The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 18 for the sermon titled “When Christians Quarrel: Resolving Conflict in the Church”]

One of the things I like best about the New Testament is that it is so practical. It must have been the fact that Jesus had human beings called disciples always with him that forced him to speak in such everyday terms about everyday problems. Sometimes Christians disagree in the congregation of believers. Sometimes they quarrel. Sometimes they hold grudges against each other. The Scripture for today says that we must never tolerate any situation in which there is a breach of personal relationship between us and another member of the Christian community.

In this eighteenth chapter of Matthew Jesus admits that disciples are going to have conflicts; but they are to resolve them.

It is very true today that the behavior of us church members on this very issue makes Christianity to the outside world either repulsive or attractive.

It isn’t a matter that Christians are perfect and will not have conflicts. There will always be quarrels, differences of opinion on how and who, disappointments with preachers and councils, hurt feelings, bent pride, loss of face, and lots of mistakes. It’s the idea that Christians can resolve these conflicts as no other fellowship can, that Jesus puts before us today.

Comus, a Duke of Florence, had a saying that indicated the limitations of his religion: “You shall read that we are commanded to forgive our enemies, but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends.”

That can happen in the Christian proclamation of the gospel. We spend a lot of time in our pulpits talking about how Christians are admonished by Jesus Christ to love their enemies and to pray for their enemies. When in actuality, right there in the pew side by side are Christians who hold grudges, hang on to petty hurts, refuse to forgive and love each other within the fellowship. And when they do this, church and Christianity and the whole practice of religion for them is not the joyful experience it ought to be. They miss a large dimension of belonging to God’s family.

This particular portion of Matthew (18:15-18) gives us a whole scheme of action for the mending of broken relationships within our “family of God” called the Christian fellowship...

1. Put Your Complaint into Words
2. Tell the Person about It in Person
3. Counsel with Other Wise Christians.
4. Make Use of the Christian Fellowship.
5. Never Give up Trying.

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - The Power of Two

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 18 for the sermon titled “The Power of Two” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Relationships make up the texture of our entire world. Everything – from the smallest matter to the stuff of the universe we now know exists in relationship. When scientists look at the created world, they recognize that all growth comes from the binding and power of “two.”

The “power of two” in mathematics infers the number two raised to an integer power. This simple mathematical formula is the source of cell division, the way life flourishes. It’s the source of binary thinking. The root of two becomes the generative power that creates and continues to generate life within our material world. It’s also the root of many of our systems of finance, encryption systems, charts on viral spread, and binary code. Computer systems use binary systems to store and process data.[1] Without those, we couldn’t operate the way we do in ou3 21st century world.

But the “power of two” has meaning also in the world of relationships, partnership, and the basis for human potential. We literally as human beings are built to be in relationship with others and the world around us. When we collaborate with others, tasks get easier.[2] When we think together, creativity increases. Whether for mutual support, common goals, or deep friendships, we as human beings recognize our natural state as being in connection with others.

In scripture, God creates the universe as a series of relationships....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 18:15-20

True Freedom in Forgiveness

When Bill Clinton met Nelson Mandela for the first time, he had a question on his mind: “When you were released from prison, Mr. Mandela,” the former President said, “I woke my daughter at three o’clock in the morning. I wanted her to see this historic event.” Then President Clinton zeroed in on his question: “As you marched from the cellblock across the yard to the gate of the prison, the camera focused in on your face. I have never seen such anger, and even hatred, in any man as was expressed on your face at that time. That’s not the Nelson Mandela I know today,” said Clinton. “What was that about?”

Mandela answered, “I’m surprised that you saw that, and I regret that the cameras caught my anger. As I walked across the courtyard that day I thought to myself, ‘They’ve taken everything from you that matters. Your cause is dead. Your family is gone. Your friends have been killed. Now they’re releasing you, but there’s nothing left for you out there.’ And I hated them for what they had taken from me. Then, I sensed an inner voice saying to me, ‘Nelson! For twenty-seven years you were their prisoner, but you were always a free man! Don’t allow them to make you into a free man, only to turn you into their prisoner!’”

You can never be free to be a whole person if you are unable to forgive.

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com

Corporate Effects of Sin

A man is on a boat. He is not alone, but acts as if he were. One night, without warning, he suddenly begins to cut a hole under his seat.

The other people on the boat shout and shriek at him: “What on earth are you doing? Have you gone mad? Do you want to sink us all? Are you trying to destroy us?”

Calmly, the man answers: “I don’t understand what you want. What I’m doing is none of your business. I paid my way. I’m not cutting under your seat. Leave me alone!” What the fanatic (and the egotist) will not accept, but what you and I cannot forget, is that all of us are in the same boat.

Elie Wiesel, Parade Magazine

Humor: Disharmony in Worship

There was a church where the pastor and the minister of music were not getting along. As time went by, this began to spill over into the worship service.

The first week the pastor preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of God. The music director led the song, “I Shall Not Be Moved.”

The second week the pastor preached on tithing and how we all should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The director led the song, “Jesus Paid it All.”

The third week the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The music director led the song, “I Love to Tell the Story.”

With all this going on, the pastor became very disgusted over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The musician led the song, “Oh Why Not Tonight?”

As it came to pass, the pastor did indeed resign. The next week he informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus who was taking him away. The music leader led the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com

Building Bridges

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in their 40 years of working together. It began with a small misunderstanding, and grew into a major difference, and finally exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning, there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days’ work,” he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there that I could help with?

Yes,” said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my younger brother! Last week, there was a meadow between us, but he took his bulldozer and dug a small river between us. Well I’m going to do him one better. See that pile of old lumber? I want you to build an 8 foot high fence between us. Then I won’t need to see his place or his face anymore.” The carpenter said, “Show me the nails and the tools, and I’ll do a good job for you.”

The older brother had to go to town, so he left for the day. At sunset, when he returned, this eyes opened wide, and his jaw dropped....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Sin Is an Ugly Matter

Exegetical Aim: Sin marks us.

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: ....When we get hurt by someone most of us tattle-tell, we say, “Mom, Look at what Dawn did to me. Did you see Richard hit me. He’s mean. Dad, Judy took some stuff from my room without asking. He broke the window. He took my cookies.” Sin is an ugly matter. You may be right. Judy might have done those bad things and Richard might have been mean . . . those are ugly things to do but you make things even uglier when you complain and tattle-tell on others. It’s like making a big mark on them-staining their forehead. Instead of telling everybody what happened, what do think you should do? (response)

Jesus tells us that if we have something against our brother or sister that we should talk to them about it....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 16 or Proper 17 for the sermon titled “The Lure of the Easy Way”]

I like the story of the young man, eager to make it to the top, who went to a well-known millionaire businessman and asked him the first reason for his success. The businessman answered without hesitation, “Hard work.” After a lengthy pause the young man asked, “What is the SECOND reason?”

We want to deal this morning with the lure of the easy way. Jesus and His disciples were at Caesarea Philippi. Their ministry to this point had been a stunning success. Crowds pressed in on them everywhere they went. People eagerly reached out to touch this attractive young teacher from Nazareth. The disciples themselves were caught up in the excitement of it all. Jesus asked them, “Who do you say I am?” and Simon Peter answered enthusiastically, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” It was one of the most dramatic moments in the disciples’ pilgrimage with Jesus.

Then Jesus changed the subject. He began to tell them that the crowds would soon turn against Him; He would be crucified, on the third day he would be raised. The disciples didn’t know what to make of all this. Simon Peter took Jesus aside: “Forbid it, Lord, that these things should happen to you.” Jesus’ response to Simon Peter is as harsh as any words in the New Testament: “Get behind me Satan! You are not on the side of God but of man.”

Perhaps Jesus called Simon Peter ‘Satan’ because of Jesus’ experience in the wilderness immediately after His baptism by John. In today’s parlance, it was there that Satan revealed to Jesus the way to make a million dollars in three easy steps turn stones to bread, leap off the pinnacle of the temple, “Bow down and worship me!” I see Satan not as a red caped figure with a pitchfork but dressed in a $400 suit and offering in a glib and polished tongue instant success, instant glamour, instant gratification. We can see Satan almost anywhere today. Jesus encountered him this time in Simon Peter: “Forbid it, Lord, that you should have to suffer and die.”

If there is any doubt that Jesus is resisting the lure of the easy way, listen to the words that follow: “If any man would be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

We are the devotees of the easy way even though everyone in this room knows two important truths.

1. The Path to Personal Success Is that of Self-Denial.

2. Self-Denial Is Essential to the Salvation of the World.

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - Divine Things

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 16 for the sermon titled “Divine Things” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

In the years 1508 to 1512 Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the Sistine Chapel. One of his most famous paintings located on the ceiling of the chapel, “The Creation of Adam,” depicts God reaching out from the majesty of the heavens to infuse Adam with the spirit of divine wisdom. Adam however reclines comfortably on the earth, his finger limp with inertia, his countenance lazy, unmoved, and unmotivated to reach for God’s divine energy and sanctity. Yet without it, Adam remains incomplete and disconnected from God.

The artist strove to depict God’s gift of free will and yearning for relational connection with creation and yet humanity’s struggle to turn toward God and choose divine things in the midst of the created world. The world of physical things continually pulls at us like a force of gravity toward human things – our own needs, agendas, desires, and inclinations. Our thoughts, decisions, and our understanding of both heaven and earth remain colored by our human limitations. It is hard for us to imagine the realm of the eternal when all we see and experience is grounded in what we know as our own perceived reality.

This same tension between divine purpose and human limitation, this inherently human gap between earthly understanding and divine truth, likewise colors Peter’s thoughts as well in our scripture for today....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 16:21-28

You Can’t Take the Cross

A church wanted to improve attendance at their major worship services, so they hired a powerful advertising agency to come in, study their situation, and make recommendations. The ad agency did their research... and then suggested to the church that they should get rid of all the crosses in the church... because the crosses might send a negative message to prospective young worshipers!

Now, I’m sure that in its history, that advertising agency has come up with some brilliant ideas... but that’s not one of them! We can’t get rid of the cross! We don’t want to get rid of the cross. The cross is the dramatic symbol of our faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. The cross is the powerful reminder of God’s sacrificial and redemptive love for us. And the cross is the constant signal to us of how God wants us to live and love today...as sacrificial servants. We are not called to be prima donnas... We are called to be servants. We are called to take up the mission of Christ... and to emulate the servant spirit of our Lord.

James Moore, Choosing the Way to the Cross

It Is Not I

It is said that St. Augustine was accosted one day on the street by a former mistress some time after he had become a Christian. When he saw her he turned and walked the other way. Surprised, the woman called out, “Augustine, it is I”. Augustine as he kept going the other way, answered her, “Yes, but it is not I.”

It is an amusing story - one that comes close to making the same point the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer made when he wrote “When Christ calls a man to follow him, he calls him to die.”

Richard J. Fairchild, “In the Way or on the Way”

Your Place Is Behind Jesus

One of the early church fathers, a man named Origen, suggested that when Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan,” what he actually meant was, “Peter, your place is behind me, not in front of me. It’s your job to follow me in the way I choose, not to try to lead me in the way YOU would like me to go.” Certainly what Jesus said immediately after his rebuke of Peter would support that interpretation. He told all of his disciples, including Peter, that not only did HE have a task that was set before him by God, but that THEY also had work to do. “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me,” Jesus said. “Get on this new thrill ride with me. There will be many dangerous twists and turns in the tracks, but I promise you it will never be dull. It will mean putting someone other than yourself first, being concerned not so much with what YOU want, but what God wants for you. It won’t be easy and sometimes it won’t be much fun, but it will never be boring.”

Johnny Dean, Life on the Roller Coaster

He’s Going to Make It Hard On You

Bob Hodges, a Presbyterian minister in Rogersville, Tennessee, tells about duck hunting with a friend of his on Cherokee Lake in East Tennessee. His friend, Riley, who had just recently given his life to Christ, began to ask some serious questions about his Christian pilgrimage. Riley’s old friends were making it very difficult for him to remain consistent in his obedience and commitment to Christ. They seemed to delight in trying to get him to fall back into the old patterns of life. They ridiculed him for spending so much time with “the preacher.” Riley asked, “Why is it that I’m having more trouble since I became a Christian than I ever did when I was lost? Everything seems to go wrong. I’m having such a struggle!”

Bob Hodges spoke up, “I’ll tell you why, Riley....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Tiny Bad Habits

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: The stories a tree tells are many. In the far west, a high tree fell to the ground a few years ago. When the scientists examined the tree, they discovered that the tree was over 400 years old. It was struck by lightning fourteen times, suffered many droughts, high winds, summer heat. The rings had the scars to prove its years. With all of these disasters that tree stood firm and sure. But what made it fall?

Upon closer examination, the scientist found that it fell because of a little beetle. Silently, these little creatures began to burrow into the bark and outer layers of the tree. As time passed, they bored deeper into the tree until the very heart of the tree was eaten out. This proud tree that had stood for 400 years was destroyed by such a small creature....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 16 or Proper 16 for the sermon titled “Who Do You Say I Am?”]

Jesus and his disciples ventured into the District of Caesarea Philippi, an area about 25 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. The region had tremendous religious implications. The place was littered with the temples of the Syrian gods. Here also was the elaborate marble temple that had been erected by Herod the Great, father of the then ruling Herod Antipas. Here also was the influence of the Greek gods. Here also the worship of Caesar as a God himself. You might say that the world religions were on display in this town. It was with this scene in the background that Jesus chose to ask the most crucial questions of his ministry.

He looked at his disciples and in a moment of reflection said: “Who do men say that I am?” The disciples begin sharing with Jesus what they have heard from the people who have been following Jesus: Some say that you are Elijah; others say John the Baptist, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. It’s always been this way, Jesus as seen by the masses is seen in so many different ways.

You can speak of Jesus as prophet, holy man, teacher, or spiritual leader, and few will object. But speak of Him as Son of God, divine, of the same nature as the Father, and people will line up to express their disapproval.

Who do people say he is? Who do you say he is? And what are we called to do? Let’s take a look at the answers to these three questions:

1. Who Do People Say He Is?
2. Who Do You Say He Is?
3. What Are We Called to Do?

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - Recognition

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 16 for the sermon titled “Recognition” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

In 2010, Dr. Oliver Sacks wrote a groundbreaking book called “The Mind’s Eye.” A neurologist, Sacks explores the complexity between human vision and the brain and our power of creativity and adaptation that allows us to see differently. The “mind’s eye” is the way that our brain can create internal images whether real or imaginary. It’s the capacity we use when we “picture” a story we are reading without actually seeing any of the pictures for ourselves. When a movie maker creates a movie based on a book, the creator uses a mind’s eye approach, imagining what the characters and scenery would look like if brought to life!

In Indian philosophy, they take this a step further, imagining the “mind’s eye” as a “third eye,” a way to see far beyondthe ordinary, a way to see spiritually. Using the “mind’s eye” to see spiritually means looking beyond the physical limitations of our reality and seeing with a spiritual perspective. Using deeper realms of consciousness, intuition, and divine revelation, most people in some capacity believe that human beings have the ability to see beyond everyday tangible things and can use the “mind’s eye” to understand the world in a larger or fuller sense.

Christian mystics have used this capacity for thousands of years. Through meditation, breathing exercises, reflection, or prayer, many have claimed spiritual revelations from God about life, the sacred, and prophetic guidance.

How did they recognize evidence of God through that inner vision? How do people “see with their soul”?...

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 16:13-20

Without the Struggle, There Are No Wings

A family brought in two cocoons that were about to hatch. They watched as the first one began to open and the butterfly inside squeezed very slowly and painfully through a tiny hole that it chewed in one end of the cocoon. After lying exhausted for about ten minutes following its agonizing emergence, the butterfly finally flew out the open window on its beautiful new wings.

The family decided to help the second butterfly so that it would not have to go through such an excruciating ordeal. So, as it began to emerge, they carefully sliced open the cocoon with a razor blade, doing the equivalent of a Caesarean section. The second butterfly never did sprout wings, and in about ten minutes, instead of flying away, it quietly died.

The family asked a biologist friend to explain what had happened. The scientist said that the difficult struggle to emerge from the small hole actually pushes liquids from deep inside the butterfly’s body cavity into tiny capillaries in the wings where they hardened to complete the healthy and beautiful adult butterfly. The lesson? WITHOUT THE STRUGGLE, THERE ARE NO WINGS.

Collected Sermons, David E. Leininger

People See Things Differently

People see things differently all the time. For example, three people - a minister, an archaeologist, and a cowboy - were getting their first look at the Grand Canyon one day. The minister exclaimed, “Truly this is one of the glories of God!” The archaeologist commented, “What a wonder of nature this is!” And the cowboy said, “Can you imagine trying to find a lost steer in there?” People see things differently.

The Messianic hope of those in the Jewish community who held such a belief was that the Chosen One would reestablish the supremacy of Israel among the great nations of the world. The assumption was that this would be accomplished in a violent and vengeful manner, with the forceful overthrow and total destruction of the current ruling powers. But before this happened, the prophet Elijah would return to herald the coming of the Chosen One. As a result of these hopes, Jesus had to somehow communicate to his disciples and others who had such high hopes for him that what he was offering was something completely different from what they expected.

