Sermon and Worship Resources

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Revelation 21:1-27

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... the flashlights.] Remember the next time you use a flashlight or even turn the lights on in a room, there is a day coming when we won't need lights at all. Jesus will be our light. Prayer: Thank you that you take care of us and are making a perfectly lit city for us to live in. Amen

2652. It's Not About Us

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e'er such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown." One beautiful November morning a man named Henry Coffeen launched his monoplane into the air. Things seemed perfect for the first few moments aloft. Then, while running through some aerobatic maneuvers, the plane's engine exploded into flames. Coffeen bailed out just in time. He awoke in the hospital with third degree burns over most of his body. The next few months ...

2653. Loved By The Father

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

... experiences these five things, he is more likely to experience joy later in life. (2) Wouldn't it be wonderful if every child could experience each of those five elements of joy? That's not going to happen, of course, because not every parent is a perfect parent. Let me tell you about a woman named Karen. Karen's alcoholic and abusive father abandoned his family when she was two years old. Every Father's Day Karen's mother made her write a card to the father she never knew. He never responded. Although ...

2654. Invited To The Table

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... virtue when we've fulfilled our responsibilities. In fact, we think God owes us some favors because we've done what God called us to do. Isn't that true? That's how some of us feel. We've been members of the church for twenty years. We have almost perfect attendance in Sunday School. We tithe--or close to it at least. And then a dark cloud comes into our life--our business fails, a loved one is sick, we discover a lump--and immediately we think, "Doesn't God know who I am? Doesn't God know how much ...

2655. Winners Every One

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... he provides the crowning touch. We can sum it up like this--a life well lived, a race well run, a crown much deserved. Paul is looking back over a life, well lived. He could stand before Christ as one with no regrets. Had Paul lived a perfect life? Not at all. He had made mistakes, sometimes grievous mistakes, just as you and I make mistakes, sometimes grievous mistakes. After all he had persecuted the church and he had a hand in the martyrdom of Stephen. But he knew the full grace of Jesus Christ over ...

2656. "Head" Lines

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... ." (1) Now there's a visual image that gets the imagination going. "Iraqi Head Seeks Arms." In light of Saddam's situation today, the former head of Iraq probably should have been seeking a brain rather than arms. But this absurd headline is a perfect description of today's Bible passage. A head seeking arms. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of books on the market today under the title "So-an-so for Dummies." Golf for Dummies. Investing for Dummies. Philosophy for Dummies. If you have ever consulted one ...

2657. Do Not Disturb

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... gift"--a gift so worthless that people would laugh when they opened it. As this man searched among his things for an ideal gag gift, he happened across a small taco warmer made of straw. It had in the lid the letters "TACOS" scrawled flimsily with yarn. The perfect gift, he thought to himself. He wrapped it up and headed for the party. That evening the gift was unwrapped and a good laugh was had by all. The next morning, he told the tale to his parents and his daughter, who were seated around the breakfast ...

2658. Something To Brag About

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... here, if you'll receive it. There's freedom here, there's love and understanding and peace. Permit me to tell you about someone who found that kind of freedom. Her name is Lori Trice. From the outside, Lori's childhood home looked perfect. Her parents were active in the community. Everyone liked them. Their friends and neighbors never could have guessed the hostility and violence that dominated Lori's parents' marriage. When Lori was 12, her father killed her mother and her mother's best friend, then ...

2659. Hugging The Coastline

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... is the belief that God is with you whatever your situation. Abraham's life knew many strange twists and turns. He was an old man before God's promise was fulfilled that he would become a father. But Abraham always knew that God was with him. Abraham was not a perfect man by any means, but he was a man of faith. A person of faith can be a young person just embarking on the great adventure of life or an older person fighting hard to hold on to life in a nursing home. The key to success in all of ...

2660. You Can't Please Everybody

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... Kennedy once told about a legendary baseball player who always played flawlessly. He consistently hit and was never thrown out at first base. When on base he never failed to score. He never dropped a ball and threw with unerring accuracy. He ran quickly and played perfectly. Actually, he would have been one of the all-time greats except for one problem. No one could persuade him to throw away his snack and come out of the press box to play! (1) Anybody know someone like that? They won't try to do something ...

2661. What's Really Important

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... to walk on all fours due to her proportions. The average American woman weighs 144 lbs. and wears between a size 12 and 14. One out of every 4 college-aged women has an eating disorder. The models in the magazines are airbrushed. They're not perfect!! A psychological study in 1995 found that 3 minutes spent looking at models in a fashion magazine caused 70% of women to feel depressed, guilty and shameful. Models who twenty years ago weighed 8% less than the average woman, today weigh 23% less. Well known ...

2662. Money Matters

Amos 5:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... this church like that. There are so many temptations for young people today, and when you run into a young person who comes through it all with head held high you want to salute, don't you? Someone noted sometime back that an astronomer can predict with perfect accuracy just where every star in the heavens will be at 11:30 tonight. But he cannot make such a prediction about his teen-age son and daughter. The astronomer may admit that the universe is complicated, but he might tell us that his teenagers are ...

2663. Strategy For Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... one. It is interesting that Jesus didn't scold them for wanting to be in the top spot. He didn't even reprimand them for wanting to be great, for he knew that men and women must be motivated. That is why God gave us such passion. It is perfectly natural to aspire to be number one. But there is a strategy for greatness in Jesus' teachings. It is a strategy that can't fail. First, Jesus reminded his followers that greatness is not to be gained by self-elevation. "If anyone would be greatest among you," said ...

