Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2826 to 2850 of 4962 results

2826. Miracle Nine: Healing A Deaf-Mute

Mark 7:31-37, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

... to the man whom Jesus healed of deafness. There is a big difference, however, between listening and hearing. Many people are good hearers who fail, however, really to listen to what they hear. They turn down good advice or fail to follow through on what they hear. We hope that the man who could now hear listened to the message of Christ and became a Christian. He and we have the same need -- to be healed of spiritual deafness. God is constantly speaking to us. We can hear his voice, but do we listen? He is ...

2827. The Waiting Place

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

William L. Self

... the coming snow that will turn the night into silver? Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the martyred Lutheran pastor, while imprisoned by the Nazis, wrote a letter before Christmas 1943, in which he said: "Life in a prison cell reminds me a great deal of Advent. One waits and hopes and putters around but in the end what we do is of little consequence. The door is shut, and it can only be opened from the outside." We enter the reality Isaiah proclaimed. The glorious new creation is coming. The new heavens and the new ...

2828. The Agenda Factor

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

William L. Self

... by God and not by David. Only God can establish the house of Israel and the throne of David forever. Locking up God in a fancy house at this time would not do it. This passage (2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16) is the foundation for the Messianic hope of Israel. It became the hope for the revival of David's rule after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. It was after this that Israel began to look forward to a new king from the house of David. Here we see that the agenda of God was far greater ...

2829. The Man With Two Umbrellas

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

William L. Self

... welcome you to the campus and to say to you that if there is anything I can do to help make your stay here more pleasant, I hope you will call on me.' Then he asked me where I went to church, and I named a church that was prevalent in the Philippine Islands but ... where Martin Niemoller was imprisoned, a Nazi agent was placed in a cell next to that of Dr. Niemoller in the hope of converting the Christian minister to totalitarianism. After some days of observing God's prisoner (as he was called), his habit ...

2830. A New Name

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... anyone ever give you a name because they felt they knew what your future would hold? If so, did that spur you on in your destiny or did it hold you back and discourage you? Did they nickname you in honor of what they believed you would become? I hope so! On Ash Wednesday we were called to change our ways. Last week we were called to remember God's unchanging ways. Today we are called to celebrate our name change! First we needed to repent, and then we needed to be reminded of God's faithfulness, and today ...

2831. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... I'm waiting for some more spit." Look inside yourself and you will find ignorance and lack of knowledge. Peter is bold in addressing sin, yet like the Savior, he also is bold in extending mercy. You might be ignorant and guilty, but there is hope. You might be rebellious and scornful, but there's hope. You might even love to spit. Look at the cross you built and filled. Look at what your sin did and there find forgiveness if you will but turn to God. The very things you are guilty of are why Jesus died. Our ...

2832. No Apology

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... the lawyers condemning the criminal. And if you wonder if this took nerve, remember this is the same court that condemned Peter's Savior to death. Then Peter does something we all can learn from. He moves the discussion from the sensation of healing to the hope of salvation. He quotes the Scripture these learned men know well from Psalms to get to the main point of his closing arguments: "Jesus was predicted a long time ago. Witness this psalm. He's the stone. You crucified him, but God raised him from the ...

2833. Ready Or Not -- He Comes

Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... they are visited by the heavenly host. In the birth of Jesus, who was born within a working class family amid the poverty of the Judean hills, we find ourselves face to face with God. On this first Sunday of Advent there is a new sense of hope, optimism, joy, and love being unleashed upon us. There is a feeling of great expectation that something significant is about to happen as we sing together that great hymn of Advent, "O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel." Just as Advent moves us toward ...

2834. How Odd Of God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... Jesus first came to the earth. The highest announcement came to the lowest people. Mary -- Inconspicuous And Unexpected How odd that God should choose Mary. As we come to think about the unexpected, the lowly and the inconspicuous person being the vessel of hope and change, certainly Mary comes to mind. There are things about Mary that really catch our attention. Hans Kung, the Roman Catholic theologian, reminds us that there are two features of Mary's image that are solidly rooted in the scriptures. First ...

2835. Coping With Heartache

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... forever. The emotional pain of a divorce is easier to tolerate when we know it's just temporary. Even the deep pain of losing a loved one is easier to accept when we understand that it gets better. No matter how bad things may be, there is always hope for a better day, a brighter future, for the people of God. There is nothing that will keep you from experiencing heartache. No one is immune to it. But these heartaches don't have to destroy us. Life goes on. We can build homes and plant gardens, marry and ...

2836. The Heart Of The Matter

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

... happened, because if they had repented, they would not have witnessed the events of 586 B.C. Jeremiah always held some hope for a change of heart on the part of God. God would change his mind if the people repented. Jeremiah, who ... had spent most of his career predicting the destruction of the city and Temple, now found himself called to offer comfort and hope to those who were hurting because of the Babylonian victory. Jeremiah's message showed that the heart of the matter was that the old ...

2837. The Star - Conversations

Matthew 2:1-12

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

... on a clear night than a brilliant star. We cannot always see stars, yet they exist as a constant presence. We cannot see a star in daylight. A star is faint in the pseudo daylight of the urban street or the hospital corridor. Not only does God send hope, but God also lights the way so someone will be sure to see it. Interviewer: God sent the light to flood the Nativity with light. Bystander: Look at all the images of light. The infant emerged from the dark womb into the lighter place of the manger. That ...

