Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 226 to 250 of 1249 results

226. What Would Jesus Do? - or - How Would Jesus Do It?

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of being in the world but not of the world, too many of God’s committed people are of the world but not in the world. They have been both captured and intimidated by the culture. They have been seduced by the world and have adopted the world’s ways as their own—they are ‘of’ the world. They have succumbed to social segregation—-they are not ‘in’ the world.” (28). This is the problem of too many of our churches. “Modern Christianity” is more “modern” than it is “Christian”—and ...

227. Heart-Healthy Christians

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the world. 3) One-calorie Christianity is fat-free. If One Calorie Christians miss all the sweetness of the Spirit, fat-free Christians reject the richness of the depths and substance we are offered as adopted sons and daughters of God. In this week’s Romans text Paul insists that receiving God’s Spirit makes us all “adopted” children of God. We aren’t just “friends of the family.” We aren’t just occasional invites to dinner. We aren’t just servants, an extra pair of hands and feet to get ...

228. Christmas 2

Psalm 147:1-20, Jeremiah 31:7-14, John 1:1-18, Ephesians 1:1-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... 147:12-20 [OR] Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21 First Lesson—There is reason for joy in the regathering of the people of God after their dispersal. Jeremiah 31:7-14 [OR] Sirach 24:1-12 The Praise of Wisdom Second Lesson—God’s earthly family is adopted through Jesus Christ to enlarge the heavenly family. Ephesians 1:3-14 Gospel—We are a new humanity through Jesus Christ and our rebirth through receiving him. John 1:(1-9), 10-18 CALL TO WORSHIP Pastor: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all ...

229. Tinctures of Truth in the Tincture of Time

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... had been mastered, taking communion in “two kinds” — the bread and the wine — became far more commonplace. But long before there were any “germy” concerns, which didn’t really come into play until the latter third of the 19th century, the church adopted an alternative way for communicants to participate in receiving the “blood of Christ.” Originally by using a spoon or tube, later by simply “dunking” — the wine was brought to the faithful, not by sipping, but by a process known as ...

230. Framing Values – Part Two

Daniel 1:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... the king's personal service. Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah." (Daniel 1:5, NASB) Now the king's meat and the king's wine represents the sinful pleasures of this world. They were trying to get these young men to adopt a playboy kind of lifestyle. Daniel didn't mind going to their schools because he knew what he really believed. He didn't mind being called by their name, because he knew who he really was. But he drew the line at the king's meat and the king ...

231. God's Christmas Gift

Luke 2:10-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5, NASB) Do you see how Jesus was a father's gift to the family? The joy of Christmas is in ... for celebration. Gentiles could celebrate because a Savior was born. No longer did a Gentile have to become a Jew or to adopt Jewish practice in order to have a relationship with God. Now, Gentiles and Jews alike all come to God through one person ...

232. Seeing God In The Ordinary: Family

Luke 4:16-30

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... had dark hair, since both her husband and she were fair. The grandmother said, "Well, your daddy has black hair." To which the daughter replied, "But, Mama, that doesn't matter, because I'm adopted." With an embarrassed smile, mom said the most wonderful words her daughter had ever heard: "I always forget." All Christians are the adopted children of God who are accepted by God with the same unconditional love that this mother had for her daughter. (5) God's unconditional love for us is summed up in Paul's ...

233. What Difference Does It Make?

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... at the bear's sheer mass. The larger bear peered around and seemed to realize that the mother bear wasn't anywhere to be found. He gave the little cub a friendly nudge. The camera then showed the little bear happily trailing along after the larger one. The adoption papers were signed, sealed and registered at the county seat in that nudge. Papa bear proceeded to show the cub how to grub for insects and how to catch fish and how to scratch his back against a tree. One day the two bears became separated. The ...

234. A Great Power Watching

John 14:21-29

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

235. Not a Servant, but a Son

Galatians 4:6-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the way it has been with us, says Paul. “We were born into slavery.” But unlike that rigid closed-class structure of Morrisonville, we’ve been freed, and with our freedom, we have access to the father, and to the whole family. We can join others who have been adopted by grace, and sit on the porch and enter into the conversation with the lord and share all the abundance of God’s love. “You are no longer a servant but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ,” Paul says in verse 7 ...

236. When You Are Up And Out

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and he climbs a tree. Fred Craddock tells about an imaginary conversation with an old greyhound—those long-legged dogs who chase a mechanical rabbit around the track while people bet on them. When they retire they are adopted or destroyed. Fred says, “I was visiting in a home where a greyhound had been adopted and he and I were left in the living room together while the family went in the other room to finish dinner. I struck up a conversation with the old dog and I said, ‘Do you miss the glitter ...

237. Converting to Christianity

Acts 2:14, 36-41

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... from Acts is not about confessing how messed up we are and then moving to the next new religion thing. It's about "having a new mind," or "transforming our minds" so that we see things in a totally new and different light. It's not changing our opinions or adopting a new ideology. It's not about moving left or moving right. The call to conversion that comes to us in this incredible passage has to do with having a new mind. It has to do with transforming our minds out of the modes of culture and ego. We ...

238. The Senility Prayer

Mt 6:5-15; 24:36-44; Lk 11:1-13

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to accept people I know I have no possibility of changing. On other occasions I don't have the courage to root out some sin from my life. Why? Cause I don't wanna'. And wisdom? Well, you know very well that's in short supply. The more I can adopt the attitude of the serenity prayer the more ready I know I will be for His coming. But unfortunately many of us are like the elderly lady who in jest posted on her door in the retirement village the "Senility Prayer": God, grant me the senility To forget the ...

