Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2726 to 2750 of 4933 results

2726. Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments

Proverbs 24:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

What issue do Americans feel more strongly about, and have a stronger opinion about, than any other issue? James Patterson and Peter Kim, in their groundbreaking book, The Day America Told the Truth, discovered that Americans feel more strongly about abortion than any other issue, whether it be alcohol abuse, the death penalty, pornography, flag-burning, affirmative action, or communism. 75% of Americans see abortion as either right or wrong, with no gray area in between.1 Abortion has become a fact and a ...

2727. Getting It Straight

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

What a colorful figure Paul must have been in flesh and blood! His individuality shows a man who refuses to be dominated by anything. For us to be able to experience his ministry, as he went about, would have been something that would have made an indelible imprint on us. As he wove his life and ministry into his day and time the enemies were many. This was especially true among his Jewish brothers and sisters. Only by the grace of God was he able to fulfill what he had been called to do. The hatred could ...

2728. Why Is God Unfair?

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

One of my favorite courses to teach is "Introduction to Biblical Literature." It is a 200-level course, and therefore only open to upperclassmen. These are college students who have already been around the block once or twice, and they know the rules of the game for getting good grades. Because the course is a biblical survey, there is a lot of material to cover, and little that can be pursued in depth. Yet, I want my students to think theologically, so I place before the group every year one question that ...

2729. The Victory Of The Cross

Sermon

Erskine White

Old Testament Text: Psalm 139:7-12New Testament Text: Luke 23:44-49 ... and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. (Luke 23:44b) In the rolling hills of northern New Jersey stands a small church with a large, stone cross cut into an inside wall. Now, it happened that one of the church's wealthier members didn't like the cross there and said it was an eyesore. He offered to give a huge donation to the church in order to take the cross out of the wall and replace it with a stained glass ...

2730. Proper 13 & Pentecost 11

Matthew 14:13-21, Nehemiah 9:1-37, Exodus 12:1-30, Romans 8:28-39, Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE With one more Sunday remaining in August, the preacher may find more of a practical preaching clue in the approach of the fall season than a theological theme in the church year. For now, the latter part of August emphasizes a kind of homiletical eschatology; in many congregations, one has been preaching primarily to the faithful few during the summer months, and soon summer will be over. Attendance will increase in the next few weeks and one's preaching may have to be somewhat different ...

2731. Life Between Verses 4 and 5

Psalm 13:1-6

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"How long, O Lord?" How long? Ever ask that question? Most of us have. They say, "Into each life a little rain must fall," but the truth is that there are times when the rain becomes such a downpour that we are about to drown in the deluge. "How long, O Lord." Familiar words from the beginning of the 13th Psalm, one of those marvelous bits of biblical insight we have come to call the "Psalms of Lament."(1) For what it's worth, almost half of the Psalms fall into this category. For that matter, laments are ...

2732. Worthy Is the Lamb Who Was Slain

Revelation 5:1-14

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: Jesus, the crucified and resurrected Lion-Lamb, is worthy to carry out God’s plan of redemption and judgment for the world. Understanding the Text Revelation 5 continues the throne-room vision that began in 4:1. Following the worship of God as sovereign Creator, the scene shifts to the Lamb as Redeemer. John sees a scroll in God’s right hand, and the heavenly worshipers fall silent as the mighty angel asks, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (5:2). This brings us to a ...

2733. Nicodemus

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

They say, "There is no fool like an old fool." And I am afraid that is exactly what I have been. I have been so busy protecting our religion that I have been missing our God. I should explain. My name is Nicodemus. I am a member of the Sanhedrin, one of the seventy men charged with the oversight and defense of our historic and honorable faith, the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the faith of our fathers for hundreds and hundreds of years. Our task - one handed down from generation to generation since ...

2734. The Ultimate Solution For Sin

Mark 9:38-50

Sermon

King Duncan

In 1939, a coast guard vessel was cruising the Canadian Arctic when the men spotted a polar bear stranded on an ice floe. It was quite a novelty for the seamen, who threw the bear salami, peanut butter, and chocolate bars. Then they ran out of the food. Unfortunately, the polar bear hadn't run out of appetite, so he proceeded to board their vessel. The men on ship were terrified and opened the fire hoses on the bear. The polar bear loved it and raised his paws in the air to get the water under his armpits ...

2735. When You Are Uncertain About Your Salvation

1 Kings 3:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Does it bother you when someone corners you on the street and asks you, "Are you saved?" Do you have an uncomfortable feeling when someone pointedly asks you if you're a Christian? How many times have you answered by saying, "Well, I try to be." Is there uncertainty in your heart about your salvation? If so, you should realize that you are not alone. Many of the best Christians who have ever lived have gone through times when they doubted if their conversion was real. It happened to Martin Luther. It ...

2736. When Tradition Gets in the Way

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Do you remember the opening soliloquy which begins the musical “Fiddler on the Roof?” Tevye, the dairyman who is always carrying on lengthy conversations with God, says to the audience: “A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You may ask, why do we stay up here if it’s so dangerous? We stay because Anatevka is our home. And ...

2737. Sunday's Here

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of you are familiar with Tony Campolo’s classic sermon, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming.” It was based on a sermon Tony once heard his African-American pastor preach on Good Friday. This pastor began his message by quietly saying, “It’s Friday and my Jesus is hanging dead on a tree. But it’s Friday, and Sunday’s coming.” One of the deacons yelled, “Preach, brother, preach!” It was all the encouragement that preacher needed. He grew a little louder. “It’s Friday, and Mary’s crying her eyes out and ...

