Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2651 to 2675 of 4933 results

2651. The Key That Unlocks the Door to Spiritual Power

Mark 14:36

Sermon

James Merritt

One of my heroes is Winston Churchill. In my opinion, he was one of the two or three greatest men of the Twentieth Century. When he arose on June 18, 1940, to speak to the House of Commons, he must have felt as if the weight of the whole world was upon his shoulders. It looked as if Britain was to stand alone against the German Juggernaut that had crushed Poland, Denmark, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, The Nether-lands, and now France. The morale of the nation was at all time low. The fate of the free world hung ...

2652. A Man Named Many

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

In Ogden Nash’s poem, “The Outcome of Mr. MacLeod’s Gratitude,” he tells of a wife who was always complaining . . . and a husband who conversely managed to be grateful for everything. What a combination--one always complaining and the other always grateful. The last stanza of the poem goes like this: So she tired of her husband’s cheery note And she stuffed a tea-tray down his throat. He remarked from the floor, where they found him reclining, “I’m just a MacLeod with a silver lining!” I hope you have ...

2653. Re-Gifted but not Returned

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

A few years ago the New York Times city room editor, James Barron, asked readers to recall the worst Christmas gifts they had ever received. I thought I’d share a couple with you. I’d tell you the worst Christmas gift I ever got, but I don’t, to this day, know what it was. It was a secret Santa gift from someone at a company I do consulting work for. I can’t describe it. It was something like a plastic, brown mushroom/toadstool thing, with things glued on it, in a box with clear plastic over it.... I ...

2654. Facing Up To The Giant Task Of Life

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Sermon

Eric Ritz

From our scripture lesson this morning, we find that facing a Giant task is not a new experience in human history, nor in the life of the people of God. In our passage from I Samuel, we see an incident that would put a challenge into any person. Here are two armies in their camps, each occupying a side of the mountain, with a valley in between them. Out of the camp of the Philistines comes the giant, Goliath, the champion of the group, with an interesting proposal to save bloodshed. It would be well for ...

2655. Advent 4

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

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 David tells his prophet, Nathan, that he wants to build a temple for Yahweh. But this idea is rejected. Yahweh declares instead that he will make a house out of David. He promises David that he will make his name great, give him rest from his enemies and will establish him in an everlasting kingdom. David was promised that his descendants would rule God's people forever. Each succeeding king as a son of David was considered a savior-king, a son of God. Each was ...

2656. Mordecai Honored

Esther 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Timothy S. Laniak

Haman Honors Mordecai: Chapter 6 recounts a series of ironic coincidences that provide just deserts for the antagonist of the story. The coincidences include the king’s insomnia on a particular night; the reading of the annals at just the point where Mordecai had uncovered the plot; Haman’s appearance in the court at this moment; the king’s choice of a riddle-like question; and Haman’s choice to assume that this riddle was an invitation for him to authorize his own honor! These coincidences highlight the ...

2657. Dinah and the Shechemites

Genesis 34:1-31

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Rape of Dinah: A number of years after Jacob settled in the vicinity of Shechem (33:17–20), a man named Shechem, the son of Hamor, rapes Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. The approaches of the two parties to resolving this offense reveal the deep conflict between two different ways of life: shepherds in conflict with urban dwellers and worshipers of one God in conflict with polytheists. Several acrid terms in the story convey the brothers’ outrage at Shechem’s act of passion against their sister: violated (’ ...

2658. Walking in the Light

1 John 1:5--2:14, 1 John 2:15-17

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

Walking in the Light and the Problem of Sin The next two sections of 1 John are on the theme of walking in the light. The first section, 1 John 1:5–2:2, addresses the theme in relation to the issue of sin, while the second section, 1 John 2:3–11, focuses on walking in the light in relation to obedience, especially to the love command. The terms walk, light, and darkness occur throughout the section (1:5–7; 2:6, 8–11) and unify it. The Elder’s opponents are always present in the background. They have made ...

