Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2876 to 2900 of 4933 results

2876. The Privilege and the Price

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

From time to time Chris Rock is noted in the Georgetown Times because his mother lives nearby. In 1999 the sometimes funny and always foul-mouthed comedian was interviewed in Vibe magazine. As usual, what he said was intended to shock, but not the way you might expect. When asked, "Were you raised Christian?" Rock answered: “I wasn't raised anything, to tell you the truth. My grandfather was a preacher. He was the funniest guy. He used to curse a lot, run around, whatever. A bunch of deacons from his ...

2877. Pro-Choice is No-Choice

Proverbs 24:11-12

Sermon

James Merritt

The Declaration of Independence says: "All men are created equal," and goes on to say they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." Now those rights specifically are "the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Now this may shock you, but did you know that every person in America is protected by these words except two groups: convicted felons, and pre-born children. Now my question is: For what crime does a pre-born child forfeit his or her constitutional rights? I ...

2878. What Price Must We Pay?

Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Today's Gospel Lesson mirrors the Sermon on the Mount that is found in Matthew 5-7. The sermon is directed at the disciples. It explores some of the things that will be expected of the twelve in the days and years ahead. It delineates the kind of outlook they should have as well as the kind of life Jesus expects them to live. Both Luke and Matthew start out with related materials. They both present us with what we have come to know as the Beatitudes and both end with the parable of the two foundations. The ...

2879. Plant It and Stand Back!

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The Mustard Seed Parable is a favorite of so many. I can remember mustard seed necklaces, little glass balls with a tiny mustard seed in it, how popular they were. That was J. C. Penny's idea. He distributed them. As I recall you could write him, not to the corporation but to him personally, and he would send you one. J. C. Penny was an active churchman. He practiced tithing in his personal life. He believed that tithing was the reason for his spectacular success in business. It is just a fact that I ...

2880. Until He Comes

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Sermon

James Merritt

The last two years of my life have passed by faster than a speeding bullet. Though the pace of being President of this Convention has been exhausting, the honor has been exhilarating. I will never get over the fact that you, my fellow Southern Baptists, have entrusted me with this position. Being President of the Southern Baptist Convention has made me realize more than ever how blessed I am to be a Christian and how great it is to be a Baptist. I am reminded of Charles Spurgeon the great British preacher ...

2881. Trials and Temptations

James 1:1-18, James 1:19-27

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

Wisdom for Life’s Tests 1:1 The letter from James opens with a simple and direct greeting. The writer identifies himself simply as James, a servant of God. There was only one James so well known in the early church that he would need no other form of identification, and that was James the Just, brother of Jesus, leader of the church in Jerusalem. The readers are expected to recognize the name. Yet for all his prominence and important position in the church (so important that the letter from Jude begins, “ ...

2882. Daniel in the Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Lion's Pit: In this familiar chapter, Daniel’s enemies conspire to get him thrown into the lions’ pit for making petitions to his God. Just as we wonder where Daniel is in chapter 3, so we wonder where Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) are in chapter 6, for there is no mention of them. We can be sure that they, like Daniel, would have continued their daily prayers in spite of the threat of being devoured by wild animals, yet there is no explanation for their absence. This ...

2883. Listening and Doing

James 1:19-27, James 1:1-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

2884. Surely, Surely

Luke 1:1-4, Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” (Isaiah 14:24) Prop: let dove fly through church (if you dare) OR celebrate an event, such as a baptism, or an ordination, or a blessing for mission Today, as we prepare to celebrate the baptism of __________, I invite all of you children to come forward to witness this great event, as all of you too in the congregation bear witness to this momentous occasion. [You can opt to do the baptism ...

2885. The Landlord's Dilemma - World Communion Sunday

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a man who owned a piece of property. He felt it would make a fine grape vineyard. So he planted a vineyard on the property and enclosed it with a wall. He wanted this to be a full-service operation, so within the wall he dug a winepress a vat where the grapes could be pressed and the juice extracted. And he built a watchtower to protect his vineyard because this was a lawless land and you never knew what vandals might do. Then, after making a sizeable investment in his vineyard, he rented it ...

2886. A Daughter of Jacob

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

This miracle is not simply the story of a mother and her demon-possessed child; it is really an international incident which was to affect the future shape of Christendom. What happened to the Canaanite woman that day affects us today in a most direct and vital way. Like most international incidents it happened at the border between two adversaries. Jesus had traveled to the extreme north end of the Jordan Valley. He was standing at the border line between Syria and Galilee. The inhabitants of Syria were ...

2887. The Proof is in the Roof

Luke 5:17-26

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…” (Isaiah 61) Prop: Big Box (Bigger the Better) I have here a box. If I were to step inside of it and close it up, not only can’t we see each other, but my life will become very limited and very narrow. And yet, this is the way many of us live our lives today –closed off, ...

2888. “POW!”

Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20

Sermon

John B. Jamison

Let’s remember the story together. It was a quiet night. We leaned our backs against the tree and tried to relax our aching muscles. It had been another busy day. We started the morning up on the hillside where the grass was deep, but as afternoon came and it got hotter, we led the sheep down into the valley where it was cooler and they could drink from the stream. That’s when the young one got caught in the current and we had to pull it out with our shepherd’s crook. Again. As the sun started to set, we ...

