Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2826 to 2850 of 4943 results

2826. His Trial

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Brett Blair

On Friday of Holy Week the streets were filled with people. It was not an ordinary market day crowd. It was religious tradition that brought these people together. It was the festival of the Passover and Jews from far and near had migrated to the holy city of Jerusalem. It was this same religious fervor that created a certain tense atmosphere in the city. Jesus, the Nazarene carpenter, the one whom some called Messiah, had been placed under arrest by the Roman authorities due to pressure from the Jewish ...

2827. The World Is Crowded With Gethsemanes

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Brett Blair

The Garden of Gethsemane is not really a garden but an orchard. Olive trees still grow there today. During Jesus’ day it was a place of business, an olive press produced the local areas supply of oil. This is where the word Gethsemane comes in. A gat (Hebrew) is a press, a large five-foot high square stone pillar, and a semane, or seman, is oil. So on the evening before his crucifixion he went to the orchard of the Olive Press with Peter, James, and John, to pray. If you lived in the first century and ...

2828. Increasing Our Standard of Giving

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Brett Blair

Before John Wesley became the founder of the Methodist Church he was a teacher at Oxford University back in the 1700’s. When he began his career he was paid 30 pounds per year - in those days a lot of money. His living expenses were 28 pounds - so he gave 2 pounds away. The next year his income doubled - but he still managed to live on 28 pounds - so he gave away 32 pounds. The third year he earned 90 pounds - lived on 28 - and gave away 62. The fourth year he earned 120 pounds - lived on 28 - and gave ...

2829. Remember!

Deuteronomy 31:30--32:47

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Oft in the stilly night, Ere slumber's chain has bound me, Fond memory brings the light Of other days around me.(1) Memories...we like them...and we need them. And as those words of Thomas Moore remind us, we are comforted and instructed by them. That is why a day such as this is a GOOD day. I have WONDERFUL memories of Oakdale. I remember our first night together - a covered dish dinner, our Erin just one week old (and now a sophomore in high school), and Emily Beamguard insisting that I sing. I remember ...

2830. A Wonderful Mother (In-Law)

Ruth 1:1-22

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Mothers' Day. I like Mothers' Day, as I know we all do. There is something very special in taking time out of the hustle and bustle to celebrate those special ladies who have given us life. The "Mother" of Mother's Day is Anna Jarvis who spent forty years developing the concept. Her drive to create the holiday reached fulfillment in 1914 with a presidential proclamation by Woodrow Wilson. Anna had two fears, both of them well-founded. She was afraid that her effort to honor mothers would be exploited by ...

2831. Hungry People

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Every time I hear the story of the feeding of the five thousand, I am reminded of reading of a man packing a shipment of food for the poor people of Appalachia. He was separating beans from powdered milk, and canned vegetables from canned meats. Reaching into a box filled with various cans, he pulled out a little brown paper sack. Apparently one of the pupils had brought something different from the items on the suggested list. Out of the paper bag fell a peanut butter sandwich, an apple, and a cookie. ...

2832. The "T" Word

Malachi 3:6-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

The "T" Word. I will keep you in suspense no longer. The "T" word is TITHE. No surprise on Pledge Dedication Sunday. As you know, the tithe is ten percent of income. The concept goes back to the earliest pages of the Old Testament and was God's way of reminding us that we are here as managers - ownership belongs to God. The deal God made was that we could keep ninety percent of that with which we were entrusted for our own use - we were told to return just ten percent. It was not that God needed the money ...

2833. What Do You Believe About Eternal Life

John 14:5-14

Eulogy

James W. Moore

There is a wonderful new hymn in our hymnal. It is becoming something of a tradition to sing this hymn number 707, The Hymn of Promise, at Easter… and at memorial and funeral services. The hymn was written in 1986 by Natalie Sleeth, a respected and prolific writer of Christian music. She wrote this hymn for her husband, the late Dr. Ronnie Sleeth, who was an outstanding professor of preaching at Vanderbilt Divinity School and later at Iliff School of Theology. In 1986 Ronnie Sleeth was told by his doctors ...

