Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 276 to 300 of 2844 results

276. Praise to God for a Living Hope

1 Peter 1:1-12

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Greetings to Readers 1:1 The writer introduces himself in a brief and modest manner. The Gospels all agree on the prominence of Peter, a born leader, impulsive, yet burning with love and enthusiasm. It was to him that Jesus said both the toughest and the choicest things. Whatever Peter’s faults, a cold heart was not one of them. His warm pastoral concern for others glows in his letters. Peter succinctly states his credentials by describing himself simply as an apostle, an accredited messenger, of Jesus ...

277. King Artaxerxes' Letter to Ezra

Ezra 7:11-28

Understanding Series

Leslie C. Allen

Ezra’s Commission: Chapter 7 introduces us to the person and mission of Ezra. His mission is the second of the three presented in Ezra-Nehemiah. It has two parts: first to take back to Jerusalem valuable supplies and pledges for the temple, along with a fresh group of returning exiles; and second to implement the adoption of the Torah to regulate the life of the Judean community. We notice, looking over the chapter, that it falls into three sections. First, verses 1–10 give a preview of the journey of ...

278. A Law Written On Our Hearts

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

King Duncan

You’ve seen her--the lady with the blindfold, a balance, and a sword. She is Lady Justice. She is supposed to represent our judicial system. Since the 15th century the blindfold has represented the idea that justice should be meted out objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness. At least that’s what the lady with the blindfold is supposed to represent. For some of us that blindfold may represent the imperfection of some of those who make our laws. After all, there ...

279. Playing Golf at Midnight

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

A man named Charley Boswell was blinded in World War II while rescuing a buddy from a burning tank. Charley had always been a great athlete so, after the war, he took up golf. And he was astoundingly good at it. In short, Charley Boswell won the National Blind Golf Championship 16 times, once shooting a score of 81. In 1958 Charley went to Ft. Worth, Texas to receive the coveted Ben Hogan Award in honor of one of the greatest professional golfers in history. Mr. Hogan agreed to play a round of golf with ...

280. Daddy's Love

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Some first graders were asked to draw a picture of God in their Sunday school class. Their finished products contained some interesting theology. One child depicted God in the form of a brightly colored rainbow. Another presented him as an old man coming out of the clouds. An intense little boy drew God with a remarkable resemblance to Superman. The best entry, however, came from a little girl. She said, “I didn’t know what God looked like, so I just drew a picture of my daddy.” (1) Today is Father’s Day. ...

281. No Promotion Required

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

On March 4th, 1966 pop music icon John Lennon set off a firestorm in this country by declaring that his band, The Beatles, were more popular than Jesus. And with teenage girls that was probably true. Do you know how the Beatles became famous though? According to Internet marketer Caleb O’Dowd it didn’t happen by accident or simple good luck. According to O’Dowd, Brian Epstein the manager of the Beatles, was a marketing genius. “To begin with,” says O’Dowd, “Brian hired hundreds of teenage girls. He then ...

282. 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 ...

283. Imagine This

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

John Jamison

We’re going to start the story today some 400 miles away from the Jordan River. The city of Tarsus was a major business center in what is now Turkey and a place where many Jewish families had settled who had fled the harsh Roman rule around Jerusalem. We’re going to start by looking at one particular Jewish family in Tarsus. It was a devout Jewish family. A son in that family would later refer to himself as “of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a ...

284. Breakfast in Galilee

John 21:1-14

Sermon

Robert Allen

I do not usually eat a big breakfast. Most of the time I just have a bowl of cereal, a piece of toast and a glass of juice. A couple of weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, we were out of milk, so I just headed off toward the church. On the way, I decided to go to a restaurant, grab a bite to eat and look over my sermon notes before church services. When the waitress came to take my order, I ordered the cereal, toast and juice. The waitress smiled and said, "Dr. Allen, that puny little breakfast won't get you ...

285. It's Hard To Be Number Two

John 1:29-34

Sermon

King Duncan

One day in high school during lunch hour Bob Laurent was standing around with a group of guys. Suddenly, the only girl in the whole school who could make the corneas of Bob's eyes steam up walked right up to him and said very silkily, almost musically, "Hi, Bob." Bob wasn't ready for this bold greeting. He recalls that the entire left side of his face started twitching. He stuttered out, "Uhh-h-h, Hi ya, Doris." A few moments later the bell rang and Doris moved toward Bob to say goodbye. In doing so she ...

286. Checked the Ditch Lately?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

We were driving west on Highway 16 from Custer to Newcastle, Wyoming, when Pam and I spotted this magnificent bird along the road. It was feeding on a deer carcass, and as we approached, it sprang into the air and soared off to the south alighting on the branch of a ponderosa pine. It watched us. It waited for us to pass. Yes, it was a golden eagle with a wing span of at least six feet. The next day, we were surprised and disappointed to see on the front page of our local Custer Chronicle paper a photo of ...

287. Epilogue to the Law of the Temple: River, Land, City

Ezekiel 47:1-12, Ezekiel 47:13-23, Ezekiel 48:1-29, Ezekiel 48:30-35

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

47:1–12 With the vision of the river of life in verses 1–12, we return to Ezekiel’s original vision report. Although the insertion of material belonging to the Law of the Temple interrupted the original continuity between 44:1–2 and 47:1, the technique of resumptive repetition still signals the connection. The same Hebrew verb, shub (“return”) occurs in 44:1 (Heb. wayyasheb ʾoti, NIV “Then the man brought me back”) and 47:1 (Heb. wayeshibeni, NIV The man brought me back). The connection is also apparent ...

