The Little Engine That Did

A sermon by Pastor Ken Burisek

The Ole’ Country Church

Medford, Wi

To get in the right frame of mind we opened by singing some Country Gospel Train Songs---Glory Train---Life’s Railway to Heaven--Long Black Train---etc.

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Sermon---The Little Engine that DID !!!

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Scripture---Phillipians 4:13

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Opening humor---

An old man who’d lived all his life back up in the hills came to visit a friend who had moved ta the city .

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Now this ole’ mountain man had never laid eyes on a train or even seen a railroad track before.

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Standin’ in the middle of the tracks one day, he heard a distant whistle... WOOOO--ooo---OOOOO! but didn’t have a clue as to what it mean’t or even that he was in any danger.

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All of a sudden---wham....the old boy is hit !!!

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Luckily it’s just a side swipe, and he’s thrown clear, head over heels off the tracks, and get’s off with only minor injuries, a few broken bones, and some bruises.

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After weeks in the hospital recoverin’, he visits a friend’s house fer dinner one evenin’.

Standin’ in the kitchen, he hears the risin’ whistle of the family tea kettle wooOOO....

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He quickly jumps into action---grabs a rollin’ pin and mercilessly bashes, pounds, and smashes the tea kettle into a useless, blob of twisted copper.

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His friend hears the comotion and rushes into the kitchen, sees what’s happened and asks his friend, "Why in tarnation did ya smash mah tea kettle like that ?"

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The mountain man replies: "Believe me from experience---you gotta kill these kritters whils’t thar still small."

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The Little Engine that DID !!!

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How many here today remember that little kids story about (based in part on) "The Little Engine that Could" (by Watty Piper) ???

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Today we’re gonna learn some Bible truths from that little story.

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The story is told about a tiny little ole’ steam engine that’s pullin’ this long train of cars.

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How many of us here taday are pullin’ a long train of cars along the road of life ???

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Every one of us are like that little ole’ engine---back when we was born we were just like a brand new steam train engine---all shiney n’ new---with no cars attached---but wasn’t very long after we was hatched---we started addin’ cars to our train.

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When ya think about it---a newborn baby is about the most self-centered kritter on this earth---Amen !!!

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What’s the first car we’re gonna add to our train---anyone who is a parent ought-a know that ???

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It’s gotta be the coal car---the car that feeds the engine right---when baby is hungry or needs a changin’---he’s gonna cry til he gets what he wants---that cute little darlin’ don’t give a hoot if it’s 2:30 in the mornin’---he wants it NOW !!! Amen !!!

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When ya think about it---thars a whole heap of grown-up folks that are still haulin’ around that first train car---Amen !!!

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As we go along the tracks of life---we ad car after car after car to our train all filled with the baggage of life .

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Object lesson---(Draw a train with cars on a white board---have people name some of those cars---using a volunteer to draw will make it even more fun)

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The cars are filled with things like bad habits---maybe some sins in our life that we just can’t seem to let go---trials and tribulations of life---tragedies---misfortune---sickness---financial struggles---broken realationships---and the list goes on and on and the train grows longer and longer as well as heavier and heavier.

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Psalms 38:4 says---For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

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As the story goes on---the little train seems to be doing pretty well on his own---chugging along---pullin’ that long train of cars---when all of a sudden the tracks start headin’ up this steep mountain.

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The little engine pulled and pulled but couldn’t even budge the train cars.

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How many here today were ever tryin’t ta climb a mountain in thar lives and they just couldn’t move ???

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Sometimes it just seems thar just ain’t no way out-a the predicament we’re in !!!

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Not only are we facin’ those mountains---but we’re pullin’ that whole long train right along with us as we try to overcome it !!!

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The Bible tells us it takes faith to overcome those mountains !!! Amen !!!

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Mark 11:23 says---For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.