Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 1 to 25 of 71 results

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Larry Powell

Clarence Macartney tells of a certain Canadian river which flows through a forbidding chasm. Looming on either side of the river are rugged, uninviting crags which bear the names "Eternity" and "Trinity." Macartney suggests that the opposing crags invite an analogy (you understand of course, that to a preacher, most everything invites analogy). "Inseparable from any true conception of God," he say...

2. A Matter of Excess

Mark 6:30-44

Illustration

Larry Powell

Before commenting directly about Mark 6:30-44, allow me to direct your attention to two Old Testament stories. 1. The first story is found in 2 Kings 4:1-7 and concerns the widow of a prophet whose creditors were about to foreclose her outstanding debt. Additionally, her two sons were to be carried away as slaves. Beside herself, the widow cried out to Elisha for help. Elisha asked her if she had...

3. A Maverick Son

2 Samuel 15:13-37

Illustration

Larry Powell

Absalom was born in Hebron. His first recorded experience is the pathetic story of the rape of his sister, Tamar. Later, during a feast he masterminded the slaying of Amnon after which he escaped to the home of his grandfather at Geshur where he remained for three years. Absalom approached Joab to intercede for him with David in an effort to be reinstated in the royal family. Joab refused twice. A...

4. A Mountain-Top Experience

Mark 9:2-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

Our primary focus will be upon the divine Sonship of Jesus of Nazareth. Notice that we say Jesus of "Nazareth" here instead of Jesus "Christ." Prior to the events which we shall take up, Jesus had been identified simply as "the Nazarene," "the carpenter," or "the carpenter’s son." Following two specific events, his identity is enlarged upon to include "divine Sonship." What happened? There was a b...

5. A Radical Price To Pay

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

Larry Powell

A missionary preached in a remote, poverty ridden area in west Africa. He appealed for support of Christian work throughout the area and encouraged those present to give what they could toward the construction of a building which would serve as a medical clinic and a place of worship. Approximately two hours after the worship service, a young woman came to the missionary and presented him with $40...

6. A Steadfast Love

Psalm 103:1-22

Illustration

Larry Powell

I recently was in the company of a minister friend who, between conversations, periodically hummed the tune to Charles Tindley’s great old hymn, "Stand By Me." He frequently interrupted his humming to sing such verses as he could recall. In time, I inquired as to his fascination with that particular hymn. "Oh," said he, "we sang it in church this past Sunday and I’ve had it on my mind ever since. ...

7. A Thimble Full Of Ocean

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Larry Powell

A prominent magazine recently featured a story about a Russian family whose dramatic escape from the Soviet Union attracted world-wide attention. It was not a pretty story. The family’s pentecostal beliefs first brought down hatefully-pronounced warnings from Communist party officials. Soon following, however, the family’s persistent prayer and Bible readings angered the authorities to the point t...

8. An Old Plan For New People

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Larry Powell

A mother dashed hurriedly into the nursery when she heard her five-year-old son howling. Much to her relief, she learned that his outburst resulted because his baby sister had been pulling his hair. "Never mind, darling," she comforted, "your little sister doesn’t know it hurts you when she pulls your hair." Within moments, the mother rushed back into the nursery, this time to check on the screami...

9. And Their Eyes Were Opened

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Larry Powell

Some years ago, a movie titled Zapata depicted the engaging story of the famous Mexican hero, Zapata. He was to the Mexicans what "El Cid" was to the Spanish: a redeemer of his people. Those who loved Zapata were radically devoted to him and his cause. At the end, when Zapata was ambushed by government troops, the white horse upon which he had led countless charges, escaped into the hills. The pea...

10. Appointment in Jerusalem

Luke 19:28-44

Illustration

Larry Powell

Several years ago I saw a rather celebrated movie which had ambitiously undertaken to portray the life of Christ. Although the larger part of the film left a great deal to be desired, at least one scene was, for me, worth the price of admission. Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem, passing along the edge of the sea. The face of Jesus was stern, his jaw set, and his eyes fixed st...

11. Are You Convinced?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Larry Powell

Someone has astutely observed that our culture does not handle "endings" very well. "Beginnings," on the other hand, seem to come off quite nicely. Weddings, beautiful and memorable in themselves, are also occasions for parties, bridal showers, gift bearing, and other happy kinds of experiences which we usually associate with the celebration of two persons in love beginning a new home. When a home...

12. As the Twig Is Bent

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Illustration

Larry Powell

Jesus sat as a child with other Jewish children on the dirt floor of the synagogue in Nazareth to receive instruction from the rabbi. Paul studied at the feet of Gamaliel. John Wesley received instruction at his mother’s knee and later received formal training from some of the most outstanding scholars of his time. Instruction served them, as it serves us, as a strong potion. We are not speaking o...

13. Attempting to Hear the Ocean in a Seashell

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

Larry Powell

A tourist stood for long periods of time upon the beach, facing away from the ocean, pressing a seashell against his ear. The water lapped at his feet, the sun beamed down upon his head and shoulders, and the waves crashed just behind him. Firmly, he pressed the seashell against his ear. He wanted to hear the powerful surge of the ocean as it heaved and rolled. See the picture in your mind's eye: ...

14. Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

Jesus of Nazareth had his own agenda. From the beginning, it had confounded even those closest to him. * We think of Joseph and Mary searching anxiously up and down the caravan line for their twelve-year-old son, only to discover that he had remained in Jerusalem to sit among the teachers at the Temple (Luke 2:41-52). * We think of Jesus standing as a young man in the synagogue at Nazareth reading...

