Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2001 to 2025 of 5000 results

2001. The Authority of Scripture: God's Breathed Word

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... are open to receive God’s grace. And when our hearts are open to receive God’s grace our wills are softened to do God’s bidding. We could pursue that in a lot of different ways – let me focus on God’s call to holiness – nothing illustrates what I am talking more than this. Listen, friends, holiness is not an option for God’s people. God makes it clear in His Word: “Be holy as I am holy.” There ought to be about us Christians, something that distinguishes us. In our ethical understanding ...

2002. The Vocation of Leadership: A Prophet Among Them

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... leadership is to miss the meaning of God’s gracious creativity that made each one of us a “unique unrepeatable miracle of God.” A friend of mine, Emerson Colaw, a bishop of the United Methodist Church, now retired, told me a wonderful story that illustrates this point. When he was the pastor of Hyde Park Church in Cincinnati, the Taft family of political fame was members of that congregation. In this most active family, there was a little seven-year-old girl named Mary – Mary Taft. When she went off ...

2003. People With Shining Faces

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... to experience such debasement? Why was he disfigured? So that you and I might be people with shining faces. People whose love, peace and joy show from our heart into our eyes. Don’t you want a shining face? 1. Michael E. Hodgin, Humorous Illustrations For Public Speaking (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004). 2. Reader’s Digest, April 2004, p. 22. 3. A friend e-mailed me this story. I do not know the source. 4. (New York: HarperBusiness, 2001), pp.127-128. 5. Maxie Dunnam, This Is Christianity (Nashville ...

2004. Dealing With Your Enemies

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... to city hall--as many as several hundred a day--and then hanging up without speaking. He cited as his motive a 20-year-old snub by city hall when he applied for a job after graduating from college. That’s a little extreme, but it does illustrate how easily we can become swept up in the need to return evil for evil. It is not easy to love our enemies, whether on a personal level or a corporate one. In light of continuing threats to our security, many Americans are having difficulty with their feelings ...

2005. Abraham and God's Promise

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... : With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (3:8) And that’s true! Time does not mean the same thing to God as it means to us. It was Einstein who introduced us to the theory of relativity, often illustrated like this. A second seated on a hot stove seems like an hour; an hour in the arms of your beloved seems like a second. Time is relative. Now imagine the truth that God stands outside time. God is timeless. God does not age. And when God looks at God ...

2006. A Time of Transition

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... 50 (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999), pp. 149-154. 6. Tom Dooley, Eight Habits of Highly Effective Christians, http://www.christianstudy.com/data/nt/habit_number_one.txt . 7. The Shelter of Each Other, Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, (New York, N.Y., 1996). 8. (http://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/article_print.html?id=25237).

2007. The Curriculum of God’s Kingdom

Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 4 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, 3' “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, 2' toward the sea, across the Jordan, 1 ‘Galilee of the Gentiles‘— 8. Michael Green, editor, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 394. 9. John 5:19. 10. For the image of the heavens unzipped, I am indebted to Randy Clark. 11. For a study of repentance by a long time student of revivals and awakenings, see Richard ...

2008. Loving Like God Loves

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... God, I encourage you to start today and to start at this altar. I want to live in the kingdom and be so inwardly changed that the impossible becomes the normal. Yes, this is hard, but what else is really worth doing? 1. Edited from “To Illustrate: Surrender,” Leadership, Summer 1992, 47. 2. Matthew 4:12-25. 3. The following litany is a summary of Mt. 5:20-48. 4. Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins, 1998), 183. 5. PreachingToday.com search under Mt. 5:43-48. 6. Idem. 7 ...

2009. The God Who Must Be Pursued

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... Whatever your job, this is your purpose in life. Everything else is a distraction. 1. Edited from Brennan Manning, Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1986), 165. 2. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 3. 3. James Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton, ILL: Tyndale, 1988), 433. 4. Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century (Norfolk, CT: New Directions Books, 1960), 50. 5. PreachingToday.com search under Mt. 7:7-12. 6. James ...