2659. Walking in the Light and the Problem of Sin

1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 1:5--2:14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

2660. Parabola

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[This is an interactive sermon. In order to preach this well, you need to allow your congregants to take part, answer questions, imagine themselves as part of the story.] Prop: ostrich egg I have here an egg. [You can pass around the egg.] This egg belongs to an ostrich. Let me tell you a story about the ostrich, who one day took her eyes off of the place in the sand where she buried her eggs. Lo and behold, when she finally remembered where she had hid them, a predator had come in the night and stolen her ...

2661. Justification and Reconciliation

Romans 3:21-31

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

Two fundamental and interrelated concepts in Paul’s message of salvation are justification and reconciliation. When the apostle speaks of salvation in terms of vicarious sacrifice and redemption, he is describing salvation as a purely objective salvation-occurrence. The saving sacrifice has already been made. The redemptive deed has already been done. The victory over the forces of evil has already been won. Justification and reconciliation, on the other hand, show how what Christ has done can become for ...

2662. A Protecting Grace

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Glenn L. Borreson

Does there exist anywhere on earth a group of people where one has not hurt another at some time? Maybe that's too large a question. So I would ask: are you a part of any group in which people never, absolutely never, do injury to another person, even by accident? You would surprise me if you could answer "Yes" to that question. All our organizations, our families, even our closest friendship groups are capable of wounding us in ways we never imagined possible. People are people wherever we find them, and ...

2663. Belling the Cat

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

Aesop once told a fable about a group of mice who lived in a barn. Life was wonderful, except for a sneaky cat. Hardly a day went by without a poor mouse being chased or even eaten by the cat. Finally, the head mouse called a meeting. “Ladies and gentlemen, youngsters and baby mice,” he stated. “The time is now come to resolve our problems with the cat. Does anyone have any solutions?” The mice were abuzz with ideas and suggestions, but none seemed to solve the problem. Then a young mouse got up, took the ...

2664. The Day of Atonement: Preparation

Leviticus 16:1-34

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: The high priest must be purified before conducting the Day of Atonement sacrifices. Understanding the Text Leviticus 16, on the Day of Atonement, is a transitional chapter, giving a general remedy for the problem of uncleanness described in Leviticus 11–15. It also prepares the way for the laws of holiness that follow (Lev. 17–27). Leviticus 16 is arguably the most important chapter in Leviticus, introducing the Day of Atonement, the highest and most sacred day in the Israelite calendar. Its ...

2665. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Romans 6:1-14

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

In Romans 6 we note a shift in the argument. The quotation from Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17, literally translated, “The one who is righteous by faith will live,” provided Paul with a general outline for the epistle. Until now his primary concern has been with the first part of the quotation, “The one who is righteous by faith.” But being right with God is not the end of the matter. Chapter 6 evinces that righteousness is a commencement, not a commemoration; reveille, not taps. In chapters 6–7 Paul takes up ...

2666. Paul Before Agrippa

Acts 25:23--26:32

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

25:23 On the morrow, Paul was brought in before a large and distinguished audience (cf. 9:15; Luke 21:12). Besides the governor and his guests of honor, there were the high ranking officers, that is, the tribunes or prefects of the cohorts stationed at Caesarea (see note on 10:1) and the leading men of the city. These may have included Jews, but the majority at least would have been Gentiles. The occasion was one of great pomp. This translates the word phantasia (cf. our “fantasy”), which points to the ...

2667. Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin

Acts 7:1-53

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

More than most, this speech of Stephen has been subject to that skepticism that is inclined to regard all the speeches of Acts as Luke’s own composition. There is no denying that Luke’s hand may be seen in them all in their literary style and vocabulary. But there is about each of them a distinctiveness that not only fits each to its context, but in some cases, at least, to the speaker’s own writings elsewhere (see, e.g., disc. on 5:30, 13:39; 15:13ff.; 20:17–38). To attribute this entirely to Luke’s art ...

