Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2926 to 2950 of 4943 results

2926. Jailhouse Rock

Acts 16:16-40

Sermon

King Duncan

I’m not certain that I have ever titled a sermon after a song by Elvis Presley before. That may be surprising to you considering the timeless quality of some of his early hits like “Hound Dog,” “All Shook Up,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” and “Hard-Headed Woman.” I guess I could have derived a sermon from some of those, but somehow it seemed a stretch. Today’s lesson from the Book of Acts, however, is a different story. The story really does at least fit the title of Presley’s 1957 hit record “Jailhouse Rock.” ...

2927. Going Home

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Argile Smith

At the end of a long trip, home always looks appealing! Turning the corner and seeing the house you left days or weeks earlier can sometimes provide the best snapshot of the whole trip. The word home has a pleasant ring to it, and it’s a particularly beautiful word to hear after being away from it for a while. While such an assertion makes sense after a weeklong vacation at a theme park, it makes even more sense after the long journey called life. For Christians, coming to the end of life’s journey doesn’t ...

2928. The Widow and the Unjust Judge

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We all do it. The door of heaven’s House of Bread, the ultimate pastry palace, is standing open. But we keep trying to break in the back door of the local bakery. A parable by a well-known rabbi tells the story of a moth and a fly. One day a moth and a fly were together near a window. The moth sat comfortably on the side peering out, watching as the fly relentlessly flew up and around and straight into the window. The stunned fly would fall, then get up and try again. On and on the fly tried to find a way ...

2929. God Is Not Dead

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

If there is one commandment that is usually thought to be irrelevant, it is the second commandment. However, it may be second in position because it is second in importance. This commandment is one that is probably the most easily ignored and, yet, the most blatantly broken. In case you doubt that idolatry is alive and well right here in America, picture a newspaper article entitled, THE DEIFICATION OF ELVIS: Those who worship ‘the king’ practice their own form of religion. This newspaper writer thought at ...

2930. Changing Times

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Advent reminds us of the flow of time. We are all bound by time. Time is our teacher, our boss, our constant companion. Time locks us into the march of life and forces us to wake up each morning in a place we’ve never been before, in a place we can never return to again. All our lives we struggle with time. When will we ever have enough time? When will I be old enough? When will time stop long enough for me to love you? One woman went through a great period of depression when her husband died. The grief ...

2931. We Are Not The Light

Sermon

Craig MacCreary

By now, most congregations are in the home stretch of their pre-Christmas preparations. There is much at stake for the life of any church. Try and imagine what a bad or indifferent Christmas would do to the morale of your church. We want if not a “Currier and Ives” Christmas for our families at least enough joy and good cheer to override any past enmity. Hopefully tinsel, garlands, and ornaments will chase away any seasonal affective disorder we may be suffering. Most of us are determined that the ...

2932. Je Suis Jesus

1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Thirty years ago, the big hit movie, the “it” teen adventure film, was called “Back To The Future” (1985). It starred Michael J. Fox and in that now classic film, time travel was made possible by a machine called the “flux capacitor.” This machine was “hot-wired” to the hottest car of that age, a “DeLorian.” Does anyone remember the year that far-distant, fantastic-future-time-traveling teen hero lands in? 2015. Today. Looking back at the vision which that 1985 movie projected, it is hard not to feel ...

2933. Our Father Who Art in Heaven

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

(A Dialogue Sermon) And he said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.' " — Luke 11:2-4 Man: If two of the sacred idols of our nation are said to be motherhood and apple pie, no one has ever exalted fatherhood and hamburgers to the American pantheon — although hamburgers are getting close! Despite the complaints of the ...

2934. The Happy Hypocrite

Matthew 6:1-4, 5-6, 16-18

Sermon

King Duncan

(Growing Strong in the Season of Lent, #1) A story appeared on Facebook recently about a person who went to a concert. At the end of the concert, this person noticed two ushers standing near his seat who were applauding harder than anybody else in the whole place. The man said he was thrilled with this particular concert because of the talent and virtuosity of the musicians. It also impressed him greatly to see these two ushers standing there applauding more vigorously than all of the concert goers. His ...

