Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 251 to 275 of 4884 results

Hebrews 4:15-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... didn't know.1 Of all the temptations known to man, those people who agreed with those statements fell prey to the oldest and greatest temptation known to man—the temptation to doubt the Word of God. Contrary to the statement "nobody's perfect" there is one who is perfect—his name is Jesus. Jesus never thought sin, never wrought sin, never taught sin, and never caught sin. The thirty-three years that He lived on this earth was untainted by the fault of sin, untarnished by the flaw of sin, and untouched ...

252. James 1:17-27

James 1:19-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... emphatically denies this outlook. Temptations come from within human needs and desires. Temptations do not come from God, who is not some sadistic Tempter. All that comes from God, James asserts, is “every perfect gift,” every “generous act of giving.” James’ emphasis is on the absolute perfection (“teleiosis”) of God’s gifts, which could never be tainted with temptations. At this point in his text James’ offers a description of God that is quite unusual: “the Father of lights.” It ...

253. The Good News about Marriage

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... of you have had marriages like that. The two of you have become as one flesh. No issue is more important in our society than this one: How can we build lasting family relationships? Before we answer that question, though, we need to make one thing perfectly clear: Marriage is not required for a fulfilling Christian life. The Bible is clear about this. Some people are really not designed for marriage, for one reason or another. Some may want to marry but never find a partner. One poor guy says that when he ...

254. When Desire Goes Bad

1 Kings 21:1-21a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... us service. Jesus offers us God's pleasure. Jesus offers us God's peace. Jesus offers us redemption. There's an old rabbinic teaching: "Who is wealthy? The one who is content with his life."3 Young Nathan had it right. We don't need a perfect life. We need a contented one, one that is rich in generosity and acts of kindness, and is faithful to the example of Jesus. 1. Laura Schlessinger and Stewart Vogel, The Ten Commandments (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc., 1999), pp. 297-298. 2. Terri Langford ...

255. Shaped By The Fire

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... will take place in the life of those, who this day will confess their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, we can no longer look at them the same. They have been changed. And they will continue to change and be perfected, just as we continue to change and be perfected under the hand of the Master Craftsman who is shaping and molding our lives through the Fire of the Holy Spirit. Today, these people come to put their lives into the hand of the Master Craftsman to be Shaped by the Fire. There's ...

256. Does Love Really Make the World Go ’Round? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Christians who want to parade their perfectionist piety are persons to be pitied. Yet, can we not be better at love than we often are? Is not God able to make and mold us into more loving people if he could just get our permission? Being made perfect in love, casts out fear. We have created a culture of fear in America. Terrorists, predators, drug dealers, war and even the weather are playing havoc with our feelings of security and our lives of peace. God can help us change that! I choose to live by faith ...

257. War and the Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... self becomes unified. “I" and “Me" must learn to live with one another for “Us" to have peace. May I suggest a few paths to peace for you this Christmas? I could name a dozen but let me settle for three. One, why not make peace with your imperfections? The perfect meal, the perfect party, the perfect gift, and if you are on the staff, the perfect worship service, will not happen this Christmas. They will be our best and they will be good and in some cases, they will even be great, but they will not be ...

258. Not What You Expected

Hebrews 2:10-18

Sermon

John N. Brittain

... to one of mere humanitarianism or moralism. (More on the "mere" part later.) Hebrews 2:10 seems to say in boldface that the incarnation has less to do with moral improvement than it does with bringing one to the end of our journey, to being perfected, to bringing many children to glory. If the end has been over-emphasized by some groups, perhaps the process has gotten too much spotlight in others. As much as I love Matthew 25:31 with its teachings about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing ...

259. The World According to Paul

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... lies Where gossips never peddle lies Or make complaints or criticize. Or make complaints or criticize. Where all are always sweet and kind, Where all are always sweet and kind, And all to other's faults are blind. And all to other's faults are blind. Such perfect churches there may be, Such perfect churches there may be, But none of them are known to me. But none of them are known to me. But still we'll work, and pray and plan But still we'll work, and pray and plan To make our Church the best we can! To ...