2889. I Thought You'd Never Ask

John 1:35-46

Sermon

Mark Trotter

We all know about famous last words. They are collected because they are supposed to be important. We expect something deep and profound from someone as their last words, the distillation of the wisdom of a lifetime. We also know about the last words of Jesus. Every gospel writer records his own version of the last words of Jesus. They are all different, his words from the cross. And every Good Friday, some place around the world, some church is commemorating the cross by meditating on the seven last words ...

2890. While This House Lies In Ruins

Haggai 1:1-15

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord's house. Then the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn ...

2891. The Adventure Of The Empty Tomb

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

Comment: I am a Sherlock Holmes* fan. In early 1983, I got to wondering what would happen if Sherlock Holmes investigated the Resurrection. On Good Friday evening, I decided to go to work on a short, short story to be used the Sunday after Easter during a congregational hymn sing. I already had a sermon started for Easter Sunday. As I began to write, I heard the voices and literally let the story flow from what I was hearing. After working two hours I had two problems. One, the story was already a page ...

2892. Hope Against Hope

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Erskine White

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told. (Romans 4:18) Sometimes, as we get to this point in the year, it seems that winter will go on forever. It’s been cold for so long that you can hardly remember the last time you put on a pair of shorts and basked in the warmth of the sun. You are so sick of shoveling the driveway that you would almost rather go to the dentist with an impacted wisdom tooth than go through another snowstorm. The trees have ...

2893. Weary in Well Doing

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Donna Schaper

What makes people weary is conflict. We are torn apart, split in two, we are challenged at our core in large and small ways all day long. We say wryly, "No good deed goes unpunished," running right into the conflict of getting weary in well doing. Biologists tell us we have two choices in most situations: We can fight or take flight or tend and befriend. The fight and flight response is most often articulated in funny hand motions — where we both beckon the person close and push them away at the same time ...

2894. Envision: The Great Commission

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

James Merritt

I am absolutely convinced after having lived my life to this point, that there is nothing more powerful than a vision. Every great institution, every great invention, every great innovation known to the human race has been the result of somebody’s vision. This past month we have asked you to envision a church filled with followers of Christ, who give everything they have and everything they are to doing three things 24/7: Love God, Serve Others, sharing Jesus. It all begins with loving God. We have learned ...

2895. Lost Baggage: The Middle Seat

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Sermon

James Merritt

As a pastor, there are some phone calls that you never want to receive. The worst of all, I believe, are those revealing a significant sin of a church member or a staff member. In these cases, as a leader in the church, I want our members and staff to set a high example with their character, so failure in that area is especially difficult. You can remove a person from a position of leadership, but frankly, when people sin, and this will happen in even the most spiritually mature and positive environment, ...

2896. Let's Take This from the Beginning

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

James Merritt

The world of information is now connected through the Internet, but in 1860 the fastest way to send a message was by a newly developed innovation called “The Pony Express.” Young men who loved adventure were hired to ride 8 hours and 80 miles a day on horseback. The 1,946 miles between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California were linked together by 190 stations so that mail delivery could be reduced from 25 days to just 10. These riders rode 6 days a week, for that time, at a very high salary of $ ...

2897. Reveille

Mark 6:7-13, Matthew 10:1-42, Luke 9:1-9, Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: video of the introduction to “Star Trek” (you may want to put a space / stars backdrop up during the sermon) We recently saw the return to theatres yet another “Star Trek” movie. Trekkies are everywhere. There are trekkie conferences, and trekkie clubs. And still millions flock to the movies to see the new generation of “Jim” and “Spock,” “Bones,” and “Scotty” venture into unknown space. Star Trek was one of the first shows to have a diverse cast and to ask questions about what it means to love, to ...

2898. Judge Not

Matthew 7:1-5

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

Concept: Sometimes we have a difficult time seeing what we do wrong because we are too busy judging others' wrongdoings. Preparation: A pen or marker. Prepare the following list, printed at the top of a sheet of paper: Took two cookies, did not brush teeth, laughed at my doll, made fun of my dress, did not clean room. Be familiar with Matthew 7:1-5. I would like to tell you a story this morning about a brother and a sister, Mary and Jack. Mary ran to Mother one Saturday morning, shouting, "Mother, Mother, ...

2899. The Secret of Survival

Joshua 5:1-12

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

Most of us will agree with the familiar adage, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." We all need a place where we can go to be secure, wanted, and loved. When God promised to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, he also promised them a new homeland - a plot of ground that they could call their own - a land - a good fair land flowing with milk and honey. After the miracle of their deliverance from Egypt, God's chosen people wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Finally, ...

2900. Practicing Righteousness

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

Our minds remember the strangest things. Back when I was a freshman in college we all had to give speeches in English class. Henry gave a speech that I remember to this day. The thrust of his brief speech was to refute the old adage that, "Practice makes perfect." Henry’s point was that practice only makes perfect that which you practice. In other words you may practice something, say a piece of music on the piano, and have several of the notes wrong. You practice and practice until you play the piece ...

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