2935. The Fall of Jerusalem

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

The Fall of Jerusalem: Judah’s very sad and violent end at the hands of their Babylonian masters is the theme of the second to last subsection in the book of Chronicles. It is clear from this text that the Chronicler’s intention was certainly not to give a factual account of the end of the Judean kingdom but rather to provide a theological interpretation of this event of the past. Second Chronicles 36:21 particularly links what happened in the past to “the word of the LORD” that came to them “spoken by ...

2936. Jephthah

Jud 10:6–11:40

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Jephthah: Ammonite Oppression · Jephthah is not mentioned by name, but this section sets the stage, both generally and specifically, for his entrance on the scene. The author describes Israel’s deteriorating spiritual condition and interaction with God about their circumstances (vv. 6–16); more specifically, he begins to focus attention upon the events that directly led to Jephthah’s rise to leadership (vv. 17–18). The obvious emphasis in this section is upon the general, spanning as it does eleven verses ...

2937. Jonah Flees from the Lord

Jonah 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Command and the Flight (1:1-3): 1:1–3 The NIV has omitted several rhetorical devices in these first three verses that are significant for an understanding of Jonah. Verse 1:1 begins with way e hî, which may be translated, “Now it came to pass,” or simply “Now.” The word is a sure indication that what follows is a story or narrative (cf. MT of Josh. 1:1; Judg. 1:1). Verse 2 begins with “arise” (RSV; NIV: go; qûm), and this verb is repeated at the beginning of verse 3: “But Jonah rose (qûm) to flee to ...

2938. The Unbelief of the Jews

John 10:22-42

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The notation of time and place in verses 22–23 is intended to set the stage for a new encounter between Jesus and the Jerusalem authorities, not to locate the events of 9:1–10:19. The time frame of Jesus’ ministry, especially in Jerusalem, is provided by the Jewish religious festivals. The last of these to be mentioned was the autumn Feast of Tabernacles (7:2), the setting of chapters 7–8. Now it is winter and time for the Feast of Dedication (known today as Hanukkah); the events of 9:1–10:19 are assumed ...

2939. Miscellaneous Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel 21:1-32, Ezekiel 22:1-31

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

In the Hebrew Bible, a new chapter starts at 20:45—appropriately, as 20:45–49 is less in continuity with the preceding judgment God pronounced on the leaders of the exilic community than with the following oracles God directed against Jerusalem (21:1–17, 18–24; 21:1–16; 22:1–16) and its leadership (21:25–27; 22:23–31; see the discussion below of the curiously-placed oracle against Ammon, 21:28–32). While it is difficult to find unity in this section, there are clear signs of intentional arrangement here: ...

2940. The Spirit and the Glory of the Age to Come and the New Covenant

Romans 8:28-39, Romans 8:18-27

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul showcases another blessing from the Spirit of the new covenant: glory. More particularly, the Spirit is a sign of the glory of the age to come and the new covenant. And yet, that glory occurs in the midst of this age and suffering. Understanding the Text 1. Suffering/glory (8:18) 2. Three groanings (8:19–27) a. Creation groans (hope for the revelation of the children of God) (8:19–22) b. Believers groan (firstfruits of the Spirit / by hope we were saved) (8:23–25) c. The Spirit groans (the ...

2941. The Priority of Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Unless Christ’s loving character becomes evident in the use and application of any and all of the Spirit’s gifts, their practice becomes worthless for God’s kingdom and mere demonstration of Christian immaturity. Understanding the Text Although God grants his gifts as an act of grace and not on the basis of merit, there is a dynamic relationship between the effectiveness of the gift and the life of the Christian.1Paul treats this connection between spiritual gifts and the quality of the believer’ ...