Johnny Dean, The Pop Quiz

One Generation Away from Extinction

It has been pointed out that the Church is always one generation from extinction. If we don’t spread the Gospel, it will be just one generation away from disappearing from the face of the earth. It’s a compelling idea, isn’t it? It enhances our sense of Christian responsibility. We need to get out there and work for the Gospel or the Church could fade into history.

Perhaps you have heard the old story about Jesus appearing in heaven just after his resurrection. Jesus is giving a progress report on all that has happened while he was on earth. Moses is there and he asks him, “Well Jesus, did you leave things in capable hands?”

Jesus responds, “I did. I have left behind Mary and Martha and Peter and the other disciples.”

Moses said, “What if they fail?”

Jesus said, “Well, I have established the Church and filled it with the Holy Spirit and they will carry on.”

And Moses said, “What if they fail?”

Came the reply, “I have no other plan.”

There’s a great tension there. God is at work here in our church but we’ve been given the keys of the Kingdom. We have work to do and Christ calls us to it. The prophet Micah put it this way: “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with thy God.”

Brett Blair, Sermons.com

Measuring Up to Jesus

In one of his books Haddon Robinson tells about a series of victory parades planned by General Pershing through many European capitals after World War I. He needed 27,000 soldiers to march in those parades. Each participant was to have two qualities. He was to have an unblemished military record, and second, he was to stand at least one meter, eighty-six centimeters tall.

Forty American soldiers, guarding an ammunition dump about one hundred miles from Paris, read with interest the notice about Pershing’s victory marches. Each man in the company met the first qualification. The second condition, however, puzzled them. They did not know how high one meter, eighty-six centimeters was.

Since nobody in camp knew how tall that was, they began to compare themselves with one another. They stood back to back like children in a kindergarten until they knew the tallest through the shortest men in the company.

Slim, the tallest, figured he had it made....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Who Do You Say That I Am?

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: Good morning, boys and girls. Who are you today? Did you hear that? I didn’t ask you how you were today, I asked you who were you today? Do you know what I mean? Let me explain. If I were to ask your mother and father who the little girl was that was standing beside me, they would say, “Why, that’s ____ my daughter.” Right? If I asked your school teacher who this boy was that is standing beside me, she would say, “Why, that is ____ , the smartest boy in my class.” What if I asked your friend or your next-door neighbor who you were, what do you think they would tell me?

Let me show you another way, while I’m thinking about it. What is this? (Let them answer, a ring) You’re right, it’s a ring, but remember, you’re going to tell me something about that ring. What kind of a ring is it?....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 15 or Proper 15 for the sermon titled “Great Is Your Faith”]

What would you think if I told you that on your tombstone would be inscribed a four-word epitaph? Well, you might respond, it would depend on who would write this epitaph an enemy or a loved one. It might also depend, you might say, on how well this person knew and understood you. If a newspaper critic wrote of a concert pianist the four words: “He was a failure,” you could always say: That was his opinion. But if one of the world’s great musicians wrote, “He was a genius,” then you are apt to take the remark more seriously.

There was a character in the Gospel who Jesus once described with four immortal words: Great is your faith. She was a Canaanite woman who came from the country to the north of Palestine, a country hostile to the Jews. She was presumably married, she had at least one child; but that’s all we know about her. We don’t know whether she was a good woman or a bad woman. We don’t know her name. All we know of her is that in this single encounter with Jesus he spoke to her this four-word epitaph: Great is your faith.

Only four words but they are enough to make her immortal. We can trust these words as being true because the expert on faith spoke them. Jesus searched for faith, as a gem collector would fine jewels. He did not always find it in his disciples. On no occasion that we know did he ever say of Peter, James, and John: Great is your faith. More often the words he spoke to them: You of little faith. On only one other occasion did Jesus praise a person for their faith. Interestingly, that was a Roman soldier stationed in Capernaum.

We regard this Canaanite woman with more than just an academic interest. She awakens in us a feeling of admiration, perhaps even envy, because she stands where most of us would like to stand. What faithful Christian would not like it said of him or her: Great is your faith. Think of what it would mean if an aspiring young artist had Picasso place his hand on his shoulder and say: You have a great talent. How wonderful it would be then to a believer in God, if Jesus would place his hand on our shoulder and say: You have a remarkable talent for faith. But how does one qualify for this praise? What does one have to do? To answer these questions let us take a closer look at her story....

I. Crossing Barriers

II. Refusing to Be Put Off

III. Going in Faith and Humanity

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - The Test of the Heart

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 15 for the sermon titled “The Test of the Heart” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Vivian tried to keep her house clean. With four kids it sometimes felt like a hopeless cause. Her three boys in particular would track in mud, eat and leave crumbs all over the living room (despite numerous admonitions to the contrary), leave clothes strewn about, and abandon half-eaten food on the counters and in the sink.

But when her son Brandon fell into the lake and almost drowned, only to be saved by a passerby, who sprung into action and pulled him out, she sat him down on the couch mud and all and hugged him fiercely. Suddenly, the state of the couch mattered little in the face of the terror she felt of possibly losing her son and now holding him safely in her arms.

Caroline, everyone said, was a beautiful child. She turned heads every room she entered. Amanda, however, didn’t. Her cleft palate repaired, she still would never be admired like Caroline. But the difference in the two girls’ behavior would be much more pronounced than their facial features! While Amanda adored animals and had a sweet, kind heart, Caroline led the “popular” girls, who loved to spend their time teasing and bullying Amanda. As it turns out, beauty is more complicated than simply what meets the eye!....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 15:10-28

A Mother’s Faith

Augustine’s mother, Monica, was a fervent believer who prayed constantly for her son’s salvation. She devoted her whole life to praying for Augustine’s conversion. At one point, when Augustine was becoming devoted to the Manichaean philosophy, Monica begged a holy man to speak to Augustine, and show him why their beliefs were not true. The holy man refused because Augustine was known to have a great intellect, and would likely try to savage the holy man’s arguments. The holy man assured Monica that he, too, had once been a Manichaean, and that Augustine was too smart to deceive himself much longer. At this, Monica began to cry. The holy man sent her away, saying, “Go, go! Leave me alone. Live on as you are living. It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost.”

The holy man was right. After many years and a fierce inner struggle, Augustine was touched by a revelation in Scripture, and became a Christian. When Monica learned of her son’s salvation, she remarked that she had nothing left to live for, for the greatest desire of her heart had been fulfilled. Nine days later, Monica died. And the son she had spent her life praying for, went on to affect the whole world.

Monica never quit asking. “Live on as you are living,” said the holy man. “It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost.” You are concerned about someone you love? Keep on asking God for help. Don’t let your tears quench the flame of your faith in God. It may seem like God is ignoring you, but I assure you that is not the case. Don’t give up. Keep asking. And keep on trusting.

King Duncan, When You Need Help, adapted from Ruth Bell Graham, Prodigals and Those Who Love Them.

Don’t Jump to Conclusions

A family of five was enjoying their day at the beach. The children were playing in the ocean and making sand castles when in the distance a little old lady appeared. Her gray hair was blowing in the wind and her clothes were dirty and ragged. She was muttering something to herself as she picked up things from the beach and put them into a bag. The parents called the children to their side and told them to stay away from the old lady. As she passed by, bending down every now and then to pick something up, she smiled at the family. But her greeting wasn’t returned.

Couple weeks later this family learned that little old lady was a retired school teacher who’d made it her lifelong crusade to pick up bits of glass from the beach so children wouldn’t cut their feet. And as she picked up the broken glass, she prayed for the people who had dropped it, even though she didn’t know who they were.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, gave his life on the cross so that we might know the love, forgiveness and acceptance of our God. Jesus died for each of us personally. We can’t look at another human being without thinking to ourselves, Jesus died for them, too. We do a disservice when we jump to conclusions about people because of how they look, where they live or the type of work that they do. We are all equal Jesus’ eyes.

Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company

Humility

Humility is the quality that will make you admit when you are wrong and will cause you to ask another’s pardon. Carl Sandburg, in his book Lincoln: The War Years, tells about Colonel Scott who requested a leave to attend the funeral of his wife who accidentally drowned. President Lincoln refused the request. Early the next morning Lincoln came to Scott’s hotel room and admitted to the amazed officer, “I have had a regretful night and come now to beg your forgiveness.” Then Lincoln took the officer in his own carriage to the steamship and sent him on his way to the funeral.

John R. Brokhoff, Jesus ... Who?, CSS Publishing Co., Inc.

Thinking of Nothing Else

The famous Catholic monk, Martin Luther, was legendary not just for nailing a piece of paper to the door of his home church citing 95 things that needed to be changed about it. He wrote and lectured extensively to his students at the university as well. Some of his students were very good learners, and others were not so good. But a few of his students realized that some of the most valuable instruction that Luther gave was not in the classroom, but was in the dining hall over a meal and a few drinks. His students began taking notes on what Luther told them in that relaxed atmosphere, and they eventually published these notes in what was known as Martin Luther’s Table Talks.

One such example of the profound insight and truth Luther gave his students happened one day after class in the dining hall and they were all sitting around eating their meal and talking on the subject of prayer....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Learning to Be Patient

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: ...Let’s suppose you want a drink of water very badly and all you have is an ice cube. What would you do? Some of you might put it in your mouth and suck it, and you would get a little bit of water at a time, wouldn’t you? Your mouth would also get very cold and then you would have to take the ice cube out and put it in a cup or hold it in your hand. And you know what else? When you finished eating the ice cube, you’d be just as thirsty as you were when you started.

Sometimes we have to learn to wait. We aren’t patient. We never seem satisfied. That’s what God tells us. He wants us to keep asking him to help us, but sometimes....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 14 or Proper 14 for the sermon titled “Fear”]

In the story of creation found in the Book of Genesis, we read where Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, something which had been specifically denied them. Knowing that God is searching for them, they attempt to hide. It is a scene perhaps reminiscent of many of our childhoods when we had done something that we were not supposed to and we literally hid from our searching parents. Finally God finds them, as we know that He will, for, after all, where can we go to hide from God? God asks them why they are hiding. Do you remember the response that Adam gave: “Because, I was afraid?”

I think this very poignant story reminds us that fear is so basic to whom we are as humans, it goes all the way back to the beginning of time. To be human is to experience fear.

There seems to be no limit to our fears. In a peanuts cartoon strip Charlie Brown goes to Lucy for a nickels worth of psychiatric help. She proceeds to pinpoint his particular ‘fear’. Perhaps, she says, you have hypengyophobia, which is the fear of responsibility. Charlie Brown says no. Well, perhaps you have ailurophobia, which is the fear of cats. No. Well, maybe you have climacophobia, which is the fear of staircases. No. Exasperated, Lucy says well, maybe you have pantophobia, which is the fear of everything. Yes, says Charles, that is the one!

Sometimes we feel like we are afraid of everything. We are afraid of ourselves. We are afraid of people. We are afraid of the future. We are afraid of the past. We are afraid of life. We are afraid of death.

Every person, every Christian, must fight their own fears. Even Paul, the sturdy Christian warrior, had to do so....

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - The Challenge

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 14 for the sermon titled “The Challenge” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Have you ever seen someone act with loud bravado only to turn and run with tail between legs when the adversary actually looms before him or her?

I had to laugh out loud recently when viewing a YouTube video of a Canadian man who dared his friend to walk up to a goose and pet it. The man, unaccustomed to this brand of Canadian wildlife and seeing such a cute and seemingly docile and gentle creature, approached the bird with relaxed confidence only to turn quickly and flee in almost cartoonish fashion, as the bird began its aggressive – and fast – attack! The goose chased him all the way out of the park with the man’s friend laughing quietly from a safe distance away!

We all have felt that “bravado” once in a while. There is something about rising to the occasion of a dare that stokes our courage and makes us believe that we are fiercer and more menacing than we truly are! Then when faced with the consequences of our hasty decision, we often, like the man in the YouTube, stick our tails between our legs and retreat, our egos brought down a notch or two.

Not only do we do such things impulsively, but we also sometimes face dangers in which we don’t stop to think but simply step forward to face our foe no matter what the consequences! Thank goodness for those who do – our firefighters, our emergency workers, our police folk, and simply those who, without a thought, risk their lives to save others. Sometimes they succeed. And sometimes they fail. But most often those who succeed rely on a team effort. They know enough not to go it alone!....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 14:22-33

Take the Leap

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”

Staff, Sermons.com

Humor: Missing the Rocks

There is a joke concerning this text that has gone around for years about three ministers out fishing together in a small boat. One of them, suddenly realizing that he had left his tackle box in the cabin, stepped out of the boat, and walked on the water over to shore. Just then, the second one said he had forgotten his faithful fishing hat on the front seat of the car. He too stepped out of the boat and walked on the water over to shore. When they had both returned, the third minister who had watched this remarkable demonstration with mouth open and eyes wide, reasoned to himself “My faith is as strong as theirs. I can do that too.”

So he stepped out of the boat and promptly sank to the bottom. His two companions dragged him out, but once they got him in the boat, he was determined not to be shown up. He stepped out once more, and immediately sank again. As his friends pulled him out, he sputtered, “My faith is as strong as yours. Why can’t I walk on the water?”

The first two looked at each another and one finally said, “We’d better tell him where those rocks are before he drowns himself.”

David E. Leininger, Mayday!

Staring at the Cross

Alexander Solzhenitsyn said that only once during his long imprisonment in a labor camp in the Soviet Union did he become so discouraged that he thought about suicide. He was outdoors, on a work detail, and he had reached a point where he no longer cared whether he lived or died. When he had a break, he sat down, and a stranger sat beside him, someone he had never seen before and would never see again. For no apparent reason, this stranger took a stick and drew a cross on the ground. Solzhenitsyn sat and stared at that cross for a long while. He later wrote, “Staring at that cross, I realized that therein lies freedom.” At that point – in the midst of a storm – he received new courage and the will to live. The storm didn’t end that day, but through Jesus, Solzhenitsyn found the strength to ride it out.

I don’t know what storm of life will come your way this week, or what storm you may be enduring at this very moment. But I know this: even as the storm rages around you, if you will listen very carefully with your heart, you will hear a gentle voice calling to you, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” And in time the storm will pass. And Jesus will still be there.

Johnny Dean, Oh Me of Little Faith, Sermons.com

We Need a Sign

Rabbi Feldman had been having trouble with his congregation. It seemed they could agree upon nothing, and controversy filled the air until the Sabbath itself became an area of conflict, and unhappiness filled the synagogue. The president of the congregation organized a meeting of 10 elders and the rabbi. They met in the conference room of the synagogue, sitting about a magnificent mahogany table. One by one the issues were dealt with and on each issue, it became more and more apparent that the rabbi was a lonely voice in the wilderness.

The president said, “Come, Rabbi, enough of this. Let us vote and allow the majority to rule.” He passed out the slips of paper, and each man made his mark. The slips were collected and the president said, “You may examine them, Rabbi. It is 11 to one against you. We have the majority.”

Whereupon the rabbi rose to his feet, “So”, he said, “You now think because of the vote that you are right and I am wrong. Well, I stand here and he raised his arms impressively and call upon the Holy One of Israel to give us a sign that I am right and you are wrong”....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Walking on Water

Exegetical Aim: When we are scared, we should have faith in God.

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: Good Morning. I’ve got a game for us to play. This game is called the sink and float game. Your going to help me figure out if these objects sink or float. I have a quarter. Will it sink or float? (response) What if I lay it flat on the water? (response) Ok, here goes. You are right it sank. Next I have a can of soda. Will it sink or float? (response) Depending on the can it will do either. Continue with the objects in this manner and use the boat last.

One night all twelve of Jesus disciples got in a boat. Show the boat here. What about a boat? Does it sink or float. (response) Put the boat in the water. Leave the boat afloat as you discuss the story of Jesus Walking on the water. And the disciples went way out into the sea and a storm came. The storm was threatening to turn the boat over. What happens if the boat gets turned over? Does it sink or float? (response) Sometimes they do sink and it can be pretty scary. Then all of a sudden, just when they thought the wind was going to turn the boat over and sink they saw a ghost on the water. Does a ghost float or sink? (response) Sorry, I don’t have a ghost or we would put him in the water and try him out but this ghost was walking on the water and it came close to the boat and guess who it was? (response) It was Jesus! Does Jesus float or sink?....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

Members: Please see Matthew 14 or Proper 13 for the sermon titled “Our Lord’s Abundant Table”

Charles Swindoll tells a funny story about a nine-year-old named Danny who came bursting out of Sunday school like a wild stallion. His eyes were darting in every direction as he tried to locate either mom or dad. Finally, after a quick search, he grabbed his Daddy by the leg and yelled, “Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!” His father looked down, smiled, and asked the boy to tell him about it.

“Well, the Israelites got out of Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased after them. So the Jews ran as fast as they could until they got to the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army was gettin’ closer and closer. So Moses got on his walkie-talkie and told the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Israeli Navy built a pontoon bridge so the people could cross over. They made it!

By now old dad was shocked. “Is THAT the way they taught you the story?”

Well, no, not exactly,” Danny admitted, “but if I told you the way they told it to us, you’d never believe it, Dad.”

With childlike innocence the little guy put his finger on the pulse of our sophisticated adult world where cool skepticism reigns supreme. It’s more popular to operate in the black-and-white world of facts...and, of course, to leave no space for the miraculous.

