Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2851 to 2875 of 4935 results

2851. Reassessing Our Laughter (Series: Questioning Our Values)

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

On that tragic Tuesday of September 11, 2001, a New York City parish priest standing on the corner of 14th Street and 1st Avenue witnessed the first terrorist plane plunging into the Twin Towers. “I stood there in shock and disbelief,” says the priest. “Without fully comprehending what was happening, I walked into the church and said the morning Mass.” Normally, about a hundred persons attend this weekday service. That morning there were several hundred. The Gospel reading for the day was, “Blessed are you ...

2852. The Ministry of Unbinding

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Listen! We cannot raise people from the dead as Jesus did, but we share in the deliverance of those he has raised! Death and what is done about that — is in Jesus’ hand. It is He who can say with power: “Come forth! Come forth from your tomb.” But deliverance — that’s in our hands. “Unbind him” Jesus said, “unbind him that he might live.” So, we talk today about the ministry of unbinding. I Rehearse the story, so that our focus will be clear and we will not be questioning something that we think has been ...

2853. Light a Candle

Matthew 5:14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It was a large impressive waiting room, furnished with the finest of furniture and stocked with the latest magazines. On this particular day, it was packed full of people waiting to see one of three physicians. In the corner of that packed waiting room there sat an elderly lady crying. At first she wept softly, but as the hopes and fears of all of her years began to burst inside of her she began to weep openly. People sitting in that waiting room did what nice people tend to do. They tried to ignore what ...

2854. We Hold These Truths To Be Essential

1 Peter 3:8-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Standing on the edge of the future is like standing alone at the edge of the sea. There are voices calling in all directions, but the light on the horizon beckons, and we must go. For the past 54 weeks, I have lived, and moved, and found much of my being in this great community of faith. There is so much to celebrate here, that it would be easy to count our blessings, rejoice in our fellowship and let the world go away. Yet, we are called, as the old saying goes, not to sit on the premises, but to stand on ...

2855. Join

Acts 11:19-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“I love thy church, O Lord, The house of thine abode, The Church our blest Redeemer saved With his own precious blood." Timothy Dwight wrote those words more than 200 years ago, yet they continue to resonate in my heart. The local church is God's best hope for humanity. It continues to have my thoughts and prayers and deepest devotion. I love the Church, and I know many of you do too. I. THE CHURCH, IT'S NOT ABOUT CUSTOMS, IT'S ABOUT CHRIST In the short span of 40 years, the center of the Christian ...

2856. WWE Raw, Jesus Style

Luke 6:17-26, Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When pop culture transforms a “holy day” into a “holiday,” it almost always manages to focus on the wrong side of the equation. For example: *The number of shopping days left til Christmas is NOT as important as the 12 day period between the Christmas day miracle and the season of Epiphany. *A huge party, Mardi Gras, on “Fat Tuesday” is NOT as important as the forty days of Lent that follow. *Eating all your chocolate bunnies before breakfast on Easter morning is NOT as important as rejoicing over living a ...

2857. We Ache to Know God’s Blessings

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

In his book, Faith Works, Jim Wallis writes of a personal experience I heard him share in a class several years ago, while I was doing sabbatical study at Harvard Divinity School. Jim Wallis is a leader of the Sojourners community, intentionally located in a poor inner-city neighborhood of Washington, D.C. After living in that neighborhood for more than twenty years, Wallis found himself the victim of a mugging. Preoccupied with an upcoming speaking opportunity, Jim failed to "watch his back" as he turned ...

2858. Epiphany 8

Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15, Isaiah 55:10-13, Luke 6:39-49, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: It’s Sunday again! So soon! It’s good to be together. It’s a good day to praise God and to catch up with one another. In our scriptures today, there are verses from Sirach in the apocrypha that describe conversation: “Never praise anyone until you hear that person talk!” People: We talk with each other often, and we are aware that our words indicate our characters and our attitudes about life. Leader: We can be honest with one another about our thoughts, and we can be honest with ...

