Sermon and Worship Resources

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Romans 8:18-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... be inarticulate to each of us, they succeed in communicating to God, the one who “searches the heart,” our true desires and needs. Because Jesus’ disciples are “in Christ,” the Spirit of Christ may reach God in prayer. The thrust behind all of Paul’s illustrations here is to give reasons for why “hope” (v.24) is the right attitude and key to faithfulness. Just like both Peter and Paul have the same feast day (June 29th–the church decided not to separate them or to choose between them), so ...

2177. The Superhero Miracle of Humor

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and lightheartedness of our Savior? Are you willing to go into the darkest, corrupt,and diseased Gothams of the world to help people in need, and join the Jesus in . . . Being good. Playing. Making jokes. And loving one another. Illustrations, Animations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Applications The Beecher Lectures in Preaching at Yale University used to be the most prestigious recognition any preacher could receive. Every “prince of the pulpit” once dreamed of being invited to give these lectures. The ...

2178. The True Feng Shui Life

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... it on a cool one. See if that gentle gush of air might not turn into a Might Rushing Wind that can feng shui your life into the shape and design for which God has created you: the image of Christ being formed in you. Animations, Illustrations, Illuminations, Ruminations, Applications “O, wind of the Spirit Fill the sails of my Soul Send us on Lord Let your wind blow.” –Russ Rosen/Sandy Rosen/Mike Oshiro In his autobiography, John Stuart Mill told the story of his father, a man who was intellectually ...

2179. Miracles Are Part of Our Lives

Matthew 14:22-33

Illustration

Edward F. Markquart

... . In spite of all the technological advances and scientific sophistication that is part of the modern world, the word, "miracle," is still very much part of our contemporary vocabulary and the experience of the miraculous is very much part of our everyday lives. Let me illustrate. You open the refrigerator door and you pull out a jar of Miracle Whip, a mayonnaise that spreads so nicely across your bread. Or you pull out a small, flat bag and put it into the microwave, and "wallah!," it puffs up and you have ...

2180. This Feels Like Where I Came In

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

... I do acknowledge that both Niebuhr and Ramsey wrote in an age that was pre-nuclear (albeit well after World War II), but their treatments of human sin and military ethics are still considered classics in many circles. Finally, I would confess that the opening illustration about my Mackenzie High School classmate is apocryphal. I owe the story to my esteemed colleague, Dr. Roger Wittrup. As for my brother-in-law, he mellowed in subsequent years. Alas, it has been over 20 years since he was my brother-in-law ...

2181. The Great Divide

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... If so, my friend, you have found the secret of eternal life. You have crossed the great divide. You are a part of the company of God. 1. From a sermon by Dr. Daniel Harrell, http://www.parkstreet.org/pulpit/dh04/dh041606.shtml. 2. From an illustration by Pastor Benjamin Fecher, http://www.giftofgrace.org/Updated%20sermons/021206.pdf. 3. 10 Things Satan Doesn’t Want You to Know, compiled by John Van Diest (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Pub., 1998), p. 35. 4. From a sermon by Rev. Eugene N. Nelson, Jr., http://www ...

2182. Healed By The Great Physician

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... not forget her God and his prophet Elisha. We don’t even know this girl’s name but her witness made possible a miracle so significant that Jesus talked about it 800 years later. (Luke 4:27) This young girl’s parents must have done a fine job. She illustrates this truth from Scripture: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6) Naaman is willing to try anything because none of his doctors has given him any hope. So, Naaman asks King Ben ...

2183. From Selfishness to Servanthood

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . He specialized in menial tasks that everyone else tried to avoid: tending to children, fixing breakfast, and serving lepers. Nothing was beneath him, because he came to serve. (3) The night before Jesus died for us, he found a graphic way to illustrate servanthood. He and the disciples had gathered for their last supper together. But no one had been willing to perform the most unpleasant job -washing the disciples’ feet. That task was necessary because they wore sandals and walked dusty roads. Do you ...

2184. Why Is Life So Unfair?

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... wounds. • Thirdly, ask God to bring some good out of your pain. Next to the Bible, the book that has helped me most to understand the ways of God is entitled “The Will of God” by Leslie Weatherhead. Weatherhead used a strange but very helpful illustration. He said, “Let’s suppose that the toddlers of the world were to have a mass meeting. Let’s suppose that they could communicate quite well. The chairman, after adjusting his bib, might declare, ‘I am sure my parents don’t love me. Look at ...

2185. I Believe In God The Father Almighty

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... the central truth around which our lives revolve. He is our Sovereign, our supreme commander. Notice that we say, “I believe in God” rather than “I know that there is a God.” What we believe is based on faith, but what we know is based on knowledge. Let me illustrate the difference between the two. Just suppose that I reach into my pocket and then withdraw my hand. I then tell you that I have something in my hand and invite you to guess what it is. You respond that you think I have a coin in my hand ...

2186. I Believe In The Holy Spirit

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... can you make any progress toward holiness until you first admit your guilt and repent. St. Paul declared that the Holy Spirit “searches everything.” (I Cor. 2:10) Maybe we wish that the Spirit were not quite so nosy, but it’s for our own good. Let me illustrate with a glass of water. Let’s suppose that one of you were to come up here and shake my right elbow rather vigorously and water would spill all over this area. If I were to ask you what caused the spillage, you would probably note the shaking ...

2187. Taking the Long View

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... humanity of the one who created all of us and comes to us in the person of a baby, born of a woman. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" is not an empty phrase that depicts a human god, devoid of any real power. It is a cardinal illustration of someone whose vast powers tell us there is providential care and concern, coming to us in a form we can understand. 4. Our God knows us thoroughly and totally, but respects our free will. We are to "strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish ...

