Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2401 to 2425 of 5000 results

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... the Lord's Supper and our Generosity as we humbly, with love, say "Thank You" to God with the Generosity of our Commitment Cards. The widow in Mark challenges us to Celebrate Generosity through humility, love and thankfulness. 1. Source Unknown 2. Dennis the Menace by Hank Ketchum 3. Bible Illustrator for Windows, 1990-1994, Parsons Technology

2402. Be A Barnabas

Acts 4:33-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... God loves you, God is with you." It's a gentle reminder that we can all give. Conclusion Being a Barnabas is also about living an inviting lifestyle. I may have already told this story before, I don't remember. But the story was told by the wife. It illustrates the spirit of being a Barnabas. "My husband is a tractor-trailer driver and he dreads runs to New York City. His greatest fear was realized one day when his rig broke down on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. At 4:30 p.m., after he had been waiting for ...

2403. You Can't Fool God: Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 4:33 - 5:11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990) May 1985 2. Michael E. Phillips in Leadership, Vol. 7, no. 4. Adapted. 3. WordSearch Bible Software, Various Commentaries 4. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990) April 1990 5. Bible Illustrator for Windows 6. Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997). 7. DAILY GUIDEPOSTS, 1991, (Carmel, New York: Guideposts, 1990), pp. 128-129.

2404. Never Too Old For God: Abraham And Sarah

Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... can be almost anything. The important thing is that a family is a place of nurture, love and understanding. Does that mean there won't be conflict? No. Does it mean that every day will be sunshine and roses? I highly doubt it. Even though the Bible primarily illustrates the multi-generational family, it also lifts up other kinds of families as well. Look at Ruth and Naomi. All these shows and the Bible have one thing in common, They remind us that family is where we learn to make it. One of the really good ...

2405. Love Is Patient

Luke 4:14-21; 1 Cor 13

Illustration

Dale Johnson

A good illustration of Christ like patience is seen in the life of Abraham Lincoln. From his earliest days in politics, Lincoln had a critic, an enemy, who continually treated him with contempt, a man by the name of Edwin Stanton. Stanton would say to newspaper reporters that Lincoln was a "low cunning ...

2406. The Awful Grace of Amazing Grace

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a new country, not knowing the language, the customs, or the people. Zero to one can be a heartbreaker and a body modifier. On the “zero to one” struggle, Christians get to be great big cheaters. Paul said it in today’s Corinthian text, and Luke illustrated in today’s gospel text. God has “cooked the books” in our favor. Because of Christ’s death on the cross God is “not counting” all our trespasses against us. Christ took all our sins, all our spiritual inertia, our moral malaise, to that ...

2407. The Family Album

1 John 3:1-3

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now..." 1. Nazanin Tooyserkani, California. Today's Christian Woman, "Small Talk." (Adapted) 2. Brian Gowing, Tides Church, Lake Elsinore, CA (Adapted) 3. Bible Illustrator for Windows

2408. Where do You Live?

Romans 14:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... challenged to live to the Lord. But we can't do it by ourselves and we sure can't do it in Judgment House. We can only do it in Grace and Mercy House. How clean are your windows? Where Do You Live? 1. Bryan Belknap, Group's Blockbuster Movie Illustrations (Group Publishing, Loveland, CO, 2001) pp. 78-79 2. Walter A. Clot, a pastor in Bluefield, VA. 3. Coach Carter, 2005, Paramount Home Video 4. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), March 1984

2409. Dare To DV8

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . 1. Therefore....A sermon by, Pastor Vince Gerhardy, St Luke's Lutheran Church, Nambour - 29th September, 2002 2. "Low Pay, Long Hours, No Applause," Philip Yancey, CHRISTIANITY TODAY, (November 18, 1988), p. 80. 3. John H. Unger, Brandon, Manitoba. Leadership, Vol. 11, no. 4. 4. Joseph F. Mlaker in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership. 5. Thomas Merton in The Spring of Contemplation. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 10.

2410. Jesus Was Sitting There

Illustration

John M. Braaten

You can live in the awareness of our Lord's nearness through faithful prayer and by envisioning him with you. That discipline is poignantly illustrated in the story of an old man who suddenly became gravely ill. When the pastor came for a visit he noticed a chair beside the bed. "Oh my goodness," he said, "You must have already had company today." The old man said, "No, but let me tell you the story ...

2411. What We Know in Part

John 10:22-30; 1 Cor. 13:9-10

Illustration

Mickey Anders

Roland H. Bainton, a former professor of church history at Yale Divinity School, tells of a picture that illustrates something of my understanding of the Truth. He tells of a mosaic of Christ in a church in Constantinople. When the Turks invaded the city they plastered over the picture of Christ on the wall so it could not be seen. But centuries later the plaster has cracked, and one ...

2412. Easter Heart Burn

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Heart Burn with joy because of His victory over death. Let your Heart Burn with joy for the forgiveness of your sins. Let your Heart Burn with excitement for serving him. Let your Easter Heart Burn for Him. 1. Salt of the Earth, Jul/Aug 1996. Page 35. 2. "To Illustrate," PREACHING MAGAZINE, Jan-Feb 1989 3. Robert D. Dale, TO DREAM AGAIN, (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1981).

