Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2676 to 2700 of 3852 results

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Argile Smith

... of Revelation. The story in that grand Bible centers on the Lamb. The story of the Lamb intersects the story of Polycarp. And their stories intersect our stories as we worship the Lamb ourselves. Most scholars say that John was the last of the twelve original apostles to die. His life came to an end at about the same time that the first century AD came to a close. Somewhere along the way, perhaps in his last years, he met Polycarp and discipled him in the Christian faith. Apparently he mentored Polycarp ...

2677. You Never Noticed

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... grace, Christ calls us to look around and see someone who needs our attention, our compassion, our love. And what the research shows is that this person might just remember our generous attention when he or she is in the position to help someone else. And so that original act of kindness and love is extended perhaps forever. But you can’t be part of this chain of love if you never take time to look beyond you own cares and concerns. Don’t be like the rich man who will forever be remembered as the person ...

2678. Let Them Eat Cake

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . A pound cake was her way of restoring a broken relationship with you. When the deceased’s daughter sat down, the place sat in stunned silence. No one else said a word. And the preacher concluded the service with prayer. A pound cake is so-called because originally it was made of a “pound” of almost all its ingredients — a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs. It was a “pound cake.” Eventually the recipes for these delicious, dense, moist, simple cakes took on a ...

2679. A Faith that Does Not Quit

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!” Some versions of the scripture translate the words, “so she won’t eventually come and attack me” as “so she won’t wear me out.” But the words of the NIV are closer to the original which literally means, “unless she gives me a black eye.” Imagine that a judge, a man of power in the community, but he was finally cowered by this poor widow. This widow was persistent. She refused to let this corrupt judge go! It’s one of those ...

2680. He's Back

John 20:19-23

Sermon

David O. Bales

... stands in front of us, eyeball to eyeball with us, and, when he speaks to us, it’s about eternal matters. He tells us we’ll never get away from him — that’s what his resurrection is about. In Jerusalem on that spring Sunday evening, Jesus’ original students are locked in because they’re frightened. Their fear keeps them even from leaving the house. They’re paralyzed. We know what it’s like to be stunned by grief, loss of a job, our beloved rejecting us, a war starting, an illness, or our ...

2681. The Door of the Cross

John 10:1-21

Sermon

David O. Bales

... to help, our way of leading doesn’t work. Jesus in John 10 is explaining himself: Who he is and how he leads people. He doesn’t talk about a quarter horse in the stall but about sheep into the sheepfold. The word for “sheepfold” in the original language of the New Testament basically means a courtyard, and thus any outside enclosure. Jesus says he doesn’t wrestle or force people to God, but leads us there, and we know it’s Jesus when he speaks to us. Now, whenever someone tells you they’ve ...

2682. Be Patient

James 5:7-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... , a marsh, and a miniature ocean. Here, in a sealed environment, the eight people were to live together in harmony with the environment. Unfortunately, says one observer, “living inside the sealed habitat proved to be much more difficult than originally thought. Sixteen months into the twenty-four month mission, oxygen levels inside the facility had dropped so low that additional oxygen needed to be pumped in. Difficulties in growing food forced the crew to open their reserve food supplies. Disagreements ...

2683. Getting out of the Doldrums

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the Kingdom of God. Protestantism started as a “kick back” movement, but it can only continue as a “kick start” movement, forever looking to the Spirit to keep it heading down new roads and open to new expressions of the Spirit. Jesus was the original “Yes-man.” When those deemed the worst, the witless, and the worthless came to Jesus, he always said “Yes.” Yes, there is forgiveness. Yes, there is healing. Yes, you were made in God’s image. Yes, God loves you. Yes, you can have life ...

2684. The Faith of a Saint

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... natural human inclination. The most natural response to hate is to hate in return. The most natural response to someone who curses you is to curse them in return. The most natural response to being slugged on one side of the face (which is what the original language implies . . . more than a gentle slap) is to want to land a well-placed blow in return. And none of us condemns the person who responds to the bully with equal aggressiveness, who responds to the acid tongue with a well worded put-down, who ...

2685. Nicodemus: A Young Old Man

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David O. Bales

... , then depart quickly to arrive home before the wind blows more bitterly. If Jesus can’t sense the searing heart problem, Nicodemus will dismiss his suspicions about the man’s powers. He’ll return, almost relieved, to his sad, old world, yielding to his original faith as threadbare as it is, assuming that faith can’t do much more for anyone. Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” (v. 5). If Nicodemus was confused in coming ...

2686. A Faith that Works

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... don’t matter. Pastor Ron Hutchcraft suggests to us that Jesus wants us to “go M.A.D.” That’s an interesting way of putting it. Of course mad is spelled capital M period, capital A period, capital D period M.A.D. Don’t look for that in the original Greek, by the way. M.A.D. is an acrostic. When Hutchcraft says that Jesus wants us to “Go M.A.D.,” he’s saying that Jesus wants us to “go make a difference.” If you make a constructive difference in people’s lives, you won’t have time to ...

2687. Looking Down on God

John 13:1-17

Sermon

David O. Bales

... realize that service isn’t a trivial thing for others to do, or for us to do selectively for those whom we think deserve it, or for us to do when others can appreciate it. Service is God’s nature, and thus it’s also God’s true and original image upon us humans. Jesus says, “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet,” (v. 14) which means doing even menial things if that’s what others need. Jesus goes so far as to define selfless service as ...