2188. Deep Calling to Deep

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... of sainthood back into our vocabularies. The birth of Christ flung into motion "the mystery of his will." How can an innocent Jewish baby boy have anything to do with the excruciating and totally uncivil experience of crucifixion? It seems to me this only illustrates the greater the sacrifice of the innocent, the greater the power of that person. The Eucharist or Holy Communion speaks to this. The death of spotless animals could never be enough to atone for the sins of humankind. It took the pure and holy ...

2189. Getting It Straight

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... to the Lord, this part belongs to me." In other words, lordship is denied in certain areas. Again, we must not be too judgmental. We all have the same tendency at work in us. It is as though humankind was born with it. Perhaps it illustrates the affliction of original sin! Such fragmentation always and eventually shows itself. The wounds come to the surface. The unforgiven sins become noticeable. The out and out hypocrisy exudes an odor that hardly anyone can miss. It is a sad and very trying time. Of ...

2190. Gift of Positive Thinking

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... there are personalities. Yet, there is one that tends to strike a loud chord and stick out most noticeably. We are uncomfortable — even afraid — to let loose of our will and let God be God. It is a circumstance that is not unusual. Perhaps it is best illustrated by the little boy who prays (with his hands behind his back and fingers crossed) for the good of his playmate! We know the problem, clergy and laity are summoned to keep working at it until we do better — much better. The coming of the kingdom ...

2191. God’s Wisdom or the World?

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... use our gift of free will wisely, to always choose God's wisdom over that of the world. Often we hesitate; we are unsure how far we can go or how much we are willing to risk. Thus we balk and miss opportunities. A little story illustrates how our tendency to hesitate can lead to loss. Three wise men were encouraged to experience what others called the cave of wisdom and life. They made careful preparations for what would be a challenging and arduous journey. When they reached the cave, they noted a guard ...

2192. Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The artificial division between chapters should not influence our reading of the parable in this week’s gospel text. Jesus is not introducing some new idea or topic with this illustration. He is continuing to answer the question Peter posed in 19:27: “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” The parable which begins in 20:1 was not so much a demonstration of “many who are first will be last, and the last will ...

2193. Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ” was an admirable “slave-virtue,” while Greek culture simply identified “humility” as something expressed by the lower classes. To demand “humility” from all who would live as a Jesus community turned traditional expectations upside down. In order to illustrate the centrality of this “humility” Paul now inserts into his text what is almost universally recognized as a Christ hymn of the first century church. There is considerable debate over whether Paul himself was the author of this hymn ...

2194. This Little Light of Mine

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... it shine, let it shine.” That’s our job when we leave this room. Let the light of Christ shine through us. 1. Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/b‑ad04sm.php. 2. Ronald W. Nikkel in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership. Cited at http://www.firstpcavillarica.org/Sermon%20Notes/THE%20LAMP%20WITHIN.htm. 3. Dr. Shotwell, http://acbc.us/sermons/struckbylight.pdf. 4. http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/b‑ch00‑adams.php. 5 ...

2195. Don’t Fear the Wait

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... God's care. I will watch and pray for you until you are out of my sight. I shall also wait for the day when I will make the same journey and find you waiting for me to greet me at the end of the road."1 This powerful story illustrates Advent, the season we enter today, and its important theme of waiting. During this first liturgical season of the year we wait for the coming of the Lord in two ways: His Second Coming, or Parousia, when the world will be claimed by Christ, and his coming in history at ...

2196. Perceiving the Presence of God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... around and perceive the presence of God that is all around us. It also tells us that there is no need to impress God, rather God only asks that we be open in order to find his presence. Today's Gospel Reading and the scriptures in general illustrate this same important theme. The Hebrew Scriptures provide important context to the idea of being open to God's presence with many examples of people who felt unqualified or simply did not want, at least initially, to recognize or follow God's call. Moses was a ...

2197. God Is Amazing

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... can be filled with God's presence which comes to us in so many miraculous, as well as seemingly ordinary, ways. The need to concentrate less on our needs and what we think, and to seek God's presence is related in a humorous but illustrative story. Fred Everybody, Thomas Somebody, Peter Anybody, and Joe Nobody were neighbors, but not the type that most would want to know. They were odd people, troublesome, and difficult to understand. The way they lived their lives was a shame. These men all went to the ...

2198. Accepting the Unconventional in Life

Mark 2:13-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law" (Luke 12:51-53). The contradictions that Jesus expresses in word and deed are explained in today's Gospel Reading by two responses to his enemies and an illustrative metaphor. When Jesus was challenged as to the people with whom he associated he responded, "Those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners" (Mark 2:17). The Lord clearly ...

2199. A Clock or a Compass?

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

David T. Ball

... compass that we can carry around — we may have one on our car. We know our streets well enough to get where we want to go, and maybe we have a general sense of north, south, east, and west, but our sense of time is really much more precise. To illustrate, you can probably all tell me with a fairly high degree of accuracy how long this service has lasted thus far, but when I turn a little this way or turn a little that way can you tell me whether I’m facing south southeast, or north northwest, or ...

2200. A Sure-Fire Way to End Burn Out

Isaiah 40:21-31

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... . How can you put all your heart and effort into something and then not be concerned with the outcome? How can anyone plan, strategize, and work for a goal and not be invested in the conclusion? My own feeling here is that the very difficulty of such a notion illustrates how far we truly are from giving our lives over to God. "Have you now known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow faint or weary ..." (Isaiah 40:28). You see, you and I ...

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