Resources on Matt Woodley

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Matt Woodley contrasts the military approach of Shock and Awe with God's strategy of redemptive love, exemplified by Jesus' giving his life for humanity on the cross.

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Cross, Jesus, Redemption, Power

There Must Be an Incarnation

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley quotes Bono, lead singer for U2, after he experienced the power of the incarnation as the expression of God's love become flesh. (Cf., Matthew 1:23; John 1:14, 18; Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:6-8)

Matthew 1:23; John 1:14, 18 Galatians 4:4

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Christmas, Advent, Culture, Love

Pixar Studios and the Power of Teamwork

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley shares a story about the work environment at Pixar to illustrate the power of teamwork and collaboration.

Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 27:17 Acts 2:42

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Church, Community, Work, Relationship

I Won't Make Jesus Bow Down to the State

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley relates the story of Derek Lam, a Christian in Hong Kong whose outspoken faith has led to imprisonment. Lam is an example of courage, refusing dilute the Gospel in order to appease Chinese authorities.

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Faithfulness, Oppression, Persecution, Freedom

Saint Patrick Returns to Ireland to Bring the Gospel

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley relates how St. Patrick's life was transformed by God and he returned to Ireland, where he had been enslaved, to preach the gospel - illustrating Romans 8:26, Matthew 28:18-20, John 20:21, and other passages.

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Conversion, Grace, Gratitude, Ministry

VUCA—Acronym for It's Crazy Out There

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley, unpacks the meaning of the acronym VUCA as essentially meaning things are crazy. Use it to illustrate Psalm 23, Psalm 62:1, Nahum 1:7, Mark 4:35-41, Philippians 4:4-9 and James 1:2-5.

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Fear, Control, Anxiety, Worry

Amazing Soccer Goal Dubbed The Hand of God

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley describes a controversial soccer goal that was attributed to the "Hand of God" but later admitted to be illegal. It can illustrate questions about divine sovereignty and human freedom, as well as honesty.

Proverbs 12:17, 20, 20:10, 17, 26:24; Romans 3:23 Colossians 3:9

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Lying, God's Sovereignty, Freedom, Honesty

The Man Who Protected Babies with Down Syndrome

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley's sermon illustration describes how a geneticist suffered criticism from the medical community for taking a pro-life stance against aborting babies with Down's Syndrome.

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Compassion, Courage, Abortion, Eugenics

Special Health Club Caters to Physically Unfit People

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley reflects on Downsize Fitness, a gym which caters to "extremely unfit people." This approach can illustrate the church's need to welcome the "spiritually unfit," as in Luke 19:1-10, Matthew 28:18-20, Colossians 2:13, etc.

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Culture, Compassion, Mercy, Church

Bear Gets Trapped by Tempting Jar

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley relates the story of a bear who succumbed to temptation and got its head stuck in a plastic jar. The story can be used to illustrate sin, temptation, addiction, etc.

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Sin, Addiction, Disobedience, Folly

Lack of Rest Leads to Injuries

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley reports on the "epidemic" of injuries caused by lack of rest among athletes. Suggested as an illustration for Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 34:21, Matthew 11:28-30, and other passages about Sabbath and rest.

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Sabbath, Recreation, Busyness, Rest

Designer Styles Reveal Modern Idolatry

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley discusses the devotion to expensive designer clothing styles as a modern form of idolatry, illustrating Matthew 6:19-31, 1 Timothy 6:17, James 5:1-3, 1 John 2:15-17, and 5:21.

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Idolatry, Consumerism, Materialism, Vanity

Dating Website Excludes the Riff Raff

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley describes the dating site BeautifulPeople.com, which is deliberately and openly elitist and "lookist," in contrast to scriptural attitudes expressed in 1 Samuel 16:7, Proverbs 24:23, Romans 12:16, James 2:1-9 and John 7:24.

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Beauty, Favoritism, Prejudice, Vanity

The Story Behind Rudolf, the Red Nosed Reindeer

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley reflects on the story of Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer, as an example of grace. Chosen for his "weakness" that turned out to be a strength, Rudolf's story illustrates 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 and other passages.

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Christmas, Advent, Grace, Election

Broken Globe Symbolic of Broken World

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley tells the story of breaking a beautiful globe that belonged to his father to illustrate the fall and the broken condition of our world. (Cf., Genesis 3:8-19, Isaiah 65:17-25, Romans 1:18-32, 8:18-25)

Genesis 3:8-19; Isaiah 65:17-25 Romans 1:18-32, 8:18-25

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Disobedience, Fall, The Garden Of Eden, Adam

Bridge Collapses Due to Weak Structure

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley reflects on a structural flaw that led to a bridge collapse in Minneapolis. This incident can illustrate faith and integrity, as in James 1:26, Proverbs 20:7, Luke 6:47-49 and 1 Corinthians 3:10-11.

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Faith, Integrity, Character

Starbucks Baristas Told to Slow Down

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley writes about Starbucks telling its employees to slow down production to improve quality and service. The story is appropriate for texts such as Galatians 5:22, Colossians 3:12, and Titus 2:7-8.

Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:12 Titus 2:7-8

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Busyness, Ingratitude, Murmuring, Discontentment

Scientist Proclaims Humanity's Irrelevance

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Matt Woodley shares a quote from Lawrence M. Krauss, a physicist and atheist, that illustrates how one’s worldview can dramatically impact one’s view of humanity.

Genesis 2:5-9; Psalms 14:1, 19:1-6, 53:1 Jeremiah 9:23-24

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Worldview, Meaning Of Life, Human Race, Cosmology

The New Social Anxiety

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

In this sermon illustration, Matt Woodley discusses how the social anxiety called Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is intensified by our use of social media. Appropriate for sermons on envy, anxiety, etc.

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Fear, Contentment, Envy, Social Media

The Damage Caused by Dehumanizing Labels

Matt Woodley | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Why do normal people sometimes do horrific things to other people? Matt Woodley describes how demeaning, enslaving and killing begin with dehumanization. He gives several examples from the history.

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Hatred, Murder, Prejudice, Violence