Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2501 to 2525 of 4943 results

2501. A Risky Lifestyle

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The worst nightmare of every mother happened to a Memphis woman just over a year ago. A woman named Anita was stopped for a traffic light at the corner of Highland and Southern. Suddenly a stranger opened the passenger door of her car, grabbed her 2-month- old baby, and ran. Anita's instincts took over. She slammed that car into park, jumped out, and ran after the man. A terrified mother can move with lightning speed. When she got near the man he threw her baby into a ditch and kept on running. ...

2502. Thanksgiving: Where Are You Looking For It?

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

A little girl whose father was a disc jockey, a radio announcer, was invited to a friend's house for dinner. When she arrived, the mother asked the little girl if she would honor them by saying the blessing. It delighted the little girl. She cleared her throat, looked at her wristwatch, and said, "This food, friends, is coming to you through the courtesy of almighty God." Well, she was right, all food that we eat comes through the courtesy of almighty God. (1) Thanksgiving is a special time of year. Can't ...

2503. From Russia With Love

Acts 3:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I'm told that they used to tell a story in Russia that Adam and Eve were Russians and they came at that from very logical deduction. They were improperly clothed, they had only one apple between them and everybody was always telling them that they lived in a paradise. Today you can't tell that joke in Russia. No one, not even the most ardent, die hard, hanging on, Communist dreamer. No one would even begin to hint at the possibility that the people in Russia and in the Union of Independent States are ...

2504. Proper 13

Psalm 17:1-15, Romans 9:1-29, Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Genesis 32:22-31 is the account of Jacob's fight with God at the Jabbok River, while Psalm 17:1-9, 15 is a psalm of lament that ends with words of confidence. Genesis 32:22-31 - "A Story of Transformation" Setting. An interpretation of Jacob's struggle with God at the Jabbok River requires that we look briefly at the larger context of the Jacob cycle and return to a topic that was introduced in the opening lesson on the Jacob cycle—namely, the power of names in the shaping of the ...

2505. Life and Light to All He Brings

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

God called creation into being with the words “Let there be.” Son of God was called into creation with the words “Let it be.” May you “Let Be” Christ in you this 2015. May you “Let Be” you in 2015. The first sound of God’s voice we hear in Scripture is the divine round of “Let there be....” The first sound in that “Let there be” round was “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). To “see the light” has been a repeated, yet ever changing metaphor ever since that first creative burst. God’s first breath of words ...

2506. Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:1-26

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Cain Slays Abel and Lamech Boasts: The first siblings are unable to live in harmony. Hatred propels Cain to murder his own brother. The tragic, brute power of sin also finds expression in Lamech’s boasting song, in which he brazenly gloats over a wanton killing while pronouncing threats against others. These incidents illustrate how Adam and Eve’s disobedience unleashed sin as a destructive power in society and brought death into the world. This chapter has four parts: the births of Cain and Abel (vv. 1–2a ...

2507. Woe to the Obstinate Nation

Isaiah 30:1-33

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Oh You Obstinate Nation: It has made sense to read much of chapters 28–29 against the background of Judean assertion of independence from Assyria and alliance with Egypt in the latter part of Isaiah’s ministry, but only in chapter 30 does reference to Egypt become explicit. While the setting might be the independence movement during the reign of Sargon in 713–711 B.C., alluded to in passages such as 14:28–32, we have separate reference to alliance with Egypt in the context of the similar events of 705–701 ...

2508. Veiled Glimpses of God's Glory

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

I've read that in one of Von Schlegel's avant-garde plays, the curtain rises to show the dimly-lit interior of a theater. There on the stage sit a group of people waiting for a curtain to rise. A ripple of amused laughter washes across the auditorium at the obvious irony of watching actors engage in the very activity which had occupied the audience only moments earlier. However, when this second curtain is lifted, it displays still another group sitting in front of yet another curtain. People begin to grow ...

