Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: successful, effectual, efficacious, productive, constructive, fruitful, functional, potent, powerful, convincing, compelling, strong, forceful, forcible, weighty, plausible, sound, valid, well founded, telling, operative, in force, in effect, in operation, official, signed and sealed, virtual, practical, essential, actual, implied, implicit, unacknowledged, tacit

Antonyms: ineffective, weak, invalid, theoretical, ineffectual, useless, inefficient, worthless, unproductive, futile, unsuccessful, fruitless, impotent, inadequate, incompetent, abortive, vain, powerless, pointless, inept, unavailing, inefficacious, unable, incapable

Showing 1 to 50 of 353 results

1. In Success is the Seed of Failure

Matt 4:1-11; Mark 1:9-13; Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... work that way. In fact, success has no greater danger ... said, "was with success. Every time I was successful, I had to ... 24, 1993). The problem with success is success. This reminds us again ... the importance of godly character. Success has within it the seed ... of self-destruction. The more success a person achieves—including the ... most honorable and praiseworthy success—the more one needs the ... and to learn from each success. But that calls for sensitive ... other words, the greatest lesson success can teach us is the ...

2. How to Fail Successfully - Sermon Starter

Mark 6:1-13

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... of perspective isn't it? Success and failure mean different things ... talk about "how to fail successfully". Does that sound like a ... oxymoron? How to fail successfully. No one wants to fail ... fail, we should do it successfully. A few years ago Fast ... , "how to fail successfully." Jesus had already been "successful." Just recently He ... Mark. Jesus was obviously a success. Chapter six opens with Jesus ... in the midst of that success that Jesus calls his disciples ... guide to "how to fail successfully." Let's look at the ...

3. The Failure that Looked Like Success

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

John Killinger

... Testament paints two pictures of success and failure. The first picture ... : "The Failure That Looked Like Success." The other painting, the companion ... under this picture is: "The Success That Looked Like Failure." We ... would all like to be successful and fulfilled as persons; it ... to Jesus, we realize that success and fulfillment don't really ... lot better to be a success that looks like failure than ...

4. Successful Judas

Matt 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-13

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

... apostles, the one absolutely stunning success was Judas, and the one ... was Peter. Judas was a success in the ways that most ... impress us: he was successful both financially and politically. He ... continues to chase after the successes of Judas, financial wealth and ...

5. Missing the Meaning of Success

John 6:1-15

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

We don't necessarily recognize success when we see it. When ... world. Some of you are successes, and some of you are ... !" It's hard to recognize success. We don't always know ... . Jesus was able to recognize success and he wasn't going ...

6. Three Characteristics of Success

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

Brett Blair

The most successful companies aren't successful because of charismatic leadership or ... up with. Instead, these highly successful companies share three distinct characteristics ... in your life, and the success that really matters, will be ...

7. IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... of personal happiness and a successful life. To live a life ... them to a happy and successful life. Make a very deep ... your search for happiness and success.

8. The Success Syndrome

Mk 10:17-31

Illustration

King Duncan

... wrote a book called The Success Syndrome. He found that individuals ... in his word "suffer" from success have arrogance and a sense ... prescribe a cure for the success syndrome, Berglas said, "What's ...

9. The True Marks of Success

Luke 14:1-14

Illustration

R. Robert Cueni

... he deemed marks of true "success": the ability to discern and ... Emerson does not say that success comes in having the best ... best clubs. Emerson contends that success comes with appreciating God's ...

10. One Step Closer to Success

Illustration

Charles Kettering

... up to the cathedral of success. The only time you don ... suggestions for turning failure into success: Honestly face defeat; never fake ... success. Exploit the failure; don't ...

11. The Price of Success

Illustration

William H. Hinson

... that’s the price of success.” When Ditto returned home, he ... glad you’re not a success. I just couldn’t afford ...

12. Achievement vs Success

Illustration

Helen Hayes

Helen Hayes once said that her mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. Her mother advised her that "achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others, and that's nice too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success."

13. Individual Success over All

Mark 10:17-31

Illustration

John Killinger

... more to us than the success of any larger entity or ... sacrifice and service above personal success and enjoyment.