2688. Only Time Will Tell

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... civility. One of the most common injuries in toddler day-care centers is of children being bitten by other children. Reinhold Niebuhr, the great 20th century theologian, confessed that an infant, no matter how cute, was infallible proof of the doctrine of original sin. It takes years of patience and endurance and constant care to teach toddlers that instead of snarling and snapping over their crackers and crayons, they should willingly share them with others. It is a hard lesson to learn. But it is ...

2689. Keep Watching, Keep Warning, Keep Chasing

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... notoriously dangerous because they are so unpredictable. Because of the (often fatal) work of these storm chasers, much more has been learned about violent storms, their appearances, their trajectories. Storm chasers have saved lives in dozens of communities. Jesus was the original storm warning – a “good news” message from God that the world is being invited to participate in a new reality called the kingdom of God, a divinely altered reality because of a new redeeming presence of God in this world ...

2690. The New Census

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . A new census would let the government officials both check on and check out just who was living under their authority. Census taking is still an important governmental tool. Collecting new census information every ten years was one of the original provisions the crafters of our Constitution called for. It is the easiest way for the powerful to keep tabs, keep current, keep control. The most recent census, in 2010, revealed significant change in the make-up of American households. Both retailers ...

2691. The Lifesaver App

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... An “app” isn’t a “thing.” An “app” is an activity. An “app” is not a noun. An “app” is a verb. As we struggle to keep up with a language and lifestyle that is ever changing, we should keep in mind this original definition of “app” — because application makes a world of difference between the “real” and the “hypothetical.” Disciples of Jesus are called to give application to, that is, to actually “apply,” our faith to our life and our lifestyles. An “app” is not ...

2692. When Fishermen Don't Fish

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... by itself, but we’re really not all that interested in casting our nets or doing the really hard work it takes to pull them in. We would do well to listen to Max Lucado’s warning: when fishermen don’t fish problems arise. You know the original story of the call of Jesus’ earliest disciples: As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, Matthew tells us, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me ...

2693. Down in the Dungeon

Psalm 130:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... is a sad story. When any depression is as serious as King Saul’s, you have to wonder if there is more than one cause. There are kinds of depression, we know now, that are caused by chemical imbalances in the body, and may be genetic in origin. Thinking positive thoughts, or even crying out to God, will not cure such depression. But modern medicine can help. So, sometimes, can a change of diet, or exercise. Some people respond differently to certain therapies than others. But, if you are in a time of deep ...

2694. The Path of Joy

Psalm 118:1-29

Sermon

King Duncan

... appears to be true. But there are many acclamations in the Hebrew Bible that God is a God of love. “His love endures forever,” writes the Psalmist in this 118th chapter. It is a Psalm bubbling over with joy. Scholars tell us that Psalm 118 was originally intended as a thanksgiving liturgy. It accompanied a victory procession of the king and the people into the temple precincts. (1) But there are other reasons that the follower of Jesus reads this Psalm with gladness. We read: 19 Open for me the gates of ...

2695. "Before" and "After"

Psalm 31:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... our faith. Furthermore, he adds, except for the resurrection “we are to be pitied more than all men.” But Paul was a contemporary of many who had known the risen Christ. Indeed, Christ had even appeared to him, even though he was not one of the original believers. He knew first hand that the resurrection is true. Christian faith is true. There is a way out regardless of our situation. This is not intended as a criticism of Tammy Faye. She was young when she uttered those words about being a Christian ...

2696. Locusts Happen

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Tony Everett

... mourning, and meditating. Isn’t that what Lent is all about? A time for renewing faith through spiritual discipline… time sort of like spring training for professional baseball or spring practice for college football. Doesn’t the word “Lent” actually have its origin in the Anglo Saxon word meaning “springtime”? Isn’t Lent like spring training for people who want to learn how to cope with or even avoid all problems of life? Hmm… Wouldn’t it be wonderful if resolving problems in life could ...

2697. Lesson from a Chipmunk

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Tony Everett

... time our chipmunk ran to the right rear tire. By now you have already guessed that two more clapping episodes, accompanied by some yelling as well as a gathering audience of neighborhood children brought our little furry friend back to its original spot. Suddenly, Pastor Tom, the children, and especially the chipmunk heard loud and insistent chattering from a larger chipmunk sitting beneath the grape vines bordering the lawn. Hearing a welcome voice and seeing a familiar face, our little friend scooted off ...

2698. Let It Go

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... whole brain response to Jesus’ right-brain insistence that we must be born “anothen,” “again” or “from above,” is not “how is this possible?” but “what must I change to do this?” Twenty centuries later, the Church has fallen back into the original confusion that Nick-by-night showcased with Jesus. We know what Jesus is saying. We know that being born “anothen” requires a whole new perspective on faith and life. But even as the church has claimed the “born again” label, we are ...

2699. Jesus and the Man Born Blind

John 9:1-41

Sermon

James W. Moore

... his mouth it goes… or a child scrapes her arm and wants mom to kiss it and make it well. Jesus anoints the man’s eyes with the clay. Now, the single most important word in this whole passage is this word “Anoints.” The word, the original Greek uses here for “anoints,” is the same word it uses for the word “Christ”… which, of course, means “The Anointed One.” Listen! He Anoints the man’s eyes! He “Christs” the man’s eyes! Isn’t that beautiful? He “Christs” the man’s eyes ...

2700. Five Ways to be "Holy" During Holy Week

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Dare to stand alone. For example, be aware of the brands you wear this week. It’s probably impossible to wear no brands for a week. But we belong to celebrities’ communities by wearing their brands and bearing their logos. Be a nonconformist this week. Be an original this week. Resolve for one week to risk being yourself, the person God made you to be. By the way, being your best self is the very definition of a saint. In city after city, year after year, when the votes are counted and the majority has ...

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