2834. Blood Sprinkled On A Modern Altar

Exodus 24:3-8, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26, Hebrews 9:11-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Wesley Tracy tells about a letter he once received. “I have hundreds of biblical photographs,” the letter said, “including several of the Garden of Eden.” “Wow!” says Tracy, “I have seen and taken a lot of photos of biblical places—tiny mustard seeds on the Mount of Olives, the Temple courtyard, and the Lord’s supposed birthplace guarded by a soldier with an automatic weapon—but Eden? Did they have cameras in [Eden]?” “Where was Eden anyway?” he asks with tongue firmly in cheek. “Though a headline in a ...

2835. A Pre-christmas Faith

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

We have scarcely had time to savor Thanksgiving . . . .the delicious turkey and dressing . . . .the football contest on television . . . .reunion with family and friends . . . .the brisk cold of an autumn afternoon and the glow and warmth of a fire. For the children the coming of Christmas has always signaled a flood of expectation. Santa Claus is already setting up his listening post at shopping centers across our town. Some may complain about the over-commercialization of Christmas, but not me. I love to ...

2836. Freedom!

Romans 6:3-11

Sermon

King Duncan

In his book Talking Straight Lee Iacocca shares some interesting stories about raising funds for the 100th birthday celebration of the Statue of Liberty. For example, there was a man from Poland who sent $2 for "this beautiful symbol." He never expected to see the statue himself, but at least he could dream about it. There was a money order from a refugee camp in Thailand. Seventy-eight homeless Vietnamese had passed the hat and come up with $114.19 as "our humble share for the rehabilitation of her ...

2837. Time For Action

Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a humorous story about Bob Zuppke, the colorful football coach at the University of Illinois. Zuppke was trying to get his team prepared to play the University of Iowa. "Men," he roared, "I want you to get in there and die for Illinois. Nobody will be taken out unless he's dead. Get that? Unless he's DEAD!" The inspired but overmatched Illini played Iowa to a standstill until late in the fourth quarter when they finally ran out of gas. In fact, one of the frail Illinois halfbacks litterally keeled ...

2838. Blessing, Testing, Response

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometime back newscaster Paul Harvey reported that the average person blinks his eyes 13 times every minute. That's an interesting bit of trivia. But what really interested me was what I also read this week about the problem of world hunger. I read that 13 people starve to death every minute in this world. That means, of course, that every time you and I blink our eyes, another person has died from starvation. Now I am usually unaware of blinking my eyes. It's just an automatic reflex. I don't have to be ...

2839. I Am The Only One Left Who Cares!

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Many of us have felt what Elijah felt out in the wilderness. Things are quickly going from bad to worse and I am the only one left who cares! That was Elijah's weary response to God. It came after Elijah's momentous victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. How quickly we can slide from the mountain of triumph into the valley of despond. Elijah did. Queen Jezebel was after his blood. He had fled out into the wilderness. He was hiding in a cave. God came to him in that cave and asked him, "What are ...

2840. For Laughing Out Loud!

Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

There are all kinds of reasons to laugh. Sometimes we laugh out of embarrassment. Other times we laugh because something is witty. There are times we laugh to cover our despair. I was reading recently about a man who awoke one morning to find a puddle of water in the middle of his king-size water bed. In order to fix the puncture, he rolled the heavy mattress outdoors and filled it with more water so he could locate the leak more easily. The enormous bag of water was impossible to control and began rolling ...

2841. When More Is Never Enough

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Linus is philosophizing with Lucy. "Life is peculiar," he says. "Wouldn't you like to have your life to live over if you knew what you know now?" Lucy stares off blankly, then asks, "What do I know now?" E. Stanley Jones once told of being on a cruise ship. There was a rather corpulent couple on that cruise who seemed to live from one meal to the next. They were retired and obviously had plenty of money, but they seemed miserable. They were always angry with the table stewards for not giving them super- ...