2838. Changing Nature

Colossians 1:9-10

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

... be careful about the conditions that surround us as we live each day, for they can influence how we feel inside. And how we feel inside can change how we act toward other people. Now, I hope your time in church will help you to know that you are loved by God and by the members of your church family. Knowing that, I hope it will make you happy and that you will be more loving to others. Possible Times To Use This Illustration In The Home: In the spring, when the weeds appear. When a child is careless about ...

2839. Uplifted By The Blues

Lamentations 1:1-22

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

... who consoles us in all our affliction" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The words of comfort no longer seemed foreign to Raymond. He had entered the world of the story of God's people. His pain was still present, but he also experienced God's offer of comfort and hope in the midst of that pain. The next day was a Sunday. As usual, Raymond went to church. There, Raymond made another discovery. The same kind of tensions that he had found in his Bible were also present in the experience of worship. As he sat in his pew ...

2840. Adjusting To The Light

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... up memories of Christmas Eve services and all that goes with them: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them light has shined" (9:2). The prophet Isaiah, who spoke words of challenge and hope to the people of Israel eight centuries before Jesus was born, created a marvelous picture here, a powerful image. It spoke to the people of his day and it speaks to us in our day. Darkness is a relative thing. Do you suppose that all the people of ...

2841. Too Light A Thing

Isaiah 49:1-7

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... greatest of all the prophets. Isaiah said right in the first verse of the Old Testament book named after him, that he was active during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. He called a spade a spade and brought both warning and hope to the people of the southern Kingdom, Judah, in which Jerusalem was located. In chapter 49 with which we are dealing this morning, the "servant" referred to means the people of Israel, at least those in Israel who still knew themselves as God's servants. The ...

2842. Sometimes Goodbye Is Hello

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... me. Then a little while and you will not see me." And "I am going to prepare a place for you." But if they had any hopes of his being with them always as it had been, it was shattered one Thursday evening and Friday noon. And they knew it could never be ... is all too real. So God sends his Holy Spirit, and we cling to his church. God comforts us for present and past pain, gives hope for the future and guidance along the way. And there's meaning in our waiting as God enables us to share our pain with others, ...

2843. God Works Wanders

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

Gerald Whetstone

... far as the seas?" "I know," she whispers, "I know. Should we go back?" "No. There's no going back." "Good," Sarai says, "I was hoping you would say that." They stare at the stars a long time before they close their eyes in sleep. Listen? Do you hear God calling ... friends' company because we've lost sight of who we really are. We have all these layers to mask our hearts' cries for forgiveness, hope, love. If we don't reach out, we think, if we don't venture forward, we can't ever be rejected again, or fail ...

2844. Focus On The Son

Romans 1:1-17

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... with the theme "Awake, Christ Is Coming," and reminded ourselves that Christ was present with us now and that the most unsuspecting moment might be filled with creative potential. On the second Sunday the theme was "Make Scriptural Hope Your Own," accenting the all-importance of knowing the scriptures to find genuine hope. On the third Sunday the theme was "Learn To Wait Creatively," and we explored how to wait both patiently and actively. Now on the fourth Sunday of Advent, as we come to the climax of our ...

2845. The Ash Account

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Charles M. Mills

... as dirty as our old gardener's gloves we put to use in the spring.2 Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, is a season of hope. Lent is furthermore a time to grow in God's graciously given faith. A time to face facts and our hypocrisy. A time to repent and ... . b. We have used people as things and things as people. c. The Ash Account of repentance and new life in Christ gives us hope as we examine our motives and renew our commitment to selfless service in Christ's name. Christ is our compass on the Lenten road ...

2846. Working In The Family Business

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... understand that something is wrong. And if a child gets to be 3 or 4 or 5, and still acts the same as when he was born, we know for certain that he will never be anything more than he is right now, and that is very, very sad. We hoped he would be able to take a place in our society, and he cannot. The same may be said of Christians. Peter says that we are to grow up in our salvation. We are not, in other words, to take the attitude that "I'm saved; God's work is ...

2847. Choosing Sides

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... ourselves, pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps as the saying goes, we cannot help but despair! From his own personal knowledge of that struggle, Paul reaches the conclusions presented to us here, which are: that we cannot, by any means, whatsoever, save ourselves; that the only hope we have is to let go of our own ideas and turn ourselves over to God; and that we allow the Holy Spirit to begin to re-form us, literally regenerate us, from the bottom up. But there is no middle ground. There is no place ...

2848. You Can Be Like Children

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

... All throughout the week I kept talking about Easter plans, Easter services, Easter-this and Easter-that. One evening at dinner it was Zachary's turn to say grace. At the end of his "God-is-great-and-God-is-good" prayer, he added the words: "And I hope Jesus is feeling better." I asked my wife what in the world he was talking about, and she answered that his Sunday school teacher had been telling the children about the cross and how Jesus suffered there for us. So he prayed, aware of the suffering of Christ ...

2849. You Can Be Less Worried

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

... bedsides and then whisper to each of them the same message: "Mommy and Daddy love you, and we will always be here for you, any time, any place, as long as we live." I hope I will always be able to live up to that promise. But should I fail, I know that Someone else will be standing nearby, always there for them. I hope my children will learn and never forget this lesson: that in this world we are never alone. When worries seem to have us hemmed in, all the resources of eternity are at our disposal simply ...

2850. To Bow The Knee

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... God's tremendous love for us. Isn't that amazing? In Romans, Paul comments that a person might sacrifice himself for a good person -- but for a bad person? For sinners? For me? What kind of love are we talking about here? This is the kind of love we hope families may have for each other: the mother who lays herself over her baby in a house fire they cannot escape; the father who throws himself into the lake to rescue his child from drowning; the brother who offers his own kidney for his sister. But we are ...

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