Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 2951 to 2975 of 4935 results

2951. Coping When It Seems Impossible

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

No problem! No sweat! My life is under control. My family is under control. My business is under control. My Nation is under control. My world is under control. No sweat! How stupid can we get? Help! I need help! Our world is not coping well. We tremble on the brink of suicide. Self-trust dismisses God’s authority. In some cases entire nations fail the most fundamental test of helping their own citizens cope with materialism run amok. Perhaps the most complete expression of a totally materialistic ...

2952. Jesus, Where Are You?

John 12:20-36

Sermon

King Duncan

[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: “Jesus, Where Are You?” New Title: Teacher, Doctor, Savior, God? A pastor was showing a painting of Jesus to a group of children. He explained, "Now, young people, you understand this ...

2953. So Who Needs A Shepherd?

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

One Sunday morning, following the church service, a layman accosted the pastor and said, “Tom, this church has been insulting me for years, and I did not know it until this week.” The stunned pastor replied, “What on earth do you mean?” “Well,” said the layman, every Sunday morning the call to worship in this church ends with the words, We are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.’ And I have heard ministers over the years call the congregation, God’s flock.’ Then this past week I visited ...

2954. God and the Minimum Wage

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

In 1938 the United States Congress passed a law called "The Fair Labor and Practice Act." That law affects millions and tens of millions of lives to this very day, because it established for the first time in our history a minimum wage. Believe it or not, it was set at 25 cents an hour. I can remember working when I was in high school in a Five & Dime Store for $1 an hour. The only reason he paid me that much was because he had to, because he would tell me many times I wasn't worth that. That law was ...

2955. Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

Proverbs 16:1, 9, Philippians 3:12-15

Sermon

James Merritt

Some years ago, Newsweek magazine reported a fortune tellers' convention in Dublin, Ireland. Palm readers, crystal ball gazers and astrologers from all over the world gathered for a week to compare notes, learn techniques, and make new predictions. While they were all together in one of the convention meetings, a thief broke into their hotel rooms and stole all of their crystal balls and tarot cards. When the police investigated the crime, they asked the fortune tellers the obvious question: "Why didn't ...

2956. Where Do We Grow from Here?

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There are some writers and some speakers who pack every sentence to the brim. If you miss a sentence you miss something significant. Others of us would like to think that true, but it really isn’t. You can miss a sentence here and there, unfortunately, maybe a number of sentences - and still not be poor for what you didn’t get. Samuel Miller is one of those people who packs every sentence to the brim, and you need to get every word. Listen to him. “A man’s birth is not ended with the first gasp of his ...

2957. A Parable in a Miracle

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

For most of the ten years I was with The Upper Room, we lived in Mt. Juliet. Mt. Juliet is a small rural town about 20 miles east of Nashville, which was fast becoming a densely developed suburb. When we moved there from California, I was looking for space. I’d lived ten feet from my neighbors too long. I wanted at least the “country feeling.” Mt. Juliet had it. At least two “famous” people lived in Mt. Juliet. Charlie Daniels of country music fame, who is the best fiddler and whose band continues to be a ...

2958. Beneath The Shadow Of The Cross

Mark 15:16-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A. It was weird. It was really weird. The sky that afternoon had taken on a ghastly, ghostly, almost haunted hue. Ever since the midday bells had rung it had been like the edge of night. The darkness of the day seemed to reflect the way the apostle felt. It seemed to reflect the darkness of his soul and the darkness of the event taking place. John; one of the chosen twelve; one of the inner circle of leadership; the one who always seemed closest to Jesus, stood shrouded in his own sorrow. The lump in his ...

2959. The Place beyond Revenge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Donna Schaper

A custom is begun! Because of the vengeance that the king took against Haman for Esther, the Jews are to remember their salvation. On the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month they are to send gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor. Oh, God, help me to understand violence! Help me to understand vengeance. I am pretty good at the other sins, like lust and greed, pride and gossip, but violence I just don't understand. I also don't really understand the tribalism that is beyond it. Is that ...