239. Have a Jolly Imperfect Christmas This Year!

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of a one-eared, horribly scarred pit bull who had been used as “bait” in a dog fighting ring. With nothing but a history of abuse and pain, the injured dog was left for dead when it was rescued and nursed back to health. Adopted by a family with two young sons, “Oggy” became an ugly, unlikely, unlooked for conduit of love, forgiveness, acceptance, and wholeness, for an ordinary, which is to say, extraordinary, family. Look again at the Christmas story. Look again at your Christmas decorated home ...

240. Aha! An Epiphany!

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... saying, “You are my Son, whom I love . . .” His relationship with God was unique. He was the Son of God. And yet he taught us to pray “Our Father . . . .” I, too, am a child of the King and so are you. Last week our theme was “adopted” adopted to be God’s own child children of the King. C.S. Lewis, the great British writer, was fearful of giving in to the demands of God, but finally there came that moment of realization, that epiphany. He writes, “That which I greatly feared had at last come ...

241. Send Her Away!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... a story recently about how one community dealt with prejudice in their community. After a lengthy court battle, the Missouri Ku Klux Klan was granted permission, in March 2000, to participate in the state’s Adopt a Highway program. This victory would force the state to use taxpayer money to place Adopt a Highway road signs on a one mile stretch of road advertising the KKK. The Klan’s victory was crossed out the following month when their organization was removed from the program. The reason? The state ...

242. Life in The Spirit

Romans 8:22-27

Sermon

Gibson “Nibs” Stroupe

... power of the idols is so deeply rooted in our view of ourselves, and our view of God and the world, that we will often find ourselves in dilemma. This is not news to us — we know what Paul means when he says, "we groan inwardly while we wait for adoption." Paul's point here is not that we will fly away from our groaning but that God knows our struggles and our groanings, and that God is moving in our lives to help us find hope and possibility, to help us recover that vision of the Day of Pentecost. It ...

243. The Light of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... his son home and named him Daniel Edward Keenan. The Daniel comes from Hugh’s father’s name. Edward is the first name of Father Riley. Daniel grew up a happy child, in a stable and loving home. When Daniel was seven, Hugh told him the story of his adoption. In 1993, veterans from Hugh’s ship came together for a reunion, and Daniel was brought in as a “surprise guest.” The men were thrilled to see him, thrilled that their little boy the child they had cared for had grown to be a fine man. They all ...

244. Screaming at the Television

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... , particularly for the care he gives to children. Early in his life, however, Dr. Ben Carson had a terrible problem with his temper. His parents divorced when he was eight years old. He says, “I adopted God as my earthly father as well as my Heavenly Father when I was fourteen.” But that experience of adopting God did not cause his temper to magically disappear. He began running with some teenagers in his neighborhood. One day he was involved in a scuffle with another boy. He let his temper get out ...

245. Our Family Inheritance

Galatians 3:15-25

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... also like this, for it is independent of our response. It is not governed by our poor show of love for God. Instead it is given freely, for we have been adopted into God's family as children who were lost but now have been found. God takes us — homeless, nameless, forgotten, ready to be tossed to the world. And God adopts us before we know any better....[1] But some still want to object that nowhere does scripture command that we baptize little children. True, but nowhere does scripture forbid it either ...

246. Between a Rock and a Hard Rock Thrower

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... develop, as our individual quirks and oddities, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses reveal themselves, we begin to perceive ourselves as truly “different” from everyone else — even our closest family members. But that does not mean — even if you ARE adopted — that your family isn’t still your family. Despite all our differences, we are always connected at some foundational level. As the “family” that was the first century Christian church took shape, it would be hard to find two ...

247. Jesus Heals Body and Soul

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... of prayer. Imagination, emotion and connection. Of course, hurts are not always from the past. Sometimes we need help going through current situations. I once read of a mother with an adopted teen-age daughter. The girl had been through a great deal of emotional damage and was doing her best to spread her hurt around by verbally abusing her adopted mother. When things were at their worst, this mother would sit on a meditation cushion, light a candle in the darkness, and wrap herself in what she came to call ...

248. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... the scriptures on other animal skins, it would be copied on papyrus. These copies would be rolled up in the form of a scroll. The question arises, “How do we know the copies are as reliable as the original autograph?” Special rules were adopted directing the scribes in exactly how they were to copy the scriptures. For example, whenever they would come to the covenant name of God which we know as “Yahweh” or the English translation “Jehovah” they were required to wash their hands, use a special ...

249. Jesus Taken Up into Heaven

Acts 1:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... the early church died hard. But by the time Luke was writing that was largely a thing of the past, and the phrase the ends of the earth had taken on a wider meaning. It now embraced the Roman Empire, epitomized by Rome itself, and on that basis Luke adopted the program of this verse as a framework for his narrative. 1:9 When these forty days of instruction were over, Jesus was taken up. They had taken the familiar path across the Kidron to the Mount of Olives (cf. v. 12), and somewhere in this vicinity the ...

250. The Apostles Heal Many

Acts 5:12-16

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... events, by these contacts the way was being prepared for the advance of the gospel from Jerusalem into Judea. Additional Notes 5:12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs: lit., they were done “through the hands of the apostles,” though NIV is probably right to adopt the simpler translation. The laying on of hands was often the mode of Jesus’ healings (Mark 6:5; etc.), and because he commanded it (Mark 16:18), it would often have been the mode of the apostles’ healings also (cf. 9:12, 17; 14:3 ...

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