Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 226 to 250 of 3852 results

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... came from aligning his heart and mind and will with God’s purposes for him. Verse 7 gives us some insight into what a fruitless life looks like. In verse 7, the landowner accuses the fig tree of “using up” the soil. In the original Greek, the word used here refers to something that is deprived of “force, influence or power.” It also refers to something that has been “severed from” or “separated from” its source of power. (5) Back in the 12th century, Japanese gardeners created dwarf trees ...

227. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

... and you and I are on the committee. There is a lot to do in our community. There is a lot to do in our homes. And, for some of us, there is a lot to do in our own hearts. ------------------------------------------------------ 1. FUNNY, FUNNY WORLD, July, 1985 Original Title: I'm Listening New Title: The Power of Listening 1 Samuel 3:1--4:1 January 14, 2024 (Epiphany 2) Legend has it that President Franklin D. Roosevelt got tired of smiling that big smile and saying the usual things at all those White House ...

228. The Interpretation of the Vision

Daniel 8:15-27

Understanding Series

William Nelson

... on 8:3), the two-horned ram . . . represents the kings of Media and Persia (8:20), and the shaggy goat is the king of Greece (8:21; see the commentary on 8:5). The word translated “shaggy” in the NIV actually means “he-goat.” It is probably not original (see the Additional Note on 8:21). The large horn . . . is the first king (8:21), or Alexander the Great (see the commentary on 8:5). The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms (8:22). The text says “kingdoms ...

229. The Call to Encounter

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

... but many years ago, another pastor had divided the chancel with a lectern on one side and the pulpit on the other. One day, soon after his arrival, the new, young pastor removed the lectern and put the pulpit back in the center of the chancel where it had originally been, many years ago. The congregation threw a fit. How dare he make such a radical change? So, he put it back over to the side and, the next Sunday he moved it one inch toward the center. A month later he moved it another inch. A month later ...

230. Doubters All, Part I

John 10:22-42

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... . If that is so, where does all the suffering in the world come from? TOMMIE: Gerrie, look at this. (PRODUCING NEWSPAPER) Humans can find their own way of hurting each other. GERRIE: You said this before. But original sin? You blame it on original sin. Is that a God who's fair -- to start us out in life with a load of original sin for which we are not responsible? TOMMIE: Look at it this way. Did the slaves in early America have a choice being born a slave? GERRIE: No, of course not. TOMMIE: Well, it's the ...

231. Tiny Town: Promised Power

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Tony Everett

... his words, and this time substitute your name or the name of your community or congregation in the blank spaces. "And you O ______, _______ who are little among the clans of _____, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in _______, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days." Here is The Word from God for you and me from ancient days. Christ has come! Christ is coming! Christ will come again! Christ came to us at baptism. Christ is with us now. Christ will come again. Alleluia! You see ...

232. Weather Signs

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... movements also at times use the pretense of being Christian. They seek to further their domination of others. Their claims of a monopoly of righteousness for only people of EuroAmerican origin betrays their real religion. It is not the inclusiveness of Jesus. He was of Middle East origin himself and his followers bridged people of diverse origins. Jesus and his disciples called people of various backgrounds to enter the kingdom of God. Christians need to read the signs. Not everyone who claims to be holy is ...

233. Wicked Tenants

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... in part concerned with one's belief about predictive prophecy. Did Jesus have prescience about what would happen to the church after his death, or did the writers of the parable adapt it to conform to events which they experienced and that fit with the original parable? The parable as it is given can be used as an allegory. Its details can be assigned to events and parties in the Old Testament. The concluding verses may be given added strength if the gospels according to Matthew and Luke were written later ...

234. Adam And Jesus See Temptation

Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 2:4-25, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

David Belgum

... began interacting and sending out messages that gave Adam his first really severe Excedrin(r) headache. One by one the Seven Deadly Sins began to loom up as possibilities before his eyes. His vision became clouded and he began to be unable to focus on his original job description: "have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." He was not content with his job of farming and wildlife ...

235. Finding Faith In Unlikely People

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... man's law rests upon the law of God. Likewise medicine rests upon the power of healing which comes from God. All power is derivative power. The temptation of man is to believe he has done it all by himself, that he is sufficient unto himself, that he has originated his own power. That is why Jesus was delighted to see a man of authority have such depth of understanding. He found faith in God in an unlikely person. Does he find it in us? Jesus was also surprised to find faith in the Centurion because he was ...

236. The Lenten Season

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of the days as spring appears. To preach meaningfully and properly, a preacher needs to know the message of Lent and feel its mood and spirit. Development Of The Season Lent as a period of 40 days came into being as a result of a long period of development. Originally in the first century Lent was only a period of 40 hours in keeping with the 40 hours Jesus' body was in the tomb. The 40-hour observance ended with an Easter service at 3 a.m. Later the 40 hours grew into six days during the third century ...

237. The Spreading Word

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Marc Kolden

... it, who take it seriously, and live it. Now, you ask, what's wrong with that? What's wrong is that this is not what Jesus' original parable was about. The focus is no longer on the sower and the seed, on God and the word, but on ourselves. What kind of person ... ? And a secondary focus is on other people: look at them -- rocky, thorny, hard -- I'm glad I'm not like them. In the original parable the focus is on the sower who spreads the seeds around with such liberality that no ground is missed. So what if a ...

238. Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Bulletin Aid

Russell F. Anderson

... no historical markers by which to judge the period in which it was composed. Many scholars believe that Joel lived in the Persian period (559-331 B.C.). We do know that he had a keen interest in the temple and can surmise that he hails from priestly origins. An invasion of locusts causes a call to repentance. The prophet sees this devouring army as the arm of God's judgment. God is trying to arrest his people's attention. Yet the Lord is merciful and kind (v. 13) and stands ready to bless his people when ...

239. Baptism of the Lord

Acts 10:23b-48, Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9, Psalm 45:1-17, Psalm 89:1-52, Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Sermon Aid

George Bass

... "to fulfill all righteousness" (or justice) and is identified by the Spirit of God "descending on him" and a voice from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." The theology of Christian baptism is here, and the concept of the baptismal covenant finds its origin here, too, in "I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations." Verses 6b and 7 have found their way into Matthew 11 in Jesus' answer to John's question, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look ...

240. The Kingdom of God Is Like… a Joke!

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Steven Burt

... . He’s set it up, like the joke about the dummy who said “no”… but he hasn’t gotten the dummies to say “no” yet, to fall in and find themselves confronted with a new reality, with a present Kingdom of God. Now remember… the lawyer’s original question was: “Who is my neighbor?” It looked as if we were going to figure out whether the man in the ditch qualified as a neighbor whom we’d be required to help. But Jesus, in the punchline, recasts the question, redirects it, and asks, not ...

241. The Priesthood Of All Believers

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

... a priest? The Bible dictionary informs us that, “The New Testament word for ‘priest’ is related to a word meaning ‘holy,’ and indicates one who is consecrated to and engaged in holy matters.” It further declares that, “The Hebrew word for priest is of uncertain origin, but seems originally to have meant a ‘seer,’ as well as one who has to do with divine things.” There was a local pastor who had a sign on the outside of the office door that read, “The Seer Is In.” The priest is in. We ...

242. Good Works Will Not Save You!

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... Betsey finds me a bit more lovable when I show her my love, by my deeds, so God loves us when we show him our love (John 14:21). Yet just as it is not the loving deeds you do for your mate that makes her (or him) love you originally (because the loving deeds I do for Betsey are a response to her love), so God loves us first. That is the cause of the good works that we do. Before good works can be done, Jesus and the Father first come and live with us! As usual, Martin Luther ...

243. Anointed Ministry

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... out the door of the synagogue out to the edge of the cliff suddenly turned and looked at the neighbors - turned gang - and then he walked through the midst of them. That's authority. He was truly the anointed one, the author with rights based on origin. A Jubilee For You And Me? This is a dangerous text because Jesus made it his own. Favor, comfort, gladness, building, repair - these are Jesus' ways of ministry, a ministry he expects all who follow him to use as a pattern. In other words, all the baptized ...

244. When the Tie That Binds is a Slipknot

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... make sure "our side" wins, when the fact of the matter is that neither side can "win" in these conflicts, and ultimately the biggest loser is the church itself. In times of conflict, I recall something a classmate at seminary said once (and I don’t know if he originated this or was simply quoting someone else): "The Church is the only institution on the face of the earth that shoots its wounded." Maybe we expect too much of the church to look for it to be an oasis of peace in a world where conflict is an ...

245. Colorizing Jesus

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Carl Jech

... 20:26b, 29b) Most of us are familiar with the controversy that has been going on over the issue of "colorizing" old black-and-white movies. Do Humphrey Bogart and the Maltese Falcon or Jimmy Stewart and his Wonderful Life look better in the original black-and-white photography or with color added by one of the latest wrinkles in computer technology? There is a strong parallel between the discussion of colorizing old movies and the discussion that has gone on for centuries in the Christian church, over the ...

246. Remember Toward the Future John M. Cobb

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

... ’s passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt when he slew the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ... And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Do you want to do something? If so, then you must go back, must return to origins, to the foundation, to God and, indeed, to God as he has revealed himself in the past. That’s the way it was for the ancient Jews and that’s the way it must be for us Christians today! For we Christians have our Passover, as well - and that ...

247. One Commandment is Enough!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

... , "But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28) This commandment can be violated, not only in physical, overt practice, but in the mind, where the beginning of sin always originates. Anytime we sin, the mind goes first, s,o Jesus wanted to cut it off before it got to first base, and became just that - base. 8. "Thou shalt not steal." Theft is a sin. Thievery is to violate another's property. In the biblical faith, when ...

248. The Cracking Point

Mark 12:1-12

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... Lot More To Health Than Not Being Sick (Waco, Texas: Word, Inc., 1981), p. 20. 2. Ibid, p. 132. 3. The Green Pastures was first produced at the Mansfield Theatre, New York City, by Laurence Rivers, Inc., on February 26, 1930 and closed on August 29, 1931. Marc Connelly's original play may be found in Sixteen Famous American Plays, edited by Bennet Cerf and Van H. Cartwell (Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Co., 1941). It was produced in many versions. I have used a combination of the ...

249. Kingdoms In Conflict

Daniel 2:24-49

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... his masterpiece, "The Messiah," for the first time in London. The British king was in the audience. When the orchestra played the majestic "Hallelujah Chorus," the King was so moved that he stood. Then everybody else stood. That's where the custom originated of standing when the Hallelujah Chorus is played. They did not stand to honor the King of England; they were honoring the King of kings who judges every king and president and prime minister. History’s evaluation of leaders makes interesting reading ...

250. Paul: The Man and His Message

Romans 9:1-29

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

... is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith" (Romans 3:23-25). It is a mistake, then, to stress, as Baur and Harnack did, the difference between Paul’s theology and the message of the original apostles. Paul himself says, "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, (that is, from the common Christian tradition) that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the ...

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