Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2626 to 2650 of 4935 results

2626. Meet in the Middle

2 Cor. 5:18-19

Illustration

Tim Kimmel

Shortly after the turn of the century, Japan invaded, conquered, and occupied Korea. Of all of their oppressors, Japan was the most ruthless. They overwhelmed the Koreans with a brutality that would sicken the strongest of stomachs. Their crimes against women and children were inhuman. Many Koreans live today with the physical and emotional scars from the Japanese occupation. One group singled out for concentrated oppression was the Christians. When the Japanese army overpowered Korea one of the first ...

2627. The Missing Figure in the Nativity Scene

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

A three-year-old was helping his mother unpack their nativity set. He announced each piece as he unwrapped it from the tissue paper. “Here’s the donkey!” he said. “Here’s a king and a camel!” When he finally got to the tiny infant lying in a manger he proclaimed, “Here’s baby Jesus in his car seat!” Well, it wasn’t a car seat, but that would be an easy mistake to make, wouldn’t it? We all love nativity scenes. Baby Jesus in the manger . . . Mary and Joseph hovering reverently over the holy child . . . ...

2628. Epiphany

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12, Ephesians 3:1-12

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: I’m so glad we’re here together! Today’s the day we want to be wise and know just where to locate God. People: This is Epiphany, the day when we are magi and bring our best gifts to God. Leader: God quite clearly is here — People: in each of us! Leader: We have hopes that when the stars shine just right, we will find the baby who grows up to be our teacher and guide. People: We will search like the ancient men and women until we find some tangible evidence of God being at home with ...

2629. Passing the Test

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

"Students, it is time to get out your pencils, close your books and remove any notes from your desks. The test is about to begin." Those are words that make us shudder, our hearts start to pound and the palms of our hands begin to sweat. From our earliest days in school, we all have had to learn to deal with tests. It may begin with a simple first grade spelling test. But it doesn't take too long before it morphs into ISTEP, the SAT, the Bar, the Boards, or a doctoral qualifying exam. Or it might be as ...

2630. Discerning In Love

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Many people have come to rely on Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to travel from one place to another. GPS is especially helpful when you are traveling in an area that you are unfamiliar with. By typing in the address of your destination, the GPS will inform you where and when to turn. If you miss a turn it will recalculate your position and get you back on course. The GPS will get you to your destination in one piece and in the same condition you were in when you left. While there is a definite advantage ...

2631. An Announcement for a New Year

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

This is the last Sunday of 2014. Next Sunday is the year of our Lord 2015. My guess is that for some of us that hardly seems possible. Wasn’t it just yesterday when we were in a tizzy over Y2K and the beginning of a new millennium? On the other hand, it seems like a life-time ago. Besides, according to the ballyhooed Mayan calendar, the world should have ended December 21, 2012. [And according to Hal Lindsay and The Late, Great Planet Earth and numerous Left Behind books by Tim LaHaye, we should all have ...

2632. Building a New Team

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

When Vince Lombardi was hired as head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1958, the team was in dismal shape. A single win in season play the year before had socked the club solidly into the basement of the NFL, and sportscasters everywhere used it as the butt of loser jokes. But Lombardi picked and pulled and prodded and trained and disciplined the players into becoming a winning team. They were NFL champions in three consecutive seasons, and took the game honors for the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi was ...

2633. Brushing Your Teeth with Oreos

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Having a family is a challenge. One poor mom described the challenge she has keeping a clean house like this, “Cleaning house with kids around,” she said, “is like brushing your teeth with Oreos.” Yucky! Sounds kind of gross to me. Those of you with small children, however, will have to tell me if she got it right. Humorist Robert Orben asks, “Who can ever forget Winston Churchill’s immortal words: ‘We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in ...

2634. Drought, Famine, Sword

Jeremiah 14:1--15:21

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

The Drought (14:1-10): Boda (“From Complaint to Contrition: Peering through the Liturgical Window of Jer 14, 1–15, 4,” ZAW 113 [2001], pp. 186–97) has persuasively argued that the unit 14:1–15:4 reflects a transformation from lament to penitential prayer. He believes that the chapter reflects a public liturgy led by Jeremiah to unsuccessfully avert God’s coming judgment anticipated by a drought. While there are debates whether 14:1–16 and 14:17–15:4 are connected, he rightly points to the allusion to ...