260. Hope on The Day of Judgment

Hebrews 9:24-28

Sermon

Patrick J. Rooney

... like a good man on the surface. He may have been a regular in his attendance on Sunday mornings. He may have given some of his time, talents, and possessions to the church. He may have helped his neighbor in need on occasion. But he was not perfect; perhaps even far from perfect as the words of his wife seemed to intimate. He was not a saint, sinless in every regard. Rather it seems that he was a common and ordinary sinner, one who stood in danger therefore of God's judgment at the hour of his death. It is ...

261. The Moral Character of God

Illustration

James Packer

... being? Would a God who put no distinction between the beasts of history, the Hitlers and Stalins (if we dare use names), and his own saints be morally praiseworthy and perfect? Moral indifference would be an imperfection in God, not a perfection. And not to judge the world would be to show moral indifference. The final proof that God is a perfect moral being, not indifferent to questions of right and wrong, is the fact that he has committed himself to judge the world. It is clear that the reality of divine ...

262. Doing Your Own Thing

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... it was because he’d been barking in the street and a car hit him. At this, he said, the guy behind this lady was about to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard. (4) Well, so much for dumb questions . . . I don’t guess any diet is perfect, even the Purina Diet. Losing weight is hard. But at least it is easy to see what happens to you if you eat excessively. We may be free, as St. Paul says, to do anything, but not everything is beneficial. With regard to food, it usually becomes self-evident. The ...

263. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives, that is not the end of the process. It is only the beginning. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are to continue to grow into the spiritual image of Christ. That doesn’t mean that we will be perfect, but it does mean we will continue to grow in love, to grow in compassion, to grow in our ability to forgive and accept others. That is as much a part of the Christian life as salvation. You may think pretty highly of yourself as a Christian, but it is ...

264. Let's Take This from the Beginning

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

James Merritt

... He put them instantly in a state of being supremely well off. He calls them to be happy in the right way. At that moment, Adam and Eve were the most blessed couple who have ever lived in history. Do you know why? They were in a perfect environment in a perfect relationship to God. Here is what I had never noticed. What had Adam and Eve done at that point to deserve God’s blessing? The answer is absolutely nothing! It was all because of grace. From the very first breath that Adam and Eve drew they were ...

265. When You Reach the Rejection Hotline

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... 1) Wouldn’t that be devastating? You would have to have thick skin even to risk such a response. Rejection. What a cruel thing to happen to anyone, and yet it happens to us all sooner or later. You apply for a job. You believe it is the perfect fit for you. But your prospective employer has other ideas. Rejection. You work hard on a proposal at work. You know your boss will be delighted. Instead, she is more impressed by a co-worker’s idea. Rejection. It happens to everybody. It happens to best-selling ...

266. Paradise Lost

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

James Merritt

... which is creation. We stated God created this world and specifically God created humanity to have a relationship with Him and to be in fellowship with Him. When we left chapter one we left the first couple, Adam and Eve, living in a perfect environment, in a perfect relationship with God and the world. God has always existed in a relationship. God created us for a relationship. As we left this couple, all they knew was harmony and happiness. Then we come to the third chapter of Genesis. We are introduced ...

267. Shining as Stars

Philippians 2:12-18

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... to obey their pagan masters. There is no support in the text or context for the view of W. Schmithals (Paul and the Gnostics, p. 98) that Paul is here warning his readers against the false security of those who believe that they have already attained perfection (see further on 3:12–14). 2:13 Who works in you: Gk. energein (twice in this verse), a verb frequently used by Paul for the effectiveness of divine power (cf. the related noun energeia, “power,” in 3:21). To act according to his good purpose ...

