Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 276 to 300 of 4999 results

John 1:29-34

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... and did, but either way it didn't seem to get in the way of his faithfulness. There is a price to pay for a faithfulness that challenges corrupt systems and crooked policies, but Jesus didn't flinch from that price. Walter Brueggemann once said that there are two kinds of losers -- those who have given up hope and those who don't want things to be any better than they are right now.6 Those who have given up hope have lost, but often for reasons beyond their control. People who don't want things any better ...

277. Why Do We Ignore Warning Signs?

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

... predicted that the rapid growth of earth's human population would cause mass starvation and the end of civilization before 1950. Those kind of predictions make us take all warnings with a grain of salt. We believe that we are somehow in control. In Tom ... they will have the kingdom of heaven. It is impossible to think about what it would take to really be just and really be kind in this world without feeling poor in spirit. It is impossible to look at that poverty of spirit, that coldness of heart, that lack ...

278. On Not Being First

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

... won little in the way of worldly honors, we would all agree he is a number one winner in "the game of life." Something more than "snow upon the desert's face." I believe Jesus might very well point to something like this as an example of the kind of success that is valued in heaven. Perhaps in the short run that's not much consolation when we have tried so hard. But the Bible takes the long view of these disappointments. Failure and disappointment are part of the human lot. As we have already discussed, it ...

279. Jesus Heals A Paralytic

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

... of Jesus is heard several times. In the end of the matter what counts is that our congregations hear this word of Jesus addressed to them. This word of forgiveness does not need to be explained. It does not need to be followed up with all kinds of advice about what this forgiveness means in our life. At a fundamental level people simply need to hear this word of Jesus addressed to them over and over again. A story is told about a couple celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. In her comments the ...

280. Wedding: The Love which Makes a Marriage

Sermon Aid

John M. Braaten

... is essential to a lifelong marriage. All the varieties of love I have described are helpful and good, or else God, in his wisdom, would not have made them a part of us. And, I hope you enjoy them all in your relationship. But there is one kind of love which makes marriage an exciting, fulfilling adventure; a love which is stronger and deeper than all the others. This love has as its source the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Christ's love is the catalyst which makes all the other loves more possible, more ...

281. When is Patriotism An Idol?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

George Johnson

... where he stood, so he refused to fall into the trap. "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites." He announces to the audience that he's up to their tricks and he won't get sucked in. Without first understanding this, we may use this text for all kinds of bad theology and faulty interpretation of the Bible. This text has been used by some to defend the separation of church and state. It has been used by some to defend keeping politics out of the church. It has been used by some to defend uncritical allegiance ...

282. The Invisible God?

Colossians 1:15-23, Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Johnny Dean

... it’s selection as a passage to be read to the gathered faith community on the day when we talk about the humble king Jesus came to be. Paul’s language here is so grand, so mythical and mystical, that it seems to be out of touch somehow with the kinds of things I would normally say in a sermon about Christ the King. Listen again to a few phrases, remembering that Paul is describing Jesus to people who never met Jesus. "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all ...

283. "Crown Him Lord of all!"

Sermon

William Luoma

... . He is there to protect and watch over his people. Jesus is a king, but he doesn't have an earthly kingdom. He is a different kind of king. He is the king of our hearts. Now look at this crown. Yes, this is a crown. It's made of sharp thorns, if ... be?" Why should God let me in? What is there that I could take out to show him to prove that I was worthy to enter? What kind of credentials would I need? Would it help to tell God that I was voted "the most likely to succeed" in the graduating class of 1985? ...

284. Learning to Walk on the Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

... God knows things I do not know, that he knows how to do things I cannot do. We are relatively familiar with the common laws of nature. But there are other such laws which are not so common, and a phenomenon which strikes us as being of the miracle kind may, in reality, be a functioning of natural laws we know little or nothing about. Here, for example, is the law of gravitation, known in the world since a caveman first dropped a heavy stone on his own foot. It took us a long time, though, to discover the ...

285. The Importance of Believing

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

... in soul or spirit or moral quality, then we are strongly inclined to act like the animals we believe we are. If we believe other people are out to do us in, then we tend to live defensively, always on guard, our actions of the pugnacious and belligerent kind. And what we believe concerning God wields a mighty influence over the way we behave. Are you familiar with the story of John Brown? Along about Civil War time in America they were singing a song about "hanging his body on a sour apple tree!" A very ...

286. The Now-ness of Eternity

Zechariah 7:1-14

Sermon

... prompts us through conscience to distinguish between right and wrong, and to choose the right. It stirs in us the ethicizing impulse to grope beyond what is toward that which ought to be. And by thus involving us in the valuing process it draws us toward the kind of living that has enduring quality in it. It was the tug of eternity that prompted the prophet Micah to ask, "What doth the Lord require of thee?" And it was a magnificent insight into truth that enabled him to see the answer: life with God, life ...

287. No Telltale Clues

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

... exactly what his ministry was all about. When Jesus defends his actions to the Pharisees and when the evangelist writes about it for our instruction, it becomes clear that you and I are to do what Jesus did. That is to say, we Christians are all kinds of Matthews. We are all kinds of sinners and outcasts that have been called by the one with authority and given what we could not earn, buy, or inherit. It is also to say, however, that it is the outcasts and sinners of the world who are to be at the center ...

288. The Beginning of a New Life

Ruth 2:1-23

Sermon

... and attempt to impress him with her beauty and charms, nor did she plead desperately with him to help her and Naomi. Sometimes those kinds of tactics will work, as in the case of a pregnant peasant woman in Silone’s Bread and Wine. Don Paolo Spada had a ... himself for us. This is a story that needs to be told and retold in this age of an "I deserve it" and "I’m worth it" kind of culture, because it tells a lot about two women, not just one. Ruth’s character comes out in the details of the story, but we ...

