Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2101 to 2125 of 5000 results

Joshua 24:1-27, Psalm 78:1-72, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

Soards, Dozeman, McCabe

... read with Joshua 24, the emphasis on passing along the story of God's past acts of salvation to the next generation (vv. 5-6) takes on an ominous overtone. Choosing for God is dangerous and the account of Ephraim in the larger context of the psalm illustrates this point. Verse 7, however, moves in the other direction by emphasizing how such a choice is also the only way for hope to flourish. By having the psalm end at v. 7, with its emphasis on hope, it provides a positive counter voice to the Old Testament ...

2102. Thanksgiving Day, North America

Luke 17:11-19, Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Psalm 65:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , but also with the rebellion, with the refusal to acknowledge that chosenness may be for inclusivity rather than exclusivity. The epistle reminds us of our obligations to others as a response to God's gifts to us. The eucharistic offertory can be used as an illustration here. The practice of the primitive Church, a society that dealt in kind rather than cash, was for members to bring bread and wine to the offertory. Enough was set aside for the Lord's Supper, but the remainder was sent to the ill a ...

2103. Take On Something for Lent

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ’s, Rich.” This Lent, instead of “giving up” a Mounds bar, let’s “take on” a mission. And the ultimate mission in life? The mission that Jesus fulfilled in the Scripture text for this morning: “Be God’s.” Animations, Illuminations, Illustrations, Ruminations, Applications I like the story about the preacher who was yelled at from the back pew after a couple minutes of preaching, “Louder, Louder.” So the preacher obliged, and raised his voice. But again the voice yelled out “Louder ...

2104. Changed Lives: Adam and Eve

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... her boss had brought to the office. She couldn’t resist trying them on. “Next time, I’ll ask first if there are any keys,” Miss Hickey said. She remained handcuffed for two hours until firemen working with electric cutters freed her. (1) That illustrates one truth about temptation. It’s usually easier to get into something unwise than to get out. There are all kinds of truths about temptation. Sometime back the New York City Dept. of Transportation decided to check its files for the people who had ...

2105. What Is Eternal Life?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... need to do is believe in him, trust in him, and follow him. “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that who ever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Now! Animations, Illuminations, Illustrations, Ruminations, Applications “Two men are talking about the problems at a particular university. One has a good grip on the English language, and the other does not. The one with an understanding of the language talks abut the malaise in the administration, the ...

2106. God's Dirty Job

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . . down to the pit of hell and death, where Jesus released the power of sin and death. It was a “dirty job.” And only God could do it. In a world where people clench their fists, open your hands this week. And get ‘em dirty. Illustrations, Animations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Applications “For each of us lives in and through an immense movement of the hands of other people, The hands of other people lift us from the womb, The hands of other people grow the food we eat, Weave the clothes we wear ...

2107. Romans 5: 1-11

Romans 5:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... in the next section of Paul’s great treatise. After spending the first four chapters establishing the primacy of faith over works, Paul now turns to that which foundationalizes faith: hope. This hope is based upon the founding stories of God’s past acts, as illustrated by the examples of Abraham and Sarah. Their faith in God’s promise of a future, of a family, gave them hope for fulfillment, hope for the child of their prayers. But if Abraham and Sarah’s hope ultimately led them to faith, the new ...

2108. Lateral Thinking

John 4:5-42

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Edward DeBono is a man who travels all over the world, giving seminars on how to think. He teaches what he calls "lateral thinking," and he illustrates what he means by that from an experience early in his life. Some thirty years ago he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. One night he attended a party in London. The party lasted late, and he got back to Oxford after the gates were closed. Traditionally in that college ...

2109. Getting a Handle on Our Faith

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... grave clothes do you need to be unwrapped so that you can reconnect with your “first love,” your “true love,” the living water that brings life to life. [For an alternative ending, see the section “Face Value” below] Animations, Illuminations, Illustrations, Ruminations, Applications “We are at our best when we are entrepreneurial and courageous, push for innovation and reject the status quo. . . . We are the third place in the lives of millions of our customers. We are the coffee that brings ...

2110. A Russian Resurrection

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Donald Dotterer

An old illustration about Russia with an update. You'll see in the update that Yancey picked up on a movement that seems to have held: Columnist Philip Yancey, in an article titled "A Russian Resurrection," writes of his visit in October 1991 to the former Soviet Union. He says that it "would ...

2111. When Losing Your Baggage Is a Good Thing

Hebrews 12:1-2

Sermon

James W. Moore

... and he is trying to do good things. He is trying to listen and respond creatively… but he said the hardest part of his job is trying to deal with people who don’t have the facts straight… and who will not listen because their minds are closed. To illustrate his point, he told a true story about a little girl who was recently riding in the car with her dad and she said, “Daddy, do you know about the Safe Clear program?” The father responded, “Well, I know a little bit about it… do you know what ...

2112. Prison Break

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... written by St. John Damascene in the 8th century: Come, ye faithful raise the strain Of triumphant gladness: God hath brought his Israel Into joy from sadness. Tis the Spring of souls today: Christ has burst his prison . . . Animations, Illuminations, Illustrations, Ruminations, Applications “A Prisoner’s Prayer” by HMP Holloway “Dear Lord, I did wrong----I thought it was right. You forgave me. I tried again----I made it worse. You forgave me. I resented your will----I bitterly fought. You still ...