And so when we read the story of the feeding of the five thousand, we tend to focus our attention on the question, “Did it really happen?” There have been a number of attempts to “explain” the miracle. One attempt says that the people were so moved by Jesus’ generosity and the generosity of the little boy that they brought forth the food they had hidden under their clothes and in their traveling pouches. This way everyone was satisfied. Another theory says that the story is not really talking about physical hunger but spiritual hunger. When the small amount of food was passed around everyone tore off a minuscule symbolic fragment. In this Jesus is said to have satisfied the thirst of the soul not the stomach.

I think these questions say more about us than they do Jesus. If Jesus is the Messiah, and I believe he is, then there is no question but that he performed miracles, and on a regular basis. The point of the story of feeding of the five thousand is not to prove that miracles happen. The point of the story is to teach us three things:

1. Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Word.

2. We Are to Serve at the Table of the Lord.

3. We Can Use Our Abilities in Service.

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - Enough

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 14 for the sermon titled “Enough” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

You can’t put God on a schedule.

Sometimes in our hurried 21^st-century world, we can get obsessed with schedules. We stress when we are late. We stress when we can’t fulfill everything we’ve planned in our 24-hour hour-by-hour run down. We stress when we feel we don’t have enough time for ourselves, our families, our hobbies, our work. We can even stress when we have too much time and don’t know how to fill it!

Schedules, in a nutshell, can make us crazy!

That said, we find it hard not to have one! Left to our own devices with no such plan, we can fritter away time and do absolutely nothing too. Humans are funny like that.

It might be easy in our scripture today to simply say that Jesus wants his disciples to stop being so rigid about schedules, time-frames, and the boundaries of how long he should have to speak to all of those crowds of people. Likely, they were trying to protect him, call the day to a close, let him take a break, send the crowds on, so he could get a chance to rest.

That may have been part of it. After all, we learn in Matthew’s story for today that evening had come and the hour was getting late. We’ve been told that Jesus had already tried to take off in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard where he was going, they followed him on foot from every imaginable place. As he came ashore, there they were waiting for him.

And he had compassion on them! So he cured their sick and spoke with them for a good, long time. Now it was evening, and they were in that deserted place.

The disciples were doing what they thought they should....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 14:13-21

Use What You Have

In 1872, at the age of 16, Booker T. Washington decided he wanted to go to school. He walked 500 miles to Hampton Institute in Virginia, and presented himself to the head teacher. Washington later recalled, “Having been so long without proper food, a bath, and change of clothing, I did not make a very favorable impression upon her, and I could see at once that there were doubts in her mind about me.”

Finally she said to him, “The adjoining recitation room needs cleaning. Take the broom and do it.” A lesser person might have been insulted by being assigned menial work. But Washington recognized immediately that this was his big chance. He swept that room three times and dusted it four times. He even cleaned the walls and the closets. Then he reported to the head teacher that the job was finished. She examined that room like a drill sergeant. She even took a handkerchief and rubbed it across the top of a door. When she could not find a particle of dirt, she said, “I guess you will do to enter this institution.”

As a 16 year old, Washington could not do many things. But he could clean a room. And he did it gloriously. Extraordinary living begins with ordinary gifts. What gifts and graces do you have that you have not fully activated? What table is the Lord calling you to serve?

Brett Blair, ChristianGlobe Illustrations

And Hungry People Were Fed

A number of years ago young Matthew LeSage, a third-grader, wanted to do something to help the hungry in his city. So he started a program, Hams for the Hungry. In its fourth year, Hams for the Hungry raised $40,000 to brighten the holiday season for people with limited resources.

Matthew’s story reminds me of another young man, 13 years old at the time, who read about Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s missionary work in Africa. He wanted to help. He had enough money to buy one bottle of aspirin. He wrote to the Air Force and asked if they could fly over Dr. Schweitzer’s hospital and drop the bottle down to him. A radio station broadcast the story about this young fellow’s concern for helping others. Others responded as well. Eventually, he was flown by the government to Schweitzer’s hospital along with 4 1/2 tons of medical supplies worth $400,000 freely given by thousands of people. This, of course, would be the equivalent of millions of dollars today. When Dr. Schweitzer heard the story, he said, “I never thought one child could do so much.”

Our story from scripture for today is about a young man who didn’t have much. But what he did have, he offered to Christ. And thousands of hungry people were fed.

King Duncan, You Feed Them!, Sermons.com

Taking Care of the Crowd

Too often, we think that giving our lives to God is like taking a $1,000 bill and laying it on the altar, saying, “Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all to you.” But the truth of the matter is that God sends us to the bank and tells us to cash that $1,000 bill in for quarters. And then we go through life giving away twenty-five cents here, fifty cents there, and so on. Instead of watching a ball game, we spend some time visiting a lonely person in a nursing home who has no family. Instead of sipping coffee and reading the newspaper, we get dressed and go to teach Sunday school. Instead of playing games on the computer, we listen to a friend tell us about her problems, even though we’re tired and have problems of our own to deal with.

These are the moments in which the grace of God can work through us to help another human being, to feed the hunger of the heart and spirit. They may not be spectacular miracles, but these are the things we can do to bring meaning and significance to our lives.

Johnny Dean, How Much Is Enough?

It Don’t Add Up

Perhaps you have heard the story of the football coach who had two quarterbacks. The first team quarterback was gifted, aggressive, and a born leader. The second string quarterback was, let us say, limited. Oh, he was athletic enough but unfortunately, he lacked a mind for strategy. The championship game was in progress, the score was tied, the home team had the ball, and the clock was ticking down. An opposing player broke through the line of scrimmage and slammed the star quarterback to the ground with such force that the signal-caller had to leave the game. Time was running out. The coach had no choice but to put in the back-up. The substitute trotted onto the field, huddled the team, and strode up to the line of scrimmage.

Surveying the opposing team, and much to everyone’s surprise, he changed the play at the line. The ball was snapped....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: We Divide, He Multiplies

Exegetical Aim: To convey the compassion and power of Christ.

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: Good morning! (response) I have brought bread to feed us. But first I need to know how many of us there are. Could you help me count? (response) Everyone stand up and turn around. I want you to count everybody in the church. You might wish to send them out into the congregation to do the counting. If some complain that there are too many people urge them to try. Interrupt them before they are done with the following: Are you done? (response) Now, are you done? (response) Ask several children to give you their accounting. How many people are there? (response) That many? Do you think we are going to have enough food for everyone? (No) Are you sure? (Yes) Why? (response) We only have 2 slices of bread and 200 people (if one of the children gives a ridiculously high number use it here) in the church. What are we going to do? (response)

What if we divided the bread? Maybe then we would have enough bread. Divide the bread so that there are four pieces. Is there enough now? (No) Maybe if we divide it again. Divide the bread again so that there are 8 pieces. How many pieces are there now? (8) Is this enough? (response) Let’s try one more time...

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 13 or Proper 12 for the sermon titled “What Is Heaven Like?”]

I believe we human beings have a perception problem. We often think we have the proper perspective on an issue when in fact we are way off.

There’s a charming story that Thomas Wheeler, CEO of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, tells on himself: He and his wife were driving along an interstate highway when he noticed that their car was low on gas. Wheeler got off the highway at the next exit and soon found a rundown gas station with just one gas pump. He asked the lone attendant to fill the tank and check the oil; then went for a little walk around the station to stretch his legs.

As he was returning to the car, he noticed that the attendant and his wife were engaged in an animated conversation. The conversation stopped as he paid the attendant. But as he was getting back into the car, he saw the attendant wave and heard him say, “It was great talking to you.”

As they drove out of the station, Wheeler asked his wife if she knew the man. She readily admitted she did. They had gone to high school together and had dated steadily for about a year.

“Boy, were you lucky that I came along,” bragged Wheeler.

“If you had married him, you’d be the wife of a gas station attendant instead of the wife of a chief executive officer.”

“My dear,” replied his wife, “if I had married him, he’d be the chief executive officer and you’d be the gas station attendant.”

Yes, we often think we have the proper perspective on an issue when in fact we are way off. Jesus understood this propensity for us humans to get it wrong. Especially when it comes to things spiritual. So he told a few parables. He said the kingdom of heaven is like:

1. A Small Seed

2. A Hidden Treasure

3. And a Pearl of Great Price

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - A Tale of Two Covenants

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 13 for the sermon titled “A Tale of Two Covenants” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

We talked several times now about the importance of understanding the metaphors and meanings within the Hebrew scriptures and Jewish faith tradition in order to understand Jesus’ teaching. Today’s scripture is no different.

In the last few weeks, Jesus has been tutoring his disciples, using agricultural metaphors, in how to live out his halakah or “way.” This continuation of those scriptures within Matthew that we see today act as a kind of summary to that teaching, as Jesus describes for his disciples the meaning and nature of the “kingdom of heaven” that he has inaugurated with his incarnational presence!

What we will see in his descriptions is a kind of “formula” – one that will require his disciples to “treasure” the foundational wisdom of the Torah but to also now embrace the new covenant that Jesus represents. The “kingdom of heaven” is that rich and valuable blend of both a former and future paradigm. Like a strand of divine DNA, the kingdom Jesus introduces must artfully weave together both God’s first covenant and God’s new one. The art of “mastering” this idea of the “kingdom of heaven” requires all those who desire to become true disciples to understand how to hold both in creative tension. In this lies the “secret” to an unstoppable movement!

But let’s break it down a bit for a moment. I’m going to do that with a sort of simple “formula”: K = (mm)^m.

Now let’s take a look.

The first part of Jesus’ description about the kingdom of heaven has to do with the “movement,” that is “growth” of this unique “treasure” that God is offering us....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Sowing Tiny Seeds

Nancy Cornice remembers as a child hearing the tip-tap of a cane on the sidewalk. It was an old man “bent from the years “ his rough, knotted hand purposefully clutching a cane.” But this old man had a peculiar custom as he roamed the streets of this small town. When this gentleman saw a child he would stop, reach into his pocket and give the child a picture of Christ. “He would thrust it into the child’s hand and continue on his way, never speaking a word.”

What this gentleman did certainly doesn’t seem like a big deal. However, this small act of kindness made a world of difference to Nancy. Over 40 years later, she tells us, she still has the picture he gave her. The picture is of Jesus surrounded by a flock of sheep, with a river running through the middle of the picture. On the back of the card in a shaky hand is written, “Psalm 23.”

It wasn’t until Nancy was an adult that she realized what this man was doing. In his own way he was planting tiny seeds of faith in the children on his street. It worked for Nancy. “His faithful commitment,” she says, “helped fashion a stone in the foundation of my own faith.”

Whoever would have thought that giving a child a picture of Jesus would eventually lead that child to faith? Whoever would have thought that a tiny, little seed would produce such a big shrub? For that matter whoever would have thought that the Messiah would come from such a small, unlikely town as Nazareth? It is often from small, seemingly inconsequential beginnings that great good emerges.

King Duncan, The Greatest Discovery of All

The Holy Grail

In Tennyson’s tale of the Holy Grail, a knight searches high and low for that which lasts for eternity and gives ultimate meaning. He comes upon a singing brook, with deep meadows and wonderful fruit trees. But even as he ate the fruit, it turned to dust, for no feeding of the flesh could still his deepest hunger. Riding on, he saw a home, its opened door a promised welcome and in the door there was a beautiful woman, her eyes innocent and kind. Surely the love of a woman and the sweet shelter of home are my heart’s desire, reasoned the knight; “But when I touched her, Lo! She too, fell into dust and nothing, and the house became no better than a broken shed.” His soul still craving, he traveled on. He found a warrior clad in golden armor. But he also turned to dust. Then he came upon a city that sat upon a hill. Surely civic service and the affection of his fellow men will mean his journey’s end. But when he reached the crest, there was neither city, man, nor any voice, so that he cried in grief. “Lo, if I find the Holy Grail itself, and touch it, it will crumble into dust.”

Are you tired of chasing pretty rainbows? Are you tired of spinning round and round? Gather up all the broken dreams of your life and at the feet of Jesus, lay them down. Find the pearl of great price.

J. Howard Olds, Faith Breaks, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc.

Treasure Waiting to Be Discovered

Anthony De Mello tells a story about some people who were on a raft off the coast of Brazil. They were perishing from thirst, for as you know, ocean water is undrinkable. What they did not know, however, was that the water they were floating on was fresh water. A nearby river was coming out into the sea with such force that it went out for a couple of miles, so they had fresh water right there where they were. But they had no idea. “In the same way,” says De Mello, “we’re surrounded with joy, with happiness, with love. Most people,” he concludes, “have no idea.”

And that’s true. There are a lot of hurting, shattered people in this world for whom help is at hand if they only knew it. The treasure is just waiting to be discovered.

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com

A Precious Gift

There is an ancient legend about the monk who found a precious stone, a precious jewel. A short time later, the monk met a traveler, who said he was hungry and asked the monk if he would share some of his provisions. When the monk opened his bag, the traveler saw the precious stone and, on an impulse, asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, the monk gave the traveler the stone.

The traveler departed quickly overjoyed with his new possession. However, a few days later, he came back, searching for the monk. He returned the stone to the monk and made a request....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: The Big Influence of Small Things

Exegetical Aim: To teach that even though the Kingdom seems inconsequential it has ultimate influence.

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: Good morning. There is a story that Jesus told. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” Imagine that. A little seed smaller than a BB grows up to be a ten foot high tree. How does that happen? (response) Can you name something else that’s small but has a lot of power? (response)

I have here in my hand a glass with some kind of drink. What kind of drink is it? (response) That’s right. And this hand I have a glass with what in it? (nothing) They should not be able to see the small amount of liquid bleach. Well, look again. Bring the glass down to them so they can see the bottom. Move the glass around so they can see the bleach. What is that? (response) I wonder what would happen if we poured this small amount of liquid into....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The Beast in the Pulpit, the Lamb In Our Hearts
by Rolf D. Svanoe

1. It’s All About Jesus - Revelation 1:4-6, 9-18

2. Seven Letters; Three Messages - Revelation 2:1-7; 3:14-22

3. Worship That Is Out of This World- Revelation 4:1-11

4. The Power of the Lamb - Revelation 5:1-14

5. The Four Horsemen and 9/11 - Revelation 6:1-17

6. God Has a Plan - Revelation 11:1-15

7. Evil Is Exposed - Revelation 12:13--13:18

8. Whose Side Are You On?- Revelation 14

9. When Evil Self-Destructs - Revelation 17

10. A Picture Gallery of the End- Revelation 19-20

11. When God Comes Down - Revelation 19:6-9; 21:1-18

12. Back to the Future - Revelation 21:9-12, 15-16, 21-27; 21:1-7

««« VIEW ALL SERMON SERIES »»»

[*Note from the author: “The following sermons were all preached in the fall of 2018 in the congregation I was serving. They are an attempt to preach these texts in the context of my own community and current events. This series will point the way and give busy preachers a foundation to create their own sermons with their own style. Many of the stories in these sermons are personal. I hope they will inspire preachers to find and tell their own stories.”]

Preview of Week 1: It’s All About Jesus

Revelation 1:4-6, 9-18

Spring Valley and Spring Grove—do you ever get the two cities mixed up? I do all the time. Soon after I arrived in Harmony, I had a pastor’s meeting in Spring Grove. It was a beautiful day and I was enjoying the weather - until I ended up in Spring Valley and realized I had arrived at the wrong town. When I left Harmony, I drove north on Main Street three blocks to the highway. Which way do I turn - left or right? The decision of where to turn began in my head. My assumptions about where this meeting was supposed to be landed me in a totally wrong place.

The same thing happens when many people read the book of Revelation. They assume that it contains predictions about the end-times, and that we are living in them. They assume that the things described in Revelation are events we are experiencing now, and that the end is near. But to read Revelation that way is like ending up in Spring Valley when you are supposed to end up in Spring Grove.

I want to say a few things about how we read this fascinating book. First, we read it much the same way we read any other book of the Bible. We ask questions about what it meant when it was first written, and only then do we begin to ask what it might mean for us today. When we read the book of Romans, we don’t assume that the apostle Paul was writing to Christians living 2,000 years in the distant future. We shouldn’t do that with Revelation either. The book of Revelation does not reveal an end-time calendar; it reveals Jesus Christ. In fact, those are the very first words of the book. “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” This book is all about revealing Christ to Christians who lived in Asia Minor 1,900 years ago. The amazing thing is that those words still speak to Christians today with power and insight and bring blessing into our lives.

The second thing we need to know....

CONTINUE READING >>>

When you sign up you will receive access to over 40 Sermon Series, plus membership to Sermons.com for a full year which offers thousands of sermons, illustrations, commentary, worship aids, and multi-media resources like PowerPoint templates and motion backgrounds.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 13 or Proper 11 for the sermon titled “Pulling Weeds”]

Last week we talked about planting seeds. This week we’re talking about pulling weeds. The two go together. Every gardener knows that planting seeds is the easy part of having a successful garden. It is much more time consuming to weed that same garden. And it’s hard work. As someone has said: “When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.”

There is a corollary to that truth: “To distinguish flowers from weeds, simply pull up everything. What grows back is weeds.”

