Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2801 to 2825 of 3926 results

2801. Weed and Feed

Sermon

John Smylie

... up in central Washington State and worked on her family's wheat farm. She loves her gardens and creates little areas around our house and yard that are designed to bring pleasure to all. She has a gift and yet it's obvious that the gift is supported by long hours of work, weeding, pruning, and taking care of the plants and flowers, protecting them from the elements and from the deer that delight especially in the tulips. Not long ago Jill, my wife, asked me to see if I could get the string trimmer working ...

2802. When the Impossible Becomes Imminently Possible!

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... echo the sentiments of that earthly king when it comes to providing spiritual leadership for their children: "Leave it to my wife," they say. In a similar way, thousands who call themselves friends of the church do a naked nothing to support Christ's work through the church. They forfeit opportunities to make a difference, leaving others to carry the load. Their cry: "Send them away! Let someone else be responsible. Let another person carry the load!" Without considering what Christ might do through ...

2803. The Heart of the Matter Is the Heart!

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

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... miles away, he never came to visit his daughter, never called her, never remembered her birthday, nor sent her a Christmas gift. In fact, in twelve years, although he earned a good salary and enjoyed many of the "toys" of adulthood, he never once paid the child support for Amber that a court ordered him to pay. As Rob Smitty's gift of a kidney to a stranger did not impress his daughter, so God is not impressed with any sacrifice not born of a heart that honors him. The biggest heart problem in the church ...

2804. Nocturnal Christians?

1 John 1:1—2:2

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

... through a time when this new religion that came to be called Christianity was being formed. People were sorting it out as they went. Much of what we take for granted as basic Christianity 101 was still emerging: how to worship God, appropriate ways to support one another in community, the doctrine of the Trinity, the mystery of the incarnation, what, if anything, was required to gain admittance to the church. It all had to be hammered out by the Christian community under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And ...

2805. Sleeping in on Sunday

Ephesians 6:10

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... The stability of the trees is dependent on the forest. They are locked to each other. When the storms come and the winds blow and the lightning flashes, the redwoods still stand. They are locked to each other. They are not alone. All the trees support and protect each other. Each tree is important to all the other trees in the forest. In the church, we have fellowship with one another and with Christ. Without Christ, the church is nothing. Without fellowship, the church is useless. By our compassion we show ...

2806. Yielding to Spiritual Maturity

Matthew 7:15-23, James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... had few visits from family members. Until she died at 93, she retained a youthful vigor, maintaining that these visits to the "old people" were part of her purpose for living. A recent study of older people who were in the habit of providing support to others revealed that they were 60% less likely to die during the course of the five-year study, compared to unhelpful people. Peter Gomes, minister of Memorial Church at Harvard University, has told the story of Ernest Gordon, the former dean of the chapel ...

2807. Antidote for Bad Times

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... to happen. The miracle is being able to speak directly to your maker." James' first antidote: When you're in trouble, pray! Next, writes James, "when you're sick, seek the prayers of your friends." There is strength and power in seeking the support, the comfort, and the nurturing of like-minded fellow believers. I would not base the efficacy of corporate prayer on the findings of scientific studies because some would dispute the validity of the evidence. But it is interesting to note that several double ...

2808. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... :13), in Matthew’s version of this confrontation he makes the Pharisees the intentional instigators of a plot to ”entrap” Jesus through their questions. Matthew also introduces another group to those questioning Jesus, “the Herodians.” One assumes these are supporters of the Herodian dynasty. But their presence in these circumstances seems strange. While Galilee was still under Herodian rule, this confrontation takes place in Judea, which was not. Their presence here may suggest that they would be ...

2809. Contemporary Prophets Speak the Truth

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... : The first was to engage the mind through round-table discussions on the important social issues of the day, led by some recognized expert in the field. The second part was to establish houses of hospitality to shelter and feed the homeless. Lastly, in support of the back-to-the-land movement, he advocated the foundation of farming communes for work and study. Thus in December 1932, an articulate women searching for answers, Dorothy Day, met a man with a vision and plan, Peter Maurin. The result of their ...

2810. Let The Shofar Sound!

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... you...." Andrew sprung to his feet and wrapped his arms around the visitor. He sobbed and heaved without apology. Without the need for Andrew to verbalize his intentions, the pastor knew that Andrew had made a decision to change his life. With the support of his new friend, Andrew completed a short time of incarceration, managed to travel to and from his place of employment without benefit of an auto license for one year, complete the obligations of parole, retrieve the right to drive, find a lovely lady ...

2811. Troubled Waters

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... Lord is at the helm. As he stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41), so will he guide us through the tempests of our lives. A newly ordained young pastor at his first parish in rural northwest Ohio was encouraged by the enthusiastic support of the youth group. He enrolled himself and some of the high school students in a seven-day sailing trip in a 55-foot ketch in the Bahamas. The trip sounded like a horizon-expanding experience for himself and the students, among whom none had ever seen an ...

2812. Who Is Isaiah’s Servant?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... of adversity, he listens to the voice of God. God speaks to him "through" the challenges that his role calls forth. One of the greatest compliments that a pastor or priest can receive is that he or she is a good listener. How greatly is the parishioner supported and nourished when the listener makes the troubled or grieving sheep of the flock feel that she or he is the most important person in the world when the pastor gives his or her undivided attention to the words of the one who has been hurt. Thirdly ...

