Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2626 to 2650 of 4977 results

2626. Significance in Life

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

... are looking at a person who is unhappy. I remember one time I was walking along Times Square in New York, and I passed a little bar that had a sign hanging outside which read: "Come on in. There is never any dull lull in here." Well, that was quite a claim. I thought I ought to investigate, so I went in. What did I see? A picture of human happiness? The customers were sitting along on the bar stools staring at themselves in the bar mirror with obvious distaste. The bartenders were looking back at them with ...

2627. To Receive or Worship?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

... Sir Walter Raleigh, in spreading his beautiful cape on the muddy ground for Queen Victoria to walk upon, is well known. We do not have the opportunity to stand in a great throng and greet Christ by throwing a garment in the road. But we are to carry out a quite similar gesture. We are to give up our treasures, our time and talents and money, and lay them at his feet. By acts of love we are to prepare a way for him to win human hearts. In this way we will appreciate in his grand, triumphal march through the ...

2628. He Came to His Senses

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

... taken place - and the elder is self-righteous, even vindictive or just hurt and stung by a perceived wrong. The younger is bewildered and overwhelmed by the reception. The father comes out and, upon verbal attack by the older brother, talks about his love for both. I did this once, quite successfully; but a warning: it does take careful preparation.

2629. Saints With Crooked Haloes

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Uriah in a dangerous battlefield position and then pull back support from him. Uriah was killed as a direct result of David's command. Then David took Bathsheba as an additional wife. For more than a year, nothing happened. Even the gossips around the palace quit talking about what David had done. A few cynics were probably saying, "I told you nothing would happen. Kings can make their own rules." But the Bible says that the Lord was displeased. He sent his resident holy man Nathan to tell David a made ...

2630. A Teddy Bear and Christmas

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... becoming great friends. In fact, the surgeon was almost as excited as the family about the possibilities of this surgery. Somehow there was a good chemistry of friendship and trust between physician and Tony. When the surgery was completed, Tony was heavily bandaged and had to remain quite still for a number of days. That is very hard for a 7 year old. But each day the surgeon was in an out of the room encouraging him. Finally came the day for removing the bandages. For the first time in seven years of life ...

2631. The Stepfather of God

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... unclear. Joseph is the patron saint for all of us who must live by faith in difficult and uncertain times. Some of you know Charles Allen, that great preacher from Georgia, who served so long at First united Methodist Church in Houston. Though he has been retired quite a while, he is still proclaiming the Word in his matchless style. Dr. Allen still gets nervous when he has to fly. One of his friends reprimanded him gently, saying, "Charles, that shows a lack of faith. Didn't the Lord promise to be with you ...

2632. Our Inclusive Christ

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... well was a frontal attack on the prevailing racism of his day. I am convinced that the Church is the only institution in America with a realistic chance to heal our racial divisions. Even as we speak, the churches in the Millington area are trying quite courageously to be a healing, reconciling influence. If we are going to help all races in Memphis to appreciate each other, we as a church must become more representative of our city. We need more ethnic minority persons in Christ Church. I refuse to accept ...

2633. When God Is Your Guide

Acts 20:13-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... you what the preacher talked about today, you will have an easy answer. It is this: When God is your guide, any road is good. Let's repeat that together: When God is your guide, any road is good. The great jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, when quite old, was catching a train one day. The conductor stood in front of him waiting for his ticket. Judge Holmes was searching through all his pockets trying to find it. The conductor, knowing Judge Holmes, said, "No problem, sir. I know you have the ticket somewhere ...

2634. The Level Ground Beneath The Cross

Romans 3:21-31, Romans 3:9-20

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... By Jesus Christ. One of the most wonderful sentences in the New Testament runs from verse 23 through verse 25. Of course, Paul had a fondness for long sentences. He was like the man who knew how to spell "Mississippi" but he just didn't know when to quit. Listen to this glorious word: "...since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by ...

2635. Our Unmanageable God (The Second Commandment)

Exodus 20:1-21, Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Baptist Church to the Methodist. She made the mistake of telling her Aunt Betty about her plans. Aunt Betty could be described as a hard-shell Baptist. She was horrified that her niece would consider leaving the only truly correct denomination. Aunt Betty ranted and raved for quite a while. Finally, her niece said, "Aunt Betty, if you can show me in the Bible where it says that only Baptists can go to heaven, then I won't change." Aunt Betty replied sadly, "Oh, I don't suppose you have to be a Baptist to ...

2636. Because He Lives

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... the entire year is Easter. To declare the Good News of resurrection is the ultimate thrill for a preacher. It's even better than being a baseball fan in Yankee Stadium or a mountain climber on Mount Everest or a blues singer on Beale Street. No news is quite so good as "He lives!" 1995 will always be a special year for me because I have had three Easters. The first one I shared with you back in April when over 5000 of us celebrated resurrection in five great services (count them, one on Saturday night and ...

2637. Reverence For Life

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... capital punishment. The fact that I represent a minority position does not bother me. I had a dear friend and golfing buddy who often argued this issue with me. His last name was Durham, and, of course, he picked up the nickname "Bull." Bull was retired military and quite conservative. Bull assured me that capital punishment was both wise and Biblical. I had a dream one night which I knew I had to share with Bull even though I hated to. In that dream I went to heaven. It was just as wonderful as I thought ...

2638. This Adulterous Generation

Matthew 5:27-30, Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... most vulnerable level. Children suddenly find their parents' relationship, the floor of their security, shaking beneath them. Little innocent children get torn up emotionally. What follows in the wake of adultery is about the nearest thing to hell on earth. Proverbs 6 is quite correct: "The man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys his own soul." You don't break the seventh commandment; it breaks you. Surely most of us remember that wedding of the century, the marriage of Princess Diana and ...

