Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 2776 to 2800 of 4884 results

John 12:20-36

Sermon

George Bass

... signs, and many believed that he was the Son of God, the Promised One. But the ultimate evidence of divine power and purpose in Jesus Christ was concentrated in his death and his resurrection. That was why he would lay down his life in perfect obedience and selflessness - that others might be saved for the Father through his love. Ellen Goodman wrote a column at the beginning of this decade titled, "Survivalism: Giving up on humanity." She believes that the 70s were the era of "Self-Improvement," but that ...

2777. Humility

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... or hit a baseball, or get elected to office, they truly do think they are somehow better than the masses of people who celebrate them. Why we let them get away with this I do not know. The King of Kings washed his disciples’ feet. The only perfect man who ever lived humbled himself and gave his life for people for whom the world had little regard. Of course, greatness is an inadequate term when we are describing the Master, but this is one characteristic of truly great people: They are humble. In his book ...

2778. Yes! (Easter Sunday)

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... on things. But Easter puts the grandest twist to the story of all. Easter says that the people who are buried there who are in Christ are not dead at all. They’ve simply exchanged a worn out or hopelessly damaged physical body for a new perfect, spiritual body that will last for all eternity. What can we say to this, but “Yes!”? You know the basic story. The details vary according to the Gospel you are reading. These are eyewitness testimonies passed along by word-of-mouth before they were written ...

2779. Morning Has Broken

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... 1:4). God then proceeds to separate the light from the darkness, defining the light as Day and darkness as Night. God's evaluation is not one of finality but of an ongoing process within which it is possible to improve. "Good" here does not mean perfect but that what has happened has achieved his divine intentions. The use of "good" also implies that God remains involved with his creation. The Creator sees what he has created and is affected by what is he sees. God's use of the word "good" to evaluate ...

2780. Sometimes It Is Okay to Be Absentminded

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... like the proverbial elephant! Well, I'm going ahead to the church. I'll see you there." Linus walks along the sidewalk in the snow rehearsing his part over and over again! " 'For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people ...' Perfect. What a memory I have!" The scene changes, and it shows Linus coming in the front door of his home. Lucy says, "Linus? What in the world? I thought you just left!" Linus responds, "I did, but I came back. I forgot where the church is."1 Like ...

2781. Going, Going, Gone

2 Kings 2:1-18

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... is that Elijah was given an encore on the Mount of Transfiguration, which simply reminds us that God uses ordinary people and kisses them with a destiny. It's strange, isn't it, that God used Elijah, who was a person "just like you and me." His life wasn't perfect, and there is no mention of him in Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter. God remembered him and gave him to us as an example. There is only one prayer of Elijah's that God never answered, and that prayer was that God would take his life. In the ...

2782. Look Inside and Discover Life

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... or what we lack, but rather, may we concentrate on what we have and the opportunities we possess. Restoring our spiritual house also necessitates our cooperation in refusing to participate in behavior that is harmful to others. Dorian Gray was perfectly kept on the outside, but his words and actions, through his addictions to power, wealth, and prestige, were highly destructive to others. We must reject the fascination of our world with these three great temptations and willfully choose another road, one ...

2783. Replacing a Fallen Comrade

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... magazine one time and he wondered what that meant. More speaking engagements? Perhaps an appearance on a Christian talk show? What makes a Christian leader? Thomas wonders if we have reversed things. He recalls Paul's admonition that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. Then Thomas adds these important words: "In a church I once attended, there was a man of tremendous faith. His wife is an alcoholic, his daughter has psychological problems. He was often poor in health. Yet, week after week, he never ...

2784. A Converting Presence

1 John 2:28--3:10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Put it down. Jesus is not at war with our human nature. He does not say that our instincts were born of evil or that the only hope is to cast them out, or to beat them down or to suppress them way down inside. But rather Jesus understood perfectly in the realm of human nature, what Luther Burbank understood in the realm of plant nature, that every weed is a potential flower, and that the very qualities which make a weed could make a flower. Great sinners and great saints are made of the same stuff. That’s ...

2785. Being Christ

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to us. He keeps calling us back from that pitfall, reminding us that the example of Jesus is only a part of the redeeming gospel. Were there no more than this, no more than Jesus as a great prophet as a great example, the contemplation of the perfect holiness of Jesus could only breed despair. No shining example, cold and remote as the stars can cleanse the conscious that has been defiled or break the octopus grip which sin has upon the soul. The evangel of an ethical example is a devastating thing. It ...

2786. Playing A Role Or Being A Truth

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, who is your spiritual worship. And be not conformed to the world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect. Let us pray. We thank you eternal God of the covenant for making covenant with us, for linking yourself to us, and we pray that in this hour of worship, we might link ourselves more deliberately with you. As we open our minds to receive your word ...

2787. What Really Matters

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... We can know it. The power of his resurrection. Here is a hint of it. Arthur Ruebenstein, even at 80, reached a greater height than he had known in his long career as a peerless artist. In an interview, he was asked how after all the long years of perfection, he still kept his interpretations fresh and inspiring. Rubenstein answered, “Every day, every day, I am a new man. And every occasion is a new moment for me. When I play, it is no longer I, but a secret power takes over.” If that is true of a great ...

2788. Pentecost: The Neglected Factor

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... would say to the Christians at Rome, I appeal to you to present yourselves as a living sacrifice, be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Now the shape of this witness varies. It is as unique as each individual person here today is unique. But this much is certain – whatever the shape of your personal witness, it is essential for Christ’s total witness. Every witness here is essential for Christ ...