288. Captive To The Word Of God

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Theodore F. Schneider

The Zealots had made a courageous stand, holding off General Silva and his elite Roman legion for more than a year. Jerusalem had already fallen months ago, and the mesa named Masada, along the west coast of the Dead Sea, was the site of the last pocket of Jewish resistance. Come morning, that, too, would change. The wooden walls were burning, and within the day's first light the Roman battering ram would begin again and make its final assault upon the weakened walls and gates. The leader of the 960 men, ...

289. Show Me What’s Real

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

Have you ever found yourself in a position or place where you would rather not be? Sometimes it is our own doing, our own poor choices that bring us to a place we would not choose. At other times it is a series of circumstances that carries us to that place. A church near campus has a chapel for university students to meditate and pray. Students have the opportunity to reflect and share their thoughts in a notebook. The entries sometimes reveal an inner struggle. One young woman candidly shared, "My ...

290. Encouragement to Be Faithful

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Salutation After the long elaboration in the salutation to Titus (see disc. on Titus 1:1–4), Paul reverts to a more standard, brief form in this final letter to Timothy. Indeed, except for some slight modifications, these two verses are nearly identical to 1 Timothy 1:1–2. However, as in all his letters, these “slight” modifications reflect nuances of his changed circumstances and of his concerns in this letter. 1:1 It may seem somewhat surprising to us that Paul in such a personal letter should style ...

291. Melchizedek the Priest

Hebrews 7:1-10, Hebrews 7:11-28

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

The Enigma of Melchizedek and His Priestly Order In order to make the argument about Christ’s high priesthood as convincing as it can be, the author begins by establishing the great importance of Melchizedek, who resembles the Son of God in many respects and hence serves as a type of Christ. His superiority to Abraham and Levi is then made plain. This in turn leads to a discussion of the significance of his priestly order, which in recent history had found a new and definitive representative in fulfillment ...

292. The Legitimacy and Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood

Hebrews 7:11-28, Hebrews 7:1-10

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

293. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

Salutation Second John begins with a greeting or salutation similar in form to other NT letters. The writer and recipients are identified, followed by a wish for God’s blessing. But this introduction also contains material that fits the writer’s and readers’ specific situation and recalls the controversy in which all three letters of John are set. The Elder quickly reveals the two main concerns which are on his mind, and they correspond to the two principal themes of the letters of John as a whole: truth ...

294. Joy at Believers’ Walking in the Truth

3 John 1:1-14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

Salutation and Good Wishes Third John is the shortest letter in the NT. The opening passage of 3 John identifies the writer and the reader, and includes, as was common in ancient personal letters, a health wish. Unlike 2 John, in which “the chosen lady and her children,” a local congregation, are addressed, 3 John was written to an individual. Third John 1, with its mention of love and truth, closely parallels 2 John 1, but the health wish (3 John 2) appears in place of the more traditional Christian ...

295. The Vine And The Branches

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Just outside Nazareth where Jesus grew up you can see them on both sides of the road. They grow everywhere out of that dry, rocky soil. They are the grapevines mentioned in John 15. When I stepped off the tourist bus to take pictures, I was amazed to see these short stumps of vines lying over close to the ground and propped up with a rock to keep them off the hot red soil. I had pictured in my mind all these years, grape arbors like grandpa’s that ran from the house to the garage in the backyard and which ...

296. Pentecost: The Neglected Factor

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The book of the Bible most closed to modern Christians, I believe, is the book of Acts. It is actually the record of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of those who were left to carry on that first century after Jesus’ departure from the earthly scene. It is the account of the dynamic released in the world through men and women of prayer. Jesus promised, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you. And he told those scared followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise. For John ...

297. The Return of the King Brings Turmoil in the Kingdom

2 Sam 19:9–20:26

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: The consequences of sin can be persistent, even when the Lord’s repentant servants do their best to promote unity and the Lord’s faithful covenantal promise is fulfilled. Understanding the Text The previous episode ended with David’s mourning the death of Absalom as if he were not grateful for what his men had accomplished on his behalf. Joab warned him that he was jeopardizing the loyalty of the troops, who had risked their lives for him. David presented himself to his loyal followers, and they ...

298. Job's Second Reply to Zophar

Job 21:1-34

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

The Inexplicable Prosperity of the Wicked In chapter 21, Job responds to Zophar’s accusations by thoroughly deconstructing the foundation on which they rest. Zophar has claimed that the wicked perish both in an ultimate sense and in their relentless quest for that which does not satisfy—the gnawing greed that consumes the wicked from the inside out. Job assesses Zophar’s claims as so much “nonsense” and “falsehood” (v. 34) when held up to the mirror of real life as Job both knows and describes it. Far from ...

299. Anointed and Appointed

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

This is the time of year in which we begin to celebrate graduations! Graduations are not just endings but beginnings. They signal the end of an era of learning and the start of an era of adulthood or maturity in one’s course of study that allows graduates to launch in dynamic and hopeful ways. High school and college graduates will now have the opportunity to become vital members of their communities. They will take part in the workforce, in politics, in the world of ideas, and they will take on the ...

300. The Called Ones

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

Joe Pennel

The Gospel lesson for today makes me want to fuss at Jesus. It makes me want to fuss at Jesus because the message of the text is so radical! It is radical to believe that people would actually leave their place of business to follow after a teacher who said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." After Jesus had finished preaching a sermon in Capernaum, he took a stroll along the banks of the Sea of Galilee. As Jesus walked by the sea side, he noticed two brothers - Simon, who is called Peter, ...

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