Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 251 to 275 of 388 results

251. When All Is Said and Done

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Life has a way of presenting us with defining moments. I re- member facing a defining moment in my ministry. I went to see a man in the hospital who was dying. He was not active in the church I pastored, but I knew who he was. When I entered his hospital room, his whole family was standing in a semi-circle around his bed. They greeted me, and then the man told his family that he wanted a moment alone with me. So they left us alone. As soon as his family had left, he began to cry. I sat by his bed and began ...

252. The Siege Lifted

2 Kings 7:3-20

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

The Siege of Samaria: The Aramean threat has been hanging over Israel for some time. The uneasy peace of 2 Kings 5 gave way in chapter 6 to sporadic Aramean raids into Israelite territory—themselves curtailed because of the events of 6:18ff. There has been an accumulating tension; it is no surprise to read of full-blown invasion, as the king of Aram, long anxious for a fight (5:7), encamps his army at the very gates of Samaria. Our only question is how long Elisha will continue to help doomed Jehoram. It ...

253. A Remedy for Rejection

Luke 4:22-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been rejected? Have you ever had a door shut in your face? Welcome to the real world. Parents spend years grooming their children for success. Perhaps it would be more profitable to train our children to handle failure and rejection because everyone faces these unhappy experiences sooner or later. Go to Google. Type in the words “famous rejections.” If you do, you will learn that J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series of novels, was rejected by 12 different publishers before her work ...

254. Grace Upon Grace

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Grace upon grace. What a lovely turn of phrase that is. The gospel writer, John, really knew his stuff, didn’t he? Now, if only we knew what it meant. What exactly is this grace of God that we hear so much about in the Christian community? Christian theologians have spent much of the last two thousand years trying to define it. Saint Augustine said that grace is the unmerited love and favor which God makes available to all human beings.1 Martin Luther believed that God’s grace was God’s mercy and ...

255. I Am The Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

I am the good shepherd. -- John 10:11 (NRSV) These words of Jesus bring us into contact once again with the great I AM. Who is this good shepherd? The one who made heaven and earth, the one from whom we came and the one to whom we go. The Great I AM The situation seemed out of control. The woman was dying of cancer. She had nowhere else to turn. She had tried all the chemotherapy which had been prescribed. She had even traveled to Mexico for a new treatment that a friend had experienced. Nothing worked. ...

256. Repentance - King David and Peter

Luke 22:54-62

Drama

Martha L. Leach

Characters: Narrator David Peter Narrator: Tonight we will give some thought to the first of the attributes of Lent repentance. Throughout the Scriptures, the prophets and others have reminded people about their sins and have encouraged repentance. It's a word which conjures up negative feelings because none of us likes to feel like sinful people, and yet we are! Repentance begins with the acknowledgement that we are indeed sinful. Our guests from the scriptures tonight are David, King of Judah, and Peter ...

257. A Glory Revealed in the Cross

John 8:12-30

Sermon

Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that ‘I Am.’ " - John 8:28 The contemporary German theologian, Jurgen Moltmann, wrote: Since I first studied theology, I have been concerned with the theology of the cross.... It is the basic theme of my theological thought. No doubt this goes back to the period of my first concern with questions concerning Christian faith and theology in real life, as a prisoner of war behind the barbed wire.... Shattered and broken, the survivors of ...

258. Stuffed Bodies and Skinny Souls!

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a ...

259. Blood Sprinkled On A Modern Altar

Exodus 24:3-8, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26, Hebrews 9:11-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Wesley Tracy tells about a letter he once received. “I have hundreds of biblical photographs,” the letter said, “including several of the Garden of Eden.” “Wow!” says Tracy, “I have seen and taken a lot of photos of biblical places—tiny mustard seeds on the Mount of Olives, the Temple courtyard, and the Lord’s supposed birthplace guarded by a soldier with an automatic weapon—but Eden? Did they have cameras in [Eden]?” “Where was Eden anyway?” he asks with tongue firmly in cheek. “Though a headline in a ...

260. Marks Of A Champion

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the first things many young women have to do when embarking on a career in corporate America is to learn a new language--the language of metaphors from the world of sports--metaphors like "swing for the fences," "full-court press," "knock-out punch," etc. Let's face it. Men, for the most part, talk about sports. Surely you've read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. Men talk about sports; women talk about relationships. At least, that's what the experts say. The Apostle Paul was a man. And so ...

261. How Is It With Your Soul?

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Somewhere along the way I read a piece entitled "What is a Person" written by a little boy in West Virginia who was asked to write an essay on that subject. This is what he wrote. "When you are a person...your head is kind of round and hard and your brains are in it and your hair is on it. Your face is in the front of your head where you eat and make faces. Your neck is what keeps your head out of your collar, and it's hard to keep clean. Your shoulders are sort of shelves where you hook on your suspenders ...

262. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

God has planted throughout the Scriptures time-released fireworks. At various periods in the church's history these bombs go off under their texts, exploding for all to see, inviting people of that era to "look at me" and take seriously the Word of God coming alive specially for them right before their eyes. Two books of the Bible exploding under us, and wanting to explode within us (that's what preaching basically is), are the books of John and Genesis. Why John? First, it stands apart from the other ...

