Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2826 to 2850 of 4937 results

2826. Jesus and the Divorced Evangelist

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

As I read the Gospels, I often find the disciples moving along briskly, going from this place to that place, when suddenly, one of them looks around and says, “Where is Jesus?” Then they must backtrack and they usually find Him off on a side street talking to an old woman, or stopping by the wayside to talk to a beggar, or to heal a man born blind, or to speak to an outcast woman at a well. Thus Jesus was constantly surprising His disciples, and nowhere more so than in the event recorded in our Scripture ...

2827. Look Ma, No Hands

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Jesus charged the disciples to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and only one tunic. Not even a change of clothes. When I preached this text before, I ended up preaching a sermon about St. Francis, because this is what Francis used as the first rule for his order, the Franciscans. He just took the words of Jesus' instruction to his disciples on their first missionary journey, and said, we will do this. There would be other rules ...

2828. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

A few weeks ago (February 4, 2005) one of the major TV news networks (ABC Nightline) presented a powerful and amazing true story about the redemption of a notorious drug addict who had been lost… and then found. The program was entitled, The Doctor and the Reverend. The Doctor was an African-American man who was well-known and much feared in one of the roughest and toughest sections in the United States… the Badlands of Philadelphia… a run-down inner-city neighborhood infested with drug addicts of all ages ...

2829. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

2830. Generous Hearts

1 Timothy 6:11-19

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Have you all heard about the Preacher who stood up one morning and told his congregation. "This morning we'll have an interactive service. I've prepared 3 different sermons for today. First I've prepared a fifty dollar fire and brimstone sermon which is about two hours long." "Second I've prepared a hundred dollar sermon on the evils of sin that should take about an hour to deliver. And finally I have a $500 fifty dollar sermon on love and generosity, it will only take about 10 or fifteen minutes. We'll ...

2831. The Cost of Discipleship: Get Lost!

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

My favorite definition of the cross was given by the daughter of Dr. Joseph Cotton a number of years ago. When walking into the church for the first time, and seeing the cross on the altar, this little girl said, “Daddy, what’s that plus sign doing up there?” Have you ever thought of it that way? The cross as a plus sign. Keep that image in mind as we move through the sermon this morning. I am talking about the cross today because I’m talking about the cost of discipleship. The cost of disciple ship is to ...

2832. Good and Mad

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Before we start the message this morning I need you to do something for me. I want everybody on this side (point to the right side) to move over here (point to the left side). I want everybody in the center to move there (point to the right side). And I want everybody on this side (point to the left side) to move to the center. OK, let's go. After everyone has moved, and is uncomfortable, mad and grumbling. Did that make you mad? Of course it did. It probably made you "Good and Mad" We don't like change. ...

2833. Paradise Lost

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

James Merritt

Vesna Vulovic made history on January 26, 1972 and in doing so made the Guinness World Book of Records. It is not an honor that she wanted, was looking for, or particularly enjoyed. She was a flight attendant on a DC-9 that was flying over what is now the Czech Republic when a bomb went off and blew the plane apart. She fell 33,330 feet and going 122 miles an hour landed on the side of a mountain and even though she suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, and two broken legs, and was in a coma ...

2834. Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17, John 13:18-30

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The new division in John’s Gospel is marked by a long, loosely connected, almost breathless comment by the narrator (vv. 1–3) in which he tries to gather up the themes of chapters 1–12 and 13–17 alike and use them as his stage setting. The first element in this setting has to do with time and circumstances: The notice that it was just before the Passover Feast (v. 1a) brings the temporal notices of 11:55 (“it was almost time”), 12:1 (“six days before”), and 12:12 (“the next day”) up to date. The further ...

2835. What's in Your Wheelhouse...That You Can Offer Jesus?

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Father Jerry Fuller once told a story about a young couple in North Carolina who were set to open their own restaurant. All that was needed was the final health inspection and the issuing of their business permit. They were scheduled to receive the permit the next day. This occurred in September, 1989. The couple named their little restaurant “Our Place” and they were excited--as you might imagine--that they were finally ready to open. But that morning the winds and rains of Hurricane Hugo hit the Atlantic ...

2836. Love Your Enemies--It Will Drive Them Crazy

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

It takes a steady hand to carry a full glass of water. It takes an even steadier heart to carry forgiveness to one who holds you in opposition. In the Old Testament I like the story of Joseph, particularly its outcome. Joseph is the favored one. The older brothers say, "Dad always liked you best." In this case it was true. The brothers go out and fake Joseph's death. They bring back some bloodied clothes and say to their father, "He is dead." In actuality they have sold him into slavery in Egypt. Time ...

2837. 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 ...

2838. Slaying the Green-Eyed Monster

Proverbs 27:4

Sermon

James Merritt

Channelview, Texas is a neat middleclass suburb of Houston. It is a typical bedroom community of nice homes, nice cars, and nice families. Competition is fierce in all sports, but recently the competition got more than a little intense—not in football or in basketball, but in cheerleading. Amber Heath and Shanna Holloway lived right around the corner from each other. They had been friends for years. Amber was president of the Student Council and Shanna was Vice President. Their mothers were also wonderful ...

