Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 251 to 275 of 747 results

251. Unlimited Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Herchel H. Sheets

... four hundred and ninety, he must have gotten the point anyway. Only in rare cases would one even have the occasion for forgiving another four hundred and ninety times. Yet with his answer, Jesus was not designating the limits of forgiveness. He was advocating unlimited forgiveness. Infinity must be associated with the obligation to forgive, and infinity has no end. Its Nature Just what is this forgiveness? Perhaps its nature can be best seen in contrast to what it is not. It is not a casual or indifferent ...

252. Christians In A Warring World - 1941

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

... So, far from being ashamed of it, we feel unworthy of it, would like really to deserve it. For what does it actually mean? Precisely what it says: "peacemaker" - from the Latin, pacem facio - I make peace, or as the dictionary has it: "A Pacifist is an advocate of the abolition of war." Is that anything to be ashamed of? Is not every man, woman, and child of good-will desirous of being just that - a Pacifist? And what higher commendations could there be than that of the Master himself who said: "Blessed are ...

253. Chapter V

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... in the lives of his children. Even though we don’t have all of the answers about anything, parents should not be afraid to influence their children to go this way instead of that. Raising a child is not a "hands-off" proposition. Some people have advocated a "hands-off" policy. In their opinion, any restraints applied to a child by anyone, parents included, are deforming. "Let a child have his head, and where he ends up is where he should be," seems to be their philosophy. Hence, no value system, no moral ...

254. Whispering The Lyrics (revised)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Thomas Long

... near to his time of departure, now that the disciples will be on their own without him, that task is to be handed over to the Holy Spirit: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth ..." (John 14:15-17). The primary task, then, of the Holy Spirit is reminding the faithful of the truth, jogging the memories of the followers of Jesus about all of his commandments so that they can keep ...

255. PHILOSOPHERS

Acts 17:18

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... Christians held philosophy in ill repute - they had the ultimate meaning and they felt that anyone who chose to look for meanings anywhere than in Christ was to be shunned. Of course, there were many who refused to hold to such a strict view as advocated by St. Paul, since the philosopher in general was held in high regard by the pagans. The Greek and Roman philosophers gave lectures and taught in the schools and held discussions for which they charged fees. Many rich families paid philosophers to live with ...

256. Mary's Revolutionary Song

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... not good enough to get into heaven, I guess I'm in worse shape than I thought." Then Bill Hybels drew a cross right across the middle of the chart. Underneath that cross he wrote these words from I John 2:2: "But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins." Underneath that verse he drew a line and said to the man beside him, "Just sign here if you would like to be covered by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Then you ...

257. The Healing Power of Touch

Matthew 9:18-26

Sermon

Brett Blair

... never believed that Bible studies and worship services in the church are as important as nurture is. Programs are not designed to be an end in themselves. These things are to equip us and energize us to go out and touch the lives of people. I am a Christian social advocate and I make no apologies about it. I believe that as the family of God we are called upon to reach out and touch the lives of the least, the last, the lost, and the lonely. Why do I feel that way? Because He touched me, oh He touched me ...

258. How Could A Love So Right Go Wrong?

Genesis 24:1-67, Genesis 27:41--28:9

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... policies. Rebekah and Isaac are a case study in what to avoid. As a child, I learned that I could occasionally sweet talk my mother with some success, whereas Papa was a real hard sell. So, I would try to get to her first and recruit her as an advocate with Papa. But I learned that if the two of them had conferred on a family policy and had made a decision, nothing short of divine intervention could change it. And frankly, that firmness was a kind of solid comfort even when I disagreed with it. Parents, don ...

259. The Passover and the Passion

Drama

Denny C. Wise

... feed the poor. Furthermore, I am a patriot! I was looking for a Messiah who would free our people from Roman oppression. But this Jesus turned out to be a disappointment to me and to all Israel. Surely no son of the mighty warrior David would advocate turning the other cheek and loving one’s adversaries. And what about the questionable lowlife company he kept and the sacred laws he seemed to ignore - like keeping the Sabbath holy. And you thought I did it for thirty lousy pieces of silver? Certainly not ...

260. An Easter Dividend: The Courage To Be and To Do

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

Donald Macleod

... that the courage necessary to meet and change the world belongs to the realm of character and comes from the same sources that make people and nations great. What, then, was the source of moral and spiritual courage that transformed Peter from a weakling into a bold advocate of the person and cause of Jesus Christ? 1. Peter had encountered the risen Christ. Peter was sure of his facts and that is why he was invincible. The secret of his Christian boldness was that he knew Jesus Christ was alive; he felt his ...

261. Religion In A Nutshell

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Robert Allen

... :18 and in its original context it had to do with other Jews. After all, it was permissible to hate Gentiles. But, Jesus took the old law and widened its meaning to include all people - Jew and Gentile alike. This broader meaning was a revolutionary idea for Jesus to advocate. He was saying that our love for God must issue in love for our neighbor. And, he was saying that our neighbor is anyone who needs us. A neighbor is anyone who has a need to which you or I have the capacity to respond. We are called to ...

262. A Man Who Laughed at God

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... . No one could speak this way with God unless he knew the Lord very well and was on intimate terms with him. 3. Intercession is an overwhelming expression of faith. To intercede is to intervene on behalf of someone else, to plead his cause for him, to serve as his advocate. Abraham did it here - for the lost cities of the plain. And Jesus does it supremely: he is the one who has died for us, who is risen again, who is at the right hand of God, and who ever liveth to make intercession for us (Romans 8:34 ...