2010. Comfortable Christianity Is a Big, Fat Lie

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... . 21:8. 8. David Dockery & David Garland, Seeking the Kingdom (Wheaton, ILL: Shaw, 1992), 114. 9. Sirach 21:10, c. 175 B.C. 10. (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2002); reprinted in Men of Integrity, (May/June 2003). 11. PreachingToday.com search under Mt. 7:13-20. 12. Idem. 13. "To Illustrate: Truth," Leadership, Spring 1993, 48. 14. Herbert Wells, ed., Inspiring Quotations (Nashville, TN: Nelson, 1988), 250.

2011. Obedience Really Matters

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

... Mt. 7:21-8:1. 15. v.12. 16. Adapted from a quote by Eugene Peterson, “ The greatest errors in the spiritual life are not committed by the novices but by the adepts” (Leadership, Vol. 4, No. 2). 17. Idem. 18. Michael Green, editor, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1990), 419. 19. PreachingToday.com search under Mt. 7:21-8:1. 20. David Dockery & David Garland, Seeking the Kingdom (Wheaton, ILL: Shaw, 1992), 119. 21. For a treatment of direct and indirect claims on Christology ...

2012. The Blessed Promise

John 17:20-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... be where he is and enjoy his glory forever. 1. Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, Stories We Heard About Joy (Nashville: Countryman, 2001), pp. 43-46. 2. Reader’s Digest, Dec., 1998, p. 60. 3. http://pastorjon.typepad.com/pastor_jon_weblog/illustrations/index.html. 4. From the Internet. Source unknown. 5. August 12, 2002. Cited in PreachingNow Newsletter, http://www.preaching.com/. 6. Echoes of Eternity, Dennis Kastens, CSS Publishing Co. Cited by Dick Innes, http://www.actsweb.org/subscribe.htm. 7. “The ...

2013. How Moses Handled Stress

Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... in the church. Just as a priest is God's representative at the altar dispensing grace through the sacraments, so you are a priest at your work, in your home, in your neighborhood, dispensing grace through your words and through your deeds. There are wonderful illustrations of that daily. I came across one not too long ago about a teacher teaching in the lower east side in New York, in a neighborhood where education can hardly take place. Where there is high crime, drugs, delinquency, and homes that don't ...

2014. How to See the Future

Matthew 26:17-30

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... past. They are ready to put the past behind them, and get on with a new life. They are looking at what Jesus said life should be like, and will be like, someday in the future, and trying to make the present look like that. One of the most dramatic illustrations of that was in a movie that was so popular many years ago, Places In The Heart. It was set in Texas during the Depression. It is about a woman who is left a widow when her husband was killed by a drunken man. Now she must raise her children ...

2015. Something to Sing About

Philippians 1:12-30

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... is all right, because Christ has, in his Resurrection, revealed to me that there is a greater plan than mine waiting for me. So for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This remarkable letter not only outlines that proclamation, but it also illustrates it with practical experiences from Paul's own life. Paul tells the Philippians, for instances, "I have three alternatives now. First of all, I can be released and come to you." That is the first alternative. He is not ruling that out. In fact, he really ...

2016. When Fisherman do Strange Things

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... wouldn't give up the things that you usually give up for Lent, like candy or cigarettes. She would give up an attitude. That first year she tried this, she said she would give up saying mean things about men. (You can see why I was attracted to this illustration.) She realized that for whatever reason, she was putting men down. It had poisoned her. It didn't bother the men, because they weren't around to hear it. But it was doing something to her, this negative attitude, and she wanted to get rid of it. She ...

2017. Only One Thing Is Needed

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... that will transform you and give you a peace that surpasses understanding? Take a clue from Martha’s sister Mary. The most important thing you can do is to take a few moments each day and sit at the feet of Jesus. 1. Someone sent us this illustration. The source is unknown. 2. Rev. L. John Gable, http://www.crossroadspres.org/052100s.htm. 3. Merlin T. Batt, http://www.trucc.org/sermons/02‑03‑02.htm. 4. Dr. Brent Beasley, http://www.2ndmemphis.org/sermons.html. 5. Herbert Gabhart. Cited in The Book of ...