2635. At the Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Jeremiah 20:1-6

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Jeremiah’s First Trip to the Potter (18:1-23): Though observed by Jeremiah rather than performed by Jeremiah, we now hear of another prophetic action that illustrates the prophet’s verbal message. Jeremiah 18:1–4 narrates the action while 18:5–10 interprets the general significance of the action. Verses 11–12 apply the teaching of the general principle specifically to Judah and Judah’s negative response to God’s call for repentance. A poetic oracle registering surprise at the people’s unwillingness to ...

2636. A Message About Egypt

Jeremiah 46:1-28

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Oracles against the Nations: The next six chapters contain Jeremiah’s oracles against the nations. We are reminded that Jeremiah’s commission appointed him not just over Judah, but “over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (1:10). Similar types of oracles may be found in Isaiah 13–23; Ezekiel 25–32; Amos 1–2; Nahum, and Obadiah. Up to this point, his prophecies have been directed toward Judah announcing judgment against God’s people because they ...

2637. A Squirrel Crossing a Busy Street

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

There’s a ridiculous story going around about a man trying to cross the street. However, when he steps off the curb a car comes screaming around the corner and heads straight for him. The man walks faster, trying to hurry across the street, but the car changes lanes and is still coming at him. So the guy turns around to go back, but the car changes lanes again and is still coming at him. By now, the car is so close and the man so scared that he just stops in the middle of the road. The car gets real close ...

2638. Offerings for Priests and Levites

Deuteronomy 18:1-8

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

Leadership in Israel: Priests and Prophets: After the two sections on “secular” leadership (the judge and the king 16:18–17:20), we now have two sections on the “spiritual” leadership provided by the priest and the prophet. Priests and Levites The responsibilities of the tribe of Levi were broadly twofold: the service of the sanctuary, especially the role of the priests at the altar; and the preservation and teaching of the law (cf. Lev. 10:11; Deut. 10:8; 33:10; 2 Chron. 15:3; 17:8f.; 35:3; Neh. 8:7–9). ...

2639. A Prophecy Against Gog

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

Gog of Magog: Both Gog and his kingdom, Magog, are a mystery. Apart from Ezekiel 38–39, the name “Gog” appears in the Old Testament only in 1 Chronicles 5:4, where Gog is a descendant of Reuben—clearly not the foreign ruler Ezekiel describes. Magog appears in Genesis 10:2//1 Chronicles 1:5 as second in the list of nations descended from Japheth, youngest son of Noah, whose descendants populate the lands north of Israel. These texts group Magog with other nations in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), ...

2640. The Warrior Messiah Conquers the Two Beasts and Their Followers

Revelation 19:1-21

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus, the Warrior Messiah, will return in power and glory to conquer his enemies. Understanding the Text In this passage, God’s final victory over evil continues to unfold (19:6–20:15). After the announcement of the Lamb’s wedding in 19:6–10, we read of Christ’s second coming in 19:11–21. He is portrayed throughout this passage as Warrior, Judge, and King, who returns in glory and power to defeat his enemies and establish his universal reign. The first part of this unit (19:11–16) emphasizes ...

2641. David Flees to Gath—Again

1 Samuel 27:1-12

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: When faith wavers, the Lord’s chosen servants sometimes compromise their identity and resort to desperate measures that place them in a precarious position. Understanding the Text Convinced that Saul will never really abandon his quest to kill him, David, for the second time in the story, seeks asylum with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (cf. 1 Sam. 21:9–15). On the first occasion David was alone, got cold feet, and left in fear. But on this second occasion, he has his own private army with ...

2642. “In God I Trust and Am Not Afraid. What Can Mere Mortals Do to Me?”

Psalm 56:1-13

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: To ask God to store our tears “in his bottle” is to affirm our trust in God’s attentive care to the detail of our miseries. Understanding the Text Psalm 56 is an individual lament that, suggested by the Greek and Aramaic translations of “A Dove on Distant Oaks,” came to be used as a community lament (see the comments on the title below). As is often the case with laments, the psalm is tempered by statements of trust (56:3, 4, 11), so much so that we would not go entirely wrong if we called it an ...

