Sermon and Worship Resources

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2776. Clean Hearts And Dirty Hands

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

It's a phrase we still use today: he has dirty hands. We could be referring to hands that are soiled from doing good honest labor. The mechanic who works on our car may have dirty hands but it is no discredit to him. It comes with the territory. The farmer may have dirt all over his body from working all day in the fields. And we honor him because he or she helps feed our world. There is no disgrace in having dirty hands. Unless, of course, we mean it in a metaphorical sense: his hands are soiled with ...

2777. Yes! (Easter Sunday)

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. John Trent tells about a wedding video he once saw. The video was shot from the back of the church looking up the aisle toward the bride and groom. Because of the camera angle, you could see several members of the congregation. Suddenly, during the vows, a man jumped up from his pew and yelled, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” as he pumped his fist. Then he froze and slid down into his seat--and sheepishly took off his headphones. It turned out he had been listening to the Auburn-Alabama football game, and his ...

2778. Praying Through

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

No doubt you have heard about the postal service's "Dead Letter Department." That's the place where mail goes when it is not clearly addressed or has insufficient postage and the sender's identity cannot be determined. There the letter is opened and its contents examined for clues to the sender's identity. If the return address cannot be determined the letter is destroyed. It never reaches its destination, and any requests made by the writer remain unanswered. How about you? Do you feel like your prayers ...

2779. Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23, Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Psalm 99:1-9

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 33:12-23 is an extended petition of Moses for God to accompany Israel on their wilderness travels. Psalm 99 is a song of praise that celebrates the power of God. Exodus 33:12-23 - "The Power of Petition: Part 2" Setting. See the commentary from last week for an overview of the three-part structure of Exodus 19-34, which is (1) revelation and covenant Exodus 19-31), (2) the breaking of covenant and threat of destruction Exodus 32 -33), and (3) covenant renewal (Exodus 34). The ...

2780. Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometimes I almost feel sorry for hypocrites. Don’t you? Everybody hates a hypocrite. Isn’t that right? We may be able to tolerate diverse groups of people in our society, but one group that does not get compassion is the group made up of people who publicly stand for one thing and do something else. We might be able to stomach a politician who allegedly solicits gay sex, but not when he’s one of Congress’ leading gay bashers. It somehow troubles us when we see someone who expresses concern about global ...

2781. Good News about Thanksgiving

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

A few years ago, an American and a British journalist were discussing Thanksgiving on a British radio program. The American asked if Thanksgiving was celebrated in the United Kingdom. “Yes,” the British journalist replied, “but we celebrate it on the 6th of September.” “Why then?” asked the American. “That’s when you chaps left,” the Brit answered good-naturedly. Well, it is true that Thanksgiving is celebrated as a national holiday primarily in the U.S. and Canada, two former British colonies. ...

2782. The Last Passover

John 12:1-11

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

For the third time in John’s Gospel, the Passover is near (v. 55; cf. 2:13; 6:4), and for the second and last time (cf. 2:13), Jesus travels to Jerusalem to keep the festival. The early visit to Jerusalem involving the cleansing of the temple (2:13–22) had given the impression that Jesus’ Passion was about to begin, but it did not. Now the Passion is soon to begin, and the narrator creates an atmosphere of expectancy for his story. He does not immediately state that “Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (2:13), but ...

2783. It's Okay to Cry

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:4-5) [Optional Prop: crystal teardrops] Tears. Frustration. Grief. Sadness. It’s the name of the milieu pervading the atmosphere of many churches today. Dwindling attendance. Lack of enthusiasm. Fear of the surrounding culture, not to ...

2784. Doubters All, Part I

John 10:22-42

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: Believe in Jesus. Summary: Two professors, friends and roommates, walk to their classes together and discuss religion. One is a believer and one is not. They both have good arguments on their side. How will it turn out? The congregation will have to wait four Sundays to find out. This is the first of a four-part series. Playing Time: 3 minutes Setting: A college campus Props: Gerrie -- books and a rose Tommie -- books and a recent newspaper Costumes Dress appropriate for professors Time: The present ...

2785. The Pastor Who Created A Monster

Haggai 1:1-15, Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

As Pastor Jenkins walked through the church fellowship hall he could not help overhearing part of a conversation between two members of his congregation. What he heard troubled him. The members were standing in front of the big thermometer sign that the building committee had made. Five years ago the church had begun a fund campaign for a new sanctuary. The building committee had painted a big thermometer on a four-by-ten-foot sheet of plywood. The measurement markings on the thermometer were labeled, not ...

2786. It Makes No Difference Where You Belong

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Religion has always been a rich vein for humorists to mine, particularly the differences between denominations. For example, two men were in an airplane and the plane developed engine trouble. It was clear that they were going to be killed. One said to the other, "Well, this is it. We are going to die. Are you religious?" The other one said, "No, are you?" The first one said, "No. I'm not either. We ought to do something religious, though, because we're going to be dead in a few seconds. Don't you remember ...

2787. A Resume of Righteousness

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

David J. Kalas

Statues don't perspire. The characters portrayed in stained-glass windows don't blink. And so we are tempted to forget that the people they so nobly represent were human beings, just like us. In the statue's solidness and in the window's beauty, they cannot do justice to the blemishes and the frailties of the men and women they depict. We have seen so many of our biblical heroes portrayed in art: in glorious stained glass, in noble statues, and in sweet portraits on Sunday school room walls. Those ...

2788. The Bowl Judgments

Revelation 16:1-21

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: God continues to pour out his wrath on the ungodly, leading to a climactic eschatological battle and resulting in the final judgment of the evil world system. Understanding the Text Following the introduction of the bowl judgments in 15:1–8, chapter 16 provides details about each of the seven last plagues. When viewed alongside the previous trumpet judgments, the differences are few and the similarities many. While the trumpets kill a third of humanity, the bowls bring total destruction, and the ...

