These excerpt model fits into the sermon human experience. He discusses
the story of Mary and Martha. When Jesus arrives, Martha is busy in the
kitchen while Mary is at the feet of Jesus. When preachers use everyday
people or an everyday occurrence, people become more attentive. As a
minister, I know the importance of keeping the attention of your audience.
When speaking in terms of things they can relate too – you have their
undivided attention. The excerpt shows: 1. First things first. Martha was
more consumed with preparation for the people than spending time with
Jesus. We all deal with the hustle and bustle of life. Between life, family,
work, and school there is never enough hours in the day. We must make
spending time with God a part of our daily routine even when it means stop
what we are doing. We must make Him a priority. Second, Martha wanted
to pull Mary away from Jesus and into the kitchen. Distractions come –
daily. Like Mary we must be willing to walk away and put everything and
everybody on the backburner to spend time and do the will of the Father. In
our walk with Christ, people will not always support our stand for Christ. It
is important that we stand for we will reap if we faint not (Gal. 6:9). We
will reap valuable insight from the Father. There is nothing sweeter than
being in His presence.
Never Quit! (Jerry Falwell)
Everyone has quit at something whether a diet, relationship, game, and some
even at life. Winning is hard work. I think about the people that train for
years to go to the Olympics but there is only one gold medal at stake yet
they still train hard knowing their chances of not winning the gold medal is
greater than winning the medal. h The only thing that is easy to achieving is
losing. Losing takes no effort all you do is quit. Many quit because they
cannot endure trouble. As a Minister, we love to preach and teach sermons
on blessings and prosperity (those happy-go-lucky sermons) but no one
wants to hear about trouble. Trouble is a part of the process that comes in
many forms but the bible states that all things (meaning the good, the bad,
and the ugly) work for good. It’s hard to comprehend how something good
can come out of losing a child, getting a divorce, or being diagnosed with a
life-threatening illness. If we take inventory of our life, we will see the
greatest blessings occur during times of trouble. It allows us the see God in
a greater way. If you quit you will never make it to the finish line.
