Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 251 to 275 of 609 results

251. The Divine Family

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

King Duncan

... child, son of the Prince of Darkness. The boy is condemned because his father is unknown, and is almost put to death. The rejected youngster believes he is unwanted, unacceptable. Finally, however, he discovers that he is in reality the accepted and cherished son of the king. This discovery transforms his life. Merlin goes on to become the ruler of ancient Brittany and Wales. Indeed, he brings fifth-century Britain from chaos and superstition to a point where King Arthur could reign. Jamie Buckingham tells ...

252. The Dynamic Law Of Love

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... that you will want to take out more insurance on yourself." "I don't think I need any more," the young man said. "I don't think she's that dangerous." We, husbands and wives, particularly, may make jokes about the institution of marriage, but we cherish our relationship with our spouse. Evangelist Tex Evans used to tell a joke about the time that one of his youngsters asked his wife, "Mamma, if Daddy should die, do you reckon there's another man in the world just like him?" And his mother answered, "Maybe ...

253. What Kind Of God Is That?

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... case of tennis elbow last month." "Your present improvement is just wishful thinking." How's that for encouragement? "I know you fake your limp to try to get attention." That comment was from her pastor. He was entirely serious. And this last one: "God must cherish you to trust you with this burden."(1) That hurts. What kind of God do some people have? A country preacher was visiting his parishioners after a local flood. He called on a farmer whose crop had washed away and whose cows had all drowned. "Whom ...

254. A Ministry of Encouragement

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... great controversy and turmoil in the country. In the text of the article, the writer extolled Lincoln’s virtues, approving of the decisions he had made in office.(2) Lincoln was not that different from the rest of us. He needed to be appreciated. He cherished applause from those who observed him, and there is no one in this room who does not need that from time to time. We need to be affirmed, appreciated, applauded. St. Paul was an encourager. He applauded those who deserved to be applauded. He affirmed ...

255. FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH

Revelation 1:1-3

Eulogy

Edward Inabinet

... . We want to hold on to the old life and grasp the new as well. It cannot be done. No wonder our light in the world is so feeble. Nathan Soderblom said, "Saints are persons who make it easier for others to believe in God." Most of us would not cherish being called saints, but in a biblical sense that is what we are if we are willing to die to self and be alive to Christ. This promise is to those willing to make that kind of offering of themselves. There is a painting by Poynter in the Walker Art ...

256. Jesus, Our Hope

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Darrick Acre

... than excitement? Have you ever said it with more disappointment than joy? “So this is Christmas?” Somewhere in a family gathering there will be a moment when hearts are torn because the place at the table is empty where a precious loved one had once been. Cherished traditions will be robbed of their joy. How can we put the star on the tree without Uncle Bob? Where will we have Christmas dinner now that Grandma is no longer with us? How can we hang all the other stockings when little Billy won’t be ...

257. Son of Thunder, Son of God

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... the sixties, one congressman who did not want to get the government mixed up in religion, noting all the hate mail he had received, asked, “What is there about the thought of God which brings out the worst in people?” There is something in every one of us that cherishes the idea of revenge. If we are rejected, put upon, or put down, our natural inclination is to put down the one who has put us down. There is a story about a middle-aged woman who was in a bookstore. She was in a foul mood and was taking ...

258. The Third Commandment: God's Last Name Is Not...?

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... if I get a chance, then, maybe . . . maybe I'll be there.''" I suggest that in what the boy said, there is the basic raw material for recreating the world. "I give you my word." Remember when you stood at the altar and promised to love, honor and cherish? You took sacred vows. You gave your word! Remember when you stood at the altar with a small child in your arms and you took sacred vows to raise the child in the church. You gave your word! Remember when you were received into the fellowship of the church ...

259. The Servant Who Delivered the Mail

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... and mistaken insight where it belongs--in the garbage can. Just like the world culture in which the disciples were born and nurtured, they also succumbed to the temptation to worship the large and despise the small and powerless. We have a tendency to cherish the marvelous and spectacular, but we put down and neglect that which is ordinary and commonplace. We are always looking for something to spice up our daily routine. We don''t feel that ordinary routines are of much value when compared to the Hollywood ...

260. The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... about life in the here and now. If we were to take a gathering of 100 people at a sports stadium or here in the sanctuary as to what is the favorite and most meaningful scripture passage, the 23rd Psalm would be selected the most. It is cherished by our Jewish brethren, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and even by those who claim to have no faith in organized religion. It was once stated that the 23rd Psalm is even a favorite passage of agnostics. There is something about its simplicity that touches all of us ...

261. Feasting and Fasting for Lent (Part I)

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... not think of the imagery of feasting in Lent as we do that of fasting. Feasting in this sense means filling our life to the brim with a life direction, quality, value or purpose for life. Fasting means denying something to us that either we cherish or are presently possessed by. Dr. Clarence J. Fosberg, a United Methodist minister now retired, shares this penetrating story. A man came to this country from Sweden to find work. But after only a few months, he became very homesick for his native land. Quietly ...

262. The Noteworthy Witness of a Widow

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , she knew her worth as a person came from the values and principles that she had learned from the temple. To have withheld her gift--it would have really been a way of leaving out herself. For the widow, her giving at the temple was not a chore, but a cherished opportunity to express her faith in God. She did not throw it in the box grudgingly and walk away in a huff. She knew that being a part of God's work was not a burden but a blessing. This church will never die from a lack of resources, but ...

263. Seeing Jesus Clearly

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... this side of Jesus, I am afraid that God would be more like a benevolent authority figure, rather than a trusted confidant with whom we can share our deepest feelings and concerns. "What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and grief to bear!" This cherished hymn captures beautifully a vital dimension of our relationship with the Holy One. Not only is God the ultimate power over the universe, God is personal. God is my friend. I can turn to God as one friend turns to another. Is this picture part of your ...

264. With a Little Help from My Friends

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... the tears flow . . . I want to have slow, sweet talks with them as they’re getting ready to close their eyes. I want to chase fireflies with them, teach them to play tennis, have food fights, and hold them and pray for them in a way that makes them feel cherished. “I look in on them,” he continues, “and I remember how the day really went. I remember how they were trapped in a fight over [a game] and I walked out of the room because I didn’t want to spend the energy needed to teach them how to ...

265. Maximum Marriage

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... the wedding vows we take before God emphasize this kind of lifelong commitment? "I take thee to be my wedded mate, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part...." Many older people understand this kind of lifetime commitment. You got married and, for better or worse, you've stuck to it. But the next generation, now middle-aged, they got married until they couldn't stand it any longer and ...

266. Don't Fence Me In!

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... was severed and the boat sailed out on the lake beyond the boy's sight. He was heartbroken. Some days later he discovered his little boat in the window of a local pawnshop. Entering he learned that he would have to pay a certain price to regain the cherished boat. He raised the money, purchased the boat, and held it close to his heart as he walked home. Adoringly he patted the boat and said: "Little boat, I love you. I love you because you have been mine twice. First, because I made you, and second, because ...

267. Grace in the Midst of Exasperation

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... answer: "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" It is through the Second Person of the Trinity that God pours out grace in the midst of exasperation. Jesus alone delivers power to change. How? It is no accident that Romans 8:1, 2 are among the most cherished verses in scripture: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Have you ever been riding in an airplane and ...

268. Grace in the Midst of Weakness

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... the NBA who won a world championship ring as a member of the Chicago Bulls. When King announced his retirement from the NBA a few years ago, there wasn't a glitzy press conference. But a reporter did ask him a question. "Stacey, what is your most cherished memory from your days in the NBA?" "That's easy," he said. "That would be the night that Michael Jordan and I combined to score seventy points." Impressive, isn't it? And how many points did Michael Jordan score that night? Sixty-nine. Stacey King had hit ...

269. The Highest Bidder

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... ? Why do we live as if it is normal to keep dividing walls in good repair? One answer is that a majority of the human race flinches at the prospect of conflict or change. Over time we have established peace treaties on our own cherished sides of relational fences, and there is little passion for stirring things up. When faced with the challenge of addressing uncomfortable realities, people vote en masse to "keep the peace" instead. In his book The Different Drum, psychologist and author Scott Peck makes a ...

270. The Reality of the Resurrection

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Brett Blair

... of Christ's people are like old Tarisio? In our very love of the church we fail to give the glad tidings to the world; in our zeal for the truth we forget to publish it. When shall we all learn that the Good News needs not just to be cherished, but needs to be told? Don't bury God's Good News of Easter at the bottom of a rickety old bureau. Let the people hear the great sound of the music: He is Risen! It’s amazing isn’t it that the story of the resurrection is now in ...

271. The Preacher Was Caught by Surprise

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... in charge of the local school district's computer labs. He told Bob that the work camp experience, sixteen years earlier, had been a pivotal event in his life. It was the first time he could remember being appreciated by others and included in a group. He still cherishes the memories of that trip and the way Bob and Margie cared for him. Bob was stunned, because he had practically forgotten the trip and he had no idea what effect they had on this young man. (2) A camping experience had changed a young man's ...

272. Playing A Role Or Being A Truth

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the Authorized Version, but the new English Bible provides a more meaningful translation. What will a man gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his true self. There is within each one of us a self to be known and an integrity to be cherished to fulfillment. This is what Jesus is talking about and this is what it means to be a truth. Jesus himself demonstrated it. One of the most vivid pictures from his life comes during that last week when he gathered his disciples around to celebrate the Passover ...

273. What Really Matters

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... everything else has to be alright, no matter what happens. It was her way of expressing confidence that she was OK in God’s hands. She had already died the death that matters, and resurrection from bodily death was not an empty promise, but a cherished confidence, and that’s what really matters. Hear Paul again, that I may know Him – the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed to his death, that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. That’s a glorious lot ...

274. Even Marriages Made In Heaven Require Earthly Care

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... specific vows the church invites the couple to make to each other. I, John, take thee Kim to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, as long as life shall last. In the mystery and the absurdity of those questions and those vows lie the uniqueness of Christian marriage. There are those who believe that marriages are made in heaven. Now if you had been involved in as much marital counseling as I ...

275. The Family: A Place For Persons

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... must give themselves to the task of making their home a place where God is reverence, a place where God is reverence. Our homes are Holy when we’re open to God’s leadings and are ready to do his will in the decisions we make, in the values we cherish, in the priorities we set, and the attitudes we live out. Homes are Holy where God’s word is heard and heeded until it is a truth, and a trumpet-call in our souls. Homes are Holy when every day is treated as a divine gift to be enjoyed and ...

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