263. John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

John 20:19-31 [Genesis 2:5-24]

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

264. Sunday Of The Passion (Palm Sunday)

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY This pericope constitutes the third of the four servant songs in Isaiah. Yehweh's servant hears his voice and is therefore fortified with determination to suffer mental agony in terms of ridicule, false accusations, humiliation and shame. He suffers confidently because he believes Yahweh will vindicate, help and pronounce him innocent. Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11 Paul is pleading for unity in the Philippian congregation. He uses Jesus as an example of humility. In this pericope, Paul shows the ...

265. Easter 7

Acts 1:12-26, 1 John 5:1-12, John 17:6-19

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 The church is living between Jesus' departure and the coming of the Spirit. The time has come to fill the vacancy caused by Judas' suicide. The one to be chosen as a replacement is to be one who shared the experience with Jesus from the time of his baptism to his ascension and one who can witness to the resurrection. Two men met the qualifications: Joseph and Matthias. God and not the church elected Matthias. The church merely asked the ascended Lord which of the two ...

266. Can you Hear “The Voice?”

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is the heart of Little League season, those spring days when children get their first experience of playing on a team, of learning about the rules of play, and of listening to and heeding their coach. Do you remember that first voice spoken into your ear as you stood at home plate, gripping the bat like a lifeline, waiting for that first pitch? Unlike the actual game, when coaches call out from the sidelines, in a baseball batting practice the coach is right behind the Little Leaguer — squaring their ...

267. A Room with Locked Doors

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been afraid? Of course, you have. Is anyone in the room afraid to fly? A woman on a flight was suffering from the jitters. This was not her first flight, but still she had never been able to relax while flying on a plane. It didn’t help that her current flight was delayed twice before getting off the ground because of mechanical problems. Then, after they were aloft, the lights began flickering. “Oh, no,” she thought, “something else is wrong with this plane. I knew I shouldn’t have taken ...

268. Three Men Changed by God

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-13, Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

CNN carried a dramatic story about a pastor in South Korea who used to be a trained killer. That’s right--I said a trained killer. His name is Kim Shin Jo. We have been reading much the past couple of years about North Korea. This is a state that has caused the world many headaches over the years. Kim Shin Jo was originally a North Korean assassin. In January of 1968, Jo and a team of other assassins slipped into South Korea from the North in a daring attempt to kill the president of South Korea. The team ...

269. A Good Name

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9

Sermon

Will Willimon

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9 Do you believe that? It's from the book of Proverbs. You get this sort of moral platitude there. "A good name is better than silver or gold." Sounds a little quaint, this talk of "a good name." But this is typical of Proverbs. Here is ethics done the old-fashioned (600 B.C.) way -- an older person telling a younger person how to live in order to have a good life. The book of Proverbs is, ...

270. Making Our Feelings Known

Job 23:1--24:25

Sermon

John A. Stroman

In our text Job makes his lament to God loud and clear, "Today also my complaint is bitter." The word bitter seems to carry the feeling of defiance in the wake of grievance and complaint. Job earlier has spoken of the bitterness of his soul:Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. (7:11)I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint. (10:1) Here Job is correlating his own bitter defiance with the unrelenting ...

271. Heaven's Wait

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

Some things in life are inevitable. It doesn't matter who you are, where you live, or what you do. It makes no difference how powerful, how popular, or how prominent you've grown. One's accumulated wealth or wisdom is of little, if any, significance. Regardless of effort or endeavor, there are truths so tightly woven into the fabric of human existence that they become unalterable and absolute -- sureties which each and every one of us will encounter sooner or later. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, may ...

272. Passion Sunday

Isaiah 50:1-11, Luke 22:14--23:56, Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 50:4-9a Yahweh's servant faces suffering confident of his help. This pericope constitutes the third of the four Servant Songs in Isaiah. Yahweh's servant hears his voice and is therefore fortified with determination to suffer mental agony in terms of ridicule, false accusations, humiliation, and shame. He suffers confidently because he believes Yahweh will vindicate, help, and pronounce him innocent. Epistle: Philippians 2:5-11 Jesus' humiliation and God's exaltation of him ...

273. A Sleeping Bag God

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Robert Noblett

This is definitely not a text a minister should use if her congregation is thinking of building a new church structure or adding to an existing one. King David, well-meaning to be sure, develops pangs of conscience because he is living in his “house built of cedar” and thinks to do better by God. “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God’s Covenant Box is kept in a tent!” (2 Samuel 7:2 TEV) So David determines to build God a temple, and initially with the prophet, Nathan’s, blessing. Misreading ...

274. Sunday of the Passion

Lk 22:14--23:56 · Isa 50:4-7 · Php 2:6-11

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Isaiah 50:4-7 Yahweh's servant faces suffering confident of his help. This pericope constitutes the third of the four Servant Songs in Isaiah. Yahweh's servant hears his voice and is therefore fortified with determination to suffer mental agony in terms of ridicule, false accusations, humiliation, and shame. He suffers confidently because he believes Yahweh will vindicate, help, and pronounce him innocent. Philippians 2:6-11 Jesus' humiliation and God's exaltation of him. Paul is pleading for ...

275. A Time For Silence

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

A most unusual protest took place this past fall in a convent in New Jersey. Four nuns locked themselves in a tiny second floor infirmary and have taken a vow of "near silence." They are protesting new rules established by their new prioress, Mother Theresa Hewitt. It seems that Mother Theresa has introduced television, secular videos, recorded music, bright lights, and (horror of horrors) daily "sweets" into the convent. The sweets consist of a tin of candy which is passed around each day and each nun is ...

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