2738. The Only Place of Worship

Deuteronomy 12:1-32

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

The Name above All Names: A new section is clearly indicated by the fresh heading in 12:1, even though we are still listening to the second speech of Moses, which began at 5:1. The next such heading is at 29:1, after the blessings and curses in chapters 27–28. Chapters 12–26 form the central section of the book, characterized by the preaching of specific laws and sometimes given the title, “the Deuteronomic Code.” However, it is important not to be unduly influenced by this identification of separate ...

2739. Can a Christian Go to Hell?

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord", shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 7:21] If as a Christian you land in heaven, will you be surprised? Once a pastor was invited back by his former congregation to speak for an anniversary celebration. A dear old lady came up to him and said, "And, of course, you know about my dear husband, Albert. Since you left, dear Albert died and has gone to heaven." Since he vaguely remembered Albert as one ...

2740. The Promise of Baptism

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

William F. Buckley, Jr., has earned the respect of some of his harshest critics with the publication of Nearer, My God. Many of his critics have been among the theologians who have had great difficulty with his rightist opinions. It is not that conservative viewpoints are not welcome, but Mr. Buckley has a penchant for delivering his thoughts in a cavalier style that betrays a snide manner of talking down to people. However, his book Nearer, My God is not offensive in its approach to Mr. Buckley’s ...

2741. A Religion that Shows

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Someplace or other at sometime or other, I heard of some little girls who had gone on a hike with their scout troop. They were all dressed up in their uniforms and most proud of the way they looked as they tramped around the countryside. But, of course, with all that tramping around, some became a bit disheveled as the day wore on. One little girl, who normally wore a St. Christopher medallion under her clothing (remember, this is back in the days before St. Christopher got demoted), became just active ...

2742. He's Everything I Need

Psalm 23:1

Sermon

James Merritt

One of my favorite theologians was the late Irma Bombeck. She said something about worrying that I think we can all relate to. I’ve always worried a lot, and frankly I’m good at it. I worry about introducing people and going blank when I get to my mother. I worry about a shortage of ball bearings; a snake coming up through the kitchen drain. I worry about the world ending at midnight and getting stuck with three hours on a twenty-four hour cold capsule. I worry about getting into the Guinness World Book of ...

2743. Don’t Be a Hypocrite

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

There are very few people who never, ever get angry about anything. Even if you are the most mild mannered of mild mannered people, you have a hot-button that if someone just knows where it is and knows how to push it, they can really make your blood boil. What one thing makes you the angriest? Maybe, it is when somebody cuts you off on the freeway. Maybe, it is when your brother or sister borrows some of your clothes and doesn't tell you about it. Maybe, it is when your favorite college football team ...

2744. Imagine This

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

John Jamison

We’re going to start the story today some 400 miles away from the Jordan River. The city of Tarsus was a major business center in what is now Turkey and a place where many Jewish families had settled who had fled the harsh Roman rule around Jerusalem. We’re going to start by looking at one particular Jewish family in Tarsus. It was a devout Jewish family. A son in that family would later refer to himself as “of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a ...

2745. Scandal

Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

While Don Richardson was a student at Prairie Bible Institute in the 1950s, his heart burned in anticipation of bringing the good news about Jesus to an unreached tribe. He and Carol found their prayers answered in 1962 as they sailed out of Vancouver harbor toward Netherlands New Guinea. Before long, they were deposited by a missionary plane among the Sawi people, a group of tribes living in the trees of the interior rain forest. The jungle floor was too damp for permanent dwellings, so the Sawi helped ...

2746. Healing For The Past

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

Occasionally I hear a senior citizen complain, "I just can't remember names like I used to," or, "I can't remember a thing anymore." Reminds me of a Peanuts cartoon strip I saw some time ago. Charlie Brown says, "My grandfather loves to sing hymns. He can remember the words to over a hundred hymns." Linus asks, "Does he sing in the choir?" Charlie replies, "No, he can't remember where the church is!" But the problem for many is not that they can't remember, but they can't forget. Psychologists remind us ...

2747. Our Christian I.D.

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Given that you and I are reasonably good people, it probably does not amaze you to read that Jesus was able to overcome temptation. After all, like me, you've probably been able to do it yourself, many times. Admittedly, we have also caved in to temptation innumerable times, but for a person with Jesus' devotion and strength, eluding the tempter's entrapment must have been a piece of cake. That assumption is based on that belief that temptation is merely the urge to do something wrong. It is the desire to ...

2748. Pentecost 7

Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 14:1--15:13, Exodus 20:1-21, Psalm 19:1-14, Psalm 103:1-22, Genesis 50:15-21

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE September 29th marks the celebration of another minor festival, St. Michael and All Angels. The last line of the second reading, Revelation 12: 12, supports the eschatological perspective of Pentecost, because it announces that he (Satan) "knows that his time is short." Without the theological input of the readings for St. Michael and All Angels Day to supplement the readings of the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, the eschatological framework of the church year would be almost ...

2749. Father Damien

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Carroll Gunkel

Leprosy is no longer the scourge of humanity it once was. This is mainly a tribute to the drug penicillin, which has practically eliminated leprosy from this earth. Before that miracle, however, men and women stricken with the disease were subjected not only to the reality of great suffering, slowly leading to death, but also to the tragedy of exile from their communities and separation from those whom they loved. Lepers were the living dead. Ancient Egyptians called leprosy "death before death." In the ...

2750. An Attitude of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

It was almost exactly five years ago. Just before Thanksgiving, a Friday morning, shortly after 5:00 AM - I was awakened by a shout from our kitchen, "OH, NO!" A moment later, the cry came again, "OH, NO!" Christie had gotten up, gone in to start the coffee, and discovered we were flooded. A hose leading to our washing machine had burst during the night and water was gushing out. For the next hour and a half we were bailing out our house, then later watched as a crew moved in, hoisted furniture, pulled up ...

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