2113. Rise Above It

John 21:15-19

Sermon

James W. Moore

... the $250,000 in cash?” And she said: “That’s the money I made from selling doilies!!” The second story is about a minister who serves a small church in the mid-west. To make his Easter sermon more dramatic, he decided to use three helium-filled balloons to illustrate the three points of his sermon. His first point was that just as Christ arose and came out of the tomb… even so (by his power and grace) we can rise and come out of the tombs that imprison us… and at this moment in the sermon… he ...

2114. God Speaks and the Church Is Our Hearing Aid

Mark 4:1-9

Sermon

James W. Moore

... , to mission, to ministry… and the church (when it is at its best) helps us to hear God’s call… and to respond. The churches teaches us that God chooses to use us. He has a job for us. He wants to put us to work. Let me illustrate that personally… by telling you about my own call to the ministry… and how the church helped me to hear it. When people think of the call to ministry they often think of highly dramatic, even miraculous happenings like… Moses before the Burning Bush Paul blinded on The ...

2115. What Christmas Gives to Us

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... him to get ‘em back. He was a grudge-holder. Wouldn’t that be a terrible philosophy to live by? Well, Christmas teaches us to not be insult-collectors, to not be grudge-holders, but rather to be love-givers. Do you remember how beautifully that is illustrated in O. Henry’s famous Christmas Story, The Gift of the Magi… in which the husband and wife each sacrifice their prize possession for the sake of the other. The wife sells her beautiful hair to buy her husband a watch fob, … while he sells his ...

2116. The Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... valley of the shadow? Are you road ready? Maybe “transition” is another word for true happiness, which is found in this: “trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Animations, Illustrations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Applications Here is another way of overlaying these two stories: Learn the Truth, Live the Truth, Tell the Truth J. K. Rowling’s favorite painting, she says, is perhaps the Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio (1601), which features Christ ...

2117. Humor: What's His Number

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Jonathan Pryke

One Sunday a vicar was doing a children's talk, using a telephone to illustrate the idea of prayer. "You talk to people on the telephone but you don't see them on the other end of the line, do you?" he began. The children shook their heads. "Well, talking to God is like talking on the telephone. He's on the other end, but ...

2118. How to Live a Sizzle-When-It-Drizzles Life

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Press, 2006), 5-6. You can sizzle-when-it-drizzles; you can live a sizzle-when-it-drizzles life if you pick up that umbrella, put on some boots, and wipe your lenses clean and clear to see life as God designed it to be. Illustrations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Animations, Applications I don’t like language that refers to “the spiritual life.” In fact, such language of “The Spiritual Life” is part of our problem. There is no spiritual life. There is only life. One life where the spiritual is not ...

2119. A Global Flock

John 10:1-21

Illustration

Staff

This is an older illustration, still useful, about the transition to Pope Francis which underscores the changing demographics of the church: As the conclave of Cardinals meet to begin the process of appointing a new pope, it forces us to acknowledge the changes that have swept through the world and certainly through the Catholic Church ...

2120. Life in the Living Stone Age

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... rejected by His own, He became the Cornerstone. Rock of Ages... Cleft for me.... Let me hide... Myself in Thee.... Rock of Ages, so secure. For all time, it shall endure, ‘Til His children reach their home, He remains, The Cornerstone! Animations, Illustrations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Applications Last week an AOL survey selected the 10 most popular books in the US. Not surprisingly, Bible still comes out #1. But then AOL went on to make some distinctions: which of the 10 do you like best? like the ...

2121. Regret & Comfort

John 14:1-14; 1 Cor 15:8-9

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... wondrous recital about the resurrection of Christ. As he listed those who had seen the resurrected Christ, he continued, "last of all…he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." Note: This illustration assumes that Jesus in John 14 is attempting to comfort the disciples for the opportunities they will soon squander by denying their relationship to Jesus.

2122. An Emmaus Experience

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Mark R. Smith

... Him, Christ will reveal Himself through Holy Communion. It is something that must be experienced. Communion with the Risen Christ can leave us forever changed. It allows us to see life in a whole new way just like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Amen. [1] 2000+ Bible Illustrations. accessed from e-Sword software

2123. A Dead Balloon

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

Brian Stofregen

... life. It continues to lie wherever you put it. It doesn't move. It has no power. Take a "dead balloon" and do what Jesus did -- blow in it. What happens? It's full of air; but it is still dead, going nowhere until that power is released. [As an illustration, the "powered balloon" can be released.] Under the "spirit's/breath's/wind's" power, the balloon can move. It goes out. However, when the wind power within the balloon is released, you don't know where the balloon is going to go; but you know it's going ...

2124. Matthew 6: 25-34

Matthew 6:25-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... The organization of this entire unit (6:19-7:12) has been likened to that of the wisdom books (Proverbs, Sirach) wherein various short units are put together according to like subjects. Thus while this third unit combines forms (such as commands and illustrations) and a coherent summary (7:12), there are general themes that link these diverse styles together. In today’s text that theme is “faith,” specifically faith in an Omni God--an omniscient, omnipresent divine being who loves and cares for all of ...

2125. Don't Worry, The Light Is Still Burning

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... push that cracked, crusty worry-wart down with the message Jesus preached today: “God loves you; God cares for you; God’s promises are true; God made you for a mission.” “Don’t worry, the light’s still burning.” Animations, Illustrations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Applications Here is a classic church bulletin-blooper: Don't let worry kill you off ‑ let the church help. The American Psychological Association says that 48% of Americans say they are more stressed now than five years ago. The ...

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