2668. WHAT IS MAN?

Sermon

Larry Powell

Fascinations often come upon me from the strangest sources. For instance, two recent obituaries strike me as being peculiarly fascinating. The first is that of Vitaly Rubin, aged fifty-eight, a Soviet scholar. Rubin, a native of Moscow, was the former leader of the Soviet Jewish emigration movement. The intrigue here is that in 1976, Rubin, a Russian, was allowed to emigrate to Israel where he taught Chinese philosophy, of all things, at Hebrew University. The other obituary was David Wadell Guion's, aged ...

2669. Born Again? When?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

A layperson was talking to a friend of mine recently, and told him of his teen-age daughter who had recently decided to become a Christian. The father was a life-long member of the church, and was naturally pleased by his daughter’s decision, but he was worried as well. He told his pastor that the daughter had decided to attend a Christian Youth Camp the following summer. Then he paused, and a worried look came across his face. He said, “Pastor, I want her to become a good Christian...but I don’t want her ...

2670. Remember!

Deuteronomy 31:30--32:47

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Oft in the stilly night, Ere slumber's chain has bound me, Fond memory brings the light Of other days around me.(1) Memories...we like them...and we need them. And as those words of Thomas Moore remind us, we are comforted and instructed by them. That is why a day such as this is a GOOD day. I have WONDERFUL memories of Oakdale. I remember our first night together - a covered dish dinner, our Erin just one week old (and now a sophomore in high school), and Emily Beamguard insisting that I sing. I remember ...

2671. What’s the Big Deal about Baptism?

Mark 1:9-11

Sermon

James Merritt

Jesus had a ministry that lasted a little more than three years. Of all the things He could have started His ministry with and ended His ministry with, He started it by being baptized and concluded it by commanding the church to make disciples and baptize others. Now, since baptism was the bookends of the ministry of the Son of God, that alone should tell us that baptism, is a big deal. It is but not because of what some people think. There are two extreme ways that people have of looking at baptism. There ...

2672. Proper 20

Luke 16:1-15, Psalm 113:1-9, Psalm 130:1-8, Amos 8:1-14, Hosea 11:1-11, 1 Timothy 2:1-15

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The rather indistinct shouts of the resurrection of our Lord - "Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed !" - continue to sound in our ears as we approach mid-October and, depending on the lectionary followed and the calendar year. We have to listen for them to hear them; the celebration of Easter is so far behind us! But the church year reminds us that the "sound" of the resurrection reverberates throughout the entire year and should be repeated every Lord's Day, every Sunday of the year. ...

2673. Epiphany 4

Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Matthew 5:1-12, Psalm 1:1-6

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Manifestation and ministry continue to be the dominant theological and liturgical themes for this Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, which provide the homiletical clue to the selection of readings and the sermon itself. The theological framework of the church year is quite "thin," almost indiscernible in the middle of Epiphany; actually, the beginning and ending of the season keep the manifestation/ministry themes in focus. The celebration of the Transfiguration on the Last Sunday after the ...

2674. Our Damascus Road Experience

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that most of us fit into one of four styles of behavior? That's what some psychologists tell us ” four distinct styles of behavior. Some of us are dominant. Dominant folks like to be in control. Nobody has to ask dominant people what they think. They are blunt, direct ” fast to make judgements and ready to take action. Then there are those for whom life is a party. These are "people" people. They like to talk. They are very animated. They like meeting new friends. Their nature is ...

2675. The Kingdom for Which We Long

Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

We’ve a story to tell to the nations, That shall set their hearts to the right. A story of truth and mercy, A story of peace and light. For the darkness shall turn to dawning, And dawning to noonday bright. And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth, A kingdom of love and light. Do you believe that? We come to the second petition in the Lord’s Prayer this morning and it may take the greatest faith and the greatest imagination of all that we are taught to pray. So we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be ...

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