15. Beyond Ambiguity

Isaiah 42:1-9

Illustration

Larry Powell

In the 1500s, there lived a "prophet" named Nostradamus who upheld the Copernican theory that the world is round and circles the sun more than one hundred years before Galileo was prosecuted for the same belief. He was also widely known as a healer, a dabbler in the occult, and predictor of events far into the future. A present day book, The Prophecies of Nostradamus, purports to show that he pred...

16. Blow The Trumpet In Zion

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Larry Powell

Is there a word which falls upon the human consciousness with a more resounding "thud" than the word "Repent"? "Oh no," you say. "It is the theme of the prophets, the touchstone of the gospel, and the initial requirement for entrance into the kingdom." That is true, but it is also true that the inherent dynamic of "Repent," one of the foremost action words in the vocabulary of humankind, has been ...

17. But God Can

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

She was all alone now, this widow of Nain. The Scriptures make no mention that she had brothers or sisters or other family members. They surely would have been with her, consoling her, moving slowly along in the sad procession. A "large crowd from the city was with her." We are grateful for that. Sometime before, we don't know how long, she had stood by the grave of her husband and now the lifeles...

18. Christ Plus

Acts 15:1-21

Illustration

Larry Powell

It is commonly accepted that the first Church Council met in Jerusalem sometime between A.D. 44-47. Acts 15:4-19 relates that a major part of the agenda was concerned with the matter of whether or not circumcision should be required of Gentile converts. The Jerusalem party said "Yes," while Paul and Barnabas, who were not requiring circumcision of their new converts said "No." A lengthy debate ens...

19. Clean and Unclean

Acts 11:1-18

Illustration

Larry Powell

Simon Peter is called into account by the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem to explain why he had made so bold as to eat unclean food in the presence of Gentiles. He explains that while he was in Joppa, a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, he had fallen into a trance and experienced a vision. Before going further, let us make a distinction at two points: 1. Simon the tanner. As the name suggests,...

20. Creatures of Worth

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Illustration

Larry Powell

God not only created persons, but persons of "worth." Regrettably, the Genesis account of humanity’s beginning has frequently been sensationalized, either by recurring debates as to the nature of the literature or gnat-straining arguments over sequences, that the matter of "worth" has escaped the hearing of a people who desperately need to hear it. Whatever else the high occurence of suicide in th...

21. Daring Words

Mark 1:9-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

The Gospel according to Mark, commonly accepted to be the earliest of the synoptics, relates that Jesus began his Galilean ministry by 1. making an announcement, 2. extending an invitation, and 3. issuing a command. It would be pressing the matter entirely too far to even remotely suggest that the sequence of events was intentional, yet there is a certain familiarity about the sequence itself. As ...

22. Eternally Interceding

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Illustration

Larry Powell

The Hebrew people knew that Moses was on Mount Sinai, but it seemed to them that he had been gone much longer than necessary. All manner of mummerings arose within the ranks. Had he deserted them? Had something happened to him? Finally, it was decided that they would raise up Aaron as their new leader. Moreover, an idol fashioned in the form of a golden bull was set in their midst as the new objec...

23. Eternity and Trinity

John 16:12-15

Illustration

Larry Powell

24. Evil in the Trenches

Mark 11:12-19

Illustration

Larry Powell

In consideration of our scripture selection, the title as listed above appears to be unreasonably over-stated. In our mind’s eye, we conceive Jesus and the disciples striding directly into a well-laid trap. The priests are hunkering low in waistdeep trenches, the scribes located strategically in reinforced bunkers, their religious peers dug in somewhere behind barbed wire barricades ... "entrenche...

25. Extravagance

Luke 7:36-8:3; Matthew 26:6

Illustration

Larry Powell

Senator William Proximire (D-Wisconsin) regularly delights the general public by awarding his now-famous "Golden Fleece Award" to some government committee or agency which, because of some redundant high-dollar project, has achieved recognition for excelling in flagrant, wasteful, unnecessary spending. Senator Proximire gets our attention because he illuminates a subject of interest to us all: how...

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Showing 1 to 25 of 71 results

1. A Continuing Presence

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Larry Powell

2. A Matter of Excess

Mark 6:30-44

Illustration

Larry Powell

3. A Maverick Son

2 Samuel 15:13-37

Illustration

Larry Powell

4. A Mountain-Top Experience

Mark 9:2-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

5. A Radical Price To Pay

Luke 9:51-62

Illustration

Larry Powell

6. A Steadfast Love

Psalm 103:1-22

Illustration

Larry Powell

7. A Thimble Full Of Ocean

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Larry Powell

8. An Old Plan For New People

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Larry Powell

9. And Their Eyes Were Opened

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Larry Powell

10. Appointment in Jerusalem

Luke 19:28-44

Illustration

Larry Powell

11. Are You Convinced?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Larry Powell

12. As the Twig Is Bent

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Illustration

Larry Powell

13. Attempting to Hear the Ocean in a Seashell

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

Larry Powell

14. Behold the Blood of the Covenant

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Larry Powell

15. Beyond Ambiguity

Isaiah 42:1-9

Illustration

Larry Powell

16. Blow The Trumpet In Zion

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Larry Powell

17. But God Can

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

18. Christ Plus

Acts 15:1-21

Illustration

Larry Powell

19. Clean and Unclean

Acts 11:1-18

Illustration

Larry Powell

20. Creatures of Worth

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Illustration

Larry Powell

21. Daring Words

Mark 1:9-13

Illustration

Larry Powell

22. Eternally Interceding

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Illustration

Larry Powell

23. Eternity and Trinity

John 16:12-15

Illustration

Larry Powell

24. Evil in the Trenches

Mark 11:12-19

Illustration

Larry Powell

25. Extravagance

Luke 7:36-8:3; Matthew 26:6

Illustration

Larry Powell

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