Some of you can relate to one unknown homemaker who wrote: I don’t do windows because . . . I love birds and don’t want one to run into a clean window and get hurt. I don’t wax floors because . . . I am terrified a guest will slip and get hurt then I’ll feel terrible (plus they may sue me.)I don’t disturb cobwebs because . . . I want every creature to have a home of their own. I don’t Spring Clean because . . . I love all the seasons and don’t want the others to get jealous. I don’t put things away because . . . my husband will never be able to find them again. I don’t do gourmet meals when I entertain because . . . I don’t want my guests to stress out over what to make when they invite me over for dinner. I don’t iron because . . . I choose to believe them when they say “Permanent Press.” And finally: I don’t pull weeds in the garden because . . . I don’t want to get in God’s way, He is an excellent designer!

I doubt than anyone likes pulling weeds, including God. In today’s lesson Jesus tells a parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

Jesus answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

On its surface, there is not much to be said about this parable except make sure you’re not a weed…

1. Pulling Weeds Is an Important Part of a Successful Life.

2. God Is Our Savior.

3. God Wants to Save Us from Sin.

CONTINUE READING >>

Sermon Opener #2 - Can You Tell the Difference?

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 13 for the sermon titled “Can You Tell the Difference?” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Can you tell a “bad” person from a “good” person? How can you tell?

Let me tell you a story – or maybe two.

Story One:

George was the perfect guy. Everyone loved George. He was charming, funny, engaging, always the “popular” guy everyone admired. Not only that, but he treated Sandra like a princess. He pulled out chairs and opened doors. He had impeccable manners. He bought flowers. He took her out to expensive restaurants. He lavished her with praise. He did everything “right.” What a “good” guy her friends said. What a nice man, said her father, as the two bonded over golf. Soon, Sandra was smitten.

But then everything changed. As soon as they married, George wanted to move to a different town. Isolated and alone, George’s demeanor toward Sandra changed. He became withdrawn and surly. He got angry over the smallest things, and Sandra saw a vicious and hurtful temper that she didn’t know he had hidden under his charming demeanor. He began to be critical of Sandra, made fun of her job, controlled her time and finances, and withheld affection. Sandra now felt trapped.

George was such a great guy. What on earth happened? Was it her fault? Why was he acting this way?

Story Two (for members only)....

Can you tell a “good” person from a “bad” person? Are you really sure? Even if you think you’ve got someone pegged, are you leaving space for them to show their true colors? Are you leaving them time and room for growth?

People are complicated. Seeing people in “black” and “white” isn’t merely a racial issue. It’s also a psychological issue. Most people have some both good and bad qualities, and everything in between. We aren’t so much like polar opposites as we are on a grey sliding scale, and even then, our behavior can change dependent on a lot of factors.....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

You Need 100 Points

There is a story about a minister who had a strange dream. He dreamed that he had died and was trying to get into heaven. When he approached the pearly gates, St. Peter told him he needed 100 points to get in. Proudly the minister said, “Well, I was a pastor for 43 years.”“Fine,” said St. Peter, “That’s worth one point.” “One point? Is that all?” cried the minister. “Yes, that’s it,” said St. Peter.

“Well,” said the pastor, “I visited lots of shut-ins.” St.Peter responded, “That’s worth one point.” “I worked with young people,” said the pastor. “That’s worth one point,” said St. Peter. “I developed a number of excellent Scout programs,” said the minister. “That’s worth one point,” said St. Peter. “You have four points now. You need 96 more.” “Oh no,” said the minister in a panic. “I feel so helpless, so inadequate. Except for the grace of God, I don’t have a chance.” St. Peter smiled and said, “Grace of God that counts for 96 points. Come on in!”

There will be a final judgment. God’s justice and our freedom of choice demand it. Every person will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Our passport to heaven is simple. It’s just a matter of saying to God sincerely, “I am a sinner for whom Jesus died. I claim him by faith as Savior and Lord.” If you haven’t taken that step in faith, do it today! Do it now!

Bill Bouknight, Sermons.com

Clean the Glass Shade Daily

Pastor Cecil Williams tells of growing up in Texas. They didn’t have electric lights in their house. They had two oil lamps with wicks that had to be lit daily. Once they were lit, a glass shade fit over the flame and they glowed.

Cecil’s mother kept telling her children, “Ya’ll clean the shade before you put it over the lamp. If you don’t, you won’t get as much light.” Young Cecil didn’t like cleaning the lampshades. It took a long time and lots of elbow grease to scour off the sticky, gray soot. But when the shade was clean, one lamp would be bright enough to light up the whole living room.

Back then, cleaning the lamp shades was Cecil’s job. He couldn’t ask his brother or his sister to do his job for him. If he took a day off, everybody could tell. The light would be dim. Cecil Williams says he has discovered that what was true back then about lamp cleaning is also true about life. “Neither you nor I can ask anybody else to clean up our lives. My life belongs to me, and your life belongs to you. I have to clean my life daily or my light won’t shine; so do you.”

King Duncan, Time to Pull the Weeds

Two Wolves

One of my favorite theologians, Mr. Rogers, used to say: “Have you ever noticed that the very same people who are bad sometimes are the very same people who are good sometimes?” It reminds me of a story called, “Two Wolves.” It goes like this:

“An old Cherokee once told his grandson about a fight that was going on inside of him. He said it was between two wolves. One was evil: Anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, gossip, resentment, and false pride. The other was good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The grandson thought about it for a moment and then asked his grandfather, ‘Which wolf do you think will win?’ The old Cherokee replied, ‘The one I feed.’” (Anonymous)

Philip W. McLarty, The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Kudzu - More Harm Than Good

A landowner sows good seed in his field. His enemy sows bad seed. Which can happen, I suppose. I heard tell of a fraternity prank that involved “bad seed.” On “Fraternity Row” at a southern university, there was a great rivalry between two of the houses. At one fraternity house, a new lawn was being prepared. Topsoil had been brought in. Seed had been laid down. But late one night, members of the rival fraternity threw kudzu seeds in the cultivated plot. Which may not mean much to you who have lived your life in the North. But a Southerner would understand the implications of such an act.

Kudzu was brought to this country in 1876 to decorate the Japanese pavilion at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. As an exotic import, it became popular as a shade plant, and was seen as a God-given solution to the soil-erosion problem, following the Great Depression. Between 1935 and 1942, government nurseries produced 84 million kudzu seedlings, planting them wherever they would grow. By 1943, there was a Kudzu Club of America with 20,000 members and an annual “Kudzu Queen.”

So what’s the problem? I’ll tell you the problem....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Parable of the Crabby Grass

Exegetical Aim: Encouragement to be wheat rather than tares.

Object: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: I have something in this tray. Can anybody tell me what it is? (grass) Is there anything strange about the grass? (response) Look at it closely; do you notice anything odd? (response)If they do not see the difference move the two clumps apart. Now do you see? (response)

This is the good grass. It’s called Bermuda. And this is the bad grass. It’s called crabgrass (or weeds). If you go out to your yard today (or the park) and look at the grass you will probably find some of this grass the Bermuda and some of this grass the crabgrass. Your mom and dad can tell you how terrible this grass is. They have probably spent hours down on their hands and knees trying to pull it up. But it never goes away; it just keeps popping back up. So, how do you think we can get rid of the crabgrass? (response)

There is another problem as well....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 13 or Proper 10 for the sermon titled “The Sower and the Seed”]

The Kingdom of God was the main emphasis of Jesus’ ministry and this is accepted by most. But defining precisely what the Kingdom was is a bit more difficult. Indeed, even Jesus himself was often illusive about it. He did not speak in absolutes; rather, he spoke in parables. Such is our scripture text for this morning. Jesus compared the Kingdom to a sower going out and spreading seed. Some of it falls upon hard ground and is unable to take root. Some of it falls on shallow ground, and although it initially sprouts it later withers away. But some seed falls upon good earth and comes to fruition and produces a harvest.

We are to understand, of course, that the sower is God, the seed is the Kingdom, and the various types of soil represent us--you and me. On the surface of it, of course, it doesn’t sound as though God is a very frugal farmer. After all, most of the seed that is strewn about never takes root. But this is not really a story about the sower or the seed. It is a story about different types of soil, or to put it another way, the responses of different types of people to the Kingdom.

The question is really, what is the state of our hearts when the seeds are sown with us? With that in mind, let us examine the various conditions of the heart mentioned in this story.

I. The Hardened Heart
II. The Distracted Heart
III. The Defeated Heart
IV. The Hopeful (and Joyful!) Heart

CONTINUE READING >>>

Sermon Opener #2 - Black Cow Christians

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 13 for the sermon titled “Black Cow Christians” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

One of the first and most vital metaphors in the Hebrew scriptures is the garden or orchard. Our story of life begins in God’s garden, and according to Jesus, at the end of our lives, we will end up back in God’s garden – the “paradisio.”[1] Ash to ash. Dust to dust. Earth to earth. Soil to soil. This beautiful metaphor tells the story of our relationship with God, with each other, with the world, and with ourselves and will become the foundation for every scripture that comes after it. We and our story are literally the zerah or seed of our covenant with God.

Genesis – the beginning of our storied relationship with God, begins as we are “planted” within God’s garden world. Adamah, the Hebrew word for soil, is also the name for the first human, Adam, formed by God from the soil of the earth and placed within God’s garden as a first seed, then directed to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with people devoted to God.

What a beautiful image.

[Later in the sermon]

Throughout the entirety of scripture, that word zerah or “seed” will be used again and again and again to symbolize the way the covenant is passed from generation to generation. We pass the seed, and we cultivate the soil. This is vitally important to God – that we not hide ourselves away or allow impediments to block God’s directive from our lives.

I’ll give you an example. One of my favorite stories is the story of Babel. Too often we focus on the theme of language and miss the beauty of what God is actually doing in that story as Master Sower. God discovers that people are building a fortress, a watch tower to keep people out. This also meant a wall around the city that would exclude anyone else, so that the people inside could be like minded and keep what they have and know to themselves.

God puts the kibosh on that! In one fell swoop, God eliminates the tower – and listen to this – God sows/spreads/seeds the people back into the fields, so that they will continue to follow God’s directive.

What an amazing narrative!

But hear this. God is not only interested in breadth but also depth....

CONTINUE READING >>>

Illustrations for Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

God and Three Pennies

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India died as a world-known figure. But who would have ever thought she would have attained such influence when she first began? What did she have to recommend her? A tiny woman, she began with the most meager of resources. Mother Teresa told her superiors, “I have three pennies and a dream from God to build an orphanage.”

“Mother Teresa,” her superiors said, “you can’t build an orphanage with three pennies...with three pennies you can’t do anything.”

“I know,” she said, smiling, “but with God and three pennies I can do anything.”

Mother Teresa understood the principle of the seed. It takes very little--but very little blessed by God--and miracles can occur. This, of course is akin to Jesus’ teaching elsewhere, that faith only the size of a mustard seed can produce an enormous bush (Matthew 17:20). That is a constant law in God’s world.

King Duncan, Sermons.com

A Wise Old Bird

There is a story about an old man who always had witty and wise answers for people who asked him anything. Once, a smart-alecky came to him with his hands covering something he was holding. He told the sage that he had a small, newly hatched bird in his hands. He challenged the old man to tell him whether the bird was alive or dead. He, of course, planned to prove the old man wrong, because if he said the bird was dead, he would simply open his hands to expose a perfectly healthy baby bird. But if he said the bird was alive, then he would crush the bird before opening his hands. The old man proved wiser than he thought, because he said, “The bird is whatever you choose him to be.”

And that’s the way it is with the kingdom of God. The choice for the kingdom to live or die is within your grasp. What do you chose?

Brett Blair, Sermons.com

Where the Roots Take Place

Fred Craddock tells a story about the time he got a phone call from a woman whose father had died. She had been a teenager in one of the churches he had served as pastor twenty years before, and he would have sworn that if there was ever a person who never heard a word he said, that teenage girl was it. She was always giggling with her friends in the balcony, passing notes to boys, drawing pictures on the bulletin. But when her father died, she looked up her old pastor, the Rev. Fred Craddock, and gave him a call. “I don’t know if you remember me,” she started. Oh, yes, he remembered. “When my daddy died, I thought I was going to come apart,” she continued. “I cried and cried and cried. I didn’t know what to do. But then I remembered something you said in one of your sermons . . .” And Fred Craddock was stunned. She had remembered something he had said in one of his sermons?! It was proof enough to him that you can never tell how the seed will fall or where it might take root.

Jim Somerville, The Reckless Sower

Sowing the Seed

One of William Barclay’s friends tells this story. In the church where he worshiped there was a lonely old man, old Thomas. He had outlived all his friends and hardly anyone knew him. When Thomas died, this friend had the feeling that there would be no one to go to the funeral so he decided to go, so that there might be someone to follow the old man to his last resting-place.

There was no one else, and it was a miserable wet day. The funeral reached the cemetery, and at the gate there was a soldier waiting. An officer, but on his raincoat there were no rank badges. He came to the grave side for the ceremony, then when it was over, he stepped forward and before the open grave swept his hand to a salute that might have been given to a king. The friend walked away with this soldier, and as they walked, the wind blew the soldier’s raincoat open to reveal the shoulder badges of a brigadier general.

The general said, “You will perhaps be wondering what I am doing here....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Dirty Hearted People

Exegetical Aim: Growth takes place only in fertile receptive people.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: Good morning. (response) Place the empty tray in front. Hold up the seeds. What do I have here? (response) We are going to plant these seeds. I brought this tray to plant our seeds in but I need something to put in the tray so we can plant them...here we go. Put the brick in the tray. Now we pour a few seeds right there and we are ready to grow! Look at the tray and then look at the children. Is there any thing else we need? (dirt) Dirt? What’s wrong with the brick? You can grow seeds in a brick. (response) What’s wrong with a brick? (too hard) Knock on the brick a few times with your knuckles. It is a little hard. We need something soft? (response) I got it. Take the brick out of the tray and put in the clay. Let me smash this down a little bit and pour in the seeds, then I will mix it up a little--your mixing should produce a misshaped lump of clay with seeds sticking out--and now we are ready to grow these seeds. Boy, I don’t know what I’d do without you all! Again, pause and look at the tray and then look at the children. Is there anything else we need? (response)...

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 11 or Proper 9 for the sermon titled “The Burden Bearing Christ”]

There is a wonderful legend concerning the quiet years of Jesus, the years prior to his visible ministry. The legend claims that Jesus the carpenter was one of the master yoke-makers in the Nazareth area. People came from miles around for a yoke, hand carved and crafted by Jesus son of Joseph.

When customers arrived with their team of oxen Jesus would spend considerable time measuring the team, their height, the width, the space between them, and the size of their shoulders. Within a week, the team would be brought back and he would carefully place the newly made yoke over the shoulders, watching for rough places, smoothing out the edges and fitting them perfectly to this particular team of oxen.

That’s the yoke Jesus invites us to take. Do not be misled by the word “easy,” for its root word in Greek speaks directly of the tailor-made yokes: they were “well-fitting.” The yoke Jesus invites us to take, the yoke that brings rest to weary souls, is one that is made exactly to our lives and hearts. The yoke he invites us to wear fits us well, does not rub us nor cause us to develop sore spirits and is designed for two. His yokes were always designed for two. And our yoke-partner is none other than Christ himself.

Running throughout all scripture from the beginning to the end is the theme that ours is a burden bearing Christ. He is not just a Lord whom we burden, and we do, but a Lord who actually solicits our burdens. I want to think with you this morning concerning that thought. He who would be effective must first be free from his burdens. And, it is Christ who frees us. Frees us from...

1. The burden of sin
2. The burden of self-righteousness.
3. Our burdens. So we can bear the burden of others.

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - The Curse of the Unsatisfied

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 11 for the sermon titled “The Curse of the Unsatisfied” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Have you ever heard of a Pecksniffian?

You have to love that word! It was created to describe the characterization of a man named Seth Pecksniff from Charles Dickens’ very long and complex novel, Martin Chuzzlewit. Written in 1844, the nearly 900-page novel describes the lengths of greed, selfishness, hypocrisy, and scheming that some people will undertake in order to accrue fame and money!

Seth Pecksniff, self-proclaimed architect and cousin of the elder Martin Chuzzlewit, is a notoriously self-righteous and hypocritical man, who acts “holier than thou” but actively manipulates and exploits others and when caught shifts blame to someone else in order to protect his “shiny moral character.” His behavior in the novel was so insincere that his very name soon became a catchword for moral hypocrisy!

While Pecksniff’s moral debauchery captivated and entertained readers, Dickens readers also recognized that the author was actively critiquing the state of society (and some kinds of wealthy industrialists) he was observing in England – and the United States, in the Victorian industrial era.

Anyone who has watched HBO’s “The Gilded Age” will recognize a few “Pecksniffian” qualities in some of those characters as well!

Well, we may not be living in the Victorian age, but we all need a little “Dickens” in our lives once in a while to hold the mirror of truth up in front of our faces and to call out the “undercover wolves in sheep’s clothing” within our own lives and culture....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Did You Use All Your Strength?

I remember an old story about a little boy who was out helping dad with the yard work. Dad asked him to pick up the rocks in a certain area of the yard. Dad looked over and saw him struggling to pull up a huge rock buried in the dirt. The little boy struggled and struggled while Dad watched. Finally, the boy gave up and said, “I can’t do it.”

Dad asked, “Did you use all of your strength?”

The little boy looked hurt and said, “Yes, sir. I used every ounce of strength I have.”

The father smiled and said, “No you didn’t. You didn’t ask me to help.” The father walked over and then the two of them pulled that big rock out of the dirt.