14. The Measure of Success

Illustration

Martin Buxbaum

You can use most any measure when you're speaking of success. You can measure it in fancy home, expensive car or dress. But the measure of your real success is one you cannot spend. It's the way your son describes you when he's talking to a friend.

15. Success Is Sometimes Measured in Inches

Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13

Illustration

King Duncan

Success is sometimes measured in inches. ... , so many lives were lost. Success can sometimes be measured in ...

16. Keys To Success

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... job. You have been very successful as president of this bank ... been the keys to your success.” The older man looked at ...

17. The Strategic Role of the Successful Mother

Illustration

Theodore Roosevelt

... fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does ... important, by far, than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist ...

18. Competition and Success

Luke 22:54-62

Illustration

... world says that competition and success is an indisputable law. Competition ...

19. One of the Secrets to Success

Luke 10:1-24

Illustration

... , one of the secrets of success is to travel light.

20. Successful Soles

Illustration

Stay on your toes and off other people’s toes, and you’ll be known as a successful sole instead of an arch heel.

21. An Overnight Success

Illustration

Staff

... Williams. It was an overnight success that gained tremendous popularity during ...

22. The Ladder of Success

Illustration

Staff

Here is a list of literal ladder excuses people might have for not climbing the proverbial ladder of success: I'm so clumsy I might fall. The ladder doesn't look very safe I'm afraid of heights. There's no one to hold the ladder for me while I climb. Someone else is using the ladder right now. The roof doesn't really need fixing anyway.

23. How Do You Measure Success?

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

James W. Moore

... . Listen… "How do you measure success? To laugh often and much ...

24. Satan's Success

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... showed that Satan had been successful: a great scowl formed over ...

25. Formula for Success

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

An ambitious young man asked an experienced salesman for the secret of his success in selling. The salesman said, "There's no great secret, you just have to jump at every opportunity that comes along." The young man replied, "But how can I tell when an opportunity is coming?" The salesman responded, "You can't. You have to keep jumping."

26. Techniques for Daily Success

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... seven classic techniques for daily success at a Time Management seminar ...

27. The Road to Success Is Bumpy

Illustration

Dan Miller

... the way to their ultimate successes. Research indicates that, if you ...

28. The Pinnacle of Success

Illustration

King Duncan

... had reached the pinnacle of success. That is, until one day ...

29. The Pitfalls of Success

Illustration

Donald McCullough

Alexander the Great conquered Persia, but broke down and wept because his troops were too exhausted to push on to India. Hugo Grotius, the father of modern international law, said at the last, "I have accomplished nothing worthwhile in my life." John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the U.S., not a Lincoln, perhaps, but a decent leader wrote in his diary: "My life has been spent in vain and idle aspirations, and in ceaseless rejected prayers that something would be the result of my existence beneficial to ...

30. Graded on a Bell Curve

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Staff

Life's a test - and you're graded on a bell curve At age 4, success is...not peeing in your pants. At age 12, success is...having friends. At age 16, success is...having a driver's license. At age 20, success is...having sex. At age 35, success is...having money. At age 50, success is...having money. At age 60, success is...having sex. At age 70, success is...having a driver's license. At age 75, success is...having friends. At age 90, success is...not peeing in your pants.

31. Dime Store Wisdom

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

... did so and had a successful sale. Later he did the ... same thing, and had another successful sale. The clerk approached the ... for himself and became very successful with his idea. His name ...

32. The Impossible Barrier Myth

Illustration

Alan Loy McGinnis

... our leader exposes us to successful people, it not only inculcates ... , and the concrete evidence that success was within reach inspired them ...

33. Which Coaching Is Better?

Matthew 21:23-32

Illustration

King Duncan

... begins to sabotage his own success. He becomes more vulnerable to ... person more likely to be successful with or without basketball. The ...

34. Be Watchful of the Future

Illustration

James Enery White

... how they did business. Past success had blinded them to the ... was no guarantee of future success.

35. Getting Back to Work

Luke 17:1-10

Illustration

Brett Blair

... poisoning your soul with this success oriented way of life? Your ...