2509. Recollections of Mary -- Dramatic Monologue

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

Children, I just can't sit down with you now. I have too much work to do for our guests. Yes, yes, I will sit down with you later this evening, just before you go to bed. Yes, I'll tell you the story of the baby again. I know, I know. I love the story, too. It's only once in a great while that I wish I hadn't told you! Mostly, I'm glad I told you, even though it has meant repeating it over and over and over again. Yes, you go out and play for just a little longer, and then Mother will call you, and we'll ...

2510. Whatever He Says - Do It!

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

Text: John 2:5 - His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' Talk about hang-ups! All you have to do is read this Gospel narrative that was read today, the narrative of the first miracle that Jesus performed, the changing of the water into wine, and you immediately produce two groups that have hang-ups. The first is, of course, made up of pietistic teetotalers. We're confronted by the fact - the undeniable fact - that Jesus provided alcoholic beverage for a party where the supply was ...

2511. The Fashioning of Christians

Ezekiel 36:1-38

Sermon

My earliest memory of church is a rather traumatic one. My earliest memory is that of being attacked by a fox. That’s right, a fox! The year was 1950. We had just moved to Minneapolis where my father had become an associate pastor in a large, urban congregation. Of course, everyone was anxious to meet the new pastor and his family - at that time, two little boys. This was a fashionable congregation, full of the 50s version of Yuppies. That year, the women of the church were all sporting boas, not a la ...

2512. Christ and Healing

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

Jesus’ ministry was one of healing. He said, "I came to minister to the sick and not the well." He never refused or failed to heal anyone who came to him in need. There is no doubt about it: Christ constantly performed miracles of healing. His miracles were all tied in with love and forgiveness and produced whole persons in a new relationship with God and with life. J. B. Phillips, in one of his last books, shares his own understanding of the miracles of Jesus. He says that these miracles are revealed ...

2513. Single Mom

Mark 12:41-44, Mark 12:35-40

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: The single parent has pressures and stresses that are overwhelming. The church should be helping. Summary: Sarah, a single mom, is in over her head. The baby is crying, her ex-husband won't send the support check, she is trying to raise a teenage daughter, and is taking a course at the university. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: Sarah's apartment Props: A Phone Theme: paper for class a storybook Costumes: Contemporary, casual Time: The present Cast: Sarah -- mom Evie -- her teenage daughter Tiff ...

2514. Good News For Parents And For Kids, Too!

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

How many of you made New Year's resolutions this year? Hold up your hand. Now, how many of you have already broken at least one of those resolutions? Weight Watchers and Nutri-System and all the other diet plans have their biggest months in January. Did you hear about the notice that appeared in a church bulletin: "Weight Watchers will meet this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Please use the large double door at the side entrance." Some of us have resolved to pursue an exercise program. One fellow says that he doesn' ...

2515. To Live Is To Grow

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

When our son Kevin was four years old, he said to his mother one day, "Mommy, I don't want to grow up. I want to always be your little boy." If that were a permanent desire, it would be unhealthy. After the Second World War, Gunther Grass wrote a novel which achieved best seller fame. He called it the Tin Drum and it was about a boy who decided at three years of age that he was never going to grow up. That really is not unusual. Countless people make this decision or act as though they have a decision ...

2516. The Three Approaches to Life

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James W. Moore

In the golden days of the settling of the west, you will remember, of course, that one of the major means of public transportation was the stagecoach. But, did you know, that in stagecoach days, they had three different kinds of tickets you could buy… 1st class, 2nd class or 3rd class. A First Class Ticket meant that you got to sit down. No matter what happened, you could remain seated. If the stagecoach got stuck in the mud… or had trouble making it up a steep hill… or even if a wheel fell off, you ...