One of the great Biblical truths seems impossible. Liberty comes through being yoked with Christ.

Billy D. Strayhorn, Freedom through the Yoke

Be Careful Which Ruts You Get Into

Recently, I was driving on an old dirt road way out in the country when I came to a sign which said: “Be real careful which ruts you get into. You’ll be in them for the next 20 miles!”

Some people get in the rut of seeing life as nothing more than just coping, just enduring, just surviving, just sticking it out.

In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown expressed it like this: “I have a new philosophy of life, Linus. From this moment on, I’m going to only dread one day at a time!”

James W. Moore, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com

If God Knows I’m Worth It

There was a nurse who served faithfully in an isolated clinic in West Virginia’s mountains. A physician from the nearest city would come out one day per week. He noticed how the nurse gave far more of herself than anyone could expect. He knew how substandard her salary was. One day he said to her, “Nurse, why don’t you get out of this backward, isolated community and go where you can earn a good salary? God knows you are worth it.” With a smile, she answered kindly, “If God knows I’m worth it, that’s what really matters to me.”

God knows how much you are worth; don’t ever let anybody’s criticism make you forget it.

Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com

The Sweetest Sound

There is a story that Hebrew families tell their children to help them understand the fourth commandment. The fourth commandment reads, “Six days you shall labor but on the seventh you shall rest.” The story is called, “The Sweetest Sound.” The main character in the story is King Ruben. It goes something like this.

The king asked his royal subjects, “What is the sweetest melody of all?” Early the next morning they gathered all sorts of musicians. The sound awoke the king and all morning he listened to their tunes. But, after listening to all of them he could not tell which was the sweetest sound. Finally, one subject suggested they all play together. It was so noisy the king couldn’t think.

About that moment a woman, dressed in her Sunday best, pushed to the front of the crowd and stepped forward....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Rest

Exegetical Aim: In Christ there is rest from weariness.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: How is everyone? (response) We are going to pretend like we are all sleeping. Everyone lay your head down. Let them rest for a few seconds. Ring, ring, ring. Look at your watch.

Well, good morning it’s 7:00 and time to get up. Ok, everyone get up. Imitate the motions for them. Let’s Stretch. Everybody stretch. (stretching motion) Make your bed. Everybody make your bed. (response) 7:20 Pick up the room. (response) 7:30 time to eat breakfast. (response) 7:40 time to get dressed. Put on your shirt, pants, socks, shoes. Tie you shoes. (response) We’re going to be late. Gotta’ run and catch the bus. Let’s run. (response) Time to study and read. Everyone read. (response) Time to write.

12:00 Lunch time. Time to eat again. (response) 12:30 Lunch is over. Pick your tray up. Put it away. Throw away the paper. Get your books. Run back to class. (response) 12:40 time for math. Act like your doing math problems on a chalk board. 2:00 Recess! (or PE) Run outside. Play some Baseball. (response) Hopscotch. (response) Now some football. (response) Tennis. (response) Give me three push-ups. Get up recess is over; run back in. (response) Time for spelling. How do you spell Flabbergasted? (blank looks on their faces) You don’t know? Ah, that’s an easy one. How do you spell annoying? (response) Ring, Ring, Ring, 3:15 schools over; time to run back home. (running motion)

Finally home. Whew! Everybody wipe your brow and....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 10 or Proper 8 for the sermon titled “Never Underestimate The Power of a Cup of Cold Water”]

Now I would like to stop the world for just one minute and ask you to think back. Think back with me to the first century. Think about those 50 years after Jesus’ death and what it must been like for Jesus’ disciples. Before the last one died their efforts had brought 500,000 men women, and children into the ranks of the church. But what they had to suffer in order to accomplish this task is seldom discussed. We like the outcome of their discipleship but we don’t want to hear the cost of discipleship. So for the record here is the cost: History tells us…

1. John died of extreme old age exiled to the island of Patmos.

2. Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, hanged himself.

3. Peter was crucified; head downward, during the persecution of Nero.

4. Andrew died on a cross at Patrae, a Grecian Colony.

5. James, the younger, son of Alphaeus, was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple, and then beaten to death with a club.

6. Bartholomew was flayed alive in Albanapolis, Armenia.

7. James, the elder son of Zebedee, was beheaded at Jerusalem.

8. Thomas, the doubter, was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel, in the East Indies.

9. Philip was hanged against a pillar at Heropolis.

10. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.

11. Simon died on a cross in Persia (what we now call Iran.).

12. Matthew was first stoned and then beheaded.

What sacrifices! And I ask you why? Why did they choose to die this way? Why desert your father and mother, your wife and child, and your home? Why put up with the constant humiliation, and hunger, and persecution, and defeat town after town after town?

I’ll tell you why, because, in the words of Apostle Paul, they were held captive by the words and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is Paul’s way of saying they were slaves to Christ.

It is quite likely we shall never be tested to the extent that the disciples were but there are some ways to gauge our commitment. Let’s look at a couple this morning....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - Small Acts of Kindness

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 10 for the sermon titled “Small Acts of Kindness” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

“It’s the little things that count the most!”

This seemingly insignificant phrase became popular in the late 1800s and early1900s when it resounded “loudly” with a rapidly changing English-speaking world. The phrase became “the catch phrase” of the time and defined a newly developing cultural trend! Everyone repeated it like a mantra. Even authors employed it in their writing. What gave this little phrase such impact? The industrial revolution! Nineteenth-century focus on thriftiness due to the rise of the middle class during these years created a new and urgent emphasis on small but significant things, occasional but meaningful gifts, good manners, and the kinds of small habits and kindnesses (rather than wealth) that defined one’s character. Living a disciplined lifestyle and maintaining responsible household management became a matter of cultural pride for middle class families.

The Victorian middle class wasn’t only about manners however. Deeply invested in education, faith, and a deep sense of social morality, the phrase was soon connected to biblical values, such as in Luke 16:10: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.” From there, the phrase stuck, and we still stand by it today.

There is a reason for that. As followers of Jesus, we know that Jesus’ method of evangelism required simply proclaiming Jesus’ salvation, healing, blessing, and acting with a sense of acceptance, kindness, and love toward all people. Jesus began the movement that his disciples would call “The Way” by changing people’s lives, one heart and healing at a time....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Matthew 10:40-42

God Still Thinks About You

Helmut Thielicke says that during World War II, his students often wrote from the battlefield saying, “I am so exhausted from marching, my stomach is so empty, I am so plagued with lice and scratching, I am so tormented by the biting cold of Russia and so dead tired, that I am totally occupied, without the least bit of inner space for any speculative thinking.” Sometimes they would write that they were too weak to leaf through the Bible and were even lazy about the Lord’s Prayer. Dr. Thielicke would reply, “Be thankful that the Gospel is more than a philosophy. If it were only a philosophy, you would just have it as long as you could keep it in mind and it could afford you intellectual comfort. But even when you can no longer think about God, he still thinks about you.”

Herchel H. Sheets, When Jesus Exaggerated, CSS Publishing Company

The Tool of Discouragement

There is an old legend about Satan one day having a yard sale. He thought he’d get rid of some of his old tools that were cluttering up the place. So there was gossip, slander, adultery, lying, greed, power-hunger, and more laid out on the tables. Interested buyers were crowding the tables, curious, handling the goods. One customer, however, strolled way back in the garage and found on a shelf a well-oiled and cared-for tool. He brought it out to Satan and inquired if it was for sale. “Oh, no!” Satan answered. “That’s my tool. Without it I couldn’t wreck the church! It’s my secret weapon!” “But what is it?” the customer inquired.

“It’s the tool of discouragement,” the devil said.

In the text Jesus is talking to the church about their attitude and deportment toward the prophets God sends among us as shepherds. He speaks frankly about acceptance and rejection, about kindness and trust. In short, he promises that in the minister’s success among us shall come our own reward

Stephen M. Crotts and Stan Purdum, Sermons For Sundays: After Pentecost (First Third): Hidden In Plain View, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.

All You Have To Do Is Look Up

A substitute Sunday School teacher couldn’t open the combination lock on the supply cabinet. So she went to the pastor for help. The pastor started turning the dial of the combination lock, stopped after the first two numbers, looked up serenely toward heaven, began moving his lips silently, turned to the final number, and opened the lock.

The teacher gasped, “I’m in awe of your faith, pastor.”

“Really,” he said, “it’s nothing. The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling.”

I wish the answers to all of life’s problems were on a piece of tape on the ceiling, don’t you? Then, when we hit a difficult time in our life all we would have to do is look up.

King Duncan, The Idiot’s Guide to Christianity

Whoever Welcomes You, Welcomes Me

Recently I was sent this story. The author said, I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He was in his mid-70’s with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit. Many times in the past I had invited him to come. Several other Christian friends had talked to him about the Lord and had tried to share the good news with him. He was well respected, honest, a man of good character. He acted much like a Christian would act, but he never came to church or professed Christ. After I got to know him well and we had talked about a wide range of subjects I asked him if he had ever been to a church service.

He hesitated. Then with a twisted grimace told me of an experience he had as a boy. He was raised in a large family. His parents survived the depression but they struggled to provide food and clothing for the family. When he was around ten years old a friend invited him to go to church with his family.

He went – the Sunday School class was great. The songs were fun to sing and the stories, oh the great Bible stories, were exciting to hear. He had never heard anyone read from the Bible before. As class ended....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Be Nice!

Exegetical Aim: Teach the children courtesy and hospitality.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: [As you greet the children pour yourself a drink of water and begin drinking.] Good Morning. (response) Take a drink. Boy this water sure is good. Look at all the people here at church this morning. Take another drink. Ahhh! Look over there. John is here. Hey, John how are you doing?

“Not so good Brother Brett I have been working all morning and I am really hot and thirsty.”

Yes, it is a beautiful day. Well, it’s good to see you in church this morning John. Pour yourself a little more water and drink. Smack your lips a few times. That sure is a thirst quencher! Now, look who else is here. There’s Susan. Hi Susan! She waves at you. How are you?

“Well, Brother Brett, I have some medicine here that I need to take and ....I need some water to wash it down.” Yes, that medicine sure can help a body when one is sick. Hope you feel better. Glad you’re here. Pour a little more water and drink....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 10 or Proper 7 for the sermon titled “Stop Being Afraid”]

Jesus’ instructions to his disciples prior to their first mission continue in today’s gospel reading. He has been telling them about all the dangers and hardships they may have to put up with and ends by saying (in effect), “What do you expect? A disciple is not greater than his teacher. If the world gives me a bad time, it will give you one too” (Matthew 10:24-25).

So what does Jesus do? Sell them life insurance? Give them bullet-proof vests? Teach them how to diffuse conflict? Hardly. Instead he says, “Don’t ever be afraid of your enemies and critics. Even though it’s not obvious now, the truth will come out finally. So, speak up; shout it out; stand and deliver” (10:26-27). Oh, my. We don’t want to be heroes, especially not religious ones. It’s all we can do to get to church on Sundays and we’re supposed to be shouting the word of God from the housetops? No way. We’re afraid.

But Jesus doesn’t quit. “Stop being afraid” (that’s the force of the verb); “stop being afraid” -- not just once but always. “Stop being afraid of people who can kill the body but not the soul.” The point is that people can hurt us only temporarily because life comes from God. Even if they kill us, God the author of life will raise us. “Don’t fear people; fear God” (the one who can kill both body and soul) (10:28).

Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus is saying that the voice of the people is not the voice of God. We worry way too much about what other people say or think of us and far too little about what God thinks of us. We know this is true. We’ve heard it before. But, it’s easier said than done...

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - Whispers in the Dark

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 10 for the sermon titled “Whispers in the Dark” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Those of you women who were lucky enough to have a gentle, caring father in your life know that a Father’s voice is like a secret weapon of confidence. Guys, your experience may be slightly different, but the voice of confidence part remains.

I had one of those – the kind that led by example and exhibited values like authenticity, confidence, wisdom, resilience, strength and endurance but also compassion and caring. My dad was the one, who from a young age, continually whispered to me (even though he came from a traditional lineage where women pretty much got married and held household) – “you can do anything you set your mind to.”

The result? I believed him. And it made a great difference in my life.

I had a teacher with a whispering voice like that too. My third-grade teacher. I’ll never forget her. Mrs. Ludwig was her name. And she saw in me what no one else did. I was an extremely quiet child. I mostly spent my time reading and dreaming. Mrs. Ludwig understood why. While most labeled me “shy,” she knew better. She taught writing and English, poetry, and stories. And every single week, she hung my work on the classroom wall. And she said to me, you are a writer. When I was on my way to high school, I stopped by her classroom in the old elementary school building, where they were cleaning out the rooms, as the building was up for sale. After all that time, she had kept every one of my poems and stories. So when I started publishing my work in the newspapers in my 20s, I looked her up (she was long since retired), clipped them out, and sent them to her. Because her quiet whispers, her eyes who recognized me despite my silence, had made a huge difference in my life.

I’m sure all of you have stories like this, people whose quiet but reassuring voices have supported you, encouraged you, calmed you, or in some other way helped you.

It doesn’t take a loud voice to make a difference....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Matthew 10:24-39

Do Not Call It a Sacrifice

A couple, visiting in Korea, saw a father and his son working in a rice paddy. The old man guided the heavy plow as the boy pulled it.

“I guess they must be very poor,” the man said to the missionary who was the couple’s guide and interpreter.

“Yes,” replied the missionary. “That’s the family of Chi Nevi. When the church was built, they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money. So they sold their ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.”

After a long silence, the woman said, “That was a real sacrifice.”

The missionary responded, “They do not call it a sacrifice. They are just thankful they had an ox to sell.”

Bishop Ray W. Chamberlain Jr., Season of Sacrifice

Humor: What God Can’t Do

A Sunday school teacher was examining her pupils after a series of lessons on God’s omnipotence. She asked: “Is there anything God can’t do?”

There was silence. Finally, one lad held up his hand. The teacher, disappointed that the lesson’s point had been missed, asked: “Well, just what is it that God can’t do?”

“Well,” replied the boy: “He can’t please everybody.”

Gary W. Houston, Cowherding Christians, CSS Publishing Company

With or Without People

A second grader once asked his teacher how much the earth weighed. The teacher looked up the answer in an Encyclopedia. “Six thousand million, million tons,” she answered. The little boy thought for a minute and then asked, “Is that with or without people?”

Viewed from one perspective, it might very well seem that people don’t really matter very much. After all, we are but microscopic inhabitants of a tiny planet orbiting a relatively obscure star in a small galaxy among the billions and billions of stars and galaxies that make up creation. Yet the God of creation has counted the very hairs of our heads. Wow! What a magnificent picture of God.

King Duncan, The Love of a Father, Sermons.com

He Was a Stranger and I Took Him In

The story is told of a Kansan who owned a general store. He was a well-intending man who made a habit of offering a verse of Scripture whenever anyone purchased something from him. The group of people who sat around the store in this rural area enjoyed the exchanges, because some of the purchases challenged the imagination.

One winter day a Texan stopped in, wanting to buy a blanket for his horse. The locals knew that the store stocked two types of blankets. One sold for $60, and the expensive one cost $89.95. He showed him the first. “No, that’s not good enough. I need something warmer for my horse.” He showed him the second blanket for $89.95. “That’s not good enough, either. Don’t you understand? This is for my horse, and nothing’s too good for my horse. Now show me your most expensive blanket!”

The store became very quiet as the storekeeper....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: A Colorful Exchange

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: Good morning. (response) Look what I have! Show the new box of crayons to the kids. And they are all mine. I wonder how many crayons I have? 1,2,3,4,5,6..144 crayons. Wow, that’s a lot of crayons and their all mine. Hold up the paper. How many pictures can I draw? Count the pieces of paper. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Ten pictures. I can draw ten pictures with my crayons and my ten pieces of paper. But I can’t draw that many pictures...what am I going to do with all this paper and all these crayons? (response)If the children do not suggest that they can help by drawing pictures then help them by counting the children which should correspond to the exact number of pieces of paper. What can I do? I have ten sheets of paper and 1,2,3,4... and 10 children. 10 pieces of paper and 10 children? What should I do? (response) You mean give away my papers and my crayons? (response) To you? (response) Well, ok we will see. Dump the crayons into the tray. The crayons in the middle are intended to create commotion. Here is some paper. Everybody take a piece of paper and let’s all draw a picture....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 9 or Proper 6 for the sermon titled “Are We Offering the Right Cup?”]

Carl A. Boyle, a sales representative, was driving home when he saw a group of young children selling Kool-Aid on a corner in his neighborhood. They had posted the typical hand scrawled sign over their stand: “Kool-Aid, 10 cents.” Carl was intrigued. He pulled over to the curb. A young man approached and asked if he would like strawberry or grape Kool-Aid. Carl placed his order and handed the boy a quarter. After much deliberation, the children determined he had some change coming and rifled through the cigar box until they finally came up with the correct amount. The boy returned with the change, then stood by the side of the car. He asked if Carl was finished drinking. “Just about,” said Carl. “Why?” “That’s the only cup we have, “answered the boy, “and we need it to stay in business.”

It’s difficult to operate a Kool-Aid business if you only have one cup. We sometimes make that mistake in the church.

This morning we are focusing our attention on the evangelistic task of the church. For many persons the word “evangelism” brings to mind one cup: The televangelist and the tent revival, or the street corner preacher handing out tracts. In some churches, it means a once a year special event or a particular strategy for incorporating newcomers into the life of the church.