36. The First Billionaire

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to take any of his successes with him into the next ...

37. Authentic Christianity

Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

... . He chose, even after his success, to continue to surround himself ...

38. A Shoe Clerk Named Moody

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

... leaders in Charlotte, seeing the success of the revivals, scheduled another ...

39. New Doors Will Open

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Wayne Cordeiro and Robert Lewis

... Africa to Livingstone, and as successive evangelists followed him, wave after ...

40. From A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

John 10:1-10

Illustration

Phillip Keller

... their dazzling outward show of success, despite their affluence and their ...

41. Ambition and Humility

Mt 18:1-4; Mk 9:33-36; Lk 9:46-47

Illustration

King Duncan

... basement helping others to be successful in their jobs.

42. The Inside Results

John 1:1-28

Illustration

King Duncan

... . My surgery had been totally successful. `Would you like to see ...

43. The Person in Front of You

John 14:23-29

Illustration

J. Howard Olds

Jimmy Carter, in his book Sources of Strength, tells about interviewing Eloy Cruz, an admirable Cuban pastor, who had tremendous rapport with poor immigrants from Puerto Rico. "What is the secret to your success?" asked Carter. Pastor Cruz replied, "Señor Jimmy, we need to have only two loves for our lives, love for God and love for the person who happens to be in front of us at any time."

44. How Much Land Does A Man Need?

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

... wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not ...

45. When I Say I Am a Christian

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

James W. Moore

... ,' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting that I ...

46. Finding Financial Freedom

Luke 16:1-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

... keep up the pretense of success the large house, staffed with ...

47. No Black Dots

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Illustration

When Benjamin Franklin was 27 years old, he decided he would take control of his life. He selected 12 virtues he wanted to acquire, and kept a daily chart of his progress in the development of each one. Whenever he missed the mark, he put a black dot beside that virtue. His goal was to ultimately have no dots on the chart. This method contributed to Franklin's success as an inventor, publisher, and statesman.

48. Are You Going to Fish?

Luke 19:1-10

Illustration

Bob Younts

... a fisherman who was very successful. Every morning he went out ...

49. Fear of Dying

Lk 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

... Buffet, one of the most successful men in the world, is ...

50. Dreaming to a New Future

Matthew 4:12-22

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... engine. Although most of the success can be credited to Ole ...

Showing results

Showing 1 to 50 of 353 results

1. In Success is the Seed of Failure

Matt 4:1-11; Mark 1:9-13; Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

2. How to Fail Successfully - Sermon Starter

Mark 6:1-13

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

3. The Failure that Looked Like Success

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

John Killinger

4. Successful Judas

Matt 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-13

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

5. Missing the Meaning of Success

John 6:1-15

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

6. Three Characteristics of Success

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

Brett Blair

7. IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS

Illustration

John H. Krahn

... of personal happiness and a successful life. To live a life ... them to a happy and successful life. Make a very deep ... your search for happiness and success.

8. The Success Syndrome

Mk 10:17-31

Illustration

King Duncan

9. The True Marks of Success

Luke 14:1-14

Illustration

R. Robert Cueni

10. One Step Closer to Success

Illustration

Charles Kettering

... up to the cathedral of success. The only time you don ... suggestions for turning failure into success: Honestly face defeat; never fake ... success. Exploit the failure; don't ...

11. The Price of Success

Illustration

William H. Hinson

... that’s the price of success.” When Ditto returned home, he ... glad you’re not a success. I just couldn’t afford ...

12. Achievement vs Success

Illustration

Helen Hayes

13. Individual Success over All

Mark 10:17-31

Illustration

John Killinger

... more to us than the success of any larger entity or ... sacrifice and service above personal success and enjoyment.

14. The Measure of Success

Illustration

Martin Buxbaum

15. Success Is Sometimes Measured in Inches

Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13

Illustration

King Duncan

Success is sometimes measured in inches. ... , so many lives were lost. Success can sometimes be measured in ...

16. Keys To Success

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... job. You have been very successful as president of this bank ... been the keys to your success.” The older man looked at ...