2517. The Truth about Truth

John 8:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

I honestly don't believe that I will ever preach a more important sermon than this one. I hope after I introduce my topic, your ears will perk up, your back will straighten up, your eyes will light up, and you will focus your attention on me with laser-like intensity. Listen carefully to the next three statements: There are no absolutes. All truth is relative. You have no right to force your idea of right and wrong on anyone else. Currently, sixty-two percent of American adults believe these statements to ...

2518. Murder in the First Degree

Matthew 5: 21-26

Sermon

James Merritt

We are in the middle of a series of messages I've entitled "The Only Way to Live." It is based on the greatest sermon ever preached in history – the Sermon on the Mount. Up to this point in the sermon, Jesus has been very general in his comments but now he gets very specific. He addresses six critical areas where what goes on in the inside of a person is far more important than what occurs on the outside of a person. He is going to be dealing with murder, adultery, divorce, honesty, revenge, and loving ...

2519. A Burden or a Song

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

James McCormick

Is your religion a load or a lift? That was a popular sermon topic during my growing up years. Preachers were fascinated with alliteration: load/lift, and they thought the idea was a catchy one, so I heard more sermons on the subject than I wanted to hear. Frankly, I never cared much for them. Do you have ideas, like that, that turn you off sometimes? I thought it was a pointless question. I thought the preachers were just setting up straw men only to knock them down again. After all, the answer to the ...

2520. How Great Is Your Faith

Matthew 15:21-28, Matthew 15:1-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

This morning I want to start by telling you about Edith. Edith was one of the poorest African American women in Harlem. As a single parent, she was trying to raise four children while holding down one part-time and one full-time job, where between the two, she earned just enough for the bare necessities of life. She was poor, but she wasn't a quitter. She kept close tabs on her three sons and daughter. Constantly worried about their safety or getting mixed up with the wrong crowd, she kept them glued to ...

2521. Nehemiah: The Fix

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A brand new pastor dropped in on the 7th grade Sunday School Class on one of his first Sundays at the church. While there, he decided to test them a little, "Who can tell me who was responsible for the walls of Jericho falling down?" There was dead silence. But finally one of the boys, obviously one who had several close encounters with disobedience, said, "I don't know, but it wasn't my fault!" The pastor turned to the teacher who explained, "I know Johnny and his parents, and if he said he didn't have ...

2522. Resurrection Power (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Sing with all the Saints of Glory; Sing the resurrection song. Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, To the former days belong. For over forty years now, I have been trying to preach that sermon and sing that song. Today I would like to try once more. I take for a text the words of Paul who said, “I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead.” What a worthy ...

2523. Discover The Joy Of Christmas

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I sure hope the next 12 days of Christmas aren't like that for you and your family. There are truly 12 days until Christmas. Can you believe it? We've still got leftover Halloween Candy and wasn't yesterday Thanksgiving? Time screams by this time of year. This is a hectic time of year. That's why paying attention to the signs of Christmas and getting our hearts and souls ready is so important. If we don't we might miss it. A few years ago I read an Ad in the Thrifty Nickel which read: "We cater to Clutter ...

2524. Happy Marriage...It's All About Choices

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

The power mower broke down and wouldn’t run… and the grass in the front yard was getting totally out of hand. The wife was embarrassed about the way the lawn looked… so she began hinting to her husband that it was time to get the power mower fixed. But, somehow her hints didn’t work. The message never sank in. Finally, she thought of a clever way to make her point: When her husband arrived home one day, he found her seated in the tall grass on the front lawn fussily snipping away (one blade of grass at a ...

2525. Praying Our Way Forward

Matthew 7:7-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Have you heard the story about the pastor and the taxi cab driver who happened to die at the same time? They arrived simultaneously at the Pearly Gates. The taxi cab driver was awarded a fabulous palace, complete with fountains, vast lawns and an army of servants. Meanwhile, the pastor was ushered down a lonely lane to an extremely modest place where he was invited to spend eternity. Discerning the discrepancy between the two rewards, the pastor complains to St. Peter saying, “Look, I spent my entire life ...

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