Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 1 to 25 of 4681 results

1. Don’t Be a Mama Bear

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Thomas Slavens

... be first, he must be last of all and servant of all,” said Jesus. (Mark 9:35b) Only thus will America be first. Again he said, “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32) Those who do not want to be mama bears do well to resolve not to become propaganda tools, not to shout slogans without thinking about the issues and to stand up in a crowd for what is right, even when what is right is unpopular. They should avoid confusion on issues, make sure their evidence is sound and ...

2. Are You a Polar Bear?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

... through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will . . .” Friends, let me put your minds to rest. You are a genuine polar bear. That is, you are a genuine son or daughter of God. God has adopted you into His family. Several of our lessons over ... and healthy and all you can be? Maybe from time to time you come up a little short. I do. That’s all right. Even polar bears get cold. But that’s what God wants for us. A man named Ken Lindner wrote a book titled Crunch Time. In it he tells about ...

3. Bearing Fruit

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... plastered." "By your fruits shall all men know that you are my disciples." But how do we obtain such fruits? How can we live such winning lives? You grow good fruit by having good roots. As Jesus said on another occasion: "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his ...

4. Bearing The Right Fruit

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... our church's ministry--our outreach during the week--you will find about one in eight doing their part. But did you notice that the Gallup survey shows these people to be the happiest people in our society? Why is that? There must be a great satisfaction in bearing the right fruit. How about you? It is a simple step to join that one in eight: a simple change in priorities. There is a beautiful story in the book of Joshua about the children of Israel crossing the river Jordan into the Promised Land. A change ...

5. Bear Love

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... . First, God blesses us with his Son. He sends his Holy Spirit. By the power of his Holy Spirit, we can do great things for God. We act out of his giving. Our acts, our deeds, our works come from grateful hearts empowered by God's grace. Like the bear is a black bear or a kodiak by what he does. Like a person is a mother by the mothering actions she (or he!) does. Faith, the Christian life, is something you do, and you do it by trusting in the Holy Spirit and giving witness to his power and the actions ...

6. A Teddy Bear and Christmas

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... gave Tony a big hug and said, "'Listen, I own stock in you. I expect to get letters from you regularly. Do you understand?" Then Tony did something totally unexpected. He said to his surgeon friend, "I want you to have this," and handed him his teddy bear. The surgeon’s first impulse was to say, "Oh no, I can’t separate you two good friends." But something stopped him. With a flash of sensitive genius, the surgeon understood what Tony was trying to do. He wanted to give his dear surgeon-friend the most ...

7. Bearing the Cross

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... some of your precious time, if you have to get out of your comfort zone, then that is just what you will have to do. When you bear a cross, God’s will comes first in your life. Is that where you are today? Does that accurately describe your life? There are a couple ... up. (4) Now I know nothing of Harry Kraemer’s religious affiliation. But I do know that is the sort of action that bearing a cross requires. When it is a matter of ethics, the follower of Christ is held to a higher standard than the world. ...

8. Bearing the Marks of Christ

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

James W. Moore

... even so, you can look at me and see by my markings (by visible evidence) that I am the slave of Christ.” “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus!” Now, this raises some interesting questions for you and me this morning, doesn’t it? When people ... crucial question is this: * Can people tell by the way we act and live that we are Christians? * Do we in our total personalities bear the marks of Christ? Now, let me break this down a bit, be more specific and bring it closer to home. What are the present ...

9. A Bear of a Customer

Humor Illustration

... , displaying a $5.00 bill, entered a bar and ordered a beer. The owner, thinking the bear couldn't be too intelligent, told the bartender to give the bear only 25 cents back in change. Having done this, the bartender watched in wonder as the bear placidly sipped his beer. Finally he could stand it no longer, and the bartender attempted to engage the bear in conversation. "You know," he said to the bear, "we don't get too many bears in this bar." To which the bear replied, "At $4.75 a beer, it's no wonder."

10. Bear the Light

John 1:19-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... He thought he was to BE the “star of the show.” He thought the spotlight was his. But he wasn’t supposed to BE a bear, he was supposed to offer the supportive role of “ring bearer.” His role was important. The pastor, not to mention the bride and groom, ... him. In this week’s Advent gospel text John, the author of the fourth gospel, has no trouble distinguishing the one who “bears witness” to the light from the One who actually IS the light. John the Baptist is “a man sent from God,” but ...

11. The Burden Bearing Christ

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Brett Blair

... be easy around our shoulders and the burden will be light. III That brings us to the third point. Christ relieves us from the burdens of sin and righteousness so that we can then be free to do the real work that he has called us to and that is bearing the burden of someone else. All the Old Testament from the Mosaic Law to the Prophets is fulfilled in one word: “You are to love one another as Christ hath loved you.” I remember an old story about a little boy who was out helping dad with the yard work ...

12. Everything You Do Bears Witness

John 10:22-30

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... cut me off at a stop light. The hand gesture I offered him definitely did not give witness to the love of Jesus. One of the profound things that happens in owning this is that we have, in effect, taken down the walls of our local church. Everything we do bears witness. Everything we do at the supermarket, at work, or on the road — everything. We can no longer come to our sanctuaries and act religiously for an hour or so before going back to business as usual. In this moment we are called to a new level of ...

13. Cross-Bearing

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... loving our enemy, submitting our lives to God, standing up for social justice, suffering hurt and embarrassment, being the salt and the leaven and the comfort of life. He is sitting on a powder keg whose fuse has been lighted. He is draining the blood of the men who bear the burdens for him. It is inescapably hard to follow Jesus, but sooner or later we shall find that, in a world like our own, it is even harder not to follow him. Those are the ways that Jesus says we are to live in our Christian life - by ...

