Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2801 to 2825 of 4914 results

2801. In Solidarity with Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-18

Sermon

Richard Gribble

"Rags, rags! Give me your tired, dirty, and old rag and I will give you a new, clean, and fresh one. Rags, rags." That was the cry to which I awoke one bright sunny Friday morning. I sprang from my bed and peered out my second-story apartment window. There he was, the ragman of our town. He was 6'4" if he was an inch, youthful in appearance and strong of build. I had heard so much about him but never actually seen him. I threw on some clothes, bounded down the stairs and out the front door of my apartment ...

2802. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The letter to the Ephesians opens with the lengthy prayer of thanksgiving. In Greek, these 13 verses are one long, continuous statement as though the author, so caught up in the wonder of God's work through Christ on our behalf, simply could not stop for breath. Consider all the theological issues covered in this prayer God's work through Christ, the plan of salvation effected, a repeated emphasis on God's sovereignty in this plan, the re-creation of humanity as a result of Christ's redemptive death, the ...

2803. He Stands Alone

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

King Duncan

Prior to their immigration to the United States, Albert and Elsa Einstein lived through the severe economic times of post World War I Germany. Apparently during this time Elsa saved old letters and other scraps of paper for Albert to write on. Years later, Elsa engaged in a public relations tour of American research laboratories. On this tour American scientists, seeking to impress her, explained the latest scientific equipment and developments. Eventually she was ushered into a high‑chambered observatory ...

2804. Christmas 2

Ephesians 1:1-14, Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, John 1:1-18

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Yahweh promises to rebuild the nation of Israel. God's word is one of hope through restoration of the exiles to their homeland. Previously Jeremiah had the unpleasant task of giving God's word as a message of doom, destruction and exile. Now, God has him give a message for the period after the Babylonian captivity. Through Jeremiah, God has a word of hope by promising the gathering and the returning of the exiles to Zion. Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14 In Christ, God ...

2805. First Sunday in Lent

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32:1-11, Matthew 4:1-11, Romans 5:12-19

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter--Psalms 32 First Lesson--The freedom to know good and evil is also the opportunity for temptation and disobedience by our first parents. Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Second Lesson--As we share in the disobedience of the first Adam, we may also share in the self-sacrificing obedience of the second Adam, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:12-19 Gospel--Human temptations for Jesus and for us include sins of the flesh and the spirit, hunger, pride, and idolatry. Matthew 4:1-11 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace ...

2806. Lent 3

Exodus 19:3-6, Psalm 95:1-11, John 4:5-42, Romans 5:1-11

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter - Psalms 95 First Lesson - Moses is counseled by God to assure the Israelites of his caring like the parenting eagle. Exodus 19:3-6 Second Lesson - Paul outlines the growth that follows suffering when Christians share their pain with Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1-11 Gospel - John relates at length the encounter of Jesus with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. John 4:5-42 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader: By the power ...

2807. The Thick Darkness

1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Eric Marshall and Stuart Hample have made a practice of visiting elementary schools and asking children to write letters to God. They've published some of those letters in a book titled, Children's Letters to God. Here's a sampling: Dear God, Count me in. Your friend, Herbie Dear God, Are boys better than girls? I know you are one but try to be fair. Sylvia Dear God, Your book has a lot of zip to it. I like science fiction stories. You had some very good ideas and I would like to know where you found them ...

2808. Abba, Your Kingdom Come

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The provoking incident for Jesus teaching his followers what to pray and how to pray is that the apostles watched Jesus and listened to his prayers. Nobody had ever prayed like this. His prayers were uniquely personal and profoundly humble. The apostles wanted to know more about prayer. So do we. "Lord, teach us to pray," they said (Luke 11:1). We have the same plea today. There is a vague sense that we don't pray enough, nor with as much focus as we should have. There is a longing among Christians today ...

2809. Every Day God Empowers

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Throughout life we use the word edge for lots of different things, a lot of our usage has to do with business like Maintaining your competitive edge. Or being on the cutting edge or leading edge of the industry. We talk about edging people out and being on the edge of a new frontier or development. Sometimes things will drive us over the edge or set our teeth on edge, or just plain set us on edge. There are lots of theories for how to maintain your edge in whatever sport or business we're in. This morning ...

2810. A Chance To See

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

An older women came home one day to find that her house had been broken into. She immediately called the police and told them. The nearest officer to her house happened to be a K-9 unit, so that officer was the one who responded to the call. The officer drove up to the house and proceeded to let the dog out of the car. The woman came running out of the house when she saw the police car, but stopped when she saw the dog getting out. She threw up her hands and said, "Great. This is just great. Not only have ...

2811. Rock Bottom

1 Peter 3:13-22

Sermon

David O. Bales

Peter begins a new paragraph here by asking, "Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?" The answer is: lots of people everywhere. Everyone who's attended a school with other than one's own family, or who's read the newspaper, let alone if they've read even a smidgen of history, everyone knows that people who are zealous to do good are abused. An example is Ignaz Semmelweis, not exactly a household name, but important to your health. He was the Hungarian-Austrian medical doctor who ...

2812. Jesus Heals Body and Soul

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

Two of our greatest presidents were born in February, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. One of the things I love about Lincoln was his sense of humor. Abe Lincoln laughed at himself, and especially at his appearance. He was reportedly a very plain looking man. I particularly like one story that Lincoln told on himself. He said, “Sometimes I feel like the ugly man who met an old woman traveling through a forest. “The old woman said, ‘You’re the ugliest man I ever saw.’ “‘I can’t help it,’ the ugly man ...