2859. Christmas Eve

Psalm 96:1-13, Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-7, Titus 2:11-14

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

If there are children in the congregation and adults who enjoy “performing,” invite them ahead of time to pantomime the Luke 2 story. (Everyone can wear slacks and a turtleneck shirt.) Designate the lead adult angel (Gabriel), lead adult shepherd, adult Mary, and adult Joseph several weeks prior to Christmas Eve. Since there is no rehearsal, ask the lead characters to arrive fifteen minutes early in costume and go over space, props, and costumes for other participants. Masking tape on the floor, labeled ...

2860. Your Life as a Provenance of the Jesus Story

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

If you’ve ever driven across the U.S. using I-90 (the northern route), you have seen signs for “Wall Drug.” Located in Wall, South Dakota, Wall Drug is a totally smarmy, schmaltzy, middle-of-nowhere “tourist trap.” And it is THE place to stop. Why? Because around 1936 the family running Wall Drug figured out that they were still on the road to somewhere. Wall Drug’s “claim to fame” is that when Mount Rushmore opened, Ted and Dorothy Hustead, owners of a “mom’n’pop” pharmacy/soda fountain shop way out in ...

2861. Are You Part of the Scandal?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In many local elementary schools, every few weeks the “Lost and Found” box is emptied out and the contents are scattered down the length of the main hall. Coats, mittens, shoes, sweatshirts, gym clothes, are all laid down and spread out in the hopes that their owners will spot them and take them home. But the scene of all those empty clothes creates an eerie sensation, as if it is not the clothes that had been left behind, but that the children themselves have somehow been “lost” — zapped out of their ...

2862. A Straying Heart

Psalm 95:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A neighbor dropped in on a friend and found her sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly at a half-empty cup of coffee, her three kids squabbling loudly in the other room. “What’s wrong, Marge?” she asked. Marge told her that she had “morning sickness.” Surprised the neighbor said, “I didn’t even know you were pregnant.” “I’m not,” the harried young woman replied. “I’m just sick of mornings.” Stephanie Piro once said, “Behind every successful woman . . . is a substantial amount of coffee.” The ...

2863. The Old Testament Ritual Described

Hebrews 9:1-10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

We are now at the beginning of a lengthy section (9:1–10:18) that many regard as the heart of the epistle’s argument. In this section the author draws out parallels and contrasts between the old levitical ritual and the priestly work of Christ in considerable detail. Much of the argumentation up to this point has had precisely this goal in view. Indeed, the argument of this major section has already been anticipated (e.g., 7:23–27). The first task the author undertakes is to describe the physical setting ...

2864. Further Opposition to the Rebuilding

Nehemiah 6:1-14

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Success in Spite of Intimidation: The keyword of this chapter is intimidation. Of the major English versions, only the NJPS is consistent in its fivefold rendering of the same Hebrew verb for intimidation. It occurs regularly at the conclusion of paragraphs, in verses 9, 13–14, 16, and 19. The first main section, consisting of verses 1–14, is divided into two parallel subsections describing different attempts to intimidate, in verses 1–9 and 10–14. Then verses 15–16 record a great reversal of the ...

2865. The Fall of Jerusalem

Jeremiah 39:1-18

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

The Fates of Zedekiah, Jeremiah, and Ebed-Melech: This section narrates the fall of the city of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians, and then focuses in on the fate of three specific people: Zedekiah, Jeremiah, and Ebed-Melech. The section concerning the latter breaks up the story of the Babylonian’s treatment of the prophet. The lesson of all three vignettes is that God repays those who obey him as well as those who do not. Much of this chapter is paralleled to Jeremiah 52:4–16 and 2 Kings 25:1–12. ...

2866. A Message About Moab

Jeremiah 48:1-47

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Oracle against Moab: After Egypt and Philistia, Moab is the next object of God’s attention. The geographical movement is from south to north and then west to east. While Philistia is to the west of Israel, Moab is directly to the east on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea. Today, this region is occupied by the country of Jordan. It is a region typified by deep wadis and extensive plateaus. The Bible paints the origin of the Moabites in dark colors. In Genesis 19, after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah ...

2867. An Invasion of Locusts

Joel 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Interpreting Word (1:1): 1:1 It may be that the name Joel is more than just the proper name of the prophet. In the Hebrew, “Joel” combines two words, Yah, which is an abbreviated form of Yahweh, the Hebrew name for the Lord, and ʾēl, which means god. Thus, the name “Joel” signifies “Yahweh is God,” and while many pious parents could have affirmed their faith by giving their son that name, “Joel” may also point to one of the major concerns of the book, namely, apostasy or the worship of false gods. Joel ...