2942. Selfishness of the Transjordan Tribes Corrected

Numbers 32:1-42

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: We must avoid and resolve misunderstandings among God’s people. Understanding the Text Many dangers have been circumvented. God has thwarted Balak’s attempt to use Balaam to curse Israel (Num. 22–24). God’s punishment of idolatry and immorality is offset by Phinehas’s bold actions (Num. 25). Balaam and his Midianite allies who have deceived Israel are killed (Num. 31). Now Numbers 32 introduces another potential crisis. The tribes of Reuben and Gad announce their desire to settle in the ...

2943. Zophar Rejects Job’s Complaints

Job 11:1-20

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Zophar dismisses Job’s complaints as illogical. Understanding the Text In their first responses to Job, Eliphaz appeals to experience and personal revelation (Job 4–5), Bildad adduces traditional teaching (Job 8), and Zophar applies strict deductive logic to evaluate Job’s situation (Job 11). Zophar seems to be the most curt and insensitive of the three friends in speaking to Job. By taking the retribution principle to its logical conclusion, Zophar insists that suffering necessarily proceeds ...

2944. Our Most Common Sin

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

What do you think is humanity’s most common sin? What do you think is your most common sin? There’s an old story about three preachers—a Baptist, an Episcopalian and a Methodist—who lived in the same community and became rather close. They played golf together and met for coffee. One day they decided that they’d spend two days together just to share and get acquainted, to study a little, to talk about their preaching, and to pray. During the course of that time they evolved in their relationship to the ...

2945. You Shall Be My Witness

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A picture is worth a thousand words. So let me try to paint the picture, with words. Better, you paint the picture in your mind as I tell the story. An 83-year-old grandmother is standing in the checkout line of a K-Mart store. She chats with a young boy who is very proud of his $5.98 watch he has just purchased. Somewhere in their friendly conversation she asks the boy where he goes to Sunday school. He doesn’t go. “Really? I think you’d like it. Could I call your mother and see if I can pick you up. We ...

2946. Jesus or Niccolo?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

This world's kingdoms have never been presented in a more Machiavellian fashion or more compellingly. And never before and never again have they been nor will they be targeted to one with more reason to succumb. Surely one of the great strengthening comforts of taking Jesus Christ as our Lord is that he, more than anyone else, understands our temptations. Scripture tells us, "He himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested" (Hebrews 2:18). So we can say with ...

2947. Come and See

John 1:29-42

Sermon

James L. Killen

"Come and see." Jesus spoke those words to two of the disciples of John the Baptist (John 1:39). Scholars have learned that the author of the fourth gospel often loads words with meanings that go far beyond what they might mean on the surface. That must certainly be true of this statement. John tells the story of the calling of the disciples a little differently from the way the other gospel writers tell it. John tells us that soon after Jesus was baptized, John was talking with some of his own followers ...

2948. One Heaven of a Party

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

Charley Reeb

Moses saw that look in their eyes. He saw that glimmer of hope on their faces. For when those words dripped like honey from his mouth, the people of God dreamed about what it was going to be like. At first glance, they really do not seem to be very exciting words, but for those who had been toiling in the wilderness, these words were like living water to a parched soul: “When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it ...

2949. The Life You've Always Wanted

Acts 5:27-32

Sermon

Charley Reeb

The other day I came across some interesting epitaphs. There is one in Nevada which reads: “Here lays Butch, we planted him raw. He was quick on the trigger, but slow on the draw.” This one is in Georgia: “I told you I was sick!” What about the one in Mary- land: “Here lies an atheist, all dressed up and no place to go.” There are two worth noting in South Carolina: “He fought a good fight, but his knife was dull”; “Where she is, is better than where she was.” But there is one in England that hits too ...

2950. A Love Triangle

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

David G. Rogne

Some people have a talent for getting to the core of things. Julius Caesar wrote a good-sized book titled On the Gallic War. It is still used as a textbook by students of Latin. However, Caesar was also able to cut through all the details and get to the nub of a matter. He wrote a sentence that has become a classic in condensation: "Veni, Vidi, Vici" — "I came, I saw, I conquered." That sums it all up. In Jesus' day there was a group of people who pored over the ancient writings of Moses to look for every ...

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