Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2851 to 2875 of 4957 results

2851. TRYING IT WITHOUT GOD

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... his denial of his life with God. It puts him exactly where he is, and he faces the truth of it. But this is what a man who lives without God never dares to do. He never dares to look his life squarely in the face, as the letter writer claimed to do. He would never admit that Sullivan’s words are rationally, logically the truth. He hides from it, because he will never admit that this tragic posture is exactly his own. Or we might put it in the words of a yound Chinese Communist, a young man who had ...

2852. Chapter II

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... , I knew that he spoke for at least some people who were present then as well as for significant numbers of others who were not there, but who feel much the same way. There are plenty of people to whom the Bible, and its God, and that God’s claims upon them, are "out of it." They, too, have relegated God to that fairytale realm of goblins, ghosts, and unicorns. To talk to them about a God who acts in history, and in individual lives, is sheer folly. That kind of stuff may be great for children’s Sunday ...

2853. Chapter III

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... the school we attend, or with the people whose back yard butts up against ours, while we try to be pleasant, we want no deep ties to develop. We purposely keep our bonds weak. We stay enough aloof so that no entanglements develop which might give one of them a claim on us. That way we don’t have to get involved with them or their lives, with all of their messy problems. We have trouble enough of our own, heaven knows. Three weeks ago I had this mind-set so vividly brought home to me again as I attended a ...

2854. Chapter VIII

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... before. Everywhere the rise in theft is being felt. Stores, business firms, churches, hospitals, and private homes, are being touched by the sticky-fingered. Just where property is concerned, every day $12,500,000 is shop-lifted, turned in as false insurance claims, or otherwise pilfered, grossing about $4,500,000,000 a year! And the people who steal it run the gamut from great-grandmothers to pre-schoolers, and from millionaires to people like you and I. Not long ago Time magazine pictured a hypothetical ...

2855. Bursting the Bubbles

John 8:54

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... ’t seem real. Bubbles also remind me of people who brag about themselves. There’s a lot of puffing and shouting, but when it’s all over the bragger has nothing left anymore but the bubbles. That’s the difference, Jesus says, between him and other people who claim to be like God. Jesus never bragged about himself - he always knew that God would give him glory and he would never have to do it himself. Sometimes we feel like we have to tell others about all of the good things we have done, but when we ...

2856. Three-Dimensional Christianity

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

... a helping hand. This gross distortion is not what James has in mind. Nor is he urging us to withdraw from the world like hermits in a cave or monks in a monastery. Rather, remaining unstained is avoiding the attitude of the Pharisee who claims true religion is keeping all the rules and doing all the rituals, avoiding the attitude of a Pontius Pilate who washes his hands of his responsibility by a futile rationalization, avoiding the smug self-righteousness too often found in American Christianity, a self ...

2857. BANNER MAKER

Song of Songs 6:1-13

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... flag, there is still a moment for most of us when the sight of many flags flying in the sunlight brings a distinct catch of the breath, and an uplifting of the heart. There’s just no denying it - flags do have symbolic significance, whether, as many claim, that significance is outmoded, or whether it remains alive in our hearts. Still it is there. The area in which I live is populated in large part by officers stationed at a nearby air base, and the flag flies proudly from many homes. Many a bereaved ...

2858. CENSUS TAKER

Exodus 30:12; Numbers 1:1

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by families, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head;" I’m sure we all remember the great census of 1970, which our government claimed would be the most comprehensive ever undertaken in this country, and which included items of information about which we had never before been asked. Certainly, these items of information could be recognized as being very important in determining living standards, educational ...

2859. POTTER

Jer. 18:4; Rom. 9:21

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... of the human race than has that of any other of the arts. The story of pottery touches on all ages and all lands. The potter’s wheel, one of man’s earliest mechanical inventions, was highly regarded by ancient peoples. Its invention was claimed by both the Chinese and the Egyptians. The potter’s work involved making clay utensils for the average family as well as elegant ware for the wealthy. His was a necessary occupation, because the fragile clay pots were easily broken and had to be replaced ...

2860. Spiritual Markers

1 Samuel 7:2-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . There have been many Ebenezers in my life. Surely I would place one at a little rural church near the border between North and South Carolina called King's Mountain Chapel. There one night in 1953 God showed me his amazing grace so clearly that I claimed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. "He to rescue me from danger interposed his precious blood." I would raise another Ebenezer in a larger church in York, South Carolina, where as a youngster of 12 or 13, I made my first feeble attempt at preaching a ...

2861. Broken and Beautiful

Luke 18:9-14, Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... our true condition and the needs of our hearts. Proud people focus on the sins of others; broken people know their own spiritual needs. Proud people need to prove they are right; broken people are willing to yield the right to be right. Proud people claim their rights with a demanding spirit; broken people yield rights with a meek spirit. Proud people desire to be served; broken people are willing to serve others. Proud people have an attitude which says, "The church is lucky to have me in it." But broken ...

2862. The Forbidden Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that in verse 21 Jesus said, "You have heard it said of old...but I say unto you." That one who spoke of old was Moses. Jesus was placing himself on the same level as Moses or higher. Some regarded that as the height of presumption. Jesus is not claiming here that all anger is sin. The Hebrew word for anger occurs 455 times in the Old Testament; 375 of these refer to the anger of God. The Lord does get angry. Nahum the prophet asked, "Who can stand before his indignation? What can endure the heat of his ...