2639. Adultery, Cure and Prevention

Proverbs 7:1-27, John 8:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... lives to drift into dull routine, about as exciting as raking leaves. We owe it to God, to our spouses, and to ourselves to be great lovers. But the unmet need in a marriage might not be sexual. It could be an ego need. King Solomon was quite perceptive in Proverbs 7 when he described how a wayward, licentious wife lures a young man into adultery. It was not her charms that were so alluring. Solomon wrote, "He couldn't resist her flattery." Perhaps the worst failing among married people is that they don't ...

2640. "Almost" Is A Sad Word

Matthew 19:16-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." That gives me a slight touch of the "willies" every time I read it. What if Jesus were to tell you or me in a vision too real to deny: "Son or daughter, I want you to quit your job, sell your house, cash in your investments, and become a missionary." I always try to be mighty gentle with the Rich Young Ruler because I'm glad Jesus doesn't deliver the same challenge to me. Jesus was not saying that all persons should liquidate their material ...

2641. Controlling Our Cravings

Luke 12:13-21, Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... know where his next meal is coming from. Conversely, if one does not have these three, not all the money on earth will be able to relieve one's misery. A little boy was trying to recite the 23rd Psalm one morning in Sunday School. He didn't get it quite right, or maybe he did. He said, "The Lord is my shepherd; that's all I want." Denis Waitley, in his book "Timing Is Everything," tells about a wealthy man who lost his wife when their only child was young. The widower hired a governess to serve as a nanny ...

2642. Glorious Surprises

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... up a cross will seem to be senseless masochism. Justice Scalia of the Supreme Court said recently, "We must pray for the courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world. You know, the wise do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. It is quite absurd to them." Most people cannot receive God's gifts because their spiritual dial is set on the channel of the world rather than God's channel. Here is the third truth I want to declare: ANY CHRISTIAN CAN LIVE A SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE. Most Christians ...

2643. The Waiting Game

Sermon

James Bjorge

... , before their oil ran out. But they were wrong. The third trap of waiting is tightness. People who cannot relax are said to be uptight. It is sort of a state of inner panic. We all know what it is like when pressures start building and we’re not quite ready to deliver the goods. Now God does not want us to get uptight about his coming again. The five wise maidens were sleeping when the bridegroom’s coming was announced with a cry in the night. Why shouldn’t they be? They were ready and waiting. Panic ...

2644. A Gospel that Fills the Glove

Sermon

James Bjorge

... need in his life, he usually becomes open for an answer or solution. A little five-year-old boy sees no need at Christmas time for a volume of encyclopedias. He would be unimpressed and unreceptive to such a gift. However, a bouncing little puppy would be quite another thing. The lad would respond with glee to such a gift for he sees a need, a use, for such an expression of love. The encyclopedias would hardly make the headlines of "good news" for the boy. Good news can only be defined subjectively as that ...

2645. Christmas Concern

Sermon

James Bjorge

... ! He came to care for us ... to stand by us in the trenches of human existence ... to identify with our longings and yearnings. To top it all off he has the power to forgive our sins and set us free to be the sons and daughters of God. That is quite a gift. He not only gave us a portion of himself but gave his total self. For this reason the visit of the Heavenly Guest is the pivotal point of all the festivities and fun of Christmas cheer. I know not how the Bethlehem Babe Could in the Godhead be ...

2646. No Withdrawal

Sermon

James Bjorge

... get ready for next year. God came to stay. He wants his birthday party extended around the calendar. He wants the Christmas style to become a life-style. Lots of love, thinking of others, expressing it with gifts, family gatherings, worship celebrations ... that could make quite a full year of real living. People feel good at Christmas time. It is no wonder, for they are doing the things that make for good feeling. Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." It works! Walking out of your front ...

2647. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

1 Kings 18:16-46

Sermon

Don Yocom

... again. Finally, on the seventh look, the servant reported, "There arises a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand." Elijah sent the servant to the King to report that rain was coming. It came in great clouds and with much wind. It must have been quite a cloudburst. The need of this hour of spiritual drought is a revival of real religion like a mighty downpour of rain on the dusty ground. As the gospel song writer said, "Mercy drops round us are falling But for the showers we plead." We must do as ...

2648. Nebuchadnezzar and the Feet of Clay

Daniel 2:24-49

Sermon

Don Yocom

... worth noting. The message of the prophet Daniel is so valuable that we can gain insights into events of our day as well as of the day when it was first written. The prophecy, based on a dream of a huge image with feet of clay, is quite appropriate for the last third of the Twentieth Century. In fact, how many nations or persons do not have "feet of clay?" King Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned several times in the Scripture because he had various effects on Jewish history. He is well-remembered as the king who ...

2649. Solomon and the Outline for Renewal

2 Chronicles 7:11-22

Sermon

Don Yocom

... assigned some boring detail, such as KP duty. Then to the remaining recruits, the sergeant said, "Those of you that don’t know anything don’t have to do anything." It is easy to observe that the next time these soldiers were lined up, they were all quite humble AND IGNORANT! Don’t misunderstand me. I do not mean humility that is a passive sort of weakness either, but rather keeping our lives in control so that the greatest power in the world can work through us. We cannot have renewal until we are ...

2650. Abraham and the Meaning of Consecration

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

Don Yocom

... and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:8-10). For God asked Abraham to give up his most precious possession, his son born in his old age. That was quite a test! Consecration does not mean a token gift. Nor does it mean we will be free of life’s challenges. It does mean surrender of the most valuable possessions of life, to Almighty God. Part of the answer to a test is one’s faith. Abraham had ...

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