Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1926 to 1950 of 1967 results

1926. Do Not Touch

Mark 5: 21-43

Illustration

Despite the "Do Not Touch" signs, a museum was having no success in keeping patrons from touching and soiling priceless furniture and art. But the problem evaporated overnight when a clever museum employee replaced the signs with ones that read: "Caution: Wash Hands After Touching!"

1927. Little Deeds

Mark 9:33-37

Illustration

King Duncan

John Killinger, in a sermon entitled, The Great Importance of Little Deeds, concluded by saying, "It's an exciting thought that when we die and come into the presence of God and all its fullness, it will not be our major achievements that speak for us, 'He was president of a bank. She was the first woman senator from her state. He was the author of 22 books,' but rather the small apparently inconsequential things that we long ago forgot. 'He mowed my lawn when I was sick. She cared for my child when I went ...

1928. "Others"

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

King Duncan

Every holiday season we begin to see people in uniforms in shopping malls ringing bells collecting donations for the poor. They are doing the work of the Salvation Army. In 1878, when the Salvation Army was really beginning to make its mark, men and women from all over the world began to enlist. A man who had once dreamed of becoming a bishop in another denomination crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist in the Salvation Army instead. His name was Samuel Brengle. Brengle left a fine ...

1929. Late Bloomers

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Illustration

William G. Carter

Let's face it: as far as faith is concerned, some people are late bloomers. It takes a while for some people to gain understanding. Will Willimon tells about a church gathering where people were taking turns giving testimonies about their religious experiences. One man stood and said, "I was a Methodist for 38 years before anybody told me about Jesus." Will said he scratched his head when he heard that. What the man probably should have said was, "I was a church member for 38 years before I really ...

1930. A Whole New Era

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Phillip Yancy

What about the underlying meaning? What did this strange first miracle signify? In a departure from custom, John fails to interpret for us the miraculous" sign," which for him almost always means a symbol, a kind of acted parable. Some commentators see in it a preview of the last Supper, when Jesus transforms not water into wind but wine into blood, his blood shed for all humanity. Maybe. But, I think not. I prefer a more whimsical interpretation. Tellingly, John notes that the wine came from huge thirty- ...

1931. Cross Eyed: Glory

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

The movie, Cinderella Man, takes place in the depths of the Great Depression. Boxer Jim Braddock's family, like so many others, is living in poverty. He gets up early one morning hoping to get a shift at the dock. He gets ready to sit down and eat a meager breakfast, prepared by his wife, Mae. Jim gets up and wonders where his wife has put his socks. Mae tells Jim that she "washed them last night. Took them right off your feet." She pulls them from the oven where they have been drying. Little Rosie, ...

1932. How Can God Know All About Us?

Luke 13:1-9

Illustration

Unknown

A man named Gerhard Dirks, the "father of the modern computer," was one who had to face up to life's most important question. During the years of the Second World War he made many inventions that led to the development of the first computers. He and his family escaped from Hitler's Germany and later Russian occupation to the west. He was a brilliant man, reported to have an IQ of 208. He had over 140 patents with IBM and even attempted theoretically to reconstruct the human brain. But he became completely ...

1933. The Golden Hour

Jn 21:1-14

Illustration

King Duncan

Artist Bill Herring loves his home state of Texas. He sees beauty in the landscape, even in the dry desert ground and the dull, green bushes that squat along the horizon. Ordinarily, this landscape is dry and ugly. But then there comes what Herring calls the "golden hour." Sometime in the fall, these bushes bring forth gorgeous yellow flowers. Just before sunset, when the fading sunlight washes over the caramel soil and the lush yellow flowers, it lends everything a shimmering, golden glow. What once ...

1934. Do You Love Me?

John 21:1-19

Illustration

Robert Allen

There is a very tender and moving scene in the play, Fiddler On The Roof. Tevyev and his wife Golda are being forced to move from their home in Russia. One day Tevyev comes into the house and asks his wife, "Golda, do you love me?" "Do I what?" "Do you love me?" Golda looks at him and then responds: "Do I love you? With our daughters getting married and this trouble in the town, you're upset, you're worn out, go inside, go lie down, maybe it's indigestion." Tevyev interrupts and asks the question, "Golda, ...

