Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 251 to 275 of 4940 results

251. An Announcement to a Virgin

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... or her master and willingly choose to remain in slavery rather than go free. In those cases, the slave was declared a bondslave one who chose to serve out of love rather than obligation. This was how Mary saw her relationship to God. She would willingly give up her own agenda and submit herself to His will. (6) No wonder God chose this humble maiden for the most important assignment anyone on earth has ever received. Suppose you loved God that much? Suppose I loved God that much? Three times in this portion ...

252. No Reason to Worry

Matthew 6:25-33

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... she would shut them up in her office and refuse to worry about them. Instead of being anxious about her own life, she would try putting everything into perspective by focusing on the life and suffering of Jesus. Giving up worry for Lent was a good idea, but it was also a lot harder than giving up chocolate or coffee. Most days she found her thoughts turning to worry, so her Lenten practice became more about stopping worry than being able to give it up altogether. Still it was a good exercise that helped her ...

253. What Are You Bananas About?

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope. (4) Remembering that our citizenship is in heaven allows us to rise above the misery of our present circumstances. It gives us the hope we need to stand firm in the Lord when we are tempted to give up. Paul reminds us that we can stand firm by being connected to one another. Secondly, he reminds us that this world is not our home. Finally, Paul reminds us that we can stand firm in the Lord because we eagerly await our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He ...

254. The Measure of Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... speak up: “You both miss the point. Greatness is measured by the amount that you have sacrificed. We stood to inherit our father Zebedee’s lucrative fishing business. We gave all of that up.” At this point Matthew chimes in: “Well if you want to talk about giving up money, I can play that game. I was a tax collector. None of you had as much money as I did. Therefore, I am the greatest.” When the twelve arrived at their destination, Jesus asked them what they had been talking about back on the road ...

255. What to Remember When You're Having a Bad Hair Day

Romans 8:28

Sermon

James Merritt

... of Thy plan for the world Thou hast made. In spite of re-present difficulties, reassure us that Thou art still in control. When we become frustrated and give up, remind us that Thou art holding things together waiting, and working, and watching. When we make mistakes, help us to remember that Thou dost not give up on us. Forbid it, Lord, that we should give up on Thee, and forget that all things work together for them that love Thee. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. 1. Paul E. Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 ...

256. In Spite of Evidence to the Contrary

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... same thing about God and themselves, even those who have no good reason to do so, especially sinners and outcasts. Finally, he must pay for believing that with his own blood on the cross, but he never gives up that faith. "Hoping against hope," in spite of evidence to the contrary, he never gives up his conviction that God is his "daddy." When God raises him "after three days," God vindicates Jesus' faith. God vindicates Jesus' claim. God is indeed, in spite of evidence to the contrary, in spite of bucket ...

257. When We're Estranged from God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... be on my way.” The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said, “I gave up smoking for Lent.” (1) One of the hallowed traditions of Lent is to that we should give up something, something we enjoy, for the duration of this sacred season. Usually it means something like chocolate, or beer, or some other alleged vice. This, of course, has opened us to a multitude of lame jokes. One civic-minded individual said he gave up taxes ...

258. Don't Give In

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

David & Marian Plant

... that we might more purely center ourselves on growing closer to the one who claims us. For those who have long been in the church we can remember the Lenten discipline of “giving up” something for Lent so that we might be better able to focus on what is really important. In equal fashion we can remember the challenge to not give up things, but instead add helpful disciplines to our lives that will aid in our growing closer to God: to be a praying community, to be a discipleship building community, or to ...

259. Why The British Coast Guard Doesn't Like Eric, But God Does

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... for "sinners," then that's how much we should care too. Second Peter 3: 9 reads, "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." God isn't willing to give up on anyone, from the worst of us to the best of us. And that's the attitude He wants us to have too. Let me tell you about a woman, we'll call her Terri, who took her two small children and fled an abusive marriage. She moved into an ...

260. Can You Deny Yourself?

Mark 8:27-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... In our culture, we have lost the understanding of dying to our self. That’s what the cross meant to early Christians. It was a symbol that Jesus was willing to give up everything—his power, his authority, his rights, his safety and comfort, his very life—to do the will of God and to restore our relationship with God. He chose to give up his own agenda, his own desires, his own comforts to show us how much God loves us. He chose death to give us eternal life. And he challenges his followers to follow ...

261. Why Cheerful Givers are Cheerful

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Edward Inabinet

... a cork at the top and a penciled note, directing that the water in the jug be poured into the pump to prime it. At first the thirsty man questioned this. What if the writer of the note had been mistaken? What if the pump no longer worked? Should he give up the water at hand for only a promise of more water to come? He decided to follow the directions. He used the little bit of water to prime the pump, and he obtained satisfying water. Before going his way, he filled the jug with water so the next thirsty ...

262. God Outwits Us

Psalm 31:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to do. I was blissfully happy and my life was filled with meaning as a pastor. I didn’t want to give up preaching to the same people every Sunday, being present as pastor in the deepest, most significant times of people’s lives: ... holiness. I could not have imagined such joy and meaning as I have had during my tenure at Asbury. And I thought I was giving up something, sacrificing. God outwitted me. Does the phrase evoke resonance, a response in your own mind and heart—God, “you have outwitted me.”? ...

263. Easter: The Festival Of Joy

Isaiah 25:1-12

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... desire that they become fasts." Too often the charge against Christianity has been that it took all the light, zest, and joy out of living. One fears that too many of us see the faith as making us do all the things we don’t want to do and to give up all the things we like to do. There is an old rabbinic saying that is a healthy reminder for most of us and it goes like this: "A person will have to give an account on judgment day for every good thing that he might have enjoyed, and did not ...

