Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2426 to 2450 of 4937 results

2426. You Light Up My Life

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

Just recently I was listening to the radio and heard again that song that strikes a responsive chord in my heart, “You Light Up My Life.” I remember a story a preacher friend told me. A fine pianist in the Methodist Church at Traverse City, Michigan, had a son who died tragically. Right in the middle of the funeral service, this father walked over to the piano in the sanctuary and began to play with great feeling, “You light up my life, you give me hope to carry on, you fill my days with song.” It was an ...

2427. The Importance Of Giving Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help children to remember that part of being human means giving thanks. Material: A batch of homemade cookies (or some other homemade treat) to share. Lesson: Do any of you have a dog at home? ... Do you do anything special when you feed your dog? ... In our house, we have the dog do a trick, like sitting up, before she is fed. And you know what she does when we put the food down? She eats it right away. And you know what else? She never says, "Thank you." Now, of course, I don't expect her to ...

2428. Wedding: Building A Marriage (for a couple fixing up a house)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

Listen to these words from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13 (NRSV): Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends... When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became ...

2429. Give Him Your All

Mark 12:28-34

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Our love for God should not be reserved. Prop: One to four volunteers. Lesson: Good morning. (response) I need four volunteers. Who will help me? (response) Ok, I want all of you to stand up and face the congregation. Now, I want you to listen to something that Jesus said. He said, "Love God with all you heart, mind, soul, and strength." That's what we are going to do right now. I want you four to show us how to love God with your heart, then your mind, your soul, and your strength. Ask the ...

2430. Jesus' Treasure Chest

Ephesians 3:16

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A treasure chest with the word Christ marked on it. Good morning, boys and girls. Isn't this a beautiful day? There really is something special about Sunday and it is good that we keep it that way. I want to take you on a very special trip this morning because I found in my office a special map marked with a special sign. [XR should be written on it.] If we follow this map we may find a treasure at the place marked on the map. How many want to follow me to see what we can find? I wonder what kind ...

2431. You Must Give Everything to Me

John 14:1-4

Illustration

On her travels to the Far East, Margaret Bottome learned 3 Vital Lessons in Faith & Following. There came a guide to her group and said to them, "Will you be good enough to give everything to me? I will take care of everything." So they gave him their luggage, but kept their small handbags. The guide spoke, "You must give everything to me." They protested that there were things that were vital to them for their trip, but the guide simply said, "They will be far safer with me, and you will be far safer ...

2432. Give Me Your Sins

Luke 23:26-43

Illustration

Eric Ritz

St. Jerome was one of the distinguished church fathers who helped to guide the Church in matters of faith and the Bible. He translated the Ancient Greek manuscripts into Latin to help put the Bible in the language of the people. He wanted the people to read and know the Bible. He lived in the actual town of Bethlehem for a time to get a feel of how Jesus lived during his earthly journey among us. The rich oral traditions of the church share how St. Jerome, while living in Bethlehem, had a dream that Jesus ...

2433. That’s All I Want

John 10:1-21

Illustration

B. Wiley Stephens

A little girl reciting the 23rd Psalm began, "The Lord is my shepherd; that's all I want." Maybe she missed the wording, but she sure got the theology right. To have Jesus as our shepherd is indeed a blessing. As he moves towards the cross, Jesus holds up this model of the good shepherd, reminding his listeners that a good shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep. He would give his life to protect the sheep from thieves, wild animals, or whatever danger might confront the flock. We can give him our ...

2434. Giving Better Than We Expect

1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

The boss had called the receptionist into his office for one of those chats we all dread. He was displeased with her demeanor in the office. For the most part, she was efficient, did her work on time, and seldom put through a call incorrectly. But her attitude needed an adjustment, he said. He didn't like the way he heard her talking to some of their clients. "Well," she replied, "I really don't have a bad attitude. I treat people pretty much the way they treat me. If they're pleasant, and easy to get ...

2435. Turning on the Lights

1 Peter 2:25

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A light switch. Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this light and cheery day? Do any of you remember the days in the cold winter when it was still dark as you got up to come to church? Light is very important to us for a lot of reasons, isn't it? It is very hard to do many things in the dark. Have any of you tried to play games in the dark, or have you tried to read or eat without light? It isn't very easy, is it? On the altar of almost every church is something that tells us how ...