1935. Put First Things First

John 14:23-29

Illustration

J. Howard Olds

The struggle of human existence is to let God be God. Denzel Washington told this humbling story on himself, "I walked into the house one day and feeling full of myself, a movie star, said, ‘Mother, did you ever think this was all going to happen?' She responded, ‘Oh please, go wash the windows for me. You have no idea how many people have been praying for you when you were a knucklehead.'" C.S. Lewis says, "When I learn to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better ...

1936. The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock

Matthew 7:24-29

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

Object: Printed music for “The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock” (at the end of this chapter) for the accompanist to follow; Poster with the lyrics to “The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock”: The wise man built his house upon a rock (3X) and the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up (3X) and the house on the rock stood firm. The foolish man built his house upon the sand (3X) and the rains came tumbling down. The rains came down and the floods came up (3X) and the house ...

1937. 8 Signs You're Not Reading Your Bible

2 Tim 3:14-4:5

Illustration

King Duncan

A group of boys and girls was asked to sum up what they had learned from the New Testament. Here is a summation of what they had learned: "Jesus is the star of the New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Republicans. Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. "Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to ...

1938. The Answer is Blowin’ In The Wind

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down Before they call him a man Yes and how many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand Yes and how many times must cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned The answer my friend is blowing in the wind The answer is blowing in the wind How many times must a man look up Before he sees the sky Yes and how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry Yes and how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died The answer ...

1939. Evangelism

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

Most people expect every minister in the world to witness and do the "E" word thing. You're sort of like secret agents. Most folks don't expect you to talk about your faith or be involved in this whole Evangelism deal. But you know what, you are exactly who Jesus would have chosen. Jesus called fishermen, tax collectors, and the every day ordinary kinds of people. He didn't have a single Pharisee, Sadduccee, Priest or Levite on his staff. It was all run by the laity. And after Pentecost their ministry ...

1940. A Yes Face

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

During his days as president, Thomas Jefferson and a group of companions were traveling across the country on horseback. They came to a river which had left its banks because of a recent downpour. The swollen river had washed the bridge away. Each rider was forced to ford the river on horseback, fighting for his life against the rapid currents. The very real possibility of death threatened each rider, which caused a traveler who was not part of their group to step aside and watch. After several had plunged ...

1941. Killer Soap

Galatians 5:22-23

Illustration

Richard L. Dunagin

At their school carnival, our kids won four free goldfish (lucky us!), so out I went Saturday morning to find an aquarium. The first few I priced ranged from $40 to $70. Then I spotted it right in the aisle: a discarded 10-gallon display tank, complete with gravel and filter for a mere five bucks. Sold! Of course, it was nasty dirty, but the savings made the two hours of clean-up a breeze. Those four new fish looked great in their new home, at least for the first day. But by Sunday one had died. Too bad, ...

1942. A 'Grade A' Piece of Meat

Illustration

Dr. C. Ryrie

Imagine a family owned sausage factory. The head is a very scrupulous, clean, proper man. One day as he is walking in the plant, he notices that as a son is dumping in pork, a piece falls on the floor. Does he throw it away, or back into the machine? He throws it away. The sausage that is produced is labeled "Grade A" and sent to market. Across the street is a corporately owned and operated sausage factory. The floors are dirty, the machines are seldom washed. A supervisor sees a worker spill a piece of ...

1943. In Such an Hour

Illustration

Fay Inchfawn

Fay Inchfawn, who lived a generation ago, wrote these lines on her need and expectancy of God's presence and Christ's return, which speak to us of the more sophisticated frustrations of our modern day: Sometimes, when everything goes wrong; When days are short and nights are long, When wash day brings so dull a sky, That not a single thing will dry. And when the kitchen chimney smokes, And when there's none so "old" as folks; When friends deplore my faded youth, And when the baby cuts a tooth. While John, ...

1944. Purchased Property

Illustration

James Packer

"Servant" in our English New Testament usually represents the Greek doulos (bondslave). Sometimes it means diakonos (deacon or minister); this is strictly accurate, for doulos and diakonos are synonyms. Both words denote a man who is not at his own disposal, but is his master's purchased property. Bought to serve his master's needs, to be at his beck and call every moment, the slave's sole business is to do as he is told. Christian service therefore means, first and foremost, living out a slave ...

1945. When You Can't Win

Humor Illustration

Have you had days when you simply could not win? We heard about one fellow who was driving home from work listening to the radio announcer suggest that his listeners surprise their mates. "When you arrive home for dinner this evening," the announcer suggested, "instead of growling something like ''When will dinner be ready?' why not surprise your wife with a little gift?" The man thought to himself that that sounded like a good idea, so he stopped along the way for a bouquet of flowers and a box of candy. ...