2960. What Does the Bible Really Say about Divorce?

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

I enjoy humor about married couples. Comedian Brian Kiley said recently, “I love being married. When I was single, I got so sick of finishing my own sentences.” A pastor was teaching on Proverbs 16:24 which reads like this: “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” The minister then added, “In other words, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” One woman in the congregation put this advice to work immediately. She leaned over, put her head on husband’ ...

2961. It's All Good

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

It was Easter Sunday. The Children’s Bible study class was packed. The teacher had talked about Good Friday and Easter. After thinking that she had carefully explained what had happened that weekend she decided to see how much of the story the kids remembered. She said, “Would somebody like to tell me something they remember about either Good Friday or Easter? One little boy said, “The cross was very heavy and a man had to help Jesus carry it.” Another little boy said, “I remember it got dark as night and ...

2962. Rules for Holy Living

Colossians 3:1-17

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

The Ethical Dimensions of the Christian Life Chapter three begins what normally is called the “ethical section” of the epistle. This follows a general trend in Paul’s epistles in which he first deals with the theological issues and then builds his ethics upon that foundation (cf. Rom. 12:1ff.; Gal. 5:1ff.; Eph. 4:1ff.; Phil. 4:1ff.). It is quite common to discuss this characteristic as the indicative and the imperative of Paul’s theology. Basically, it is the “you are” and the “you ought” of the Christian ...

2963. Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

Romans 1:1-17

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

The Salutation The first seventeen verses of Romans serve as an introduction to the epistle and fall into three parts. The first part, verses 1–7, is Paul’s salutation. In the second part, verses 8–15, Paul introduces himself and speaks of his desire to visit Rome. The third and final part is verses 16–17, in which Paul broaches the seminal theme of his gospel, justification by faith for both Jew and Gentile. First, the salutation. Letters in Hellenistic times followed a standard literary pattern. Unlike ...

2964. Propriety in Worship

1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

This section of the letter takes up a disruptive situation in the life of the congregation at worship. Paul addresses the men and the women in the congregation concerning their manner of dress, although he comes to that point via a complicated route. While the issues are practical—dress and behavior at worship—Paul frames the matters in genuinely theological terms, not only mentioning God and Christ but also bringing into consideration the meaning and implications of creation and nature. In brief, Paul ...

2965. Beneath The Shadow Of The Cross

Mark 14:1--15:47

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

It was weird. It was really weird. The sky that afternoon had taken on a ghastly, ghostly, almost haunted hue. Ever since the mid-day bells had rung it had been like the edge of night. The darkness of the day seemed to reflect the way the apostle felt. It seemed to reflect the darkness of his soul and the darkness of the event taking place. John; one of the chosen twelve; one of the inner circle of leadership; the one who always seemed closest to Jesus, stood shrouded in his own sorrow. The lump in his ...

2966. Who Is The Prisoner? Who Is The Judge?

John 18:33-37

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

The Elder John Kline (1797-1864) was a doctor, a carpenter, a preacher, and an elder among the Dunkers, one of the Plain People. Kline’s home was near Linville Creek, Virginia. He, like all the Dunkers, lived peaceably with his neighbors, which is not surprising since the Dunkers believed in non-resistance to violence. For the most part his people stayed out of politics, but from their arrival in America in 1729, the group had taken an unmitigated stance against slavery. Needless to say this made them very ...

2967. Christmas Is Out of Control

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

John Jamison

After hearing the scripture reading, the thought going through your head may be, “What the heck does that have to do with Christmas? Isn’t this the first Sunday of Advent? Why are you talking about Noah? And didn’t Jesus say those things during holy week, like on Palm Sunday? Where is the Christmas story?” Let me try to explain. There is a thing called the lectionary; some of you are probably familiar with it. The lectionary is a list of scriptures for each Sunday of the year, and other special days as ...