14. What Can You Bear?

Illustration

Charles Ryrie

... be fruitful (2 Peter 1:5-8). Two of these terms are common to both lists: love and self-control. The others are joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, virtue, knowledge, endurance, piety, and brotherly love. To show these character traits is to bear fruit in one's life. TWO, right character will result in right conduct, and as we live a life of good works we produce fruit (Colossians 1:10). This goes hand in hand with increasing in the knowledge of God, for as we learn what ...

15. Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?

Luke 9:18-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... diet and work-out program, guess what happens? Those twenty unwanted pounds come right back and you are worse off that you were before, because your self-confidence has been reduced. The same principle works in the spiritual life. Self-denial and cross-bearing are not just for Lent, those 46 days before Easter. It’s the ongoing lifestyle of the Christian. If we forsake this lifestyle, we will relapse into the old sinful ways and spiritual coldness. That renowned Christian leader, Clarence Jordan, was once ...

16. Any Friendly Bears Out There?

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... Command Headquarters grabbed his microphone and let loose a blistering tirade at the operators for fooling around on an important radio link. When he had finished, there was silence for about ten seconds. Then a small voice said, "You're not a very friendly bear, are you?" (1) Sometime back, a woman in Switzerland left over a half-million dollars to a houseplant. The millionairess, from Geneva, once described her newly rich jade plant as her "best and only friend." She is believed to have conversed with the ...

17. Are You Better at Wearing or Bearing Crosses?

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... about the identity of those living in the kingdom. Here are four key features of someone living a kingdom identity. Kingdom people are known for 1) Crossing the line more than staying in line 2) “ReJesused” lives 3) Lifting a cross more than climbing a ladder 4) Bearing the cross more than wearing a cross First, a kingdom identity is one where you are less prone to stay in line than to cross the line. One of our big problems is that we still think of Jesus’ “kingdom” as a place. Yes, we know it ...

18. Between Bears

Illustration

Staff

... so big that they dropped their rifles and ran for cover. One man climbed a tree while the other hid in a nearby cave. The bear was in no hurry to eat, so he sat down between the tree and the cave to reflect upon his good fortune. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, the hunter in the cave came rushing out, almost ran into the waiting bear, hesitated, and then dashed back in again. The same thing happened a second time. When he emerged for the third time, his companion in the tree frantically called out ...

19. Lost Bearings

Mt 10:40-42

Illustration

King Duncan

... days after the attacks of September 11, 2001. On a ride around the city, Lucado asked his taxi driver if his life was any different since the attacks. The driver replied, "I keep getting lost." He explained that he had always looked to the World Trade Towers to get his bearings while driving around the city. Now that the giant towers are gone, he said, ". . . I can't get my bearings anymore." Many of us can relate to that man's problem. After a sudden tragedy in our lives, we feel like we can't get our ...

20. The Burden Bearing Christ - Sermon Starter

Matthew 11:1-19

Illustration

Brett Blair

... nor cause us to develop sore spirits and is designed for two. His yokes were always designed for two. And our yoke-partner is none other than Christ himself. Running throughout all scripture from the beginning to the end is the theme that ours is a burden bearing Christ. He is not just a Lord whom we burden, and we do, but a Lord who actually solicits our burdens. I want to think with you this morning concerning that thought. He who would be effective must first be free from his burdens. And, it is Christ ...

21. Cross-Bearing

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... -so-slender wife. With a grin he turned back to us in the rear and said the Spanish equivalent of, "Look at me; I'm bearing my cross," and everyone chuckled. Except the wife, of course. Most assuredly, a wife on a lap in a crowded car is not what Christ had ... able to function, recalcitrant teenagers who refuse to obey, or even giving up chocolate for Lent — as "my cross to bear." The cross was an ugly thing, an instrument of death used for political criminals to maintain Pax Romana, an ancient ...

22. Bear the Burden

Illustration

David Augsburger

... means releasing the other instead of exacting revenge; where it means reaching out in love instead of relinquishing resentments. It costs to forgive...Stated psychologically, forgiveness takes place when the person who was offended and justly angered by the offender bears his own anger, and lets the other go free. Anger cannot be ignored, denied, or forgotten without doing treachery in hidden ways. It must be dealt with responsibly, honestly, in a decisive act of the will. Either the injured and justifiably ...

23. A Teddy Bear Burial

Humor Illustration

... across the street from a cemetery. Often she listened to ministers speak the words of committal at the close of funeral services. She decided to have a complete funeral service of her own in her backyard. She thought she would bury her teddy bear. After digging a grave, she solemnly lowered the toy bear into the ground, saying ever so seriously the words she thought she had heard the preachers say again and again in the burial service: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and in the hole you goes!"

24. Can We Bear the Light?

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

B. Wiley Stephens

... monk replied, "Because the sun keeps hitting me right in the eye and just won't leave me in peace." "Then you've answered your own question," the older monk laughed. "God doesn't deprive anyone of his heavenly kingdom. Some simply cannot bear the light, any more than you can bear the sun." This vision of the last judgment is telling us that there is a greater standard than what we think or what we are comfortable with. Leander Keck has noted that true authority is not self-generated but stands over against ...

25. Ring Bear

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... girls. He growled and snarled as he practiced going down the aisle. He brandished the pillow like a pistol. Finally his mother pulled him aside and demanded to know why he was behaving so badly. "But Mom," he explained, "I have to act fierce — I'm the ‘Ring Bear.'" Like so many of us that little boy misunderstood just what role he was supposed to play. He thought he was called to be big, imposing, fearsome, large and in charge. He thought he was to BE the "star of the show." He thought the spotlight was ...

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