Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2576 to 2600 of 5000 results

2576. When You Are Weary

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

One of the amazing facts about the human race is how alike we all are. We share most of the same hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes. Even in a world of almost 8 billion people, there are certain universal things that most people agree on. To prove this, I’m going to read a series of statements. If you agree that a statement is true in your life, raise your hand. Here’s the first one: I’m a really good singer in the shower or in my car. Here’s the second: My pet understands me when I talk to it. Or: my ...

2577. The Gift of Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Jim Talley and Terry Benner in their book True Colors tell the story of a man named Joe who decided to take an afternoon walk through the foothills just above a lake where he had been fishing. Joe was comfortably dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his leg as he stepped over a small log. It was then he noticed a large diamondback rattler slithering into the undergrowth beside the log. He looked down at his leg and saw that he was bleeding from two small ...

2578. Division of the House

Matthew 10:24-39

Sermon

William G. Carter

The more we read the Bible, the more we see things we might wish Jesus never said. This passage is one of them: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Did any of us come to church today to hear him say that? This is the season for family reunions. Most of us have been in gatherings that include fathers, mothers, grandparents, and children. It it is somewhat disturbing to come to church today and hear Jesus say, “I have come to set a man ...

2579. Love And Boundaries

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

William G. Carter

Let’s face it. This story is difficult to understand. I have been struggling with it all week. But then I heard a short phrase that offered some help. I am not sure if the phrase came to me in a dream or a conversation. I cannot recall if I heard in a Top 40 tune or a country and western song. Nevertheless the phrase has given me an angle to understand this text. The phrase is “love with boundaries.” Have you ever heard those words? Have you ever used them yourself? Before I read this story, it never ...

2580. Mary's Complaint

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

I suppose you have had the chance to watch at least a little television during these busy days before Christmas. Have you noticed that the news programs are carrying more stories about unfortunate people these days... people who have lost their homes, people who are facing debilitating disease, people who seem to have had their whole world fall in on them? Have you noticed that? I understand why: somehow the plight of desperate folks seems all the more desperate in the midst of what should be a season of ...

2581. Wherever The Messiah Is

Matthew 16:13-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

When you were a little kid, did you have a favorite super hero? The kind of super hero that you could read about in the comic books? Batman was pretty cool, sticking to the shadows of night but full of ingenuity and agility. He had all those nifty gadgets in his utility belt! Or there was The Flash, who could run faster than the speed of light. Or the Incredible Hulk with his radioactive strength. Of course, the favorite for a lot of us was Superman. Faster than a speeding locomotive, he could leap tall ...

2582. Human Things

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” ~Abraham Lincoln We have a mantra in our society: power corrupts. Lord Acton, 19th-century British historian noted that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”[1] He recognizes this in examining the travesties of the Inquisition, in which religiously zealous people of faith took it upon themselves to dictate the “kingdom of God” on their own terms. The result? Bloodshed, torture, travesty, evil. From the ...

2583. Template for Reconciliation

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Steve Molin

Every pastor can tell a story of a church fight; some pastors have multiple volumes from which to choose. Arguments over the color of carpeting in the fellowship hall is a popular one; anything the youth director does is fair game for criticism, and whenever there is a question about the inappropriate handling of church finances, even the least active member of the congregation demands an explanation. These topics of conflict are not immaterial; any issue is an important issue for somebody. But these ...

2584. God's GPS

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

When was the last time you got lost? Was this the result of human error or technological error? Or both? Last year, a news station in Indonesia broadcast a story about an Indonesian groom who went to the wrong wedding and almost married the wrong woman because of an error by Google Maps. It appears that this was an arranged marriage, so the prospective bride and groom did not realize the mistake. Family members from the two families discovered the mistake as they chatted before the wedding. Fortunately, ...

2585. Avoiding the “F” Word

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Growing up, we are taught never to use the “F” word. We all know what that means. It’s simply not “nice” language. Not “relational” language. We’re taught that the way we speak matters, that the words we use can either make or break our most important relationships. These kinds of lessons help us to navigate our emotional and relational world. If we want to build bridges instead of burning them down, it helps to use appropriate words, even when we feel angry and bitter. In our western culture, we’re taught ...

2586. When Payday Comes

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Steven Molin

Dear friends in Christ, grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and his Son, our Lord Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. He walked into my office with all the confidence of corporate CEO, this fifteen-year old confirmation student. Without much fanfare, he announced, “I don’t think Mike Stevens should be confirmed.” I didn’t know Randy well; I had only been the pastor of that church for about four months, but it was clear that he and Mike had a little competition going between them. Randy grew up in that ...

2587. Obstructions of the Heart

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way.” --Isaiah 57:14 (ESV) Obstructions of the Heart. Sounds like something from a medical manual, doesn’t it? Yet, removing obstructions of the heart was an important part of ...

2588. Jesus Gets a Business Card

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Mary Austin

There’s a lot of talk these days in the non-profit and business world these days about “elevator speeches.” If we run into someone in an elevator, and they ask about our cause, our start-up business, or our church, we should be able to give a quick summary, short enough to fit the elevator ride. When people ask about my church, I say something like: “Gaithersburg is a multi-cultural church with members from over thirty countries, so living together is fun and full of things to learn.” If we’re going to the ...