2789. Don't Forget the Best!

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an ancient Scottish legend that tells the story of a shepherd boy tending a few straggling sheep on the side of the mountain. One day as he cared for his sheep, he saw at his feet a beautiful flower—one that was more beautiful than any he had ever seen in his life. He knelt down upon his knees and scooped up the flower in his hands and held it close to his eyes, drinking in its beauty. As he held the flower close to his face, suddenly he heard a noise and looked up before him. There he saw the ...

2790. Fathers Need A Giant Sized Faith

1 Samuel 17:1, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A Sunday School teacher was telling the class the story of David and Goliath. He really got into it and told it with lots of gestures and movements and sound effects. He finished by telling how little David killed the giant Goliath with a rock from his sling. At the end of the story he asked the class what lesson they had learned. One of the little boys popped up and said: "Duck!" Goliath should have ducked. The story of David and Goliath is probably the best known story from the Old Testament. Kids love ...

2791. Proper 15

Hebrews 12:1-13, Luke 12:54-59, Luke 12:49-53, Psalm 82:1-8, Jeremiah 20:7-18, Jeremiah 23:9-32, Jeremiah 38:1-13

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE There are more clues - and more of them are non-theological than they are theological - coming from the calendar to date than there are from the church year this Sunday. This much gradually becomes clearer; the church is in the last quarter of its year, moving closer and closer to the conclusion and climax of that year, Christ the King Sunday. Aware of this, the framework of the church year begins to exert more influence than it has for some time. It reminds us that we are always about the ...

2792. When You Are Anxious About Many Things

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed how people differ? Some people can focus on only one thing at a time. Others are not happy unless they have several projects going at the same time. Then there are some people who are so focused it's scary. I chuckled when I read Lawrence A. Keating's description of something that happened during the 1946 Oklahoma-Army football game. Oklahoma coach Jim Tatum paced the sidelines frantically as the Army team took a 21-7 lead over his Sooners. Nearby sat punter Charlie Sarratt, his ...

2793. What If The Lord Really Did Come Today?

Amos 5:18-27

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a piece of church humor that has been around for some time now in the form of a good news ”bad news type joke. The scene is the Vatican in Rome. A cardinal rushes in to see the Pope. "Your holiness," says the cardinal excitedly, "I have some good news and some bad news." The Pope replies, "Well, give me the good news first." The cardinal responds, "I have just received word that Christ has returned to earth." "That's wonderful," replies the Pope, "but what is the bad news?" The cardinal answers ...

2794. Faith-based Living

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

One of these days, at the end of a message, I am going to give you a pop quiz--just to see how many of you were really listening. That would be cruel, wouldn't it? Don't worry. I'm afraid of the results myself. Few people enjoy taking pop quizzes--or any kind of test for that matter. Some of our young people would give an "Amen" to that. Tests elevate our anxiety level, so people will do some crazy things to prepare themselves for tests. For the benefit of our high school and college students, I want to ...

2795. Missing The Real Miracle

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

John and Ruth Jones were celebrating the 4th of July by having their extended family over for a cookout. They had planned a spectacular home fireworks display--even though fireworks were illegal in their state. A relative called at the last minute to ask if he could bring a friend to the cookout. John and Ruth graciously said yes. The friend turned out to be a police officer. What were John and Ruth to do? John quietly whispered to their son, John, Jr., "Hide the fireworks--quick." That is no surprise. If ...

2796. God’s Strange Arithmetic

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

An interesting article appeared awhile back in the Clinton SC Chronicle titled “When The Editor Left Town.” It said: “Mr. Jim Galeway and Miss Georgianne Bentlow were married Monday at the home of the bride’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Alex Bentlow, the Rev. A.A. Deckett officiating. The groom is a popular young bum who hasn’t done a lick of work since he got expelled his junior year in college. He manages to dress well and keeps a supply of spending money because his dad is a soft-hearted old fool who takes up ...

2797. On The Road Again (emmaus)

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Willie Nelson sings it. I'm sure some others sing it, too, but not like Willie! Now I want you to know that I don't live in the world of country music -- nor do I live in the world of opera. What some people who live in the world of opera and look down their noses at country music don't know, or haven't admitted, is that the story-line of opera and country music is often the same. It's the story of love and loss, of pain and suffering, of shattered dreams and courageous perseverance. Consider this line ...

2798. Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There's a new morning ritual. We've only engaged in this ritual activity the last few years. But let's acknowledge how our morning rituals have changed in a very short time. The ritual? Actually it's not just a morning ritual. It's an all-day ritual. But it's most heavy in the morning: deleting the overnight invasion of junk e-mails. In this massive assault, there are always two or three cut-rate, can't-pass-it-up, how-can-you-not-consider-buying-this ads for life insurance policies. Visual versions also ...

2799. Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

James W. Moore

When our grand-daughter Sarah was two years old, she was extremely active. She was always busy, always moving and always in a hurry… because at two years of age, she had already realized that there are so many exciting things to do and see and experience in this incredible world God has given us. One day Sarah interrupted her play-time just long enough to run into the kitchen in search of a mid-afternoon snack. Hurriedly, she said to her mother: “Banana, Momma, Banana!” Jodi, her mother, handed her a ...

2800. Grace to You, and Peace

Revelation 1:4b-8

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

The weeklong pastor's training event was about halfway through its course and the pastor coordinating the event was enjoying her break with a leisurely stroll across the grounds. But what began as a beautiful leisurely spring day soon turned somewhat anxious when she returned to her room and found a message taped to her door, "Call the bishop's assistant as soon as possible." She spent part of the afternoon playing phone tag between class sessions. "Whatever could it be?" she pondered. The week was flowing ...

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