264. Struggling with God

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... feel like the little girl sitting on her bunk at summer camp and crying her eyes out. The counselor asked if she were homesick. "No," she whimpered, "I'm HERE-sick." We know what she means. Sometimes it seems like SUCH a struggle. The message of Jacob is DO NOT GIVE UP, because a blessing may await at the end. By the way, the story of Jacob's reunion with brother Esau has a wonderful end. Jacob limps off to meet his sibling who greets him, not with hate, but a hug. He does not kill him, he kisses him. Then ...

265. Seeing Through the Eyes of Jesus

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... inevitably leads to acts of compassion. Often, we have thoughts of compassion, but rarely do they lead to acts of compassion. Seeing the world through Jesus’ eyes inevitably leads to acts of love and compassion. Seeing the world through Jesus’ eyes involves us giving up some of our own rights and comforts and possessions to meet the needs of others. We may feel that we don’t have enough resources to make a dent in something we feel compassionate about. But it’s amazing what can happen when Jesus ...

266. Selling the Cross

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... you ready? And finally, if we are going to join our path with Jesus, then Jesus calls us to walk the path of sacrifice. Sacrifice is simply “an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.” (9) Jesus considered our life more valuable that his. That’s why he headed to Jerusalem. He was giving up his life as a sacrifice, an offering to God, in our place. In his death he took on the weight and the penalty of our sins so that nothing would stand ...

267. The Whole Shebang in Six Words

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... when the Devil himself is a believer. In fact, the Bible says the demons believe and tremble. The demons are doing better than some of us are since at least their trembling from these beliefs. Maybe we're wrapped up in learnedness. Jesus calls us all to give up and learnedness and become learners. "Learn from me," Jesus said. Many of us have become learned, our learning a thing of the past, and now know too many things that are no longer true. Maybe we're wrapped up in words. We are living in a culture ...

268. How To Be A Saint In A Storm

Acts 27:13-26

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... life’s crises, in the storms and stress that come to each of us. Some of us try to run, others pray, some have hysterics, some give up in despair, others face the battle head-on. In the chapter of the text we have the example of one of God’s great men showing ... weeks they are still in the middle of a storm that won’t quit! The situation aboard ship is hopeless. The men are ready to give up in despair. They are sure death is near. They haven’t seen sun or moon or stars in many days (and no 20th century ...

269. Jesus the Hope of the World

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

... the Sabbath coming upon us. Thomas: Well, I’m not going to any tomb. The Romans have posted guards around the tomb, and if we show up we’ll be arrested. John: Thomas is right. There is no sense staying around here. Mary: I can’t believe this. Are you giving up? Peter: Look, Mary, as long as the Master was alive we were all with him. But now he’s dead. What can we do? We can’t do anything on our own. It’s hopeless. Mary: Look, maybe he is dead, but the dream is not dead. All that he ...

270. King of Atlanta

Romans 8:28-39

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

... to vote all over the South. In St. Augustine, Florida, we got thrown in jail for our efforts. It’s hard to believe that as soon as my bail was paid, I was on an airplane to Connecticut to receive an honorary doctorate from Yale University for refusing to give up on non-violence. As you know, I also went to West Berlin to honor our late president, John Kennedy, and preached in one of the largest churches in the eastern part of the city. I had an audience with Pope Paul in Rome, and then received the Nobel ...

271. Casting Out An Evil Spirit

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... of chemotherapy and radiation. However, Sean's battle with cancer wasn’t over. At age 16, he was diagnosed with a different form of cancer—Askin's sarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Despite the odds stacked against him, Sean didn't give up hope. Miraculously, he not only survived a second cancer but also achieved something extraordinary. He decided to push the boundaries of what was considered possible for cancer survivors. He decided to climb. He became the first cancer survivor to reach the summit ...

272. How To Fail Successfully

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... cry. When the jumbled pieces no longer fit, Rest, if you want, but don't you quit. Stick to the fight when you are hardest hit -- It's when things seem worse that you must not quit." (Shelby, "When to Stop Trying") So that's the first warning: we can give up too soon. II. And now a second lesson that Jesus would teach us about how to fail successfully. If it's true that we can stop too soon, it's also true that we can keep trying too long. We can keep driving on, pressing on regardless of what takes ...

273. We Wobble, but We Don't Fall Down

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... —God's glory revealed in him. Perhaps it feels to you as if your life has been nothing but empty eggs. You've already opened 9,000 of them and you're not sure you've got the will to go on. Let me encourage you today. Don't give up.” (4) Some of the greatest accomplishments have been made by people who simply gritted their teeth and held on. Let me tell you about a young man like that. Back in the 1970s, there was a young Canadian athlete named Terry Fox who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive ...

274. Prepared Servants

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... in God's grace that frees us from all that enslaves and robs us of true living otherwise. We find in being enslaved to Christ we receive more than we are ever able to give to him and to our neighbors. It takes a considerable boldness to give up our fears and live the life of the slave who finds freedom in servanthood. 4. Couch Potato Christians. We hear a lot about couch potatoes. They are the people who sit passively before the television hour after hour. They are spectators, sometimes of real events in ...

275. The Man From Galilee VI: The Tragedy Of His Victory

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

... , "Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! Be careful what you say. The King of kings is here."3 Palm Sunday confronts us with this truth. The King of kings is here facing us in our own Jerusalem. He calls us never to be careful again, to be willing to give up safety and approval, to give up ease and escapism, to step out into the street and follow Him to the end -- and the beginning. "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Who is this Jesus? This is the ...

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