2863. Marriage is Forever

Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... could not get a divorce for any reasons. A husband could have one for the asking. All he had to do was to write a bill of divorce in front of two witnesses. Not even a lawyer was needed. You can debate the wisdom of that. Rabbi Hillel claimed that any fault whatsoever that a husband found in a wife was sufficient cause for divorce, even something so small as over-cooking his supper. Once a husband divorced his wife, he had no obligation whatsoever to her. So, a divorced woman was often reduced to begging or ...

2864. The Land of Beginning Again

John 8:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... the law says," they bellowed at Jesus. "But what do you say?" Jesus was in a bind. The law of Moses clearly said that this woman should be stoned to death. But if he approved the execution, he would run afoul of the Romans who ran the country. They claimed the sole right to exercise the death penalty. On the other hand, if Jesus sided with the hated Romans, he would alienate the Jews. Jesus knelt and wrote on the sand. Some say that was to divert attention from the half-naked woman. Don't we wish one of ...

2865. Watch Your Language!

Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... that one of the large pearls was missing. He instructed her to return the earring to Trivol's for its replacement and to send the bill to him. When Charles Trivol examined the earring, he grabbed the telephone and called the insurance agent. "Don't turn in that claim report," he said, "I can tell by looking at the prongs of this earring that they were not made strong enough. It is my fault the pearl was lost, and I'll pay for its replacement." To have done otherwise, he explained later, would have been to ...

2866. A Thanksgiving Question

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... had been provided. Furthermore, had we not been loved during those first few years of life, we would in all probability be mentally ill today. We can take no credit for what we received in those earliest years. If you happen to be pretty or handsome, you can claim no credit for that. It was in the genes. On the other hand, I recall that great country song which declares, "You're the reason our kids are ugly." It's certainly not the children's fault. The writer of the book of James echoes this truth when ...

2867. I Love You But I Don't Like You

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , "just in case you're interested, I am in the hospital with five broken ribs." Friends, there we have all the ingredients for conflict within a marriage. Some conflict is inevitable when two people live within the close confines of marriage. I have heard some couples claim to have never had a cross word in forty years of marriage, but, watch out, they will lie about other things too. If they are not lying, I suspect that one partner has capitulated to the other or they just don't communicate. In even the ...

2868. Advertised Goodness

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... zealous about religion. Jesus shared much in common with them; both he and they were absolutely serious about religion and called for complete commitment by their followers. But there was a big difference: the Pharisees measured themselves by certain man-made rules and claimed perfection. Jesus, on the other hand, taught that the inner life is more important than outward deeds. No person's inner life can stand up to the scrutiny of God; therefore, all persons are sinners needing God's saving grace. In verse ...

2869. The New Birth

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... can be emotional or calm. It is the first part of the process called conversion. New birth is not the same thing as making a decision about Jesus Christ. New birth is not something we do. It is an act of God that often follows our decision to repent and claim Jesus as Savior and Lord. I have a dear friend who is retired Air Force, a World War II pilot. If you ask how he is doing, he always replies, "I'm clear- headed, blue-eyed and unafraid." I received a note from him recently. Let me read you part ...

2870. Aiming at Perfection

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... doctrine is not preached. Let me hasten to add that Wesley was not talking about abstract or absolute perfection. Christian perfection does not mean to be free from ignorance or mistakes. It does not mean to be sinless or infallible. The Bible clearly states that "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves." (I John 1:4) You know, sometimes two items are very similar in appearance but are not the same. A child once said that it's awful to confuse a black crayon with a tootsie roll. I would add that ...

2871. The Snake: A Slick Salesman

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... "orange juice" the temptation to Eve, hiding the costs of sin inside the allurements of greater knowledge and power. Like any good fisherman, the devil exposed the bait but hid the hook. The devil's favorite bait is money. We know that 75 percent of all insurance claims are at least partially fraudulent. The bait is money. The hook of that sin is not just the possibility of being charged with fraud. The hook also has to do with a distancing from God. More Americans go to hell every year because of love of ...

2872. Stand Up Straight

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , Satan cannot harm you in any eternal way. It's that simple. You can do it today at the table of Holy Communion. Notice next that Jesus touched the woman. He is still doing that through the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in every person who claims Jesus as Savior and Lord. That Holy spirit can heal any hurt, change any disposition, and bestow any needed gift. When the Holy Spirit touches you, He will change you, according to His will and wisdom. He may fix your bad back. Or, he may change your ...

2873. Our Scheduled Appointments with God

Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , let's suppose that you leave this place today and drop by a cafeteria for a meal. There you happen to see a theologically astute, fellow church member. Suppose that he asks this question, "Today, did you worship or just attend church.” Remember, you cannot claim to have worshipped unless you encountered God and in response offered my life to Him. That friend is not interested in knowing how good or bad the sermon was; or whether the music was a two or a ten; or whether the congregation was friendly. All ...

2874. Lessons from a Shrewd Crook

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... possessions to make eternal investments. There is a retired accountant in this church who even in retirement has retained several clients for whom he prepares tax returns. One of them, an elderly lady, reported last year winnings of $6500 from the Tunica casinos. She claimed a charitable deduction for half of her winnings---$3250---which she gave to her church. No, she did not tell her pastor where that contribution came from. Some of her friends asked her why she gave 50 percent to the church rather than ...

2875. Someone At the Door

Revelation 3:14-22

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... giant Goliath as they prepare to engage in mortal combat. Our guide shared a surprising fact about the statue. Michelangelo was not the first artist to work on this block of marble. The Italian sculptor Agostino d’Antonio worked diligently on it but gave up, claiming that this marble was of inferior quality. But when the masterful vision and skill of Michelangelo came to bear on it, that block of marble became David. Could it be that you and I are like that block of marble? Perhaps we have tried to make ...

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