2413. Come To the Water

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... morning, remember who you truly are. "Come To The Water" this morning, and like Woody, stand in awe of all that God has done for you and has planned for you. "Come To The Water" this morning and remember. 1. Thanks to Kathryn Self, PlanoTX for the idea behind this illustration

2414. If, Because, Regardless

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... . II. Because A. The "Because" Christian, the "Because" giver, gives because God has blessed them and wants to keep receiving that blessing. While not the best theology or the best reason, it's a good reason. There's a scene in To Kill A Mockingbird that illustrates this idea. B. In the opening of the movie we meet one of the central characters, Scout. A grown-up Scout is recalling her youth in the South. She talks about the heat, the length of the days, and the crushing poverty that seemed to affect ...

2415. A Gratitude Adjustment

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... by the floodwaters. Along with pictures of people on rooftops, waiting to be rescued, waving and calling for help to the helicopters filming them. Thousands were evacuated until the floodwaters receded. A few days later, there was a story that illustrates thankfulness in the fullest. Somebody sent a letter to the Fukui disaster management center, one of the prefectures or states which was hit the hardest. The letter was addressed to the Governor. The letter expressed condolences to those who had suffered ...

2416. Time to Get Wet

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... streams along. Natural pools and waterfalls blaze with the colors of the living plants. Tourists gladly fly into the tiny town of La Macarena and then trek on foot for two hours in order to reach this remote, miraculous beauty. Nothing could more beautifully illustrate "living water." Nothing, that is, unless it is the tuna casserole you take to the shut-in neighbor. Nothing, that is, unless it is the ride home you give to kids whose parents can’t be bothered. Nothing, that is, unless it is volunteering ...

2417. Power for Today

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . A faith that is only intellectual and rational without any trace of what is sometimes called “enthusiasm” is not a faith that empowers people to live out their faith. There’s an old, old story that most of you are familiar with that illustrates a deep conflict in Christian tradition. It is about a rather formal, middle‑class congregation that was startled one Sunday morning by a sudden shout of “Praise the Lord!” A stern‑faced elder walked down the aisle, tapped the offender on the shoulder ...

2418. Where In the World Is God?

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... MEASURED BY THE MOMENT, BUT BY THE MOVE OF OUR TOTAL LIFE, AND OUR HISTORY. Let me say that again. The presence of God is not to be determined or measured by the moment but by the movement of our total life, and our history. Again, let me illustrate. Allen Payton is one of the premier novelists of this century. Do you remember his classic work, Cry, the Beloved Country? Payton is a citizen of South Africa. He has spent his whole life trying to rid his “beloved country,” as he called it in his novel, of ...

2419. A Guide for Growth

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ? Yes. Now most of us have more purpose than that - and we are not nearly that selfish outwardly. But that’s not the point. The point is that even living good lives we will miss what is most vital. We even do it in the church. Let me illustrate: Colin Morris is one the leading Methodist preachers in England. A few years ago he was serving as a missionary in Zambia. One day a Zambian dropped dead not a hundred yards from the front door. The pathologist said he’d died of hunger. In his shrunken stomach ...

2420. East of Eden or Home

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... God image, whole, but we marred the image, pervert wholeness, rebelled and became fugitives not only God, but from our true humanity. And therefore, we are forever caught in a web of sin. Chuck Colson, of Watergate infamy, has suggested the best illustration of this amazingly from Mike Wallace and the “60 Minutes” TV program. Wallace was introducing a story about Adolf Eichmann, architect of the Holocaust. Wallace posed a central question at the program’s outset: “How is it possible…for a man to ...

2421. Magnificent Fools

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... they have not known before, and their lives are taking on fresh meaning, broader dimensions, and exciting vitality. I want that tribe to increase. I must close now, and I close with this story. Some years ago there appeared in a magazine a story which illustrates the dynamic discipleship to which we are called, and the magnificent foolishness to which we must give ourselves if we are going to make any difference in the world. Two men were living in China. . . they were devoted to the cause of China becoming ...

2422. More Than We Are

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , we should reflect His likeness, for we should see Him as He really is!” Faithful imagination and imaginative faith makes Christ’s presence real in the here and now, every day. So our faith makes us more than we are. Let me illustrate. I thought of this story again when we were traveling recently and visited four of the great universities in Korea and Japan which were established by Christian missionaries. Bishop Lambuth was one of the great personality forces in the Christian missionary cause, but ...

2423. Dealing with Stress Creatively

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

James W. Moore

... to life that is rooted in the mistaken notion that all stress is bad… and that the over-riding task in life is to escape from the stress,… to run away and hide from the problems and pressures and demands and challenges of life. Let me illustrate it like this… Some years ago, I was asked to be the master of ceremonies at a teenage beauty pageant. I saw something in that experience that broke my heart. A stage-door mom was filling her teenage daughter with tranquilizers. Before every event, Mom would ...

2424. Happy Marriage...It's All About Choices

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

... people is doing the work of evil; the one who unites people is doing God’s work.” (Wm. Barclay, Commentary on Matthew, p. 110.) The choice is yours… You can be a trouble-maker or a peace-maker. You can build up or you can tear down! Let me illustrate and amplify the point with three ideas… and maybe we can find ourselves somewhere between the lines. I want to give you all three of the ideas up front so you can move along with me as we develop them. Here they are. In marriage and in life, the choice ...

2425. On the Road with Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... you or disappoint you.” But merely saying, “I’m sorry” is not enough. Just mouthing those words is not enough… In addition, we need to make amends by fixing the problem and by changing the behavior that caused the problem in the first place. A classic illustration of this is found in the Zacchaeus story in Luke 19. When the light of Christ splashed into his life, Zacchaeus saw himself as he really was… and he didn’t like what he saw. So, he came down out of that sycamore tree in the spirit ...

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