1946. The Church Has What We Want

Illustration

King Duncan

Back in the 1700s song writer Charles Wesley, his brother, John Wesley, and Richard Pilmore, were holding an outdoor service, when a mob attacked them pelting them with stones. They were compelled to flee for their lives. They found shelter behind a hedge. When night came they found their way to a deserted spring-house, where they struck a light with a flint-stone, washed their faces in the clear, cold water, brushed the dirt from their clothes, and felt at least a moment's security from the missiles which ...

1947. Named, Claimed, and Framed

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Tony Everett

So, here we are just over one week after Easter Sunday. Vigils are finished. Sunrise services are over. Dishes from the youth breakfast have been washed and put away. Brass and tympani fanfares have concluded. Flowers on the cross have begun to wilt and blow away. Fewer pews are filled. In most communities, spring break is over. Easter vacations have ended. The return of familiar routines begin. The joy of Easter is still there, but it has diminished somewhat with a return to “the real world.” Nevertheless ...

1948. Child's Need of Affection

Illustration

Gary Collins

Salimbene, a thirteenth-century historian, wrote this about the attempt of King Frederick II to raise children without maternal affection: “He wanted to find out what kind of speech children would have when they grew up if they spoke to no one beforehand. So he bade foster mothers and nurses to suckle the children, to bathe and wash them but in no way to prattle with them, or to speak to them, for he wanted to learn whether they would speak the Hebrew language, which was the oldest, or Greek, or Latin, or ...

1949. The Waters of Marah and Elim

Exodus 15:22-27

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Journey from the Sea into the Wilderness: The next major section of Exodus is the journey from the sea to Sinai. It begins inauspiciously in verse 22 of Exodus 15 and continues through Exodus 16 and 17. During this journey the people encounter difficulties finding water and food. The Lord uses these opportunities to build new faith and trust. The NIV says God “tested” them, translating a word (nasah, v. 25) that means “trained” or “proved.” The Lord proved that the people could learn to follow God’s ...

1950. Offerings for the Tabernacle

Exodus 25:1-9

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Introduction to the Tabernacle: The thirteen chapters that describe the tabernacle have posed a challenge for interpreters since the time of Philo (d. 50 A.D.). In The Life of Moses Philo gave a symbolic reading that has influenced interpretation to the present day. For him, the tent of meeting represented the spiritual world and the courtyard signified the material world. The colors (blue, purple, crimson and white) represented the basic elements; the seven lights of the lampstand were the seven planets; ...

Showing results

Showing 1926 to 1950 of 1967 results

1926. Do Not Touch

Mark 5: 21-43

Illustration

1927. Little Deeds

Mark 9:33-37

Illustration

King Duncan

1928. "Others"

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

King Duncan

1929. Late Bloomers

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Illustration

William G. Carter

1930. A Whole New Era

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Phillip Yancy

1931. Cross Eyed: Glory

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

1932. How Can God Know All About Us?

Luke 13:1-9

Illustration

Unknown

1933. The Golden Hour

Jn 21:1-14

Illustration

King Duncan

1934. Do You Love Me?

John 21:1-19

Illustration

Robert Allen

1935. Put First Things First

John 14:23-29

Illustration

J. Howard Olds

1936. The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock

Matthew 7:24-29

Children's Sermon

Marti Kramer Suddarth

1937. 8 Signs You're Not Reading Your Bible

2 Tim 3:14-4:5

Illustration

King Duncan

1938. The Answer is Blowin’ In The Wind

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Bob Dylan

1939. Evangelism

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

1940. A Yes Face

Illustration

Charles Swindoll

1941. Killer Soap

Galatians 5:22-23

Illustration

Richard L. Dunagin

1942. A 'Grade A' Piece of Meat

Illustration

Dr. C. Ryrie

1943. In Such an Hour

Illustration

Fay Inchfawn

1944. Purchased Property

Illustration

James Packer

1945. When You Can't Win

Humor Illustration

1946. The Church Has What We Want

Illustration

King Duncan

1947. Named, Claimed, and Framed

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Tony Everett

1948. Child's Need of Affection

Illustration

Gary Collins

1949. The Waters of Marah and Elim

Exodus 15:22-27

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

1950. Offerings for the Tabernacle

Exodus 25:1-9

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

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