2842. With Your Head In The Clouds

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

John R. Aurelio in his book, COLORS!, tells a most intriguing story. At the birth of his son a certain king instructed his royal gardener to develop the most magnificent flower ever grown. This magnificent flower would one day be presented to the woman the king's son chose to be his bride. The royal gardener began at once. He decided that he would focus his attention on the most regal of all the flowers ” the rose. His would be a rose of beauty beyond description. Over the months and years he experimented ...

2843. On Eating Peas With A Knife

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an ancient verse by an unknown poet that goes something like this: I eat peas with honey, Been doin' it all my life; It tastes kind of funny, But it keeps the peas on my knife. Most of us have never known anyone who eats peas with a knife. It sounds like quite a feat. I suspect I would scatter those little green varmints all around the dining room if I tried it. And yet I understand that there was a time when some people practiced that quaint custom. I thought about this when I read a story that ...

2844. What Would It Take?

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

One fellow was bragging to another about his grandfather: "My grandfather," he said, "knew the exact day of the exact year when he was going to die. Not only that, he knew the time he would die that day as well." His friend said, "Wow, that's incredible. How did he know all of that?" The first fellow said: "Because a judge told him." An old man looks out from prison bars. This is a view he's seen before. He's been arrested many times. He has suffered numerous beatings. Funny how life turns out. He was once ...

2845. Four Ways To Defeat Stress

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Would anyone argue with me that stress is a significant killer in our society? Stress takes a terrible toll. Have you ever noticed how much presidents seem to age while they are in office? It is no illusion. Investigators at the University of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia compared the age at death of 162 presidents and prime ministers with their age when they came to power. Those who took office at a young age died about nine years earlier than leaders who seized the reins later in life. The same held true ...

2846. It's A Question Of Priorities

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

A group of friends went deer hunting. They separated into pairs. That night, one hunter returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck. The other hunters asked, "Where's Harry?" The lone hunter replied, "Harry fainted a couple miles up the trail." The others couldn't believe it. "You mean you left him lying there and carried the deer back instead?" The man answered, "It was a tough call, but I figured no one was going to steal Harry." To this deer hunter it was simply a matter of priorities. And one ...

2847. Come Home To God

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Angela Akers

A patient, while recovering in the hospital from a heart attack, met this over zealous evangelist. For half an hour, the preacher lectured the man on being thankful for God's mercy and repenting immediately of his sins. "Tell the truth, brother," the pastor remarked. "During your heart attack, didn't all your sins flash before your eyes?" With a mischievous grin, the patient responded, "Don't be ridiculous, the attack only lasted six hours!" (1) None of us likes to hear the word "repent," do we? At best, ...

2848. Loving From The Heart

1 Peter 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown goes into his wind up on the pitcher's mound. In order to fortify his confidence he quotes scripture, "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the pestilence that walketh in darkness . . ." In the next frame, WHAM! the ball comes zooming back from the batter, catapulting Charlie head over heels. Then in the last frame we see him lying face down on the ground with stars dancing around his head. He concludes, "But those line drives will kill you!" This is ...

2849. Choices

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Choosing Christ at The Crossroads, #1 (First Sunday in Lent) In August of 2002, the Associated Press carried a story from Los Angeles about a would-be carjacker who made some seriously bad choices. Tyron Jermaine Hogan had already stolen the car of an elderly couple earlier that August morning, and had gotten away scot-free. So Hogan was probably feeling a little cocky when he reached inside an occupied van and tried to steal the driver's keys. Bad decision. The van belonged to the Florida International ...

2850. What Do You Really Know?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Kay Strom was teaching third grade in a large elementary school. One morning all of the teachers were called to the teachers' room for an emergency meeting, and they hurried over, leaving their classes unsupervised. Everyone was worried, but none as much as Mrs. Whiting, because her class of first graders was especially mischievous and unruly. When they got to the teachers' room, Mrs. Whiting said, "I think I had better listen in and find out what's going on in my classroom." She turned on the intercom, ...

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