2018. A Kingdom that Can Not Be Shaken

Hebrews 12:14-29

Sermon

King Duncan

... of God. 1. Dr. William P. Barker, Editor, Tarbell’s Teacher’s Guide, Sept. 1996-Aug. 1997. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook). 2. Reader’s Digest, Oct. 2001. p. 132. 3. Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows: A Speaker’s Sourcebook of Illustrations, Standard Publishing Company, 1984. 4. Dr. William P. Barker, Tarbell’s Teacher’s Guide, Sept. 1997-Aug. 1998, (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook). 5. Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000). 6. Ken Onstot ...

2019. Traveling to the Mountain

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... Walk in the light of the Lord,” Judah is admonished. That is, walk by the Word of God, which in the scriptures is always the source of true light (cf. John 1:4). In Micah 4:4-5, however, the promise of God’s good kingdom is given poignant illustration in verse 4 by the picture of every one sitting under his own vine and fig tree, without any fear. And in verse 5, Judah speaks its affirmation of faith, stating that other peoples may walk according to the will of their gods, but that Israel will walk by ...

2020. A Messianic King

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... into effect. The wisdom of human beings is distorted by sin, and though we think we can proceed according to our own plans, apart from the Word and Spirit of God, our autonomous reason always leads us into disaster (cf. Isaiah 5:21; 29:14), a fact vividly illustrated in the morning headlines. Such is not the case with the messiah, however. He thinks and acts by the wisdom and power of God. As Jesus says, “The Son does nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). The ...

2021. The Subject Is Salvation

Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19

Sermon

James L. Killen

... . We all know the story of Noah's ark, don't we? It was one of the first Bible stories we learned as children. There is something about all of those animals lining up and going into that big boat that just lends itself to being told as an illustrated children's story. We teach our children songs about the animals going in "two by two." We decorate their rooms with pictures of smiling cartoon animals coming to enjoy a boat ride. We know about the story. But do we really know what the story is about? Do we ...

2022. Forgiveness and Reconciliation at Last!

Genesis 45:1-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... , passions, dreams, aspirations, and needs. Yet, as Oliver Wendell Holmes sadly observed, "Most of us go to our graves with our music still inside of us." The third purpose of God is to find the lost. Jesus' parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son illustrate God's saving purposes. We are saved by the cross of Christ made personal in our baptism, and God then goes to work on us so we can find and play the music that is within us. "If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation," Paul wrote ...

2023. A Deliverer Is Born

Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... to Black Americans, contributes much in song and theology to the belief that "God is on the side of the oppressed." The Black American experience, in which they groped for meaning, relevance, worth, assurance, reconciliation, civil rights, and a proper response to God, illustrates this common dilemma with the Hebrews in Egypt. Black Americans were, and in many cases still are, a people who, while in a strange land, still sing the songs of Zion to the glory of God. Dr. Charles Albert Tindley (1856-1933 ...

2024. Saved (Again)!

Exodus 14:19-31

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... on in the storm until he fell to the ground, exhausted. Next spring, when the snow had cleared away, his frozen body was found on the lonely prairie near Sisseton, South Dakota. Almost â€˜saved,' but lost." Lawrence Henry told other stories that illustrated the theme "saved" and then concluded: "Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow may never come. Thanks for listening." Our story begins as the Hebrews leave Egypt without any further objections. They are even given some going-away gifts (see Exodus 12 ...

2025. Grace for a Complaining People

Exodus 16:2-15

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... contrast the Indians have between grace and faith. They point to the cat and the monkey. The cat holds and carries its kittens with no assistance required from the kittens. It is pure grace. The little monkey has to hold onto its mother and this illustrates faith. Yet even the monkey is carried by its mother which brings us back to grace. Even talking about faith as a "response" can be misleading and misunderstood. "Reaction" is an optional word to describe one's experience of a prior act of God by ...

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