By limiting our vision of evangelism to one of these cups, we may be stifling Christ’s work on earth and cheating ourselves out of one of the most rewarding endeavors Christ offers us: Evangelism. What is needed is for all of us to become daily involved in evangelism. How?

1. Anchoring Our Concern in Christ’s Compassion for the World
2. Shepherding Those who are Lost in the Crowd
3. Committing Ourselves because the Workers are Few

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 9 or 10 for the sermon titled “Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Matthew is an interesting writer. This passage in Matthew’s testimony is filled with metaphors. Intriguing metaphors. Even some mixed metaphors in fact. In paragraph one for example, we are instructed on “harvesting sheep”!

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

That’s kind of cool, right? I like that. Harvesting sheep!

Well, when you think about it, harvesting is a form of gathering. So Jesus is really talking about gathering sheep, the ones who have wandered off, the ones without a shepherd and therefore without a home or pen to come back to, those who don’t know who or whose they are, those who without a protector have been harassed and helpless to the elements and predators around them! When you think about it, what an interesting way to describe the state of those particular “sheep”!

They need gathering! They need to be located, identified, separated out, and gathered in to a safe place. They need to be called back to God – to Jesus! The Good Shepherd who cares for all of those lost and lonely sheep!

But Matthew isn’t done. After this kind of cool harvesting image, we’re further identifying the sheep that need to be found out in the world! They are the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

Whereas we know Jesus has an additional mission to the gentiles and others, in this case, within this particular “sending out,” he is specifically wanting them to locate and gather back in the lost sheep of Israel!

Now here the metaphor expands, and I love this next play on words!...

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Matthew 9:35--10:23

Ministry to People In Need

There’s a wonderful legend about Saint Francis, the kindly thirteenth century monk, who one day informed his brethren that he planned to go into the nearby village on a preaching mission. He invited a novice to go along. On their way, they passed an injured man and Francis promptly stopped, saw to the poor fellow’s needs and arranged medical care for him. They went on and soon passed a homeless man who was near starvation. Again, Francis stopped his journey and ministered to the hungry, homeless man. So it went, through the day: people in need, Francis lovingly caring for them as best he could until the sun was low in the sky. He told his novice friend it was time for them to return, now, to the monastery for evening prayers. But the young man said, “Father, you said we were coming to town to preach to the people.” Francis smiled. Then he said, “My friend, that’s what we’ve been doing all day.”

That’s evangelism at its most faithful. Ministry to people in their need. Not worrying about numerical growth, or adding to one’s own conversion record, or winning acclaim within the denomination. Evangelism is sharing the love of God in concrete form among God’s people.

E. Carver McGriff, Times of Refreshing, CSS Publishing Company

Making a Difference

The story was told about two men walking down a Mexican beach, talking with one another. They could see a man in the distance throwing something into the ocean. As they got closer, they saw that he was bending over, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean. The closer they got they noticed that he was one of the natives.

There were starfish on the beach which were left by the outgoing tide. The native was throwing them out where they could swim away. One of the two men asked, “What are you doing?” The man replied, “I am throwing the starfish back out to sea. If they don’t get back into the deeper water, they will die.” The other man replied, “I understand that part, but look at this beach. It is covered with starfish. There must be thousands stranded out here. How do you feel that this will make a difference?”

The native bent over, picked up another starfish, hurled him out to sea, and with a smile on his face said, “Made a difference to that one!”

There are thousands who need the Lord and need the care of Christians. Each one of us can “make a difference” to someone.

Author Unknown, Chicken Soup for the Soul

He Will Never Let Go

There is a beautiful and important scene in the movie Dr. Zhivago. The Comrade General is talking with Tanya. He asks her, How did you come to be lost?” She replies, “Well, I was just lost.” He asks again, “No, how did you come to be lost?” Tanya doesn’t want to say. She says simply, “I was just lost. My father and I were running through the city and it was on fire. The revolution had come and we were trying to escape and I was lost.”

The Comrade General asked more emphatically, “How did you come to be lost?” She still didn’t want to say. Finally though she did say. “We were running through the city and my father let go of my hand and I was lost.” Then she added plaintively, “He let go.” This is what she didn’t want to say.

The Comrade General said, “This is what I’ve been trying to tell you, Tanya. Komarov was not your real father. Zhivago is your real father and I can promise you, Tanya, that if this man had been there, your real father, he would never have let go of your hand.”

That is the difference between a real father and a false father, is it not? A real father would never let go of his daughter’s hand. That is also the difference between a real god and a false one.

King Duncan, Where Are The Laborers?, Sermons.com

The Law of Unintended Consequences

In ancient Rome, a group of men loyal to the Republic feared that Julius Caesar was going to make his dictatorship permanent and establish a monarchy. In 44 BC, they decided to assassinate him, thereby restoring the Republic.

In the ensuing chaos and power vacuum, Caesar’s great nephew Octavius quickly rose to the top, assumed power, and permanently ended the Republic by establishing a de facto monarchy. After Caesar’s death, it came out that he had never intended to create a monarchical system. The conspirators brought about precisely what they had tried to stop.

In 19th-century India, under British colonial rule, authorities decided there were too many venomous cobras in the streets of Delhi, making life uncomfortable for the British residents and their families. To solve this, they offered a reward for every dead cobra residents would bring in. Soon, enterprising locals began to breed cobras in order to make a living from the bounty. The government caught on to this and canceled the program. The breeders, resentful of the rulers and angered by their actions....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: What Do You See?

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: Have you ever lost something for a long time and then found it again, almost by accident? That still happens to me sometimes when I put something somewhere for safe keeping. Sometimes I just can’t seem to remember where in the world I put it. Then I find it again when I’m looking for something else altogether!

Not long ago, I came across this box in a closet and I knew immediately what was in it. This is an old collection of cars that we had at our house when our children were younger. We used to have a lot of fun with these. In fact, I can remember when they were shiny and new. I’ll bet they look just as great today. Let’s take a look.

This is not exactly what I expected. The first one I’ve taken out of the box is kind of dirty and old looking. It has lost most of its shine. That is not a very exciting looking car to me. This next one is missing a wheel. And this one looks like it was probably in an accident of some type. In fact, only one of these looks good at all. The rest should probably just be thrown away. Who would ever want to play with them?

Did you know that sometimes people look at other people just the way we looked at these cars?....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 9 or Proper 5 for the sermon titled “The Healing Power of Touch”]

As Matthew’s story begins this morning, Jesus, the great physician, is on his way to make an emergency house call. There was a little girl who was in a grave state and her father implored Jesus to come. We are told that a large crowd of the curious followed Jesus. Some were hoping he would succeed, others that he would fail; most probably got caught up in the excitement of the parade.

In this throng was one woman who was there for quite a different reason. We are told that for twelve years she had been suffering from a bleeding hemorrhage. Some modern scholars have theorized that this was a bleeding cancer. If this were the case she was, of course, beyond all medical help. Mark tell us that she had already been to all of the doctors and she had only gotten worse, and beside that they had taken all her money. Interestingly, Luke, who was a physician, tells this story as well, but he could not bring himself to tell that side of story. Call it professional pride but he is not about to say that she was taken for all her money by a long string of doctors.

How could she get the attention of Jesus? Her problem was of a very personal nature and she did not want to discuss the issue publicly. According to Levitic Law, a woman who was bleeding was considered unclean and under law could touch no one. There were many ancient taboos. She did not want to have to go through the disciples to see Jesus. She wanted the doctor and not the nurse.

She thus devised a plan. Having heard the stories of Jesus’ power, she declared: If I but touch the hem of his garment I will be healed.” We smile at that and say: How innocent, how naive.

She reached out from the crowd and touched the garment of Jesus. Immediately he stopped, bolted upright, and asked: “Who touched me?” The disciples were taken aback. Was this some kind of rhetorical question? Who touched you? Why master, look around, everyone is touching you. The New English version quotes their words as being: “What is the purpose in asking?”

Jesus replied with one of the most mysterious lines in the Bible. He said: “I felt power flow from me.” For years I have been mesmerized with that verse. What exactly happened in that moment? Did the lady drain his battery? It sounds as though he is almost describing a power surge. “I felt power flow from me.” Whatever happened the important matter of course is that in the midst of the crowd, Christ felt the touch of a single person. Don’t ever say that in the enormity of the cosmos God cannot care about my concerns and me. Not only does God care, he actually solicits our concerns “Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you peace.”

Daughter, said Jesus (and I might add parenthetically at this point that that is the only recorded time in scripture that Jesus used that term) daughter, your faith has made you well. And, we are told, she was immediately healed. The desperation of her faith thus became the channel that led to her healing. The story is saying there are two kinds of touch:

1. The first being physical touch.

2. The other is spiritual touch.

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - One Good Apple

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 9 for the sermon titled “One Good Apple” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

We always hear that one rotten apple infects the entire bushel. Indeed. That’s true! A rotten apple gives us ethylene gas, which does indeed spread to every other fruit around it! Even fruits that aren’t apples will ripen and rot faster due to the “rotten” apple’s infectious presence!

But no one talks much about the advantage of a really good apple! A good, healthy, apple likewise will keep those around it safe, healthy, and ripening at just the right pace! We may take the “good” apple for granted, but you can’t underestimate the value of an entire bushel of “good” apples when it comes to good fruit!

Whether bad or good – the state of a single apple can influence the bushel for bad or for good!

People may not give off “ethylene gas” the same way an apple does, but one person too can influence an entire group! One bad influencer can cause dissension, division, and all variety of bad behavior. One bad leader can cause anxiety, depression, and low morale. And it doesn’t take long for it all to go “viral!”

But what about the good ones? Psychologists have a word for the positive influence of that one “good apple”! They call it a “positivity contagion”! Yes, positive behaviors can also go “viral”! We just tend to hear about these people a bit less!

But while the “bad actors” tend to keep drawing the most attention, those “good apples” are....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

A Call to Action

A few years ago Congress passed a law which entitles any deceased U.S.veteran to have two uniformed military personal present to fold and present a flag, and to have “Taps” played on the bugle at the end of the service.

Who could argue with such a simple honor? There is one little problem. There are very few bugle players around these days. This dearth of brass musicians has caused the Congressional mandate to be mitigated: veterans still have the right to “Taps,” but “Taps” can be played on a CD player during their funeral.

In order to keep the ceremony a little more stately, a whole new “instrument” has been invented. This “instrument” looks like a bugle. But instead of brass keys and open airways, this “bugle” is designed around a CD player. When the “musician” hits the “play” button on this phony bugle, a red and green light comes on. The “musician” then has five seconds to get the “bugle” into his or her mouth before the recording starts to play. Not surprisingly, this “bugler” faces away from the mourners, so they cannot see the flashing lights displaying inside the bell of the fake instrument.

In our culture, even when we try to do something sensitive and notable, we are all about appearance. We substitute style for substance over and over again. We prefer the canned perfection of these fake, false notes, to the real performance of a fallible, fragile human being, offering a genuine final tribute.

Leonard Sweet, ChristianGlobe Illustrations

Leave It All Behind

When John D. Rockefeller died, one man was curious about how much he left behind. Determined to find out, he set up an appointment with one of Rockefeller’s highest aides and asked, “How much did Rockefeller leave behind?” The aide answered, “All of it.”

Jesus is reaching out to you just as sure as he was reaching out to all three of these people.

What is it that you need to leave behind? What burden do you need to lay down? What is it that’s breaking your heart. What area of your life is filled with pain? You can leave “all of it” behind. You can leave it at the foot of the cross.

Billy D. Strayhorn, What They Left Behind

God Calls Heathens

Rev. Barkley Thompson is an Episcopal priest in Little Rock, Arkansas. In one of his sermons, he shares a moment of life-changing grace that led him to become a follower of Jesus Christ.

He writes, “Sitting in a musty gothic classroom at the University of Chicago, a Lutheran friend named Jay Alanis looked me squarely in the eye and said, ‘Barkley, God is here, doing something with you.’

‘No Jay,’ I responded, ‘I’m too much a heathen for God.’

‘But Barkley,’ Jay pursued with a light behind his eyes that wasn’t his own, ‘It’s heathens God calls.’”

Angela Akers, ChristianGlobe Network, Inc.

The Special Olympic Race

John Beck used to be a football star for the University of Kentucky. Later on he became a preacher and was named as Chaplain of the U.S. Olympic Teams. For a number of years he traveled with our Olympic Teams all over the world, leading in their devotions, counseling & praying with many of the athletes.

As he watched these young men and women train for the events in which they competed, he decided that this was a picture of what Christianity really ought to be. Here were people who were sincere and fervent and dedicated to the task before them. They were willing to pay any price, regardless of how much suffering or pain they had to endure. They were willing to pay any price to be number one, to win.

Then one day John Beck was invited to visit the Special Olympics. Special Olympics, as you know, are made up of special athletes. All of them suffer from some kind of mental or physical impairment. He watched them as eight runners lined up for the 100-yard dash. They all took off when the starting gun fired, and he was amazed at how good they actually were. But as they reached halfway in the race....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Follow Me

Exegetical Aim: What it means to follow Christ.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: Good Morning. (response) How is every one? (response) Good! We are going to play follow the leader this morning. I need everyone to stand up. Now, I am going to be the leader. Everybody get in line behind me. Stay in line and as we go each of you has to say and do everything I do, OK? (ok)As you go down one isle and then up another speak to people and shake hands. Each child should emulate you. Address the people personally, if you know the names.

Possible greetings: Hello! (Children follow the leader.) Good Morning, I’m glad you’re here. (Children Follow.) God Bless you! (Children follow.) You look wonderful this morning. Is that a new dress? (Children follow. God Loves you and he loves me! (Children Follow.)

After you have circled the sanctuary, sit down. The children should follow your lead....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 28 or Trinity Sunday for the sermon titled “The Trinity”]

A preacher proudly boasted that he does not preach doctrinal sermons. They are boring he asserts and people do not understand or relate to them. Further, he claimed, I am a preacher and not a theologian. I get down do the practical issues and simply preach Christ crucified.

His thinking is faulty at several points. First, he is wrong when he says that he is not a theologian. The fact is that everyone to a certain extent is a theologian. Theology is nothing more than what you think about God. Well, shouts one person, I don’t believe In God. That then is your theology. I would also take issue with him when he claims that he does not preach theology but gets down to practical issues. In my thinking there is no difference in good theology and good practice. Good, solid theology gets down to the very core of our existence.

Finally, I would disagree with him when he says that we should only preach Christ crucified. I know that is what the Apostle Paul said but this preacher doesn’t mean what Paul meant. He is saying that he only preaches about the cross and saving the sinner. I submit to you that the cross is not central in Paul’s theology; rather, it is Christ. It has always puzzled me why some ministers preach the message of salvation to people who have been sitting in the pews all their life when they need so much more of Christ’s teaching on life’s other issues. There are many strings on a guitar. To make beautiful music all of them must be played and not just one. That is why in the United Methodist Church we honor the lectionary and the seasons of the church year. That insures a witness to the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ. How can one go through the season of Advent and not touch upon the doctrine of the incarnation. How can one go through Lent without touching upon the doctrine of the resurrection? Likewise, how can we embark upon the season of Pentecost, as we did last week, without mentioning the doctrine of the Trinity?

Today is Trinity Sunday. This is a day that has been celebrated in the Christian church since the 10th century. It is on this occasion that ministers around the world address themselves to the subject of the triune God.

Let me begin by saying that the doctrine of the Trinity does not attempt to explain God. It only explains to us in a very elemental way what God has revealed to us about himself so far. To describe the tip of the iceberg above the water is not to describe the entire iceberg. So we Christians affirm the Trinity, not as an explanation of God, but simply as a way of describing what we know about Him.

The idea of the Trinity is not emphatically stated as a doctrine in the scriptures. Yet, by implication, it is stated many times. The early Christians soon discovered that they simply could not speak of God without speaking of the three ways in which he had revealed himself to them. This does not mean that there are three separate Gods. It means that there is one God who has shown himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let’s look at these this morning:

1. First, we affirm God the Father.
2. Secondly, we affirm belief in the Son, Jesus Christ.
3. Finally, we affirm belief in the Holy Spirit.

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - Seeing Is Not Always Believing

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Matthew 28 for the sermon titled “Seeing Is Not Always Believing” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

My brain is trained to see insects!

I can see an insect from across a room! On a ceiling. When it’s the size of a pin!

It’s the same faculty that allows moms (especially new moms) to wake from a deep sleep because across the house, she heard her baby sigh.

It’s the same faculty that allows a dog to start barking at an empty space. You see nothing. But the dog has already seen that rabbit from across the lawn, and it’s going to make its way here. Or not! But that’s irrelevant to the dog. Because he saw it move!

The same way the dog’s brain is trained to see a rabbit across the lawn and that new mom can hear her baby sigh from several rooms away while in the midst of sleep – my brain can spot an insect anywhere in a room, even when no one else can see it!

If they enter my home, they will be captured!

But the same goes for the opposite effect!

We can also “not see” things that others do, because our brains are not trained to see them.

Those around me never saw those insects. Trust me. It took great lengths for me to insist, then run over, and carefully point it out. Even then, especially if it was small, it could take a bit, before someone would actually believe me.