2813. A Call to Build the House of the Lord

Haggai 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

August: The overlaps between Haggai’s various sayings in verses 2–11, with their repeated resumptive beginnings describing them as Yahweh’s words, suggest that these are sayings Haggai delivered on different occasions and that the narrator has brought them together into a coherent longer account of Haggai’ s challenge concerning the need to take up the task of building the temple. The account thus brings together the fact that the people are living in restored homes when Yahweh is not and the fact that ...

2814. The Baptism of Jesus

Luke 3:21-38

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Jesus is anointed as the Messiah at his baptism, and God publicly declares that Jesus is his Son. Understanding the Text This is the first appearance of the adult Jesus in Luke’s narrative. This and the following passage record his preparation for public ministry, which will begin in 4:14. The sequence from 3:20 is not strictly consecutive, in that John is here apparently still at liberty to baptize Jesus. Luke has rounded off John’s story, and now he goes back to locate the beginning of Jesus’s ...

2815. Trust versus Self-Reliance

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Christians who consider themselves mature must be careful not to confuse trust in God’s grace with self-reliance. Rather than putting God’s forgiveness to the test, they should focus on passing God’s test, which will reveal that their primary and most trusted relationship is with him. Understanding the Text The key verse in this unit is verse 12: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” Using an example from the Hebrew Scriptures, Paul compares the self-confidence ...

2816. “His Anger Lasts Only a Moment, but His Favor Lasts a Lifetime”

Psalm 30:1-12

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Life’s pendulum swings from sorrow to joy, and faith’s lintel is inscribed with “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (30:5). Understanding the Text Like other psalms that straddle two or more genres, Psalm 30 is sometimes classified as an individual psalm of thanksgiving, or, as Kraus advocates, a prayer song of the sick (30:1–3, 8–9).[1] The more traditional form-critical classification is an individual psalm of lament (it contains complaints against God [30:5a, 7 ...

2817. Thank God We're Free at Last

Romans 6:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan

In January 1985, a large suitcase was discovered at the customs office of the Los Angeles International Airport. Inside the suitcase was the dead body of an unidentified young woman. U.S. Customs agents who discovered the body immediately launched an investigation. What they uncovered was a tale of a horrible tragedy that resulted from the desperate desire of two young people for freedom. The dead woman was the wife of a young Iranian living in the U.S. Her desire was to join her husband. However she was ...

2818. Among You Stands One

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Tom Long in his book, Shepherds and Bathrobes, tells a story that appeared years ago in the New York Times. It was just before Christmas. David Storch, a music teacher, borrowed a copy of the score of Handel’s Messiah from the Brooklyn Public Library. For some reason, through a clerical error, the transaction was not recorded. Afterward, there were several other requests for the score, and the library staff--unaware that it had been checked out--spent many hours searching in vain for it through the ...

2819. Without Conflict There Is No Story

Mark 6:1-13

Sermon

Ron Lavin

George Anderson wanted to write a book. He had the subject of his book in mind. The title would be Handling Troubles. He knew that if he could get a publisher, the book would help other people. He knew he could do it, but he didn't know how, so he joined a writers' group. A famous and successful author was addressing a group of novice writers at the writers' group meeting. The would-be writers, including George, hung on his every word. "There must always be conflict," the speaker said. "Conflict is the ...

2820. Could the Pharisees Have Been Irish?

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Our Roman Catholic friends celebrate a feast day known as Corpus Christi (the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ). In some countries such as Ireland which is heavily Catholic, this is an important celebration. In many rural communities there is a Corpus Christi procession through the streets of the parish. Altar boys go ahead of the procession ringing bells to alert the faithful that the procession is coming near. People come out of their houses, kneel, and cross themselves as the Holy Eucharist passes ...

2821. What Kind of Sheep Are You?

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20, Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments. (Psalm 119) Animation: “What Kind of Sheep Are You” Online Test: http://selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=baaa Animation: Live Lamb (you can rent a lamb at your neighborhood 4H club or a nearby farm) Animation: Shepherd’s staff (any large natural wood staff will do) We love the Christmas story for its simplicity. Simple shepherds, simple sheep, simple message, simple mission. It all seems so simple. Hence ...

2822. God Encounter

Luke 1:1-4, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Props/Visuals: You may want to use visuals of mountains or misty seas, or you may want to use the painting by Caspar David Friedrich, “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” or other paintings by Friedich. The Celtic Christian spiritual tradition has always noted the existence of something they call “thin places.” If you travel to Ireland or Scotland, especially to places like the Isle of Iona, you can’t help but realize how those ancient Christians came to think about “thin places.” Both countries boast ...

2823. Fake News vs. Fantastic Good News

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

King Duncan

Early in 1761 two small earthquakes hit London, England. Soon afterwards, a rumor spread through the city that a well-known psychic had predicted a massive earthquake would occur on April 5 of that year. Gullible people were alarmed. Citizens of London began leaving the city, moving to other cities nearby or setting up camps in the outlying rural areas. And then they waited for the big one to hit. And, of course, it never did. (1) Such rumors or faulty predictions have spread in this country from time to ...

2824. For The Love of God Is Contagious

Mark 7:31-36 · Luke 5:12-15 · 2 Corinthians 5:16-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A number of years ago, the computer magazine, PC World did a review of a book entitled The Policeman's Beard is Half Constructed, (Warner Books, New York, 1984). It is a book that was written by a computer program called Racter (short for Raconteur) from Mindscape. The software was developed to help people do brainstorming. The book is filled with essays, poems, limericks, stories and conversations, all of which were written by the computer using this software. Here's a couple of examples which Racter came ...

2825. Yes, You Can Work Yourself to Death

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A study came out last year that was disturbing but not necessarily surprising. The World Health Organization did a study of people around the world who worked 55 or more hours per week compared to those who worked 35-40 hours per week. The study covered health and workplace data from the 1970s to 2018 and included workers in 154 countries. They concluded that, “People working 55 or more hours each week face an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared ...

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