Monday, 11 August 2008
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Question of the Day: The Best Sermon You've Ever Heard
Over the years, we've heard some great sermons that not only stuck with us for a long time afterward, but that we were able to apply...
mrs. dandelion: Last fall at church, I heard a sermon series called "Marketplace Leadership" - how to live your faith at your workplace. Truly encouraged me to be a better employee and steward of my resources. 
miss marigold: About two years ago, I heard a homily about our search for fulfillment. The priest concluded that the constant hunger for God is more satisfying than the fullness of worldly, temporal things...so he prays to always be hungry instead of full. That really changed how I pursue happiness. What is the best/most effective sermon you've ever heard?
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Comments (18)
Hmm...I bet I've heard probably thousands of sermons. I've been in church pretty much my whole life, attended special meetings and conferences and went to a Christian school where we had chapel every week.
There have been quite a few that I know have made an impact on me, but the one that stands out the most wasn't from an actual church meeting. It was a fairly well-known minister who was teaching at the ministry training school/internship I was attending about 5-6 years ago. He was talking about God being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob....three generations. He said that we should have a 69 year old in our lives and a 9 year old in our lives. Basically, someone who is pouring into our lives and someone we can pour into.
this one here. if you watch it, be there for at least the first 15 minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cncEhCvrVgQ
In 1979, I was home in Medellín for vacation from college, and my dad preached on 1 Cor. 15, about the resurrection of the dead. His focus was not so much on the resurrection as the fact that Paul was addressing people in the church who disbelieved this crucial doctrine... and he still called them "brothers".
Ten Shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead. Calling out all who hear it to repent of humanistic ways and to really serve Christ for His Glory rather than for what we see as our goals.
The link is to the sermon if anyone cares to hear it.
Well, this was at a Bible study, so it's not a sermon, but my pastor talked about "counterfeit fruit of the spirit," and it made me realize how I'm not bearing as much fruit as I thought I was. Gentleness, for example, isn't being sweet and quiet. In fact, that is often a mask for self-consciousness.
It was humbling, and a reminder that sanctification is a long, arduous road that will never reach completion this side of glory. He said that having fruit is a mysterious process; it's not all us and it's not all God, but you know you're being sanctified when you look back and suddenly realize you've changed. It kind of sneaks up on you, at least, that's been my experience.
None of the above? I'm really particular about both language and philosophy, so in my limited experience, I haven't really been touched by a sermon.
Plus that's my least favorite part about church.
I think the most powerful sermons that I've heard have been at youth fellowship events. It's funny how sermons have a whole different feel from youth retreats to church pulpits.
I remember one sermon that I heard at a conference in which the pastor left nearly everyone crying, including herself. Her sermon was about your needs being filled when in times of trouble. She had brought a glass jug and a bowl to demonstrate how our cups "overfloweth" from God's grace. It was just such a powerful message and visual. =)
@Tom - grand choice
The best sermon I've ever heard was while I was waiting to hear from law schools and praying that God would reveal his will for my life and put me in the place that He wanted me to be. It was called "It's already done..."
Now whenever I face a problem or a moment of uncertainty, I just remember that God knows the plans that He has for my life and that He doesn't only see me in my "right now"...but He see me in my "where He wants me to be." So I just press on and trust that He will reveal things to me in due time and I don't focus on the blur because "It's already done..."
Best teaching I've ever heard was on Suffering Love. The teacher was one of the leaders of a college campus parachurch whose 18-month old Downe's syndrom daughter was in the hospital with Leukemia. He was lamenting the lack of time he and his wife had to spend with their two preschool sons while they took turns tag-teaming at the hospital with their daughter.
He spoke of how the one who would follow Jesus would suffer, but not for no reason. The suffering Abba takes us through purifies us. It takes away all of our pretenses, shows us what we're really made of, then scoops away the dross of our impurities if we are willing to let Him do so. It teaches us how to depend on Him and Him alone to carry us through this great adventure in the flesh.
That's the short version, anyway.
James MacDonald gave a sermon on forgiveness that just blew me away. You can find it at oneplace.com under featured ministries. Greg Laurie also gave one of the most moving talks I've heard after the death of his son a few weeks ago which you can listen to at the same site.
Hard, because I have heard thousands, as well, seeing that my Daddy and brother are both pastors. There are a couple, though, that are more memorable than others. I heard a great sermon on interracial relations at a Promise Keeper's Event in Kansas City about 12 years ago. It was pretty heavy. The one that I remember the title and the preacher's name was "The Unforgiven" series by Dr. Charles "Chuck" Swindoll. This sermon series was an alternate-history themed set of messages, preached at the time of the release of Clint Eastwood's movie by the same name, dealing with how Joseph could have chosen to not forgive his brothers, how David could have chosen not to forgive King Saul, how Esau cold have chosen not to forgive Jacob, and how Jesus could have chosen not to forgive his crucifiers and the rest of humanity. It was a powerful sermon series.
the best that I've ever heard...a big hippy gets on a stage and without saying a word, picks up a metal folding chair and slams it against the wall with all his might. He then goes on to say that the emotion of fear is not real in the sense of God's absolute truth and reality...that it's merely a feeling. In the same sermon he also said that Jesus didn't die so that God could love us, but because God does love us already. That rocked my world.
The best sermon I ever heard was:
"If you feed a dog..... it's going to get bigger."
My youth pastor gave a talk on dating when I was in 8th grade that I'll never forget. He talked about if as a girl, you're a pink piece of paper, and as a boy, you're a blue piece, when you date, it's like glueing those two pieces together. When you break up, you rip those two apart and there's some pink paper stuck on the blue and some blue paper stuck on the pink. That's baggage. How much of the opposite paper do you have stored up on your heart that will get in the way of your spouse's paper? It went more in depth, but that's the Cliffnotes version. It was an amazing talk.
I've heard a lot of great sermons throughout my life. The two that stick out the most to me would be at the Evangelical Free Youth Challenge Conference at Perdue University in 2006
1. Francis Chan - trying to give us a glimpse of how BIG God is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ya12I036lg
How HOLY he is and how UNWORTHY we are....
2. Mark Cahill - The ONE and only thing we can't do in heaven is whitness to non-believers.... definetily something to think about....and act upon.
Paul Washer - "Shocking Youth Sermon." He's preached many others that I've appreciated, but I have to keep coming back to this one.
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8
Audio: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=52906154239
Highly, highly recommended. Enjoy!
@Tom - wow. I heard this, and this... I realized that some, if not most, or even all of the sermons that I've heard before talked about how we could get something out of serving God. But no; the sermon that you posted talked about how we should serve for the sake of serving.
Thank you so much. This sermon has definitely changed me.