Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2551 to 2575 of 4914 results

2551. The Jesus Connection

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Some years ago in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, the members of one of the large Presbyterian churches decided to undertake a religious census among some 2000 homes in their district. When the results were in, the pastor of the church found himself seated at his desk, confronted with a huge heap of reports, and he began to note the visitors’ findings and especially any comments made by the visitors at the bottom of the page. One remark that occurred again and again was, “Used to be a Presbyterian ...

2552. The Paradox of Death

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

The motion picture Patton, produced in 1970, won eight academy awards, including one for George C. Scott as best actor, in his portrayal of the famous American World War II army general. The film opens in a rather odd manner. Patton, in full military regalia, stands atop a platform; he is addressing his troops before they enter battle. In the course of his comments he states, "Some people say it is glorious to die for your country. But I say that the objective of war is to make the other guy die for his ...

2553. Where The Spirit Of Jesus Is

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Lewis Grizzard is one of my favorite columnists. He isn't as vulgar in his writing as he is in his speaking. Even in his speaking, if you can abide his vulgarity, you can come out with a pearl worth the risk of dirtying your own mind. A few years ago he wrote of missing the family Thanksgiving dinner. It was at an uncle's house out in the country. Country folks like to eat dinner early in the middle of the day. Grizzard slept late and missed it. At 1 P.M., Thanksgiving, he got a call from B.A. (Now I don't ...

2554. The Incarnation: What and Why?

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

James L. Killen

We have just remembered again the beautiful story of the birth of Jesus. We have been reminded of the miracle of the virgin birth. Most of us have been satisfied just to remember and wonder and enjoy. But there is a meaning behind that event that we need to know. Christian scripture and tradition tell us that, in the birth of Jesus, an aspect of God's own being took flesh to dwell among us as one of us. One of our favorite Christmas carols has us singing, "Veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail incarnate ...

2555. Which End Is Up?

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Exegesis: Ephesians 3:1-12 The epistle text for this week can be read with two different agendas in mind. On one hand the focus is on establishing apostolic tradition. In the first century there was a necessary concern with creating a continuity of tradition and authority for the fledgling Christian church. Hence Paul’s apostolic authority, his priority of leadership, is part of these verses’ testimony. Especially since these Ephesians probably had not known Paul’s preaching personally, it is an imperative ...

2556. Putting Mom in Heartbreak Hotel

1 Kings 2:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to tell you the story of an Old Testament character by the name of Joab. Joab spent his entire life as the Commander in Chief of the armies of the Nation of Israel. He was David's hand-picked general. David was God's anointed king over Israel and, as you know, he was a type and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is also God's anointed king. Joab served David all of his life only to be slain, at the command of David, at the end of his life. Now Joab's downfall can be attributed to one simple ...

2557. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The enthusiasm and eloquence of the Ephesians' author are magnificently apparent in these opening texts. Ephesians 1:3-14 is actually one very long complex sentence, into which the author weaves both the traditional opening blessing format of a formal letter, an internalized hymn and the outline of concerns and issues that will direct the rest of this epistle. While far richer and more extensive, Ephesians 1:3-14 is similar in style to the opening texts in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and 1 Peter 1:3-12. All of ...

2558. Tear Down This Wall!

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

On June 12, 1987 former President Ronald Reagan spoke in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the Berlin Wall. In his speech he issued a direct challenge to Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union. Here are the best-known words from that speech: “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Twenty-nine months later ...

2559. What’s So Amazing about Grace?

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

In our reading for today, we find King David, after having consolidated his kingdom and moved into a palace for himself, deciding that he'd like to built an impressive house for God as well. Now David wasn't so theologically naive as to think that God needed a physical dwelling as though he were merely a super human, but he did know that the Ark of the Covenant, that special box containing the tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, was a unique symbol of the presence of God among the ...

2560. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

There once was a very unhappy old man. For him, things were never right and, thus, he grumbled quite a bit. He complained that he had to get up in the morning, and when nightfall came it was too soon. He complained when he had to work, but found it boring when he did not work. He talked about how people paid insufficient attention to him, yet when others spoke to him he seemed annoyed or irritated. He hated it when it rained and found the sun too hot when it shined. In winter, he longed for the summer and ...

2561. Mary and Joseph: His Obedient Servants

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I was in Columbus, Ohio not long ago. I had wedged in a day, following a meeting in Kentucky, to visit for the first time since their marriage last summer, my daughter, Kim and her husband, John. We were coming home from dinner out in the evening and John called our attention to a striking sight. On the end wall of a church sanctuary, a giant shadow of Christ was cast. It was a unique and moving sort of thing, created by the lighting of a small statue of Christ in a garden behind the church. I had passed ...

2562. Facing Our Fears with Faith

Matthew 10: 27-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Americans will never taste security and safety unless we feel security and safety in our land," said Osama bin Laden a few weeks ago in a video shown around the world. It is the purpose of terrorists to terrorize and it appears these criminals have succeeded in making Americans more fearful than ever before. Never again will we board a plane, open a letter, or enter a stadium with the kind of innocence we assumed before September 11th. How will we learn to live with this kind of fear? To fear or not to ...

2563. By Faith

1 Peter 1:3-9

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

One thing I have quit doing the last couple of years is cleaning gutters. Every time I mention it, Sandy immediately hires someone to do it and sends me the bill. Maybe she has heard me tell this story too many times. A certain husband was cleaning leaves off his roof when he slipped and fell. As he slid off the edge, he managed to grasp the gutter for dear life. Dangling there between the heavens above and earth below, the frightened homeowner cried out, “Can somebody up there help me?" Quick came the ...

