[Propertalk] Fwd: Sermon Resources for September 23 - Part 2

[Joe Parrish]

He that is down needs fear no fall,
He that is low, no pride:
He that is humble ever shall 
Have God to be his guide.
 
>From the Song of the Shepherd Boy, The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
 
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Big Men in Little Planes
 
There is an interesting story that comes out of the Second World War. England and Germany both had state-of-the-art fighter planes. Germany had the Messerschmitt, which was considered to be the world’s fastest fighter plane. The British had the Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire was slower than the Messerschmitt. Nevertheless, German pilots were envious of their British counterparts. 
 
You see, the Messerschmitt had been designed to hold the perfect German. Who was the perfect German? Who else but Der Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler. Hitler was little more than five feet tall. However, the German pilots who guided the Messerschmitt were considerably taller than 5 feet. So the Germans had to fly in very cramped quarters. But who was going to tell Adolf Hitler that he was not the perfect German? The Messerschmitts were faster, but their pilots were not happy men.
 
It is an amazing fact, but many leaders fail because of big egos. Big men in little planes. Big egos in little men. “Pride goeth before a fall,” says the ancient adage. And it’s true.
 
King Duncan, www.Sermons.com
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Passing by the Children
 
A persistent judgment leveled against parents today is this: they gladly provide their children with every resource: Leaders, coaches, teachers, tutors, and youth workers. Certainly children should be happy and well-adjusted. They have everything money can buy. But they do not have the listening ear of Mom and Dad. "Too busy, later, not now, I'm working hard for your good." Recall the old saying:
 
"For the want of a nail the shoe was lost; 
for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; 
for the want of a horse the rider was lost; 
for the want of the rider the battle was lost."
 
It is still true. For want of a quiet, caring intimacy, a child's primary sense of self-worth is lost. And for want of security and self-worth, the child is lost. In most churches I've known, members find it quite easy to pass a youth by; they are more timid to engage a child than a stranger in conversation. Frequently, when youth are on committees, little sensitivity is expressed toward making them comfortable and enabling them to contribute.
 
Thomas Peterson, The Needle's Eye, CSS Publishing Company.
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Teaching
 
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
 
William A. Ward
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Carry Someone with You
 
There was a tribe of Indians who lived a long time ago in the state of Mississippi. They lived next to a very swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that if somebody happened to fall in or stumbled into it they could be swept away downstream. 

One day the tribe was attacked by a hostile group of settlers. They found themselves with their backs against the river. They were greatly outnumbered and their only chance for escape was to cross the rushing river. They huddled together and those who were strong picked up the weak and put them on their shoulders; the little children, the sick, the old and the infirm, those who were ill or wounded were carried on the backs of those who were strongest. They waded out into the river, and to their surprise they discovered that the weight on their shoulders carrying the least and the lowest helped them to keep their footing and to make it safely across the river. 

Jesus is trying to teach the disciples an object lesson about greatness, about servanthood, about leadership. He is saying to them and to us, "Have you lost the childlike joy and love and faith that once were yours?" He is also saying to them and to us, "If you want to walk on secure ground in this world it helps to carry someone with you." 


King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
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Would That Get Me Into Heaven? 
 
"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked the children in my Sunday School class.
"NO!" the children all answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"
Again, the answer was, "NO!" 
"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again…
 
The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for the whole year, can be accessed at www.Sermons.com.


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