandbox First, Soapbox Second

Mark 1:29-34, Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1921. Toss Your Cap Over the Wall

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

King Duncan

1922. When You Are Wrongly Criticized

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

1923. Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20-30

Sweet

King Duncan

1924. The Awesome Power of a Mustard Seed (Father's Day)

Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

1925. When Others Serve Your Head on a Platter

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

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