2564. Family Matters

Romans 8:12-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

As the lights in the movie theater dimmed, a young man loaded down with popcorn, cokes and candy paced up and down the aisle, scanning the darkened rows. It was obvious he was looking for the person or persons with whom he had come. After three or four unsuccessful trips he finally stopped and asked loudly, "Does anybody here recognize me?" (1) It's horrible not to be recognized isn't it? It's horrible to feel alone and cut off. Being recognized means you're connected, part of the family and that someone ...

2565. Eyes To See, Ears To Hear

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

James McCormick

Years ago, when I first began the Christian journey, like most people, I understood faith as “belief”. I believe that there is a God, therefore I have faith. Very soon I came to understand that that is not enough. In fact, belief alone can be irrelevant. For example, I may believe that there is intelligent life somewhere out there in space. But, so what? That has nothing to do with how I live my life every day. It’s irrelevant. Just so, many people believe that there is a God, but that belief does not ...

2566. A New Name

Isaiah 62:1-5

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

Let's play a game. I am going to say a name and you think about that person. What emotions does the name bring to mind? What nostalgic feature? What accomplishments do you remember about them or what negatives have they produced in your thinking? Abraham Lincoln Eve Tommy Dorsey Joan of Arc Paul the apostle Amelia Earhart Mohammad Ali Albert Einstein Mary the Mother of Jesus Osama bin Laden Mother Teresa Now think of the names of people in your life who have influenced you parents grandparents other ...

2567. When There’s Nothing Left To Do But Mourn

Jeremiah 8:18—9:1

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

When a person is diagnosed with a serious disorder, one that threatens their very existence, life as we know it is turned upside down. There is research to conduct about traditional and alternative treatments. There are specialists with whom to consult. Sometimes there are changes in lifestyle and in priorities to be considered, as Tim McGraw sang in his 2004 hit, "Live Like You Were Dying." I have watched this process in many parishioners over the years. Quite often everyone, including the person with ...

2568. Israel to Reap the Whirlwind

Hosea 8:1-14

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

Israel Shall Reap What She Sows (8:1-7a): As is frequently the case with Hosea, it is very difficult to know how to divide chapter 8 into its separate oracles. From a form-critical standpoint, verses 1–3 could form an independent unit because they include summons, accusation, and judgment. But they are intimately linked to what follows by their subject matter. Verse 4 spells out the two primary ways in which Israel has rejected what is good (v. 3). It is then connected with verse 5 by the repetition of the ...

2569. Jesus as True King of Israel

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18, Matthew 2:1-12

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Matthew contrasts Jesus’ identity as the Messiah—the true King who enacts Israel’s return from exile—with Rome’s client-king, Herod, affirming Jesus’ identity through Old Testament testimony, God’s protection, and worship of Jesus by the Gentile magi. Understanding the Text Matthew 2 narrates the political threat that Jesus’ birth creates for Herod and the ensuing need for Jesus’ family to flee the country. After time in Egypt, they return, settling in Nazareth. Themes of God’s protection and ...

2570. Witnesses of the New Covenant

Romans 12:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul challenges believers to be witnesses of the new covenant by distancing themselves from this age and by being transformed in their minds so that they can fulfill the will of God. Understanding the Text Romans 12:1–2 is, in genre, parenetic (exhortational) material. The basis of Paul’s challenge to the Roman Christians (and us as well) is the mercy of God—that is, the blessings of the new covenant delineated in 3:21–11:36: justification, sanctification, glorification, and so forth. Thus, the ...

2571. What's a Human Book?

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever wanted to trade lives with someone else for a day or two? I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Freaky Friday series of movies. The first one came out in 1976. Since then, three more versions of the movie have been made. Freaky Friday is about a mother and daughter who wake up one morning to discover they have magically traded lives. For one day, mother and daughter get a rare opportunity to see life through the other’s eyes. In the span of that one day, they each develop a sense of ...

2572. We Live in Hope

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Bonnie Bates

Good morning! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Happy Easter! Several times this week I have revised this sermon message, wanting to incorporate the emotions of this Holy Week, to understand the last week as a journey with Jesus and the disciples. The joy and triumph of Palm Sunday quickly seems to move into the intimacy of Maundy Thursday with its meal shared among friends, the servant leader Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, and the breaking of bread and sharing of cup. We then quickly move ...

2573. Allowing God To Do A New Thing

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

There was a pilot with three passengers -- a boy scout, a priest, and an atomic scientist -- and a plane that developed engine trouble in mid-flight. The pilot rushed back to the passenger compartment and exclaimed, "The plane is going down! We have only three parachutes, and there are four of us! I have a family waiting for me at home. I must survive!" With that, he grabbed one of the parachutes and jumped out of the plane. The atomic scientist jumped to his feet at this point and declared, "I am the ...

2574. Whom Shall We Obey?

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A three-year-old girl had not felt well for close to a week. She had a runny nose and a cough. Her mother took her to the doctor. The doctor asked her if her throat hurt. The little girl said, "Yes, it's been hurting all week!" The doctor then asked, "Can you point to where it hurts for me?" The little girl emphatically said, "Right here." Then she proceeded to rub her stomach. It is easy to get confused in life, isn't it? I wonder how many of us fully understand Christ's expectations of us. Even the parts ...

2575. Transforming Love

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

Edwin Markham's little poem has so much to say to us about the ability of love to transform. He drew a circle that shut me out -- Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in.1 One of the most amazing stories to come out of the Bible is the account of Saul's life. Through this story we see a leading opponent of the church being transformed into the church's greatest advocate. In today's passage of scripture, we encounter the conversion experience of ...

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