263. John Calvin, God’s Man

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... God’s Spirit who invites, encourages, and sets an example of allowing God’s choice to be active and convincing in the life of another. It certainly is relevant right now to look at what Calvin tried in Geneva, with new right fundamentalists advocating electing people who promise: change in abortion laws, school prayer amendments, tax credits for parochial schools, removing civil rights for gays, and rejection of the Equal Rights Amendment. This is close to what Calvin tried in Geneva in the 16th century ...

264. They Also Serve Who Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Thomas Long

... of the table is done in anticipation of the needs and wishes of the one who is to come. When James Watt was Secretary of the Interior, he often infuriated environmentalists by his careless treatment of the nation’s natural resources. He advocated the granting of oil leases in wilderness areas, and he worked to permit strip-mining in areas adjacent to national parks. Particularly troubling was the fact that Watt based his decisions on religious as well as political grounds. A fundamentalist Christian, Watt ...

265. The Tragedy of the Unprepared Life

Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Yet, when his great moment in history came, he was not prepared and he missed his great opportunity. Charles Colson repented of his role in the infamous Watergate affair. He is now involved in full time Christian work, has authored books, and has been an advocate for prison reform. His conversion is truly a genuine one and I affirm that. Bill Clinton, for some, was a great president but even those who support him cannot deny that in his great moment he disgraced it. It has been said by many, both detractors ...

266. A New Kind of Teaching

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... and dispatchers of knowledge without ever being creative and existential, and thus authoritative. When Martin Luther began publishing abroad his new teaching, the time came for him to take a stand and he took it. The gentle and scholarly Erasmus advocated many of the same ideas as Luther, but he had not the courage to take his stand so boldly. Scholars sometimes quip, somewhat inaccurately, that Luther hatched the egg Erasmus laid. Nevertheless, when Luther was called before all the ecclesiastical ...

267. A Mountain Of Meaning

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Brett Blair

... not been difficult for many non-Christians to believe that Jesus was a son of God. Many religions throughout the ages agreed with this concept. Nor did they take issue with the idea that God was pleased with Jesus’ life. God assuredly would love any man who advocated the things, and did the things that Jesus did. But listen? Listen to him! Ah, that’s another matter all together. Most of the pain in this world is due to man’s unwillingness to listen, to obey. Elie Wiesel tells the story of a prophet ...

268. The Whip of War

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Brett Blair

... he has changed. All other options to end this crises have been exhausted. The proper secular authorities were duty bound to declare war in this situation. The Church’s role is to provide a moral context for that decision but she can never declare war or advocate war herself. God has, I believe, taken that role away from his people and placed it on the shoulders of governments. Neither should the church be blindly against all wars. We have not been given the authority by God to take such a position. Such a ...

269. Going The Wrong Way On A One Way Street

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... Pharisees tithed, prayed regularly, debated the religious regulations regularly, and were generally regarded as the most religious folks around, but many of them got trapped in the vice of religious rules. When Jesus appeared on the scene, speaking and acting prophetically, and advocating a change back to basics and a focus on people, the Pharisees were offended. The Pharisees decided to strike back. They would trap Jesus in some fine point of the Law and thus cause him to lose face before the people. Time ...

270. What If It Is True?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

... a little peace in this sorrowful world; a few moments of joy and rest now and then. How can we summon up the energy, let alone the courage, to openly bear the burdens of a rotten world and take all the extra hassles that go with being an open advocate for peace and justice? No wonder Mary was troubled. And so are we. Talk about the true meaning. Again, the answer she received is the one we receive: "Do not be afraid, you have found favor with God." With God all things are possible, even hope for peace and ...

271. Christ and Healing

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... out of breath! And all I did was to retell the story! The Power expressed in the presence of Jesus is almost unbelievable. But he still has that power; and he is still present with us. A witness recently given by a minister in the North Carolina Christian Advocate shows just how clear the presence of Christ can be today: "In the wee hours of the morning (after neuro-surgery) on July 13, while still in the N.S.U. with all other patients apparently asleep, the door of that unit opened. In that door stood the ...

272. Enduring

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

... minor, sideview mirror, but especially a clean, unobstructed windshield to see what is ahead. We dare not be as Lot’s wife, looking back. Look to the future. A Breath Of Fresh Air Jesus looked at the Temple and said it had to go. Why? Was he advocating destruction of a shrine? Not for a moment. He came not to destroy but to fulfill. Jesus of Nazareth was a realist. He saw that when institutions refuse to adapt, to adjust, they bring about their own demise. Destruction of the Temple was not so much the ...

273. The Lord is Our Healing and Salvation

Mark 5:21-43

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

... ? People: And who will seek our salvation before the King of Glory? Leader: For God is strong and mighty and will hear only the righteous. People: But there are none without sin, none who are righteous. No, not one! Leader: Yet in God's loving grace Christ is our advocate before God! All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect O God, Creator of the Universe, we give You our praise for You have heard our pleas and given all who will believe the gift of prayer so that we might pray for one another to make a ...

274. The Exalted Christ

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

... who are to believe in me through their word" (John 17:20). It means much to us to know that another person, even another mortal, is praying for us. What humility and joy and strength should fill our hearts, then, to know that we have an Advocate with the Father in heaven, Jesus Christ the Righteous? His hands, lifted up to intercede and to bless, are even now over us as on the first Ascension Day. Thirdly, the Ascension reveals the exalted Christ as King. He "ascended far above all heavens," declares Paul ...

275. Someone Greater Than a Prophet

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... his best-selling book, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, would have us believe, says Shea, that Jesus "grunted his way to divinity, the little seagull that could." And most every cause and movement wants to quote Jesus as an authority for whatever it is they are advocating. "Jesus brings instant authority and a sense of moral imperative," says Shea. If Jesus is for it, who can be against it? And most of these people and groups do not mean to ridicule Jesus, says Shea. Instead, "each and every Jesus (they wrote ...

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