2589. I Want To Remind You — Easter Sunday

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Sermon

John B. Jamison

We have heard it before, but let’s hear the story again. The law of Moses said that if a person was killed by hanging on a tree, their body must not be left there overnight but must be buried before sundown. The Romans in charge of the crucifixion did not care at all about what Moses said, and usually left the bodies hanging there for the animals to remove. That set the best example for people walking past to understand what happened to criminals against Rome. But, maybe it was Joseph of Arimathea, an ...

2590. We're On the Move Now!

Sermon

Ronald Love

The Seven-Day Adventist denomination celebrated their 150-year anniversary in May 1994. Yet, they looked upon it as a failure, for their denomination was founded upon the principle of the immediate return of Jesus. Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, the denomination’s director of education, said, “It’s almost an embarrassment to be celebrating 150 years.” Michael Ryan, a vice-president, said, “In one kind of way it really is a sad event.” Paul expected the immediate return of Jesus, and this influenced much of his ...

2591. Saved!

Ephesians 2:1-10

Children's Sermon

Various Authors

Object: A rope I brought some rope with me this morning to help me tell a story. The story is about a boy about your age whose name was Robert. Robert went with some friends to a place his mother had told him not to go near ― the river. It was usually a calm river ― but deep. This day, however, was different. The water was high and flowing swiftly because of the melting snow upstream. Robert and his friends loved putting floating things in the river to see how fast the water would take them away. Robert ...

2592. Love by Action!

1 John 3:16-24

Children's Sermon

Various Authors

Object: a receipt Good morning, boys and girls. (Hold up the cash register receipt, ask the question and let them answer.) Do any of you know what this is? You get it at the grocery store. When your parents buy groceries, the person at the cash register puts one of these in your grocery bag. It is called a receipt. It lists everything that you bought at the grocery store. When it is very long, it means that you bought many things. I want to tell you a story about someone who went to the grocery store and ...

2593. The Interpretation of the Dream

Daniel 7:15-28

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Four Beastly Kingdoms and God’s Kingdom: Daniel 7 is centrally located in the book; it is also of central importance. It functions as a transitional unit, providing a hinge that connects the two halves of the work. Chapter 7 is tied to what precedes by its language: it is part of the Aramaic section, which runs from Daniel 2:4b through 7:28. It is also part of the chiastic structure of chapters 2–7 (see “Stage Three” under “Language Problem and Literary Development” in the Introduction), which have ...

2594. Blessings for a Defiled People

Haggai 2:10-19

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

December: More than two more months have passed; the day of the final prophecies by Haggai that are recorded, the 24th day of the ninth month (December) is exactly three months from the day when people began the work on the temple, on the 24th day of the sixth month (September, Hag. 1:15). The festival of Hanukkah, commemorating the rededication of the temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, was subsequently set to begin on the day after this, on the 25th day of the ninth month (December), ...

2595. New Life Goes On

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

David Coffin

The experience is worse than any walk of shame one sees for people being voted off the program in any television reality show. A woman who is in her upper middle ages had been working in her mid-level management office job for twelve years. She had done all of the right things. She had both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in her field. Her colleagues enjoyed her, as did the people who worked in her department whom she supervised. She kept a cordial relationship with upper management. She wore company ...

2596. Shake It Off

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

June 21, 2024, Taylor Swift arrived at Wembley Stadium in London to perform her astonishingly popular “Eras Tour” concert. That same Friday, before the weekend shows began, the royal family shared a video on Instagram of the royal guard (usually silent and staid) joyfully rocking it to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” The band formed a semi-circle right in front of Buckingham Palace during the change of the guard. What a wonderful display of Britain’s youthful and fun-loving spirit. Later, social media ...

2597. When the Rules Change

7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

David Coffin

A couple who lived in separate apartments fell in love and decided to get married. However, both of their parents informed them that they would have to finance their own wedding, reception and honeymoon. In the good old days in that community, it was one of the couples’ parents who carried much of the financial burden for weddings. The couple decided it was prudent to live together in one apartment, and use the money saved for their wedding plans. For the more traditional people in their church, this is ...

2598. Touched by God

Luke 1:46-55

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Something strange happened to Mary. We all hear the story about Jesus’ birth each year, and we celebrate the coming birth of the Christ child, the Son of God, Emmanuel. We sing songs of hope, love, and joy. We think good thoughts and get ready to celebrate with family and friends, with candlelight and cookies. We feel warm and good inside, extra magnanimous, extra kind. At least some of us do. But long, long ago, before the celebration, God put Mary into an uncompromising position. This happens to us too – ...

2599. Against All Odds

Luke 14:25-33

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In 2009, Simon Sinek came out with both a TED talk and book that changed the way business leaders looked at how to motivate their employees to support the company’s vision and work together toward company goals. They wanted to encourage company loyalty in a world in which job change had become common and wanted to ensure that their employees had the company’s best interests in mind. They also wanted to cultivate a loyal customer base, encourage others to try their brand, and cultivate new groups of buyers ...

2600. The Three Tenses Of Our Faith

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Douglas J. Deuel

A family with young children went on a two-week vacation from Washington, D.C., to Arizona. They were traveling to see parents and grandparents. They faced a long plane ride with three youngsters. Since they had children, they were allowed to pre-board the airplane. As soon as the family had settled into their seats, their three-year-old son asked, "Are we going to take off now, Dad?" His dad said, "No, not yet." About thirty seconds later, the boy asked, "Are we going to take off now, Dad?" "No," his dad ...

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