2868. Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

Amos 7:1-9

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Prophet’s Visions and Encounter with Amaziah: While this section contains two different types of visions and a biographical insert, it should be regarded as a unit that has been given its present form by the disciples of the prophet. The first two visions, in 7:1–3 and 7:4–6, are “event visions,” portraying what is about to happen, and they are identical in their form. The third and fourth visions, in 7:7–9 and 8:1–3, are “wordplay visions,” in which the meaning of what is seen depends on Yahweh’s ...

2869. On the Cross Jesus Is Mocked and Dies

Mark 15:33-41

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Every detail—mocking, hitting, scourging, death—fulfills messianic prophecy (the righteous martyr of Pss. 22 and 69; the Suffering Servant of Isa. 52–53). Jesus completes God’s plan of salvation via his vicarious sacrifice on the cross. Understanding the Text In fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy regarding the vicarious sacrifice of the Servant of Yahweh (Isa. 52–53; cf. Pss. 22; 69), Jesus has given himself up to be crucified. His mockery and his death here are an essential part of his ...

2870. The Faithfulness of God and the Covenantal Curses on Israel

Romans 3:1-8

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: God’s faithfulness is actually demonstrated through the covenantal curses on Israel. Understanding the Text In Romans 2 Paul showed that Israel’s attempt to obey the law is, ironically, the reason that they are still in exile and under divine judgment. Romans 3:1–8 therefore anticipates, in diatribe fashion, three Jewish objections to that notion: (1) there is no advantage to having the law, (2) God has broken his promise, and (3) God is unfair to punish Israel (see table 1). Historical and ...

2871. Aaron Begins His Duties

Leviticus 9:1-24

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God uses imperfect ministers to lead his people to see and joyfully worship him. Understanding the Text In this passage Aaron and his sons are directed by God through Moses to commence sacrificing. Leviticus 9 continues the account of the inauguration of worship under the Aaronic priesthood that began in Leviticus 8 and goes through Leviticus 10. In Leviticus 8 the ordination of priests involves a seven-day ceremony. On the eighth day following this (Lev. 9:1), Aaron and his sons begin to ...

2872. David Listens to the Voice of Wisdom

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The Lord’s chosen servants should embrace the wisdom that he provides. Understanding the Text Chapter 24 ends with David’s being vindicated as Saul acknowledged David’s innocence, pronounced a blessing upon him, and assured him that he would someday be the king of Israel. However, he did not invite David to return to the royal court; Saul and David went their separate ways (v. 22). As we move to chapter 25, Saul remains backstage for a brief time as the narrator focuses on David’s dealings with ...

2873. Learn To Play Again

Mark 10:13-16

Sermon

Charley Reeb

A group of theologians and scholars once cornered C.S. Lewis and asked him, “What is the most important theological discovery you have ever made?” Lewis smiled and responded, “I exist to enjoy God’s enjoyment of me.” Did you know that? God enjoys you! God wants you to enjoy him, to enjoy life, to enjoy the world he has created, and to enjoy the people he has put in your life. Scripture backs up God’s call to enjoy life in 1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV): Command those who are rich in this present world not to be ...

2874. Pop Verses: Isaiah 40:28-31

Isaiah 40:28-31

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Today I continue our series “Pop Verses.” We are taking a closer look at some of the most popular Bible verses. We are finding out why they are so popular and how they apply to our lives. Quite often our favorite verses are just that – they’re verses. They’re not read in context. This can lead to a misunderstanding about the meaning of the verse. I believe this series is giving us a lot of food for thought about these popular verses. Today our pop verses come from the prophet Isaiah. It is a beautiful ...

2875. Mercy for the Languishing

Psalm 6:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Psalms generally are written not out of the particular experiences of their composers but for the various experiences Yahweh’s worshipers may face. Therefore, we should ask not, “Out of what circumstances was this psalm written?” but rather, “For what kind of circumstances is it appropriate?” This prayer psalm of the individual uses language pointing to physical illness: “I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony” (v. 2). It speaks of being near death (v. 5) and of possibly being bedridden (v ...

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