289. Christian The King

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... the cast-off rags belonging to soldiers. He had a king’s scepter, but it was a towel used to wash feet. His castle was the out-of-doors where there was no place for him to lay his head. Yet, he was every inch a king - but a different kind! In like manner, Christian the king has a spiritual domain akin to the King of kings’ realm. It is a spiritual kingdom of love, truth, justice, and peace. As a king, a Christian has power over sin. Because a Christian belongs to Christ, sin has no power over him/her ...

290. Burrs on the Apple Tree?

Matthew 7:15-23

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... yard this year? [Let them answer.] Is it possible that your tree could give apples this year and oranges next year? Does a tree always have to give the same kind of fruit every year? What I want to know is, will a fruit tree always bear the same kind of fruit? [Let them answer.] Are you sure? Then tell me what kind of a tree has this kind of fruit? [Hold up each kind of fruit that you have and let them name the tree.] That’s very good. You sure do know your fruit. I hope that you can tell people the same ...

291. God’s Generosity Resented

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... he felt would be a sure-fire solution to the problems of the world. He would gather all the people in the world in a giant amphitheater and would read to them the story of the Good Samaritan, and tell them to '... go and do likewise,' that is to be kind to one another. I doubt it would do much good. I fervently wish, instead, it were possible to gather all the people of the world together in one place around the cross of Christ on Calvary. I would devoutly pray that while they were there, they might all be ...

292. The Art of Living Until

Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... his den, sat the great red fox quietly licking a paw. Dr. MacDonald made the point: If you have a sure refuge into which you know you can go, the noisy braying of the hounds of life really doesn’t worry you much. And his point was well made. This kind of faith brings power, because we know that finally there is nothing to be afraid of. And it brings joy, because we know that now, and ultimately also, there is everything to live for. Far out in the wilds, a woodsman came upon half-a-dozen boys in Scout ...

293. A Haven For Troubled Hearts

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Brett Blair

... important decisions but none are more crucial than the spiritual decisions we make. Who is going to help you make those kinds of decisions? Karl Barth was lecturing to a group of students at Princeton. One student asked the German theologian "Sir, don’ ... for all men and women. III Finally he wanted them to know: If you have faith in me you will have help along the way. But what kind of help is Jesus talking about? In verse 12 he says that we will be doing great works. In verse 14 he says that all we have ...

294. Perhaps Next Summer...

Acts 24:1-27

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... world. Here is the peril of procrastination that only once, that moment - that GREAT moment - that moment before God may only once arrive. As with Felix, it is here, and it is gone. Oh, life goes on, but just the shell of life - the outward kind of mechanical, animal existence under the theme: "If I had only ... if I had only ..." I remember the striking painting that won many prizes and is now displayed in the Art Institute in Chicago. It was done with stabbing, almost photographic realism. It showed a ...

295. Our Father Who Art on Earth

Proverbs 1:8-19

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... it all becomes somewhat less than hilarious when we confront the fact that when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ wanted to teach us what the God of the universe was like, he instructed us to call him, "Our Father." Then it all becomes the most devastating and convicting kind of contrast. When Jesus Christ taught us to speak of God as, "Our Father," what did he have in mind? He was talking to a people of whom the father had a unique position. He was the absolute head of the home and of the family. He was the ...

296. The Church Reaches Out!

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... . It means a commitment of time, and it means studying with people with whom we may not always agree. But it can be painful in other ways, because education is a process of growth and change and it is not easy to change. But it is through these kinds of changes that we become people reaching out who are: No longer tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into ...

297. The Authority of Jesus

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

... ? I saw your face before, just as he walked into the Temple. You were disappointed. Just as disappointed as I was. Andrew: Will you kindly tell me what you are talking about? Judas: What I am talking about is that Jesus had over two million people ready to make ... he does. They’ll follow him, but we must let the Master do it his own way. Judas: I suppose that’s the same kind of foolish advice your brother gave him. Fortunes can change quickly out here. Today’s hero is tomorrow’s has-been. He needs to ...

298. A Man Whose Dreams Came True

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... Joseph was a slave, a slave in a far-away country. All because of his brothers. He could have hated them; yes, he could have hated them with a mighty vengeance. But he chose not to think about what might have been. Instead, he determined to be the best kind of a slave that he could be. He worked hard and diligently. He was still faithful to his dreams. Even in a foreign land, far from home, laboring as a slave, Joseph made a name for himself. His owner, Potiphar, gave him additional duties and increased his ...

299. Heaven on Earth

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Richard Patt

... arrive at a peace-filled society and world. Can there be peace on earth? Can wars and rumors of wars be overcome? Can there be this kind of heaven on earth? If we assert that Jesus Christ walked the earth as the Son of God and Prince of Peace, then we must believe ... not entitled to peace. In our pledge to the flag we refer to the promise of "liberty and justice for all." Can we have this kind of peace on earth too? Can we take to heart and serve all the people? Or do we as Christians continue to judge a book ...

300. The Family Was God’s Idea

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... , with cycles of divorce and remarriage, the underlining of sex as only play, or a playboy and playgirl person-of-the-month centerfold mentality. These mark commitment as a mere anachronism. It is no accident that it has a strange sound in our time; and that quality of all kinds is so absent. When we buy a new appliance and expect it to break down in the first month; take our car to a mechanic and as often as not wonder if it will drive as well out as it did into the garage; when government officials turn ...

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