17. The Strategic Role of the Successful Mother

Illustration

Theodore Roosevelt

... fights for his country. The successful mother, the mother who does ... important, by far, than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist ...

18. Competition and Success

Luke 22:54-62

Illustration

... world says that competition and success is an indisputable law. Competition ...

19. One of the Secrets to Success

Luke 10:1-24

Illustration

... , one of the secrets of success is to travel light.

20. Successful Soles

Illustration

Stay on your toes and off other people’s toes, and you’ll be known as a successful sole instead of an arch heel.

21. An Overnight Success

Illustration

Staff

... Williams. It was an overnight success that gained tremendous popularity during ...

22. The Ladder of Success

Illustration

Staff

23. How Do You Measure Success?

Mark 5:21-43

Illustration

James W. Moore

... . Listen… "How do you measure success? To laugh often and much ...

24. Satan's Success

Illustration

Michael P. Green

... showed that Satan had been successful: a great scowl formed over ...

25. Formula for Success

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

26. Techniques for Daily Success

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... seven classic techniques for daily success at a Time Management seminar ...

27. The Road to Success Is Bumpy

Illustration

Dan Miller

... the way to their ultimate successes. Research indicates that, if you ...

28. The Pinnacle of Success

Illustration

King Duncan

... had reached the pinnacle of success. That is, until one day ...

29. The Pitfalls of Success

Illustration

Donald McCullough

30. Graded on a Bell Curve

Luke 4:1-13

Illustration

Staff

31. Dime Store Wisdom

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

32. The Impossible Barrier Myth

Illustration

Alan Loy McGinnis

... our leader exposes us to successful people, it not only inculcates ... , and the concrete evidence that success was within reach inspired them ...

33. Which Coaching Is Better?

Matthew 21:23-32

Illustration

King Duncan

... begins to sabotage his own success. He becomes more vulnerable to ... person more likely to be successful with or without basketball. The ...

34. Be Watchful of the Future

Illustration

James Enery White

... how they did business. Past success had blinded them to the ... was no guarantee of future success.

35. Getting Back to Work

Luke 17:1-10

Illustration

Brett Blair

... poisoning your soul with this success oriented way of life? Your ...

36. The First Billionaire

Luke 17:11-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to take any of his successes with him into the next ...

37. Authentic Christianity

Matthew 3:1-12

Illustration

... . He chose, even after his success, to continue to surround himself ...

38. A Shoe Clerk Named Moody

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Brett Blair

... leaders in Charlotte, seeing the success of the revivals, scheduled another ...

39. New Doors Will Open

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Wayne Cordeiro and Robert Lewis

... Africa to Livingstone, and as successive evangelists followed him, wave after ...

40. From A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

John 10:1-10

Illustration

Phillip Keller

... their dazzling outward show of success, despite their affluence and their ...

41. Ambition and Humility

Mt 18:1-4; Mk 9:33-36; Lk 9:46-47

Illustration

King Duncan

... basement helping others to be successful in their jobs.

42. The Inside Results

John 1:1-28

Illustration

King Duncan

... . My surgery had been totally successful. `Would you like to see ...

43. The Person in Front of You

John 14:23-29

Illustration

J. Howard Olds

44. How Much Land Does A Man Need?

Luke 12:13-21

Illustration

Brett Blair

... wrote a story about a successful peasant farmer who was not ...

45. When I Say I Am a Christian

Luke 15:1-32

Illustration

James W. Moore

... ,' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting that I ...

46. Finding Financial Freedom

Luke 16:1-15

Illustration

Brett Blair

... keep up the pretense of success the large house, staffed with ...

47. No Black Dots

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

Illustration

48. Are You Going to Fish?

Luke 19:1-10

Illustration

Bob Younts

... a fisherman who was very successful. Every morning he went out ...

49. Fear of Dying

Lk 20:27-38

Illustration

King Duncan

... Buffet, one of the most successful men in the world, is ...

50. Dreaming to a New Future

Matthew 4:12-22

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... engine. Although most of the success can be credited to Ole ...

Showing results