Our brains are “trained” to recognize certain things in our lives, depending on how important our brain has labeled them. This is why some of us are good at some things and not at others in some cases. Some of these are natural, and some are conditioned or educated into us.

Faith works that way too....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Matthew 28:16-20

Understanding the Trinity

This is Trinity Sunday. God in three persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Do we fully understand this wonderful doctrine? No, but some of us will fight for it.

You may remember that ancient story about St. Augustine. One day he took a break from writing about the Trinity to take a walk along the seashore. There he came across a child with a little pail, intently scooping up a pail full of water out of the ocean, then walking up the beach and dumping it out into the sand, then going back down to scoop out another pail of water to pour into the sand, etc.

Augustine asked the child what he was doing, and the child explained that he was “emptying the sea out into the sand.”

When the Bishop tried to gently point out the absurd impossibility of this task, the child replied, “Ah, but I’ll drain the sea before you understand the Trinity.”

There’s truth to that child’s comment. We don’t understand the Trinity, but we’re ready to go to war to defend it. Well, maybe not anymore. But there was a time when battles were fought over church doctrine, and even today churches are being split over whose interpretation of the Word is correct. And it’s tragic.

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com

What Good Is Religion?

A rabbi and soap maker who went for a walk together. The soap maker had some negative things to say about religion: “What good is religion? Just look around you. What do you see? Trouble, misery, wars - even after all these years and years of preaching and teaching about goodness, truth, peace. What good is religion with all its prayers and sermons if all this evil still exists?”

The rabbi kept quiet as they continued their walk. Then they noticed a child playing in the gutter. The child was just filthy with dirt and mud. The rabbi said to the soap maker: “Look at this child! Now you say that soap makes people clean, but what good is it? With all the soap in the world this child is still dirty. What good is soap after all?”

The soap maker immediately answered him: “But rabbi, soap can’t do its job if it isn’t used!”

The rabbi said, “The same is true with religion.”

Jim Davis, The Call of Discipleship

Who, Me?

Unfortunately, most of us act like the out-of shape, overweight man who decided to take up tennis. He took lessons from a pro. He read several self-help books which advised him to “think positively” and “develop a winning attitude.”

A friend asked him how his tennis was going. With a positive, winning attitude in his voice, the man replied, “When my opponent hits the ball to me, my brain immediately barks out a command to my body: ‘Race up to the net.’ Then, it says, ‘Slam a blistering shot to a far corner of the court. Then immediately jump back into position and return the next volley to the other far corner of the court.’ And then my body says, ‘Who, me?’”

I’d be willing to bet, if we could go back in time, that the first words out of the mouths of all the Disciples after Jesus spoke these words were the same: “Who, me?” You have to remember that the events of this passage actually took place before Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But the question is still pertinent. “Who, me?”

Billy D. Strayhorn, Go!

A Renewal of Faith

Christopher Parkening is a concert guitarist. At age 30, he was at the top of his profession. His concert schedule booked years in advance. His CD’s were best sellers. And then it all stopped. For three years he just disappeared. He stopped recording. He stopped performing. He said he was burned out. He did what all of us, I think, have been tempted to do from time to time in our life. He just chucked it all and went away. He had resources sufficient enough to buy a little ranch up in Montana, with a trout stream running through it. He was a champion fly fisherman. He saw himself now solving the problems in his life by fishing. He hoped to find what was missing in his life.

He did, only in a way that was unexpected....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: You Are a Teacher

Exegetical Aim: To help the children see themselves as teachers of the Gospel.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: Good Morning! (response) What are we going to make this morning? (peanut butter and jelly sandwich) Yes, we are and I am going to need your help. What’s the first thing we need? (bread) Pick up a slice of bread and hold it in one hand. What’s the next thing you do to make the sandwich? put the peanut butter--or they may say Jelly--on the bread Take the jar and place the jar on top of the slice of bread. There! (no!) What’s wrong? open the jar Oh, ok. Now what? put the peanut butter on the bread Now try to pour and shake out the peanut butter onto the bread. It’s not coming out. (response) Oh, with the knife. Use the knife to get the peanut butter out. (response) Spread the peanut butter onto the bread. Put the other slice of bread on the unfinished sandwich. Now, I will put the other slice of bread on and eat my sandwich...start to eat it. (response)

What’s wrong now? (you need jelly) Ok, this part has always confused me and maybe you can tell me how to do it....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Acts 2 or Pentecost for the sermon titled “Are You Pentecostal?”]

The well-known author and preacher Fred Craddock tells a rather funny story about a lecture he was giving: A few years ago, when he was on the west coast speaking at a seminary, just before the first lecture, one of the students stood up and said, “Before you speak, I need to know if you are Pentecostal.” The room grew silent. Craddock said he looked around for the Dean of the seminary! He was nowhere to be found.

The student continued with his quiz right in front of everybody. Craddock was taken aback, and so he said, “Do you mean do I belong to the Pentecostal Church?” He said, “No, I mean are you Pentecostal?” Craddock said, “Are you asking me if I am charismatic?” the student said, “I am asking you if you are Pentecostal.” Craddock said, “Do you want to know if I speak in tongues?” He said, “I want to know if you are Pentecostal.” Craddock said, “I don’t know what your question is.” The student said, “Obviously, you are not Pentecostal.” He left.

What are we talking about this morning? Is the church supposed to use the word Pentecost only as a noun or can it be used as an adjective? And so I ask you: Are you Pentecostal?

In spite of the fact that the church doesn’t know what the adjective means, the church insists that the word remain in our vocabulary as an adjective. The church is unwilling for the word simply to be a noun, to represent a date, a place, an event in the history of the church, refuses for it to be simply a memory, an item, something back there somewhere. The church insists that the word is an adjective; it describes the church. The word, then, is “Pentecostal.”

If the church is alive in the world it is Pentecostal. And you thought we were Methodist! [Insert your own tradition here.]

How do we keep this aliveness, this fire burning, this spirit moving? What must exist in us, around us, and through us, if we are to be Pentecostal? Simply these three things:

1. We Are To Be Of One Accord
2. We Are To Join Together Constantly in Prayer
3. We Are To Repent

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - A Living Water Infusion

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Acts 2 for the sermon titled “A Living Water Infusion” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Close your eyes for a moment. Now imagine you are in a beautiful place. A secluded but safe place. With beautiful green foliage, rocks and flowers, a crystal, clear blue lagoon filled with fresh water, and a waterfall.

In your mind, you can hear that water flowing through the rocks, the rushing sound of the water as it pours down over the edge of the cliff, the white foam, the fresh air and water forming into mist across the flowing, rippling water.

Now in your mind, slip into that serene oasis. Feel the fresh, cool water on your skin, breathe in the scents of nature, allow the sound of the rushing water to soothe your spirit, relax your muscles, refresh your soul like a natural spa.

Put your fingers together and cup some fresh, clean water in your hands. Gulp it down. The water is pure. Refreshing. And cool.

How does that feel?

Chances are, just imagining that scenario has relaxed you, released your stress, and brought you to a peaceful place.

Now I want you to imagine that all of that water that you feel surrounding, immersing you, and nourishing you, that soothing rushing sound, that fresh, clean purity – all of it is not mere water but the very Spirit of God!

Let it flow over you, around you. Feel it. Taste it. Let it soothe your soul. The Spirit of God is with you. Receive the Living Water of Christ!

You can open your eyes.

This is the way that Jesus described the Spirit of God to his disciples....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Pentecost

Waves of Worry

A submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, “How did the terrible storm last night affect you?” The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!” The sub had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached the area known to sailors as “the cushion of the sea.” Although the ocean may be whipped into huge waves by high winds, in this area, the waters are never stirred.

This, I believe, is a perfect picture of the peace that comes from Christ’s Spirit. The waves of worry, of fear, of heartbreak, cannot touch those resting in Christ. Sheltered by His grace and encouraged by His Spirit, the believer is given the perfect tranquility that only Christ can provide.

Adrian Dieleman, Receive the Holy Spirit

Control

A wealthy family from Massachusetts used to take a month’s vacation every summer to the coast of Maine, taking their maid with them. The maid had an annual ritual at the beach. She wore an old-fashioned bathing suit, complete with a little white hat, and carried enough paraphernalia to stock Wal-Mart. She would settle herself on the beach, cover every inch of her exposed flesh and journey down to the water’s edge. There she would hesitate while taking deep breaths and working up her courage to enter the icy-cold water. Finally, she would daintily extend one foot and lower it slowly into the water until she barely had her big toe submerged. Then she repeated the act with the other foot. Then, having satisfied her minimal urge for a swim, she would retreat to her chair and umbrella and spend the remainder of the vacation curled around a book.

I’m afraid that may be a parable of our Christian commitment. Are we afraid to give in to the Pentecost experience, fearful that we might lose control? That’s what it is really all about, isn’t it? Control. We want to be in control. Well, if Pentecost is to do nothing else, it should remind us that we are not in control, not even - or perhaps I should say especially - of ourselves.

Randy L. Hyde, Time to Deliver

Humor: How Were You Attired?

A judge was presiding over a case in a small, rural county. The defendant was charged with drunk driving and trying to assault the police officer who arrested him. To convict the defendant on the assault on an officer charge, the District Attorney had to prove that the defendant knew the person he was assaulting was a police officer. And the easiest way to do that is to show that the officer was wearing a police uniform.

So the District Attorney asked the officer on the witness stand “And how were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?”

The witness looked at him blankly. It was clear he didn’t know what the District Attorney meant by “attired”. Everyone saw this but the District Attorney.

“Would you repeat the question, please?”

In a slightly irritated voice the District Attorney said, “And how were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?”

The witness still was puzzled. “Say that again”, he pleaded.

“How were you attired when you pulled the defendant over?” barked the District Attorney.

My friend said you could suddenly see the light bulb come on in the officer’s head, and he proudly proclaimed “I was traveling on standard issue radial tires!”

This officer needed an interpreter even within the English language!

That’s what I’m getting at: We all need our own personal interpreter, full time, 24/7. So much of what we hear, even within the English language, we don’t understand. And nowhere is that truth more evident than with people who are new to the church.

Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com

We Have Work To Do (Memorial Day Illustration)

God accepts us as His own beloved children for Christ’s sake. We may not understand why it had to be this way. But we look at the cross and we see there an open door.

And thus we remember. We remember those who died that we may live in freedom. We remember those who died that we may live in faith. We remember Christ who died that we may live forever. That’s the ultimate meaning of this Memorial Day weekend. It is a time to remember and it is a time to finish what they started.

They were shooting the movie “Yankee Doodle Dandy” on the day after Pearl Harbor. The cast listened as President Roosevelt announced on the radio that the United States was at war with Japan and Germany. At that point director Michael Curtiz came on the sound stage with Jimmy Cagney. They all listened in silence for the national anthem to finish. As the women dabbed tears from their eyes, and the men were deeply moved, Curtiz said in his best Hungarian accent:

“Now, boys and girls, we have work to do. We have bad news, but we have a wonderful story to tell the world. So let’s put away sad things and begin.”

King Duncan, ChristianGlobe Illustrations

Someone Had Tripped the Switch

Bishop Bob Morgan in his book Who’s Coming To Dinner? tells a powerful story about a Dutch pastor and his family who during the second World War got into big trouble with the Nazis. The Dutch pastor and his family had been hiding Jewish people in their home to keep them safe from Hitler’s forces. They were eventually found out. And one night in the darkness, they heard the sound of heavy boots and the loud impatient knocking on the door. They were arrested and loaded into a cattle car to be taken to one of the notorious death camps. All night long the Dutch pastor and his family rode along in heart-breaking anguish, jostling against one another and against the other prisoners who were jammed into the train cattle car. They were stripped of any form of dignity and absolutely terrified. They knew they were being taken to one of Hitler’s extermination centers. But which one? Would it be Auschwitz, Buchenwald, or Dachau?

Finally, the long night ended and the train stopped. The doors of the cattle car were opened and light streamed into that tragic scene. They were marched out and were lined up beside the railroad tracks, resigned to unspeakable pain, as they knew they would be separated from each other and ultimately killed. But in the midst of their gloom, they discovered some amazing good news....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Feel the Wind In Your Face

Exegetical Aim: To communicate an understanding of what happened at Pentecost.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: [Have the children sit tightly together.] How many of you have been in a storm? (response) What was the first thing you felt when the storm blew in? You want someone to say (the wind). Was anyone else with you? Did you like the wind? What’s special about the wind? (response) Does it feel good? (response) When the wind blows, does it touch just one person or does it touch everyone? (everyone) Have all the children close their eyes. Have them act as though they are in prayer (hands together, heads bowed). Explain to them that they are going to feel wind, but not to open their eyes; they are to keep acting as if they are praying. Turn on the fan at its highest setting and make sure that it rotates to hit everyone or manually direct the fan to sweep across the children. While their eyes are closed, explain. Remember, don’t open your eyes. Act as though you are praying. I want to tell you a story from the Bible. The disciples and some others were in a room, and they were praying. The Holy Spirit came upon them like wind....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see John 17 or Easter 7 for the sermon titled “The Meaning of Life”]

In Act 5 scene 5 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the character Macbeth has heard that the queen is dead and he knows his own death is imminent. At this time he delivers his famous soliloquy:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow
creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, Out, brief candle
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
and then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

Is Macbeth right? Is life nothing but a shadow having no substance, no meaning? Writers and philosophers since recorded time have tried to answer the question. I don’t think any of them have been successful in answering the question to everyone’s satisfaction. Someone once said that “Trying to speak about the ultimate reality is like sending a kiss through a messenger.” I understand their point: Something of its truth is lost in the translation.

What is the meaning of life? A philosophical question to be sure but this is not only the philosopher’s question. It is a genuinely human question and therefore a question that we all ask. It might be a question that is asked in despair or hope, out of cynicism, or out of sincere curiosity and a deep desire to have goals and guidance in life. However we raise the question about the meaning of life, it is our most basic and fundamental question.

And so it comes as no surprise that Jesus deals with this question and answers it....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - Mountain of Anointing

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see Luke 24 or Ascension for the sermon titled “Mountain of Anointing” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

Olives have served as a staple for people in the Middle East for thousands of years. In the first century, the olive industry flourished in Israel. Olives provided economic stability. They could be used for food, for oil, for fuel, for lighting of lamps, for nourishing the skin, for healing, and for religious rituals. Throughout Galilee, Samaria, and Judea, people planted olive groves. The funds from export alone helped the harbor cities flourish, as did the grape and wine industries.

But olive groves were not just for orchard cultivation and harvest. They also grew wild throughout the region and provided beauty, rest, and shade.

The olive provided the oil of anointing used for Israel’s kings, priests, and prophets. Because of it’s beauty and rampant growth in the region, as well as its religious significance, the olive became a national identity symbol for Israel. It symbolized God’s abundance and blessing upon the people and a sign of peace.

Since the time of Noah when a dove brought back an olive branch to Noah, for the people symbolizing an act of peace, reconciliation, and new beginnings in an abundant land by God, the olive branch has been associated with wellness and peace.

Outside of Jerusalem in the area of Bethany, the Mount of Olives became an important place within Jesus’ ministry. He met there often with his disciples. It’s where he prayed, where he spent his last moments before his arrest, and where he would bring his disciples at the time of his ascension.

The Mount of Olives was a tall hill filled with beautiful olive trees. Not only did the area boast a significant olive grove, but it was the site of a Stone Age Cemetery, which held the graves/caves of many of Israel’s forefathers and mothers. Kings had been buried there at the site at which they had been anointed! This was Israel’s heritage site and a symbol of the Temple or Tabernacle of God.

The lush groves of the Mt of Olives and the village of Bethany served as the eastern border for Jerusalem. On the other side was wilderness.

This was a favored place of Jesus, and a place of witness for the Messiah’s key moments of prayer and resolve for the mission to come. It’s no wonder that Jesus chose this place for the moment of his ascension. The Mt. of Olives is filled with symbolic meaning.

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for Easter 7 & Ascension

Then It Is Still Night

An old rabbi once asked his pupils how they could tell when the night had ended and the day had begun.

“Could it be,” asked one student, “when you can see an animal in the distance and tell whether it’s a sheep or a dog?”

“No,” answered the rabbi.

Another asked, “Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it’s a fig tree or a peach tree?”

“No,” answered the rabbi.

“Then when is it?” the pupils demanded.

“It is when you can look on the face of any person and see that it is your sister and brother. Because if you cannot see this, it is still night.”

Frank Schaefer, Christ’s Last Words

Heavenly Orientation

When men were still traveling to the moon there was an astronaut, named David Scott, who looked up into the heavens at the planet he was from. As he stepped outside his spacecraft, on to the moon’s surface, he said, “I can look straight up and see the earth.” At the same time, millions of Americans heard these words on their radios and TV’s and could look straight up to see the moon. From the moon above, you could look “up” and see the earth below. And from the earth below, you could look “up” and see the moon above.

We look up to heaven from wherever we are. On the Ascension of Christ, the disciples looked as they saw their Savior being lifted up. They looked up. In fact, all of creation looked up.

Brent Porterfield, Sermons.com

Keep Climbing

A Canadian by the name of Ashleigh Brilliant drew cartoons to go with pithy sayings called “Pot Shots.” There is one I really like. Two people with walking sticks in hand are climbing a mountain in knee-deep snow. The caption reads: “Keep Climbing Upwards! You may never reach the top, but it’s definitely in that direction.”