268. Future Glory

Romans 8:18-27

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... with the consummation of their own salvation in the future. The presence of the Spirit is the “firstfruits” of the consummation, God’s pledge that believers will indeed share the glory of Jesus Christ the Son of God, with the redeemed bodies of God’s new and perfect world (1 Cor. 15:35–57). The anguished cry of Romans 7:24, in which the groaning of 8:23 finds expression, is answered in verse 23 with reference to the glory of the future consummation. In 8:24–27 Paul elaborates on the situation of ...

269. Why Are Christians So Judgmental?

Matthew 6:2, 5, 16, Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... our faith.” You know what non-Christians want? They want to know if the love of God is real. They want us to put God’s love into action. In other words, they want us to be like Jesus. Jesus had every right to condemn, to be judgmental. He was perfect. He had every right to make sinners feel small, but he didn’t. He made them feel big. He made them feel loved. They were drawn to him because he made them want to be more than they were. They wanted to know more about him. As I reflect on ...

270. God's Sovereign Choice

Romans 9:1-29

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

... history—of Jacob over Esau, or Moses over Pharaoh, or Gentiles over Jews (ch. 11)—are interim choices to serve his salvific ends. They are not presented as final choices. The eternal destiny of all things lies solely with God, who is perfect love and perfect justice. As a means of salvation, predestination has an inclusive “ripple-effect”: like a stone thrown into a pool, God intervenes at a point in history (e.g., the call of Abraham) and extends the effects of his intervention outward in ever ...

271. Visit

2 Corinthians 13:1-10, 2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... weakness cannot be used as an argument against Paul’s apostleship. Paul shares both in the sufferings and death of Christ (1:5; 4:10) and in the resurrection life of Christ (cf. 1:9; Phil. 3:10–11). Moreover, Christ’s power is made perfect in Paul’s weakness (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9–10). The opponents completely misperceive the apostle when they evaluate him according to the flesh as weak. Unlike his opponents, Paul no longer knows anyone according to physical criteria (5:12, 16a). He admits that, as ...

272. Praise to God for a Living Hope

1 Peter 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

... , of growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18), and it will ultimately find its perfect fulfillment in the presence of the glorified Christ (1 Pet. 1:7). If it seems curious that Peter should speak in such ... use the term again in 5:4 and in 2 Pet. 2:13. Goal: The Greek telos means full-orbed mature end, destiny, and is related to teleios, perfect, which points to the richness of its meaning. See TDNT, vol. 8, pp. 49–57; NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 59–66; vol. 3, pp. 752–59. Souls: “The ...

273. The Reception was Excellent

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... mechanisms of the natural order. That may be why genuine miracles seem to be so rare. I’m talking about miracles that completely defy the laws of nature. It’s interesting, even the miracles that Jesus performed conformed to God’s natural laws. A perfect example is the turning of water into wine. Pastor Ray Stedman notes that “water is being changed into wine in every vineyard in Northern California right now!” Think about that for a moment. Water is being changed to wine all over the world, in ...

274. Recognizing Who God Is

Job 42:7-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... God. He is saying, "Before I saw You, I thought I had all the answers. I thought I could stand in judgement of Your ways. But now that I have seen You, I repent, I ask for mercy. And I return control of my life to You and to Your perfect plan." This is the sum and substance of the believers' response to pain and suffering. We turn control of our lives over to God. Sheila Walsh is a lovely and talented woman, the former co-host of the 700 Club. On air, Walsh always appeared to be competent and confident ...

275. Aha! I See It Now!

John 1:29-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... saying, “Look, the Servant of God.” (6) The one who came to do the Father’s will. And God’s will is not to destroy us in our sin, but to take it away by covering us with His own blood. The lamb was completely innocent. Its physical perfection made it extremely valuable as an object of trade. And it had no choice, no way to escape being used as a sacrifice. Jesus was also completely innocent. Even in his humanity, he never sinned. He lived in complete devotion and submission to the will of God. His ...

Showing results