2789. Living Deliberately

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is the beginning of living deliberately. Amazingly we can reach back in the Old Testament and get the classis story of a person giving attention. We read this as our first scripture lesson today. Moses’ encounter with the burning bush and thus with God, is a perfect example of a person paying attention and coming alive. He was doing his job in an ordinary sort of way, tending the flock of his father in law. In the midst of that mundane task, he suddenly observed something that he had never seen before - a ...

2790. Christ Signs The Letter Of The Church

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... a window through which we see the very nature of God; and a mirror, revealing our human possibility, by picturing our fallenness and the fallen state of all life against the image of our divine destiny. Christ is the eikon, the image of God: a representation perfect enough to be a manifestation of God among us. Also, representation and manifestation of what we are meant to be -- and which, through Him, we can be." (Ibid. p. 349) II. And that brings us to the second image to explore, and the second theme we ...

2791. The Cross: God's Answer To Our Deepest Needs

Colossians 2:8-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . We are forgiven. The blame for our sins has been taken by Christ and suffered for by him on the cross. The Greek word (amomos) for "blameless" in this verse, signifies "without blemish or spot." The word comes from the description of a perfect sacrificial animal. Withoutblemish also implies ceremonial purification. So the force of the whole idea for us is that because of the Cross, God accepts us as cleansed, forgiven, and completely reconciled. We come into his presence in prayer -- especially prayers of ...

2792. The Gift Of Sleep

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... it." The newest term in sports jargon is "the zone". Mark Trotter, who inspires me a lot by his preaching, has reflected upon that jargon. He says it sounds like a mystical experience – and there's a sense in which it is. "There is perfect harmony between mind, body, and the environment. Everything goes right. You're in complete control of everything. That is the way "the zone" is described. "One of the most eloquent testimonies (about entering the zone) was given by Pele, the Brazilian soccer immortal ...

2793. Singing The Lord's Song In A Strange Land (i)

Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... forced to this decision as I wrestled with this fact – that a static faith is an inadequate faith, and as I looked at the entire psalm. Originally I was going to deal with only the first six verses. Then I found in the balance of the text a perfect illustration of the limitation of a static faith. And I also came head-on with one of the most perplexing issues confronting Christians in every age -- our understanding and use of scripture. What did you think when I read verses 8 and 9? Did it register on you ...

2794. Loving Close-up

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... conflict, much less deal with it. I had told myself that to become angry is bad, and to express anger is worse. I had convinced myself that "mature people" don't get upset – certainly they don't cry! Another illusion of mine: All ministers have perfect marriages; otherwise they aren't worthy of their profession. With my distorted professional image squeezing in, there was not chance for my personal image to emerge: Preachers don't lose their temper -- I'm a preacher -- I don't lose my temper. Jerry hadn't ...

2795. God Does The Unexpected

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... virgin, is God come to us in the flesh -- come as the saving one who went to the limits of dying on our behalf. The One who comes as the triumphant one, because He is raised by God after that awful crucifixion, and is not the first-fruit of a perfect world that will one day come. That's the mystery -- and we can trust it. II. Let's get back to Mary now. Luke goes into great detail to record her faith and her joy. Toward the end of the Annunciation, the angel virtually suggested to Mary that she should ...

2796. A Sovereign God With A Shepherd's Heart

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... feel so common as to be almost vulgar, for whom sameness and not the spectacular reigns, pray this prayer from one of your poets: "Blessed woman Excellent man Redeemed for the dull, the average way, that common ungifted nature's may believe that their normal vision can't walk to perfection. (W. H. Auden, "For the Time Being", Collected Longer Poems, Random House, 1965, p. 156). (ENTIRE SUGGESTION ABOUT THE INNKEEPER COMES FROM C. JOHN WEBORG, THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, JANUARY - FEBRUARY 1988, PAGES 26-27)

2797. The House Of Our Dreams

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old Rabbinic story about a poor man who left the village of his birth, and set out to find the city of his dreams, where all was bright and perfect. After a day's walk he lay down to rest the night in a forest. Before going to sleep he removed his shoes and placed them carefully in the path, pointing them in the direction of his journey toward the magical city. While he slept, a practical joker came along ...

2798. Noah: The Bearer Of An Alternative Possibility

Genesis 6:1-8:22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... of God, pp. 26 - 29). How would you feel? What would you have done? My friend, Jim Harnish, in thinking about this talked about remembering seeing Michael Angelo's Pieta at the New York World's Fair in 1965. He was moved by the beauty of the work, the perfection with which the sculpture had captured Mary's sorrow as she held the lifeless body of Jesus in her arms. He remembered the emotion that welled up within him as he gazed at that masterpiece. And then he also remembered the emotion he felt on the day a ...

2799. I Am Christ's

2 Corinthians 5:17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... system reduced to zero before he received the transplant -- and even after that, if the transplant worked it would be a flirtation with death for awhile. But his only hope was the transplant. What rejoicing there was when it was discovered that Jerry was a perfect match for the transplant. Though this has been a painful process for Jerry that went on far longer than we anticipated, few folks can know the joy she has known -- to literally give life. I think I'll never forget, and I know Jerry and Randy ...

2800. The Nuclear Truth Of Christianity

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... means the active, compassionate, redeeming love of God. It is the unmerited favor of God -- God's agape -- his active love claiming us out of our waywardness to be his children again. "Human beings are not called upon to aspire after a spiritual realm of perfect forms and satisfactions. Men are not asked to lift themselves, by a supreme act of will, out of their mundane groveling, and to soar aloft, as on eagle's wings, into 'heavenly places', where God dwells and is ready to receive them. No, God comes ...

Showing results