2436. A New Life

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Verse 22: For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Object: Some eggshells and some baby chicks. These can be purchased at many stores at this time of the year. Good morning, boys and girls. How are you today? This is the most wonderful day in our lives, Easter day. There is nothing like Easter for certain and wonderful excitement. Just think, almost two thousand years ago something took place that changed the entire world. Ever since that first Easter things have been different, ...

2437. Lift Up Your Heads! - Sermon Starter

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

A.J. Gordon was the great Baptist pastor of the Clarendon Church in Boston, Massachusetts. One day he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, "Son, where did you get those birds?" The boy replied, "I trapped them out in the field." "What are you going to do with them?" "I'm going to play with them, and then I guess I'll just feed them to an old cat we have at home." When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, " ...

2438. Turning Up the Religious Machinery

Illustration

William G. Carter

Eugene Peterson claims in one of his books: "For a long time I have been convinced that I could take a person with a high school education, give him or her a six-month trade school training, and provide a pastor who would be satisfactory to any discriminating American congregation. The curriculum would consist of four courses. Course 1: Creative Plagiarism. I would put you in touch with a wide range of excellent and inspirational talks, show you how to alter them just enough to obscure their origins, and ...

2439. Pick Up the Baby

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

King Duncan

Sam Levenson tells a wonderful story about the birth of his first child. The first night home the baby would not stop crying. His wife frantically flipped through the pages of Dr. Spock to find out why babies cry and what to do about it. Since Spock's book is rather long, the baby cried a long time. Grandma was in the house, but since she had not read the books on child rearing, she was not consulted. The baby continued to cry. Finally, Grandma could be silent no longer. "Put down the book," she told her ...

2440. Setting Up the Tabernacle

Exodus 40:34-38

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

40:34–38 The glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. The resolution of the book of Exodus comes in these last verses as the Lord’s presence is visible once again, for the first time after the golden calf, in the newly created tabernacle. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. (40:34–35) The cloud, first seen in Exodus 13 at ...

2441. On Polishing Up the 24 Karat Jesus

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James Weekley

A newly appointed minister was preparing to deliver his first sermon. As expected, he was as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. In his introduction he misquoted Jesus as follows, "I have come to heal the dead, cast out the sick, and raise the devil." Jesus did not want to be misquoted. In fact, he wanted to make his lasting impressions stick. How could the disciples ever forget his last impression, the Great Commission? With the mandate, he commanded they go and make his love the ...

2442. Sing And Give Thanks

Ephesians 5:19-20

Children's Sermon

Object: your church hymnal Good morning, boys and girls. (Hold up your church hymnal, ask the question and let them answer.) What am I holding? This is our church hymnal. All the hymns that we sing during church are in this book. (Prior to the lesson find a few hymns that children know and show them where they are in the book.) For example, on page (name the page) is "Jesus Loves Me," and on page (name the page) is "Away In The Manger." This is an important book for our church. This hymnal makes me think ...

2443. What Can I Give?

Matthew 2:1-12

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: tiny boxes, wrapping paper, tape and ribbon for each child Teachers: This is the week to traditionally discuss the wise men and their visit to Jesus. If available you may want to use the song, "The Little Drummer Boy" or the musical drama, "Amahl and the Night Visitors". Although these selections present a fictional account of the nativity, they are both good ways to introduce gifts we can bring to Jesus. Provide enough tiny boxes, wrapping paper, tape and ribbon for each child. Discuss what kinds ...

2444. You Don't Give a Damn

Luke 4:14-30

Illustration

James Garrett

In the book, Holy Sweat, by Tim Hansel, he tells of a guest preacher in a rather large church who began, “There are three points to my sermon.” Most people yawned at the point. They’d heard that many times before. But he went on. “My first point is this. At this time there are approximately two billion people starving to death in the world.” The reaction through the congregation was about the same, since they’d heard that sort of statement many times before, too. And then he said, “My second point…” ...