2968. Learning to Live Without Jesus

John 16:5-16, John 15:18--16:4

Sermon

William G. Carter

Everywhere you looked, you saw people in tie-dyed t-shirts. Mothers gave drinks of apple juice to their children, while men in gray pigtails sipped Budweiser and tossed the empties beneath somebody's car. Teenagers spread blankets on the asphalt and took naps in the summer sunshine. Middle-aged hippies danced freely throughout the Philadelphia parking lot. Hundreds of mourners spontaneously gathered outside the Spectrum to bid goodbye to rock guitarist Jerry Garcia. Whenever Jerry Garcia and the Grateful ...

2969. As Is

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

Once upon a long time ago, a friend of mine owned a yellow Datsun. It was a neat little car that took him over the hills and through the valleys of southern Wisconsin. With "five on the floor," it was fun to drive, shifting up and down, turning left and right, accelerating and stepping on the breaks. The yellow Datsun kept him happy for a couple years, until one day it died. The head cracked and the engine decided not to turn over any longer. It was a sad day for my friend, his only consolation coming from ...

2970. Rival Radios

Galatians 5:16-26

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Objects: Two transistor radios tuned to different stations. Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to practice confusion. Doesn't that sound like fun? How many of you know what I mean by confusion? [Let them answer.] When we are causing confusion it sometimes seems like fun, but when someone else is causing us confusion it is not so much fun. Let me show you what I mean. Suppose I am really tired. I come home from work and I want to lie down and take a nap. How many of you like to take naps when ...

2971. The Shortest Distance Between Two Points

Luke 3:5

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: We should allow God direct access to our lives. Props: Large map of your city, state, or country, and two large washable markers of different colors. One should be red. The red should easily overpower the other color. Unfold the map and place it on the ground before the children arrive. Have them sit around it. Make sure the markers are not permanent. Lesson: Good morning! (response) I want everyone to sit around our piece of paper. What is this? (a map) Does anyone know what it is a map of ...

2972. Two Adulterous Sisters

Ezekiel 23:1-49

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

A Tale of Two Sisters: The allegory of the two sisters in Ezekiel 23 is clearly related to the story of the foundling bride Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16. This can be seen not only in explicit terminological links (e.g., the expression translated “naked and bare” appears only in 23:29 and 16:7, 22, 39), but also in the broad outline and theme of the story. Both chapters personify cities as women and graphically depict their unfaithfulness to God through foreign alliances and idolatry as adultery (for the ...

2973. Oholah and Oholibah

Ezekiel 23:1-49

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

This lengthy chapter is about the sad history of Samaria and Jerusalem (cf. Ezek. 16:44–46 for another reference to these “sisters”). Oholah refers to northern Samaria and means “her tent.” Oholibah refers to Jerusalem and the southern kingdom and means “my tent in her.” The second name underscores the legitimacy of the Davidic kingdom (“my [i.e., God’s] tent in her”). The discussion accorded Oholah, the older sister, is decidedly brief (23:5–10). Oholibah, the younger sister, is discussed rather ...

2974. The Hiddenness Of Life’s Truths: Christian Life As Surprise

2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

The ashes of Ash Wednesday are icons proclaiming the hiddenness of God’s ways. And God’s ways are hidden. Paul tells us that in our lesson: We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, yet are well known; as dying, and see — we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything (6:8b-6:10). It does not make sense, does it? How can we be imposters and yet the real thing, sorrowful but ...

2975. “Have Mercy on Me, Lord, for I Am Faint”

Psalm 6:1-10

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: Either an illness or the psalmist’s enemies, or both, have driven him to pray for God’s mercy, out of which a robust faith bursts forth. Understanding the Text Generally Psalm 6 is considered an individual lament, and it is the first of the penitential psalms of the ancient Christian church (6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). While the element of penitence seems elusive, this psalm certainly is a prayer for divine mercy one place removed from confession of sin. The suppliant laments either (1) the ...

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