In Sermon Illustrations: "Worship Purpose"

A Missionary Heart  PRO

Contributed by Andrew Hamilton on Oct 26, 2002

Stuart Robinson says ‘Jesus modelled what it means to have a missionary heart in coming to earth, to seek us out. His cultural sacrifice, of giving up heaven to save humanity, is the apex of missionary strategy. If He could give up the glories of heaven, we could give up Western dress, ...read more

Tags: What Is Evangelism?, Great Commission, Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Duke University Study  PRO

Contributed by Troy Borst on Dec 11, 2003

INTRODUCTION... A Duke University Study A group at Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are: 1. The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness. 2. Not living in the ...read more

Tags: God Brings Purpose, God Brings Hope

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

After The Dallas Cowboys Had Won The Super ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 27, 2004

After the Dallas Cowboys had won the Super Bowl, Tom Landry made this observation. "The overwhelming emotion--in a few days, among the players on the Dallas Cowboys football team--was how empty that goal was. There must be something ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 142:5, Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

Tags: God Brings Hope, God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Steve Bouman Tells The Story We Began To Find ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 28, 2004

Steve Bouman tells the story We began to find our power as a congregation in New Jersey as a matter of being a place where you can go when there’s no where else to go. When you invite the poor and the homeless, they do come such as Edgar. He is by anybody’s standards a strange character. He lives ...read more

Tags: Giving, Palm Sunday, Patience, Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Do You Have A Portable God?" Numbers 10: 11-21 ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jan 7, 2005

“Do You Have A Portable God?” Numbers 10: 11-21 Key verse(s): 21:“Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.” Think about this! The only time that you will be through with change in this life is when your life is through. Life in an ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 10:11-21

Tags: God Brings Hope, God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Lutheran

God Whispers To Us In Our ...

Contributed by David Eden on Oct 28, 2005

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, but He screams to us in ...read more

Tags: God Brings Hope, God Brings Purpose

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Success In This Great Enterprise Of Teaching ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"Success in this great enterprise of teaching the Bible for fruitful results, like success in any other undertaking, ...read more

Tags: Promise, Purpose, Faithfulness, Fruitful, Christian Values  (view more)  (view less)

Dr. Martin Luther King Penned In His Book The ...  PRO

Contributed by Engleburg Toney on Jan 18, 2010

Dr. Martin Luther King penned in his book The Strength of Love, "The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture ...read more

Tags: Love, Value, Purpose, Conscience, Church General  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Fishing Out The Windows

Contributed by Davon Huss on May 7, 2014

A hotel in Galveston, Texas, that overlooks the Gulf of Mexico, faced a potential problem. The edge of the hotel hangs over the water. Before the hotel opened, someone thought, "What if someone decides to fish out of the windows?" This person then erected signs saying not to fish from the hotel ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:7-8, Galatians 3:19-25

Tags: Rebellion, Old Testament Law, Purpose Of The Law

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Like A Rolling Stone

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Aug 29, 2022

Bob Dylan is considered one of the greatest song writers of all time. In 1965 he wrote "Like a Rolling Stone" - one of his most popular songs. It has been acclaimed as the greatest lyric ever written. "Like a Rolling Stone" is statistically the most acclaimed song of all time. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:37-42, Philippians 3:7-14

Tags: Community, Purpose, Identity, Loneliness, Meaning Of Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Francois Fenelon Was The Court Preacher For King ...  PRO

Contributed by Dan Cormie on Oct 27, 2002

Francois Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis XIV of France in the 17th century. One Sunday when the king and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, no one else was there but the preacher. King Louis demanded, "What does this mean?" Fenelon replied, "I had published ...read more

Tags: Church Practices, Faith Vs. Works, Worship Definition

Denomination: Mennonite

Two Ships In The Night! (07.18.05--Pride--Numbers ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jul 14, 2005

Two Ships in the Night! (07.18.05--Pride--Numbers 22:29) There’s a time to be right and a time to be righteous. That’s what the old farmer told me as I hefted the last hay bale into the loft. I had just had an encounter with a bully at school and I was feeling both peeked and embattled at the ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 22:29

Tags: Patience, Christian Love, Christian Disciplines, Wait, Worship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Laus Deo  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 23, 2008

LAUS DEO In the middle of Washington DC stands a monument--our national Monument, the Washington Monument. As a history lesson, there are some things you should know about this place. There can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument in the DC area. On the aluminum cap ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-7

Tags: Children, Worship, Sin, God, America, Character, Kingdom  (view more)  (view less)

The Parable Of The Big Plane

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 16, 2020

A boy asked his father, “Dad, what is the size of God? How big is He?” The Father looked up at the sky and saw a little plane In the far distance and asked his son, “What is the Size of the plane in the sky?” The boy replied, “It is really small. I can hardly see it in the sky." Then, the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12

Tags: Worship, God, Beatitudes, Seeing God, Greatness Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The One Thing That Really Matters

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 30, 2020

In just a short time, just like He did with the plagues of ancient Egypt, God has taken away everything that we worship as an idol in place of Him. It is as if God were screaming for a world to hear, You want to worship ATHLETES? I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship MUSICIANS? ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: Worship, Revival, Judgment, Repentance, Brokenness, Idolatry, Coronavirus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

For The Longest Time

Contributed by Dr. Fred W. Penney on Sep 10, 2020

For the Longest Time Chorus Oh, oh, oh For the longest time Oh, oh, oh For the longest Verse 1 When you said goodbye to me in March There was still more worship left to bring What else could I do? I'm so inspired by you Church hasn't happened for the longest time verse 2 Once I thought ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-22

Tags: Church, Worship, Singing, Pandemic, Covid19  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Church Attendance In The Usa At An All-Time Low

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 5, 2022

During the First Great Awakening, 20 percent of the colonial population came to Christ and joined churches. Today, less than 20 percent regularly attend church. Discussed at length in his book The American Church in Crisis, David Olson conducted research showing that only 17.5 percent of the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: America, Revival, Church Attendance, Evangelism, Church, Worship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Where I Used To Go To Church!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on May 4, 2022

A man was stranded on a deserted Pacific island for years. Finally, one day a boat comes sailing into view, and the man frantically waves and draws the skipper’s attention. The boat comes near the island and the sailor gets out and greets the stranded man. After a while the sailor asks, ...read more

Tags: Church, Worship, Humor, Strife, Division, Church Splits  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Staring At The Great Stone Face

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jan 2, 2023

Perhaps you remember Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story about the great stone face. A little lad lived in a village where there was a mountain with a rock formation which they called the great stone face. The people had a legend that someday someone would come to the village who would look like the ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4, Hebrews 12:1-3

Tags: Glory, Jesus, Worship, Vision, Focus, Looking To Jesus  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Joke To Share When Attendance In The First Service Begins To Drop

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Church, Worship, Pastors, Attending Church, Dead Churches  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational