Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 251 to 275 of 4943 results

251. Last Words

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

... to serve you. For your own spiritual welfare, turn around." You see, the message of repentance is not the exclusive domain of murderers and prostitutes. All of us need to examine our lives from time to time and ask the question, "Where am I headed in life? If I continue in the direction I'm headed, will it take me where God means for me to be?" Daniel Defoe, the author of ROBINSON CRUSOE, ran away from home and went to sea as a young man. His father protested young Defoe's plans, and his mother wept. But ...

252. Marriage In Heaven? No. Heaven In Marriage? Yes.

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... you, and know you can do anything you set your mind to." She ignored the toll it would take on her. Iacocca noted that on each of the occasions when her health failed her, it was following a period of great stress at Ford or at Chrysler. He continues: "One evening two weeks before her death, Mary called me in Toronto to tell me how proud she was of me...." This encouragement meant a lot to Iococca. Later he would say, "Mary sustained me." But he also makes this sad confession: "Yet during those last few ...

253. Wedding, Wine, And Wonderment

Mark 2:18-22

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... courage to use the knowledge at her disposal to make the changes necessary to produce satisfying wine like she had for years before. Family traditions ran too deep to replace the vats. In time the world famous vineyards fell into ruin, and only the family members continued to drink the wine."* In this little parable, William Easum is describing many churches. We can be so wedded to the past that we miss God's call to serve the present. Two conflicts: "the fast" and "the past." The important thing is that we ...

254. Why Jesus Didn't Hire A "Public Relations Guy"

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... about. It is about people being made new by the power of Jesus Christ. It's the reason you and I must do our part to see that the church is all Christ means for it to be, because he is depending on us. It is the reason we must continue to grow in love for one another and for the world for which Christ died. It is the reason why we must be concerned with authentic ministry rather than an artificial image of what a church is. Jesus didn't hire a P.R. guy. He simply gave his life ...

255. God’s Body Language

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... Jesus Christ is not in Heaven, but right here on earth. That is what the New Testament calls the Church: “The Body of Christ.” With all of its faults and foibles, the Church is the extension of the Incarnation. The Word became flesh in Bethlehem, and continues to become flesh in all of the other cities of the earth through that faithful band of people who dare to call themselves by Christ’s name, and who try, however imperfectly, to live out His love in this world. That’s the purpose of the Church ...

256. The Shy Member of the Trinity

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... so many things these days with which all of us have to cope, it is no wonder that we are breaking under the strain. But the Fourth Gospel tells us that there is One who comes to help us to cope. The Parakletos. The Helper. The Strengthener. The One who continues to teach us, to lead us, to guide us. Right here we have to be very careful, lest we start shingling off into the fog once again. A lot of people have done a lot of weird things, claiming to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. That is ...

257. Grace in the Midst of Exasperation

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... intentions to war against our sinful desires? The result is a spiritual catastrophe -- precisely what Paul chronicles in Romans 7, beginning at verse 15: "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Verse 19 continues, "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." It is exasperating indeed. The climax of frustration arrives with the despairing cry of verse 24: "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of ...

258. Morning Has Broken

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... using a truck to pull their car out of the ditch and start them on their way toward home again. The light in the distance which they saw enabled them to bring order out of the disorder which had been caused by inclement weather. Our Creator God seeks continually to bring order to the disorder of his world that has been caused by sin and rebellion. He is always in the business of separating the light from the darkness. When God, in love, removes the darkness of sin from our lives, morning breaks anew, and we ...

259. A Converting Presence

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... almost seems as though the dates should be reversed. How do you explain it?” “Easily,” replied Picasso, eyes sparkling. “It takes a long time to become young.” So it does. It takes a long time to become young. To be alive in Christ is constant and continuous. We’re not finished, but are always under construction. Maturing into the measure of the statue of the fullness of Christ. Conversion is an ongoing process which you and I must keep alive in our own life. What E.E. Cummings said was true for ...

260. On Level Ground

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... ; from now on, you will be catching people." And the story closes with a dramatic word. "When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him." The beginning of life with Christ is the acknowledgement of our sin. The continuing of our Christian life is an awareness of what we might yet be by the power of Christ. Harry Crews, the novelist, described his childhood in South Georgia, in this fashion: "I first became fascinated with the Sears Roebuck catalog because all the people ...

261. God's Sneak Attack

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in." Christmas was God's sneak attack, and Christmas gives us a glimpse of what God is like and what he continues to do. God didn't come marching in through the front door, flexing his muscles, and demanding the spotlight. He could have, but he did not. The movie star may arrive with his or her entourage. The sports team trots onto the court or field with fanfare, cheers ...

262. The Vocation of Leadership: A Prophet Among Them

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... simply affirm that underneath her were His everlasting arms. She received that with thankfulness. Now it doesn’t always happen this way – but it happens just enough to cause us to know the power of it, and to give us the joy of it, and to inspire us to continue the practice. I spoke to God for a person and was given the marvelous opportunity of speaking to a person for God. How is the test stirring in your mind and hear? “Whether they hear or refuse to hear they will know that a prophet has been among ...

263. On Level Ground

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

264. Chimps, Mount Saint Helens, and the Holy Gust

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Bill Mosley

... segment. Actually, that's a lot like real life. Things don't end neatly; they just go from one thing to another. Although God is not "entertainment," this notion of a continuing unfolding of activity in our human events is really God's idea (even from the time of the old covenant). Right now all of us at this church are involved in God's continuing story of salvation history for the world. Stay tuned for previews of what God will do next! And just when the world thought God's story was about to end! There ...

265. Someone Is Trying to Get Through

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

James L. Killen

... , that may have made a difference in life for many people. But the same encounter made a difference in Peter's life. Peter probably knew more than anyone else in the world at that time about Jesus Christ and about the Christian faith. But he had continued to be contained within the Jewish traditions about not associating with people of other races. When God sent him to preach to Cornelius and his friends, God pushed back the horizons of Peter's faith. Soon after that, the Christian church began to reach out ...

266. In the Darkness of Uncertainty, There Is the Light of Wonder

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... are up against a wall? Do you think your life is filled with uncertainty and the darkness of it has fallen upon you? Let the light of wonder shine upon you and in you. Remember the things we see in this story: I Let the song of the angels continue to fill your heart. When the shepherds came to Bethlehem, their hearts were full of what they had heard from the angels. It was because of that announcement that they said to each other, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.” When ...

267. Get Out of Your Big Pickup Truck!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Tom had chosen. When the weather cleared and blue skies and sun shone down on Tom's trapped vehicle, the salesman opted to continue being smart and safe: he stayed with his big truck. It seems impossible to understand now, but Tom stayed with that big ... but as we stopped to pray, I asked God to help me see what I was to do. I wanted to do what was the best thing for continuing to extend the Kingdom. We bowed to pray. As we finished praying, I looked down at my feet, and there on the ground was a big pink ...

268. Baptism of the Lord

Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:23b-48, Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... . Structure. There is some debate about whether Isaiah 42:1-9 is a single unit or two distinct prophetic oracles. Isaiah 42:1-4 is clearly one of the Servant Songs. Verse 1a begins by describing the servant as being God's chosen one, and this oracle continues through v. 4 in a description of the function and characteristics of the servant, to which we must return in the following section. Verses 5-9 are best interpreted as a separate oracle. Notice how it begins in v. 5 with a messenger formula ("Thus says ...

269. Easter 7

Jn 17:1-11 · 1 Pet 4:12-14; 5:6-11 · Ps 68 · Acts 1:6-14

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... 12-14; 5:6-11 - "Post-Easter Vigilance" Setting. The rhetoric of our texts shifts for this Sunday, which has prompted many scholars to suggest that the Baptismal Sermon (1:3-4:11) ends and a more direct address begins with I Peter 4:12, which then continues through 5:11. This demarcation may be accurate if we observe that the unit begins with the address "Beloved." In any case, there is a shift in mood, and the topic of suffering becomes a more immediate challenge. If I Peter has underscored anything for us ...

270. Epiphany 2

Psalm 40:1-17, Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-34, John 1:35-42

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... Hiddenness of God's Salvation" Setting. In the discussion of the Old Testament lessons for the First Sunday After Epiphany, we noted that there were four Servant Songs Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12) and that they provide a continuous biography of the servant even though they are presently separated in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 42:1-4 was a divine proclamation about the role of the servant to bring about justice in the larger world. This proclamation of a universal justice that emanates from ...

271. Proper 8

Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:15-23, Psalm 13:1-6, Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... the command to sacrifice Isaac flew in the face of the earlier promise that from him should come a great nation, but that Abraham was obedient to the command because he trusted God to keep the promise, in spite of all appearances to the contrary. Luther continues: Therefore one should hold fast to this comfort, that what God has once declared, this He does not change. You were baptized, and in Baptism the kingdom of God was promised you. You should know that this is His unchangeable Word, and you should not ...

272. Secret Revealed

Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... as your Savior and Lord? To reject Mary's son is not to prevent him from knocking at the door of your heart. The invitation will go on unabated, at least, in this life. The magnitude of this divine enticement to come and live as a new being continues, at times, to enthrall even the most hard-hearted souls. Their rejection stands side by side with the Father's Son wooing them. And, at times, they blow their cover and are on the verge of accepting him, only to return to their former selves whimpering, "Not ...

273. Down the Up Staircase

Genesis 11:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... confused Philip revealed for all of us the gift of divine presence which we may all enjoy. The God who strolled with us throughout the garden of Eden in the days of our innocence still yearned to join us here on earth. The incarnation of Jesus Christ and the continuous indwelling of the Holy Spirit made this possible, but at the high cost of the crucifixion. Now God joins us where we are, not where we ought to be, for we have a God who goes anywhere to get us, even descends into hell itself, to find us.

274. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the gods. Christian prayerfulness flows from confidence in the God who loved the world so much that God gave what was most precious to God’s heart. Prayer is not a ritual practice assigned to designated times of a day. Prayer is a continual consciousness of God’s grace and goodness. As they are fueled by joy and steeped in prayerfulness, no wonder Paul’s third directive to the Thessalonians is that they offer thanksgiving “in all circumstances.” Disciples are to offer an ongoing outpouring of ...

275. 2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... stories of David and his unique brand of kingship over Israel. This week for the second time the prophet Nathan appears on the scene. There is some suggestion that Nathan's sudden appearance should be seen as a later insertion into the continuing story of David's scandalous behavior with Bathsheba and its consequences. Nathan's presence serves to reveal the shameful nature of David's sin and explains the punishments that follow. Although only mentioned a few times, Nathan is obviously a highly respected ...

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