Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2526 to 2550 of 4933 results

To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did; I ought to know because I have done it a thousand times.

Mark Twain

When we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances (paraphased).

F. B. Meyer

2528. Addicted to Hurry

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Charley Reeb

As a pastor, I speak with many people who feel that their lives are runaway trains about to slide off the track. They no longer enjoy life and its blessings but live every day with stress, fear, dread, and fatigue. What contributes to living life in this unhealthy way is the misguided belief that faster is better. Rarely is this true. The only thing faster gives us is a sure way to live every day exhausted. Our Lord does not want us to live life this way. He said, “I have come that you might have life in ...

2529. Secret Savior

Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

"For the sake of His great name the LORD will not reject His people, because the LORD was pleased to make you His own." (1 Samuel 12:22) They call him (or her) “Benny” for the $100 bills that bear the photo of his namesake Benjamin Franklin. In Salem, Oregon, a mysterious philanthropist has been placing $100 bills (Bennys) inside of packages of diapers and cereal boxes, clothing and toilet paper. Each of the bills contains a simple signature –“Benny.” The unknown giver has been donating money well over the ...

2530. A Restless Spirit

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

Lori Wagner

It’s Mother’s Day, otherwise known in the liturgical church as the “Festival of the Christian Home.” Today parents remember our baptismal covenant and recommit to bringing up our baptized progeny in the Christian tradition in our homes, churches, and extended family. This is also when we honor mothers in particular and their influence on our lives. In honor of that celebration today, let me remind you of just how awesome it is to be a parent. Here’s a scenario I think we’ll all be familiar with. A little ...

2531. The Dream Work of Teamwork

Nehemiah 3:1-32

Sermon

James Merritt

Apollo 13 reminds us that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, but it does take a team to have success. If you watched that video carefully you noticed that there were actually three levels of people involved in helping to devise a contraption that would keep the air pure enough for the astronauts to survive until they could get back to earth. B.C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes Magazine, once said, "You spell success T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K." That is truth in every area of life. Show me a successful coach ...

2532. I’ve Lost the Cutting Edge

2 Kings 6:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

Do you ever feel as if you've lost the cutting edge; you're not hitting on all eight cylinders; you're swimming in mud and running in tar; you just can't get it together? I want to share with you some stories that are absolutely true. They actually happened, and I believe you will agree with me that these are people who had lost the cutting edge: An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, where the kidnapper proceeded ...

2533. Workaholics Anonymous

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

Are you a workaholic? See how many of these questions you answered yes to: Do you get more excited about your work than about family or anything else? Are there times when you can charge through work and other times when you can't get anything done? Do you take with you to bed, on weekends, on vacation? Is work the activity you enjoy most and talk about most? Do you work more than 40 hours a week? Do you turn your hobbies into money making ventures? Do you take complete responsibility for the outcome of ...

2534. The Agony and Ecstasy of Sight

John 9:1-12

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

The miracle story of Jesus healing the man born blind is placed against the background of a puzzle that has plagued humankind ever since the first person stubbed his toe on a stone and cried out in pain. It is the question of why there is suffering in the world. Despite the many attempted solutions and suggested answers, people are still not satisfied - only more confused. The stubbed toe still hurts. Is the stone we stumble over placed there by chance or circumstance? Are we somehow engaged in a dangerous ...

2535. Flip the Switch

Psalm 119:105

Sermon

James Merritt

Have you done your last will and testament yet? It’s not meant to be a morbid question as we begin today. We all need to plan for the future. One of the things we must plan is how we are going to distribute our estate—our stuff—after we die. When you do your last will and testament, one of the things you will think about is what you will do with your most valuable possessions. What are those to you? Your home and investments, sure. But when you think about what is most valuable to you, maybe you also think ...

2536. A Cure for the Workaholic

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

If you are from the Deep South especially, you have to like Jeff Foxworthy. He made the word "redneck" universally famous. He was the one who said, "You might be a redneck if all of your salad bowls have "Cool Whip" stamped on them." Nobody knows how to identify a redneck, better than Jeff Foxworthy. I came across some ways you can also identify a workaholic. In case you are wondering whether or not you might be one, just consider the following: If it frustrates you that they don't allow laptops on a ...

2537. Staying Alive All Your Ministry Life: Will You Finish Well?

Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There are some experiences or encounters that are so solidly lodged in our memory they continue to invade our consciousness – to haunt us – to help us or to hinder our Christian walk, to call and challenge us to be more than we are. John Birkbeck is a person around whom for me a whole cluster of memories is gathered – memories that invade my immediate awareness now and then. John was a Scot Presbyterian preacher. During a part of my tenure as the World Editor of The Upper Room, he was the editor of the ...

2538. Tears And Ointment

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Larry Powell

Senator William Proximire (D-Wisconsin) regularly delights the general public by awarding his now-famous "Golden Fleece Award" to some government committee or agency which, because of some redundant high-dollar project, has achieved recognition for excelling in flagrant, wasteful, unnecessary spending. Senator Proximire gets our attention because he illuminates a subject of interest to us all: how money is spent. We do not like to spend more than we have to and have little tolerance for irresponsible, ...