2839. Are You Ready for the Journey?

Mark 8:27-9:1

Sermon

John E. Harnish

It all begins with one emperor penguin jumping out of the water and doing a belly splash onto the ice. Then he rises on his little web feet and the rich, resonate voice of the narrator says: "Like most love stories, it begins with an act of utter foolishness. Each year at about the same time, the emperor penguin will leave the comforts of his ocean home and embark on an incredible journey. Though he is a bird, he won't fly. Though he lives in the ocean, he won't swim. For the most part, he will walk. But ...

2840. On the Ropes: Round 3 - Defending God

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Sermon

James Merritt

It is a man that I have never heard of before until I came across his name preparing this final message in Habakkuk. You would know him very well if you were a devote Anglican or if you knew very much about South Africa. He was the founder of the South African Mission Society. An Englishman, he felt the call of God to go to an unreached tribe in one of the most remote parts of the world to preach the Gospel in the middle of the 19th Century. Alan Gardiner set sail in 1851 with five other missionaries. ...

2841. The Right Connection

John 15:1-17

Sermon

James Merritt

It is amazing how valuable a vine can be. The vines, like the ones we saw here at Chateau Elan bring in $40 billion of business a year in the United States. Americans this past year bought 267 million cases and drank 800 million gallons of its fruit and that number increases every year. Wineries and vineyards are the second most popular tourist attraction in California after Disneyland. The United States is the largest retail wine market in the world and this industry employs 35,000 people. As important as ...

2842. Crossing the Jordan

Joshua 3:1-4:24

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

Crossing Over the Jordan: The action of the story slows down in the crossing narrative (Josh. 3–4). Commands are repeated and events are described in laborious detail to indicate the importance of crossing the Jordan for the faith of Israel. The narrator also describes a liturgical drama that would be used for instruction of the young. The fords of the Jordan River and then Gilgal, the camp after Israel crossed the river, become the central locations for the narrative and the events to follow. The ...

2843. Actors

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

John Jamison

Whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets.... We can almost see the people in the crowd leaning forward as they try to hear these things Jesus was saying that afternoon on the hillside. He had been talking for a while now, and although he started out talking about things that were theological, he was now getting to things that actually made sense to everyone. It was nice to hear him say how the poor are actually blessed, and the weak ...

2844. The Pointer

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Ron Lavin

John, the cousin of Jesus, baptized Jews in the Jordan River for the forgiveness of sins. He pointed to sin to prepare people for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist might also be called, John the Pointer. In the gospel of Mark, we read that the ministry of John points to the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. John prepared the way for the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-2) by pointing. John pointed away from himself to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not an exaggeration to say that John ...

2845. The Power of the Wilderness

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

It is not by strength that one prevails. (Hannah’s Prayer) Props: hiking boots or tricycle (you’ll need a child volunteer from the congregation for this) and matches (or one large match) to light a candle; oil Some of you have probably seen the movie Wild, based on the recent best-selling book. The story is about a young woman, Cheryl Strayed, who takes a long trek through the mountain trails of Washington State in order to deal with her “inner demons.” She is mourning the loss of her mother. She is trying ...

2846. You're Watching What?

Matthew 11:1-19, Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone has said that cleaning with kids in the house is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos . . . Isn’t that so? Another person has said that behind every good marriage is a great house cleaning service. Speaking of cleaning your house, let me ask you a question: what is your go-to technique for relieving stress? Just about everyone feels overwhelmed with stress from time to time. A mental health foundation in the United Kingdom ran a poll on the effects of stress. Respondents to the poll said ...

2847. Proper 13

Romans 8:28-39, Isaiah 55:1-13, Genesis 32:22-32, Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob returns home with his wives, children and flocks but, fearing the wrath of his brother Esau, he sends them on before him, remaining by himself. He wrestles with an angel of God until daybreak. The angel cannot overcome Jacob and asks to be let go. Jacob refuses until he receives a blessing. The heavenly visitor notes that Jacob has striven with God and man but has prevailed. Old Testament: Isaiah 55:1-5 Like a hawker on the street, God bids his people to ...

2848. Real Gratitude

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

I want to begin this morning by telling you about two of my most prized possessions. The first one is a simple ordinary rock. It’s a rock with some green and yellow paint splattered on it. I use it as a paper weight on my desk. I have had it for over 30 years. It’s not worth a lot, but I cherish it. If I tried to sell it, I couldn’t get much money for it, but you see, I would never even consider selling it, because I treasure it so much. Why is it so special to me? Not because of what it is. Not because of ...

2849. Lazarus Laughed

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I have always felt sorry for Lazarus. I mean, dying once is bad enough; but this poor fellow had to go through the whole ordeal a second time! And for what? At first glance, it seems as though he was recalled to this earth for the mere purpose of fortifying his sister’s faith. Then he would have to go through the process of dying once again. We are all familiar with the story. Jesus receives the news while He is in Perea that His friend Lazarus is ill. He says, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I ...

2850. How to Be a Blessing

I Peter 3:8-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I love the story of a man who bought a new Alfa Romeo, the luxury Italian sports car, and wanted to do something to celebrate his purchase. So he went to the Catholic priest, and said, "Father, will you bless my Alfa Romeo?" The priest said, "Yes, but what's an Alfa Romeo?" The young man said, "Never mind, you wouldn't appreciate the significance of this purchase in my life." So he went to an Episcopal priest, and said, "Father, I've just bought an Alfa Romeo. Will you bless it for me?" He said, "Yes, but ...

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