2813. Salvation Has A Name!

Acts 4:5-12

Sermon

Ken Lentz

... people "of the land." How dare they turn the heads of 5,000 people! Peter and John were in trouble. They were standing before the most powerful men in the nation of Jews. They had assumed more than a little risk in such a bold proclamation supported by the miraculous healing of a lame man. Jesus had warned them: "... they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name" (Luke 21:12). Forewarned and ...

2814. What a Way to Start a Church!

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... to take these courses and knew he would go to prison when he returned because that was what happened to any black who left the country and came back before the fall of Apartheid. There was the French Roman Catholic who was a socialist and a supporter of Mitterrand. There was the Australian with his drawling accent from "down under." There was the Canadian who had spent the first five years of his life in Scotland and could shift in and out of a Scottish accent at will. There was the student who thought ...

2815. Having Trouble Sleeping Through the Night

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... an answer to present problems and difficulties. Apparently, this was the case for Isaac Merritt Singer who invented the sewing machine. As the story goes, his creditors had given him one or two more weeks to complete his invention or they would pull their financial support. So he went to sleep that night with great anxiety and dreamed of being out in a jungle captured by natives who were cannibals. The boiling pot was ready. His hands were tied. As the natives came toward him with the faces of his creditors ...

2816. Oh, That I Knew Where I Might Find Him

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... . The church will be your new family, your divine community. Yet, even then, he complicates it more: "with persecutions!" So there is no justice, as we like to say. There is only faith in a God for whom all things are possible, the reality of the church, support in persecutions and, finally, the hope to come. You will get everything, with persecutions, "and in the age to come, eternal life." So, we might say, the resolution is only in God and in God's future. For now, we are left with the gift of grace ...

2817. Death Is Swallowed Up Forever

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... a new heaven and a new earth" — a restoration of creation, a return to paradise, a starting over. "And the sea was no more." The sea had always been a place for practicing devastation and exploitation. Rome had used it to dominate trading, to subjugate peoples, to support its legions. So it symbolized chaos, the home of the sea monsters, Leviathan of the deep. But now, the sea is no more! Instead of the sea, we have the river of life flowing from the throne of God. Water nourishing the tree of life, whose ...

2818. From Emptiness to Fullness

Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... there are the private storage bins for all we have that won't fit in our homes. So we know what it is to give out of our abundance, but she gave out of her poverty! What are we to make of this poor widow, with no obvious means of support, who gives out of her emptiness? Empty womb, empty pockets — but she puts in everything she had, all she had to live on. It challenges us to consider the very meaning of life. At the same time, her story also complicates our consideration, for we realize that, despite her ...

2819. Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... as a Jewish sect. Since Paul was determined to take the faith to the Gentiles, these Judaizers looked for every opportunity to find fault with him. They accused him of being in the ministry just for the money. That was a joke. Paul continued to support himself as a tent maker after he began his ministry so he wouldn’t be a financial burden on young, struggling Christian congregations. Those who knew Paul best knew that he did nothing for his own gain. These Judaizers also accused him of spreading lies ...

2820. Remember the Lord

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... countries in the world, has continued to decline in membership and social relevance. Where the poor, hungry, grieving and despised depend on God, the church is alive and well. Where the rich, full, laughing and respected dwell, the church is dead or on life‑support.” (4) “Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!” Material goods rarely draw a person closer to God. The greatest need we have on this Thanksgiving Day is to rekindle our sense of dependence on God. Where people ...

2821. The Case Against Capone

Illustration

Bruce Larson

... up to Al Capone. In the prohibition years, Capone's rule was absolute. The local and state police and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation were afraid to oppose him. But single handedly, Frank Loesch, as a Christina layman and without any government support, organized the Chicago Crime Commission, a group of citizens who were determined to take Mr. Capone to court and put him away. During the months that the Crime Commission met, Frank Loesch's life was in constant danger. There were threats on the ...

2822. Value of the Bible

Illustration

Staff

... , and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject ...

2823. The Dirty Baseball Era

Illustration

Staff

... He watched helplessly as, one by one, his mother and four of his brothers and sisters died. His father took out his grief and anger on his son, beating him so often and so mercilessly that at 12 he feared for his life and ran away from home. He supported himself with odd jobs until he won himself a place on the Olean (New York) professional team at 16 and never again willingly took orders from any man. Although he was short and weighed barely 155 pounds, he held far bigger base runners back by the belt. He ...

2824. Form Without Function

Illustration

Keith Copley

... dating from his time. If this is so, this tree would then be some 2400 years old. The trunk of this tree is very large but completely hollow. The tree is little more than thick bark. There are a few long, straggling branches, but they are supported by sturdy wooden poles every few feet. It has an occasional leaf here and there and might produce a few olives each year. In the fields around, however, are olive groves in many directions. The strong, healthy, young trees with narrow trunks are covered with a ...

2825. The Qualities for a Growing Church

Illustration

C. Peter Wagner

... with each other through regular participation in church fellowship groups of one kind or another. 7. Giving. Members give an appropriate portion of their income to the local church and/or to other Christian causes. 6. Missions. The church actively supports missions, organizing and sustaining a strong program for recruiting, sending, and financing home and foreign missionaries. 5. Lay ministry. The lay people of the church are engaged in such ministries as teaching and discipling. In some cases this happens ...

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