2539. On Doing the Truth

John 3:14-21

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

There is an old story about a family consisting of mother, father, and small son who went into a restaurant. As they were seated at the table, the waitress sailed up. You know, the particular kind of waitress who moves as though she were the captain of a ship. She sailed up, pad in efficient hand, looked, and waited. The parents ordered. Then the boy looked up and said plaintively, “I want a hot dog.” “No hot dog!” said the mother. “Bring him potatoes, beef, and a vegetable.” The waitress paused for a ...

2540. Praise God! Selah!

Luke 1:67-80, Luke 1:57-66, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: Music: To God Be the Glory [You can have it playing just before the sermon. There are a lot of good versions, both old and new. You can also play a YouTube for your people.] To God be the glory! Say it with me: To God be the glory! Now I want you to repeat that phrase after me, like a refrain. Each time I speak a line, I want you to respond with: To God be the glory! Ok? Let’s try it! “The weather is beautiful today!” [To God be the glory!] The beginning of the season of advent has come upon us ...

2541. The Gospel According to Christ’s Enemies

John 11:1-16

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

John begins his story, "A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany." "Lazarus" means "God helps," and "Bethany," some scholars suggest, is a figurative play on the word that means "House of Affliction."1 Thus the plot of the story is prepared for us. God helps a man in a house of affliction. All of us dwell in that same house, and our affliction is that, like Lazarus, one day we will die. We will be struck down, carried out, and placed in a tomb. It will be sealed with a stone of sorrow. And the haunting ...

2542. The Word Of The Lord Came To The Prophet Haggai

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest.... -- Haggai 1:1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set out to rebuild the house of God in ...

2543. Christ The King

2 Samuel 23:1-7, Revelation 1:4-8, John 18:28-40

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 23:1-7 Scholars are divided on the question whether David actually wrote this song. If he did, they are not his last words but his last song. The first verse is an introduction to David, a man raised by God to a high position, anointed by God, and a sweet psalmist. Now David declares that the Spirit speaks through him. The Spirit says that a godly ruler is as appreciated as the sun in a cloudless sky and as rain that makes grass grow. The song concludes with the claim ...

2544. Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain

Mark 15:42-47

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Anointing oil (preferably frankincense or myrrh) Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain -- It sounds like a mystery like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, doesn’t it? Or for those with a slightly more sinister flair, a story by E. L. Stine. Intrigue, Mystery, Mayhem, and a good dose of the gruesome. And slightly Spooky. The events surrounding Jesus’ death were certainly strange and unusual. The High Priest and his family of former and future high priests had been pushing to get something done about Jesus ...

2545. Partners With the Eternal

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

"Bring them ... to me." - Matthew 14:18 One of the best known stories of Jesus concerns the feeding of five thousand persons. To assuage the appetites of that many people all at one time and place would be quite an achievement anytime, anywhere. But the achievement is infinitely great when it is accomplished with five loaves of bread and two small fish. I am sure a great many restauranteurs and homemakers would like to know how to make so little food go so far. I am sure it would be important to a lot of ...

2546. The Greatest Ability Is Dependability (Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

There are over two hundred geysers in Yellow Stone National Park. But there is one geyser that stands out from all the others. It is not the largest geyser, nor does it reach the greatest height. Yet it is by far the most popular geyser. Its popularity is due to one thing—its dependability. Because once every sixty-five minutes it shoots a stream of boiling water over 170 ft. into the air. You can practically set your clock by it. They call it "Old Faithful." There are many things in life that you could ...

2547. The Baptism of Our Work

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

A young man came to his teacher with this question, "Who can I get to give me maximum happiness?" The teacher smiled and answered, "Your question reminds me of an old farmer I once knew. Someone asked him how much milk a certain cow gave. He answered, "She doesn't give any. You have to take every drop away from her." One of the hard lessons we learn is that not many worthwhile things in life are given most have to be earned. It appears that work is part of the plan of God for our lives. St. Paul believed ...

2548. The Shadow Ascending

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

I. Denial by Any Other Name John 21:15ff GREG JOHANSON is a United Methodist minister who has brought to ten years of parish experience a special training and interest in Clinical Pastoral Education and Pastoral Counseling. He has worked in a variety of clinical settings, taught in a number of colleges, served recently as Chaplain and Director of Counseling Services at the Plaza Santa Maria Hospital, Ltd. in Baja, California, and led workshops as a certified trainer in Hakomi Therapy. He presently lives ...

2549. The Mechanics Of Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Note: This isn't a sermon but it's a good primer if you are preaching on the subject. Our goal is to pray like Jesus. We want to improve the effectiveness of our prayers. That is our objective, but what are the means of reaching the goal? We have come to the time when we need to consider the nuts and bolts of Christlike prayer. What do we say? When do we say it? Where do we say it? How long should we pray? How often? These are some of the mechanics of prayer. They are important as means to the end. The ...

2550. At The Right Place At The Right Time

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Sherry was struggling with some personal issues in her life. She would tell you that she was having a difficult time forgiving someone at work who purposely wronged her, leading to her eventual demotion. Sherry was upset with the person and could not even think of forgiving him. Her loss of income placed a financial hardship on her family. She was really struggling and trying to do what was best, but it certainly was not easy. Sherry and her family were in church one particular Sunday morning when during ...

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