2445. How Does Jesus Show He Is the Greatest?

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Sigurd Grindheim

Imagine that the Bible was lost and somebody today was given the task of recording, to the best of their ability, the deeds and words of the Son of God. They were to give an account of the good influence that Jesus had had in people's lives. What do you think would have been recorded as the first instance through which Jesus showed his greatness? Imagine that there would be a poll among the Christians of the 21st century where they were to answer the question: how does Jesus show you that he is the ...

2446. The Self-Giving Mother

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

About 6:00 A.M. on a Wednesday morning James Lawson of Running Springs, California (in the San Bernardino mountains) left home to apply for a job. About an hour later his thirty-six-year-old wife Patsy left for her fifth grade teaching job down the mountain in Riverside—accompanied by her two children, five-year-old Susan and two-year-old Gerald—to be dropped off at the baby-sitter's. Unfortunately, they never got that far. Eight and a half hours later the man found his wife and daughter dead in their ...

2447. The True Story of the Magi

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

John Jamison

There is a beautiful old tradition about the star in the East. The story says that when the star had finished its task of directing the wise men to the baby, it fell from the sky and dropped down into the city well of Bethlehem. According to some legend, that star is there to this day, and can sometimes still be seen by those whose hearts are pure and clean. It's a pretty story. It kind of makes you feel warm inside. There are other legends about this story of the wise men from the east. For instance, how ...

2448. Lighten Up!

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Illustration

M.T. Kutz

Lori Beth Jones wrote a book called "Jesus CEO". In this book she wrote: "Perhaps Jesus loved to dance because he was born at a party. I believe any event that has a heavenly light show, people bearing gifts from distant places and a host of angels singing and giving directions is a dance of major proportion. It must have made an impact on him. One of his favorite miracles was to turn water into wine, not vinegar. As his fame and popularity grew, he was constantly invited to dinners at Nicodemus's or Peter ...

2449. Clothing and Spiritual Change

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

Mickey Anders

Clothing is a common New Testament metaphor for spiritual change. Paul wrote in Romans, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Rom 13:14). And in First Corinthians, "The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53). In Colossians, we read, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness ...

2450. Eliphaz Turns Up His Criticism of Job

Job 15:1-35

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Eliphaz insists that Job is a sinner who deserves God’s punishment. Understanding the Text Job 15 contains Eliphaz’s second speech to Job, and it is evident that civil discussion between them has broken down considerably. In fact, in the second cycle (Job 15–21) the dialogue between Job and his friends becomes more strained, abusive, and insulting as the friends focus almost completely on the divine punishment due to wicked people like Job. In chapter 15, Eliphaz is not as courteous as when he ...

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Showing 2426 to 2450 of 4937 results

2426. You Light Up My Life

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

2427. The Importance Of Giving Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

2428. Wedding: Building A Marriage (for a couple fixing up a house)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Bulletin Aid

Derl G. Keefer

2429. Give Him Your All

Mark 12:28-34

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

2430. Jesus' Treasure Chest

Ephesians 3:16

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

2431. You Must Give Everything to Me

John 14:1-4

Illustration

2432. Give Me Your Sins

Luke 23:26-43

Illustration

Eric Ritz

2433. That’s All I Want

John 10:1-21

Illustration

B. Wiley Stephens

2434. Giving Better Than We Expect

1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

2435. Turning on the Lights

1 Peter 2:25

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

2436. A New Life

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

2437. Lift Up Your Heads! - Sermon Starter

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Brett Blair

2438. Turning Up the Religious Machinery

Illustration

William G. Carter

2439. Pick Up the Baby

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

King Duncan

2440. Setting Up the Tabernacle

Exodus 40:34-38

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

2441. On Polishing Up the 24 Karat Jesus

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James Weekley

2442. Sing And Give Thanks

Ephesians 5:19-20

Children's Sermon

2443. What Can I Give?

Matthew 2:1-12

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

2444. You Don't Give a Damn

Luke 4:14-30

Illustration

James Garrett

2445. How Does Jesus Show He Is the Greatest?

John 2:1-11

Illustration

Sigurd Grindheim

2446. The Self-Giving Mother

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

2447. The True Story of the Magi

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

John Jamison

2448. Lighten Up!

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Illustration

M.T. Kutz

2449. Clothing and Spiritual Change

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

Mickey Anders

2450. Eliphaz Turns Up His Criticism of Job

Job 15:1-35

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

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