2643. Pop Verses: Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Today I continue our series “Pop Verses.” We are taking a closer look at some of the most popular Bible verses. We are going to find out why they are so popular and how they apply to our lives. What you might discover is that some of these verses don’t mean what you think they mean or they mean a lot more than you think they mean. You see, quite often our favorites verses are just that – they’re verses. They’re not read in light of the passage in which they appear. This can lead to a misunderstanding about ...

2644. Jesus and John the Baptist

Matthew 11:1-19

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

11:1–6 Verse 1 of chapter 11 marks the transition to a new section in Matthew’s Gospel. Once again we find the same formula that was used at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (kai egeneto hote etelesen ho Iēsous; cf. 7:28). Up to this point the public ministry of Jesus has met with success. Now the atmosphere changes, and hostility begins to manifest itself. Having finished giving instructions to the Twelve, Jesus departs (apparently alone) to teach and preach in nearby towns. From this point on, healings ...

2645. Some Things I've Learned Since I Knew It All

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Have you ever suffered from "sophomoritis"? It's not a physical disease, like arthritis. It's a spiritual disease many college sophomores get when they get filled up with knowledge, come home on a vacation, and act like they know more than the folks around whom they grew up, especially their parents and younger siblings. That happened to a young man named Adam. He was studying to be an engineer at the University of Illinois in Urbana. On Christmas break, he got quite caught up with himself and started ...

2646. The Trajectory of God’s Grace

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

When I was in junior high, I “inherited” a winter coat from my Uncle George (who is only three years older than I am). It was a very expensive coat and looked practically new, so I knew George hadn’t worn it. The reason was obvious: it was an extremely thick, long ski jacket that made the wearer look like a pregnant, black polar bear. The fur that covered the whole coat had to be four or five inches long. The really sad thing was that the satin lining had a terrific embroidered snow eagle. I would have ...

2647. Turf Fights and Rewrites: That's What Stiff-Necked People Are Made Of

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails….that’s what little boys are made of.” (Nursery Rhyme) Anyone ever try to give a pill to a dog or cat? Dogs are especially astute at eating an entire bowl of food and leaving the small miniscule pellet still in the dish. Ever notice that? They’re masters at it! Try to mix the pill into their food, and phewy …you realize he just spat it out, and get this --it’s still whole! It’s a struggle to get Rover or Fido or Lola to take the medicine that you know will relieve them ...

2648. It's Hard to Be an Atheist with Neighbors Like That

Matthew 9:35-38

Sermon

King Duncan

Patrick Greene was known by his neighbors in Henderson County, Texas as a professed atheist. He was notorious for threatening to sue Henderson County each year over the courthouse manger scene at Christmas time. The reason? Greene says his experience with Christians through the years was of narrow-minded individuals who treated him unkindly. “My wife and I had never had a Christian do anything nice for us,” Greene said. “Just the opposite.” That changed when the 63-year-old Greene learned he had a detached ...

2649. The Lord Is With Us

Luke 1:26-38, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

I would be the last person to tell you that the Bible is an easy book to read. How many dear, devout souls have resolved to read the Bible straight through, from Genesis to Revelation, only to fall away after a couple of chapters? It's not only that the Bible is an ancient book, written in ancient tongues. One of the most distressing aspects of biblical religion is the way it shuttles back and forth between the earthly and the eternal, the fleshly and the spiritual. Oh, there are parts of the Bible which ...

2650. Faces at a Funeral

John 18:1-19:42

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

During the nineteenth century, all Oxford graduates were required to translate a portion of the Greek New Testament aloud. Oscar Wilde was assigned this passage from the passion story of Jesus. His translation was fluent and accurate. Satisfied with his skill, the examiners told him he could stop. But he ignored them and continued to translate. Several times more they tried to call a halt to his reading. Finally he looked up and said, “Oh, do let me go on! I want to see how it ends!” We need to read this ...

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