2664. Bread From Heaven

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... measures was eliminating the use of live shells in target practice at the Navy's gunnery school. Under these new measures, trainees at the school were instructed to check their firing coordinates, line up their target, and then shout, "Bang!" Now this might work perfectly well for little kids playing "Cops and Robbers"--"Bang! Bang! You're dead"--but for a world-class military force, our allies in the war on Iraq, it seems absurd. The whole exercise was a "sad joke," according to one recruit. (1) Can you ...

2665. That Believing Ye Might Have Life

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... at the Customs House in Salem, Massachusetts, he came home completely dejected. He told his wife that he was a complete failure, and wasn't good for anything. But his wife astonished him by being delighted with the news. She told him that it was a perfect opportunity to work on the book he had wanted to write. So that's what he did. He wrote The Scarlet Letter, which is still considered one of the greatest novels ever written. Similarly, Whistler failed at West Point. And after he was dropped there, he ...

2666. Discerning The Will Of God

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... useful life. When the professor saw the effect of his gift, he decided to send the same kind of gold watch with the same inscription to another alcoholic friend. But this man promptly sold the watch to buy liquor! There is of course no way to perfectly discern God's will. None of us has a direct pipeline. We can make mistakes. But even our mistakes can still be to His glory if we follow some simple guidelines. First, use your very best judgment. Consult with others if possible. Two heads are usually better ...

2667. Love And Submission

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

King Duncan

... when marriage counselors are advising couples to develop separate interests, the overwhelming percentage of these couples do everything almost together. One of the most important factors, however, concerns "give and take." The authors of the study found very few marriages that were perfectly equal. One woman married for 44 years said she would advise all young couples "to be willing to give 70% and expect 30% in return." In the long run, the study showed that the give and take should balance out. If either ...

2668. A Father Pleased With His Son

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... are of them. I sometimes wonder, though, if instead of saying, "I'm proud of my child," we ought not say, "I'm thankful for my child." When we say, "I'm proud," it sounds like an act of self-congratulations--as if we were pleased with ourselves for being perfect parents. There are many parents who work just as hard as you do at nurturing their young, but a child is not a robot. Sometimes no matter how hard we work at parenting, a child will lose his or her way. Someone has said that youth is a time of ...

2669. Where Heaven And Earth Meet

Genesis 28:10-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... . They learned as little martial arts as was necessary to pass the class. On the day of their final exam, Stephen and Maki faced each other for a demonstration of tae kwon do moves. Suddenly, Maki threw Stephen to the floor and pummeled him with some perfectly executed kicks and punches. Stephen demanded to know what Maki was doing. In her gentle manner, Maki replied, "I make A." (1) This is a competitive world. It reminds me of a story they tell on David Merrick--one of the least admired men in Hollywood ...

2670. Sarah Laughed

Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... unless some adult is stupid enough to suggest it. And courage, which we grownups make so much of, is for the child the most natural thing in the world. (3) No wonder Jesus used a little child as an example of the Kingdom of God. Children are perfectly at home with the impossible. That is a pretty good place to reside. A famous writer was passing a hospital that bore at its main gate the sign, "Home for Incurable Children." "They'll get me in there one of these days," the writer commented, with a twinkle ...

2671. Wrestling With God

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... be with me, and keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then the Lord shall be my God." (Gen. 28: 20) It is not a perfect prayer. Indeed, it is quite a presumptuous and somewhat selfish prayer. But it is the kind of prayer you pray when you are still immature in your faith. But Bethel did something to Jacob. He was not the same head-strong young man he had been before. Now he is ...

2672. The Coat Of Many Colors

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... interpret his dream, but none of them could. Then, the cupbearer remembered Joseph and his ability with dream interpretation. So Pharaoh called for Joseph to be brought before him. He told Joseph that he wanted him to interpret his dream. This would have been the perfect time for Joseph to toot his own horn, cut a deal, swagger a little. Instead, he set the Pharaoh straight and humbled himself by saying, "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (Gen. 40: 16) Joseph explained that ...

2673. Living Between D-day And V-day

Romans 6:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... remain pockets of resistance; there are still guerrilla troops to be defeated; there are still battles to be fought. In one sense, we already possess salvation; in another sense, we still look forward to our salvation. We already have the new life; we do not yet have perfection. I believe that this is an accurate description of where most of us live--between D-day and V-day. We know that Jesus Christ has the power to transform our lives, and yet we don't feel transformed. We know that he has the power to ...

2674. Living The Kingdom Life

1 Kings 3:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... and have built intangible walls around their peoples, the Emperor stifled progress by destroying whatever literature did not correspond to his ideas, concepts, and philosophy. (2) Here we see the chief limitation of wisdom as the key to the good life. No person or people is perfect in its wisdom. Certainly Solomon was not. He made several grievous errors as the leader of his people. For one thing, he married 900 wives. Now that might simply seem like too much of a good thing to some of you, but it was more ...

2675. What Kind Of God Is That?

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... she has received from friends and relatives. A few typical examples: "You must really like to be sick; you bring so much of it on yourself." That comment was from a nearby relative who never so much as sent a get-well card. "The reason I have perfect health is that I think right; nobody gets sick unless he thinks wrong." That from another relative. "I know just how you feel about being crippled; I had a bad case of tennis elbow last month." "Your present improvement is just wishful thinking." How's that for ...

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