We have to continue to work toward unity and understanding - between each other, between the races, between cultures and between denominations. We may never reach it, but by working toward it, at least we’ll be going in the right direction.

Billy D. Strayhorn, So That We May Be One In Christ

For All Peoples

Down at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Steve Jacobs, the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El was always a big hit with the students. I listened one day after class as he chatted with students. One bright young lady asked shyly, “Rabbi Jacobs, I really have been interested in the things you say, would I be allowed to come to your synagogue for services?”

Steve turned to the young woman and smiled. “At the top of our building,” he said, “it is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.’”

“Uh, yes,” she said, “I understand, but I’m a Christian, you see, and I didn’t know, I mean, is it okay, can I come to your synagogue?”

Steve grinned and explained very carefully: “The synagogue is on South Highland Street. At the top of the building it is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,’ it’s from the prophet Isaiah.”

The young woman stood very still. Everyone was quiet for a moment.....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Zip-Lock Protection

Exegetical Aim: We are protected from the corruption of the world. Key verse: 11.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson: Good morning. (response) I have something to give you this morning. Show them the cookies in the package (or cookie jar) but keep the zip-lock bags hidden for now. What are these? (response) If you have a cookie jar let them guess what’s inside. Can anyone tell me why they are in this plastic package? (response) What would happen if we took them out of the package and left them out for a long time? (response) So this plastic/paper wrapping helps protect the cookies. Ok, let’s open them and you can have a couple. Open the bag and as you distribute them: Everybody gets three cookies but you can’t eat them, yet. Remind them: Don’t eat them, I need to tell you something.

Take three cookies yourself. How many cookies do you have? (response) Does everybody have three? (response) Good, but I have some bad news. We can’t eat them right now because we are in the church sanctuary. You have to take them back to your parents and they will let you eat them after lunch. OK? (response) Uh oh, we have a problem. Does anyone know what the problem is?....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see John 14 or Easter 6 for the sermon titled “The Peace of Christ in a Chaotic World”]

One of the best newspaper cartoons of all time is Calvin and Hobbes. One day Calvin and Hobbes come marching into the living room early one morning. His mother is seated there in her favorite chair. She is sipping her morning coffee. She looks up at young Calvin. She is amused and amazed at how he is dressed. Calvin’s head is encased in a large space helmet. A cape is draped around his neck, across his shoulders, down his back and is dragging on the floor. One hand is holding a flashlight and the other a baseball bat.

“What’s up today?” asks his mom.

“Nothing, so far,” answers Calvin.

“So far?” she questions.

“Well, you never know,” Calvin says, “Something could happen today.” Then Calvin marches off, “And if anything does, by golly, I’m going to be ready for it!”

Calvin’s mom looks out at the reading audience and she says, “I need a suit like that!”

That’s the way many of us feel as we see the news and deal with life. Sometimes this world seems quite violent and people seem to be at each other’s throats. A suit like that would help, so we can say with Calvin, “Whatever may come my way, I’m going to be ready for it! Bring it on!”

Well, I don’t have a suit like Calvin’s to give you this morning, but I do have word for this morning: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There is a defining phrase in that statement. One that tells us what kind of peace it is that Christ gives us. Listen to it again and see if you can pick it out: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” The defining phrase is: “Not as the world gives.” Do you see how that defines God’s peace? The world promises peace through the rule of law. Law and order is the only way for a society and a people to experience peace and law and order must be kept by the aggressive use of force. That’s the only way that the world can bring about peace.

But here is how Jesus will give you peace. If you obey his word He and the Father will come to you and make a home with you. Right in your heart. Not by force but by choice. They will abide in your heart bringing peace. The world’s peace is peace through strength. The Lord’s peace is peace through surrender. Let’s look a little closer at what Jesus means by peace....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - No Follower Left Behind

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see John 14 for the sermon titled “No Follower Left Behind” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

A mother’s love is relentless! But pretty much any parent would go to whatever lengths necessary to retrieve a child if that child were lost or in trouble. We have something innate within us that drives us to dare nearly impossible feats if it means we can save our child.

Parents whose children have been stolen or lost can spend years seeking. Despite all evidence to the contrary, mothers in particular seem to have an inner sense that urges her never to give up on finding her child.

You probably remember the movie, “Not Without My Daughter,” about a mother determined to get her daughter out of a country in which she felt she was at risk. Likely, you have heard of at least one story, if not many, that demonstrates this extremely strong bond between parent and child.

Even when the end result means tragedy and mourning, parents will do anything to search, locate, and bring their children home! They will never give up hope.

When a child has these kinds of parents in their lives, the kind that care so deeply, feel so committed, love so unconditionally, they know that, if something were to happen to them, their parents would never give up looking for them. That kind of parental commitment and love builds a level of trust in children that secures their lives in ways that cannot be duplicated. They learn not only the meaning of deep and abiding love, but a kind of resilience that can’t be taught but only lived and experienced. Having this foundation allows them to live their lives more securely, hopefully, and take healthy risks more boldly.

But parents aren’t the only ones who demonstrate this kind of bond and commitment....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for John 14:15-21

Playing God

Mee Spousler of the Mount Hope United Methodist Church, in Aston, PA., tells how she was trying to put her three-year-old son to bed for a nap.

When she was unsuccessful, she put him in her bed and laid down with him to encourage him to rest. She fell asleep, but he didn’t. When she woke up, she saw him sitting on a chair at the end of the bed, and asked, “Luke, what are you doing?”

“I’m playing God,” he replied.

“Playing God?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m watching over you while you sleep.”

Children understand more than we do sometimes. God IS watching over us. Jesus gave that promise here in talking about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Not only will God watch over us but through the presence and reminder of the Holy Spirit, we will be reminded of what it means to “Love Jesus and keep his commands.” And God will help us to create the environment of love, grace, faith and security that we need for our homes today. Our challenge is to listen to the Holy Spirit and to trust Christ.

Billy D. Strayhorn, If You Love Me....

Accepting the Storms with Calmness

A story was written some years ago about a man who had discovered an amazing inner spiritual peace. He had lost his entire fortune in the stock market crash in the 1930s. He was drinking himself to death. He decided to take his life by walking out into the ocean and swimming past the point of no return. As he came to the edge of the water, he noticed something sparkling in the sand. It was a pale, delicate shell. He stood there, completely captivated by it. Finally he picked it up. It was so delicate that the least pressure of his fingers would crush it. Yet it was undamaged and perfect. He was puzzled by this fact as the waves roared in upon him. How could a shell remain intact and unbroken in the midst of the tons of seething water?

Suddenly it dawned upon him that the shell did not panic, fight the forces of the water, and seek to forge its own path in the ocean. The shell simply yielded itself to the waters. It has accepted the storms with calmness, just as it had accepted the stillness of the depths of the water where it had its beginning. By yielding itself to the water, it survived. Suddenly the man saw himself. He had been fighting God, disobeying him, and trying to defy the spiritual forces at the heart of the universe. He realized now why his life was troubled, and his days were not worth living. He dropped to his knees and placed his life in God’s hands. He walked away into a new life of faith.

O. Garfield Beckstrand II, The Word From The Upper Room, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.

Humor: I’m Not Allowed to Cross the Street

A little boy was riding his tricycle furiously around the block, over and over again. Finally a policeman stopped and asked him why he was going around and around. The boy said that he was running away from home. The policeman asked why he kept going around the block. The boy responded, “Because my mom said that I’m not allowed to cross the street.”

The point is clear--obedience will keep you close to those you love.

Michael Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching

Responding to the Spirit, Responding in the Spirit

When Jimmy Carter was running for President of the United States, one of the more vivid moments in the campaign passed by almost unnoticed. One Sunday morning, candidate Carter had been worshipping at the Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. When the service was over, he exited the church into the swarm of press encamped on the church’s front lawn. Cameras whirring, video lights glaring, microphones thrust forward, the media mavens moved in for interviews, pushing themselves to think of clever questions to ask a presidential candidate on the way out of a Southern Baptist Church -- “Did you like the sermon?” “Did you enjoy the choir this morning?” “Do you plan to remain a Baptist in Washington?” -- on and on the banal questions spewed.

Suddenly, a reporter, probably in a stroke of luck, shouted out a question that genuinely mattered: “Mr. Carter, suppose when you are President, you get into a situation where the laws of the United States are in conflict with what you understand to be the will of God. Which will you follow, the laws of the state or the commandments of God?”

Carter stopped, looked up, and blinked into the bright Georgia sun, obviously turning the question over in his mind....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: Love Is...

Exegetical Aim: Obedience is the most appropriate expression of our love.

Props: None

Lesson: [With each of these questions allow several children to express their thoughts.] Who knows what love is? (response) Ok, what is love? (response) A little humor for the adults: Now I suppose that your mom’s love you...they do don’t they? (response) How does your mom love you? What does she do for you? (response) Those are all very good ways that mom’s show their love. Now let me ask you a different question. Do you love your mom? (response) How do you show your love to your mom? What do you do for her? (response) Those are all very good ways to show your love for mom. Who knows what today is? (response) It’s Mother’s Day! Are you going to do anything special today to tell mom how much you appreciate her? (response) What are you going to do? (response) Well, if you haven’t gotten her anything yet, I can get you out of a little hot water. Here’s what you do. All day today when your mom ask you to do something, I want you to say, “Yes, ma’am,” and immediately go and do what she told you. It will be the best Mother’s Day ever if you do this.

Listen to something Jesus said; he said, “If you love me, you will obey me.” What did Jesus mean....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see John 14 or Easter 5 for the sermon titled “A Haven for Troubled Hearts”]

Eric Clapton, arguably the greatest living rock guitarist, wrote a heart wrenching song about the death of his four year old son. He fell from a 53rd-story window. Clapton took nine months off and when he returned his music had changed. The hardship had made his music softer, more powerful, and more reflective. You have perhaps heard the song he wrote about his son’s death.

It is a song of hope:

Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on,
‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven.

Would you hold my hand if I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand if I saw you in heaven?
I’ll find my way through night and day,
‘Cause I know I just can’t stay here in heaven.

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees.
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please.

Beyond the door there’s peace I’m sure,
And I know there’ll be no more tears in heaven.

Jesus has just had the Passover meal with his disciples. He has washed their feet in an act of servanthood. He has foretold his betrayal which Judas will soon perform. He has predicted Peter’s denial. He has told them he is leaving. But he adds this word of hope: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms. I go to prepare a place for you and will come again and take you to myself. So that where I am, you may be also.

Hardship has a way of getting our attention. Pain slows us down. Very few of us, after facing a trial, come out the same way we entered in. Jesus understood this and attempted to prepare his disciples for the road ahead. He wanted them to know...

1. If you have faith in me you will overcome your worry
2. If you have faith in me you will have direction in life.
3. If you have faith in me you will have help along the way.

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Sermon Opener #2 - Diamonds in the Rough

The full text of the following sermon is available at Sermons.com.

Sign up today HERE. Or call: 1-813-808-1681.

[Members: Please see John 14 for the sermon titled “Diamonds in the Rough” or look under ‘This Week’s Sermons’ on the home page.]

“You are the God who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13)

“O Lord, you have searched me and seen [me]...” (Psalm 139:1-3)

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (Jesus to Nathanael). (John 1:48)

These are just a few of the times in scripture in which human beings have felt “seen” by God!

God saw through the prophets, the irresponsible shepherds, those in dire circumstances, those asking for forgiveness. Through the person of Jesus, God did likewise. The prophecy of Simeon foretold Jesus’ ability to see through the hearts of everyone, and we know that he did. Even the demons knew that he could! He still does.

To feel seen is powerful, especially when someone recognizes in you what everyone else has failed to see.

Research psychologist Adam Grant explores how we often miss hidden potential in his book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things. Within his pages, he explains how we sometimes can miss people’s greatest potential, because we are limiting ourselves to what they have already accomplished instead of what we recognize that they may be capable of. Those in college admissions know this for sure. They are trained not merely to look for stable indicators like grades and test scores but at character, drive, passion, and other signs of growth potential. For these tend to yield people destined to do “greater things”!

Success isn’t merely about past successes but about aspirations for who we want to become, the ability to “stretch beyond our strengths.”[1] Grant explains that the “true measure of your potential is not the peak you reach but how far you climbed to get there.”[2] Often our greatest risk as leaders is not placing our bets on the person with unproved potential but playing it safe with the person who will keep things the same. We stimulate growth when we recognize and invite potential.

No one knew this better than Jesus....

[The rest of this sermon can be obtained by joining Sermons.com.]

Illustrations for John 14:1-14

What’s With the Fork?

A woman was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss some of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her funeral service, what Scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. She requested to be buried with her favorite Bible.

As the pastor prepared to leave, the woman suddenly remembered something else. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.

“What’s that?” said the pastor.

“This is important,” the woman said. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”

The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew something better was coming—like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.

“So, when people see me in that casket with a fork in my hand and they ask, ‘What’s with the fork?’ I want you to tell them: ‘Keep your fork. The best is yet to come!’”

Alan Carr, Biblical Facts about a Place Called Heaven

The Wednesday Worry Box

Sometimes, if you will just wait, problems take care of themselves. J. Arthur Rank had a system for doing that. He was one of the early pio­neers of the film industry in Great Britain, and he also happened to be a devout Christian.

Rank found he couldn’t push his worries out of his mind completely; they were always slipping back in. So he finally made a pact with God to limit his worrying to Wednesday. He even made himself a little Wednesday Worry Box and he placed it on his desk. Whenever a worry cropped up, Rank wrote it out and dropped it into the Wednesday Worry Box.

Would you like to know his amazing discovery? When Wednesday rolled around, he would open that box to find that only a third of the items he had written down were still worth worrying about. The rest had managed to resolve themselves.

If you have a troubled heart, ask God to give you a new perspective. Also ask him to give you patience so that you do not jump ahead and worry about a problem that may never come. But most important of all, ask God for more faith. Faith in God is the best remedy for all our problems. Jesus put it plainly, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.”

King Duncan, Collected Sermons, adapted from Daily Bread, 11 December 1999. Cited by David Jeremiah, Slaying The Giants In Your Life (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2001), pp. 67-68.

Birds Sing After a Storm

At age ninety-three, Rose Kennedy was being interviewed by a magazine reporter. By this time, four of her nine children had died violently. Another daughter Rosemary, who had intellectual disabilities, would soon be gone.

Mrs. Kennedy had outlived her husband long enough to have seen his rather profligate and unscrupulous life told and retold in the press. She is an old lady, hit by tragedies again and again. The reporter asked about all this and Rose Kennedy answered, slowly: “I have always believed that God never gives a cross to bear larger than we can carry. And I have always believed that, no matter what, God wants us to be happy. He doesn’t want us to be sad.

“Birds sing after a storm,” she said, “Why shouldn’t we?”

In the presence of death, it is not easy to express joy--at least not for the world to see. But those in Christ have an inward joy just the same.

Edward Inabinet, Sermons.com

When We Glimpse Paradise

In 1816, Lord Byron wrote a narrative poem that has become a classic. The poem is titled, “The Prisoner of Chillon,” and it is the story of a man incarcerated in the dungeon at the Castle of Chillon near Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

The prisoner was in a narrow, cramped dungeon cell for such a long time that he began to think of it as home. He made friends with the spiders, insects, and mice that shared his cell. They were all inmates of the same dungeon and he was monarch of each race.

The years in the dark dungeon cell had taken their toll. He was no longer unhappy or uncomfortable. He had grown accustomed to his environment and came to think of his chains as friends.

One day a bird perched on the crevice of the ledge above and began to sing. It was the sweetest music he had ever heard. Suddenly, the desire to see the outside world overwhelmed him....

For the rest of this illustration and many additional illustrations, sermons, and commentary for this week and every week of the year, signup or login at Sermons.com.

Children’s Sermon: A Home to Call Your Own

Exegetical Aim: The comfort in knowing that Christ is building a room for us in his Father’s house.

Props: (a description of all props needed for this children’s sermon is available with a subscription)

Lesson Preview: Good morning! (response) I have a few things with me. What is this? (hammer) What do you do with a hammer? (response) How many of you have used a hammer? (response) What were you building? (response) What are these? (nails) What are you suppose to do with these? (response) How do you use the hammer and the nails together? (response)

I have a couple of other things to show you. Pick up the 2-by-4’s: I have these. What are these? (response) Yes they are wood but what kind of wood? (response) They call these 2-by-4’s. Does anybody know why they call them 2-by-4’s? (response) It’s because they are four inches wide and about two inches thick. Point out the lengths with your fingers: How do we use all these things together—the hammer, the nails, and the pieces of wood? (response) Let’s do that. Let’s nail these two pieces of wood together. The object here is to make noise, so don’t hold back on the hammering. You will want to drive two nails, one on either side of the matching pieces of 2-by-4 to increase the stability of your work.

Everyone needs to stay back a little so you don’t get hurt. As you finish the first nail start your transition into the point of the lesson....

The full version of this children’s sermon, and many additional resources and activities to engage children can be accessed at Sermons.com. Just click Children’s Sermons or Children’s Bulletins from the drop-down menu to search our library.

Please visit http://www.Sermons.com/signup to subscribe to our library of resources.

To contact us, please call or text 813-808-1681, or email support@sermons.com.

Subscribe now