Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3001 to 3025 of 4490 results

3001. Till Death Do Us Part

Matthew 19:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

I am going to deal with one of the most delicate, difficult, and debated topics in all the Bible divorce. There was a time in America when divorce was "safe, legal, and rare." Today, it's anything but rare. The exception has become the rule. It was recently said: "Couples are married today for better or for worse, but not for long." Almost three decades ago in 1970, Alvin Toffler, in his best-selling, Future Shock, made this prediction: Instead of wedding "until death do us part," couples will enter ...

3002. Good Christian Men Rejoice

2 Corinthians 8:9

Sermon

James Merritt

Seven centuries ago a Christmas carol, often sung today, was written in Latin, with a Latin title that meant "With Sweet Shouting." The great composer, Johann Sabastian Bach, liked it so much he arranged it for the organ, and John Mason Neale later standardized the hymn in English. In English the title was changed to "Good Christian Men Rejoice." The first stanza tells us what every Christian understands about the season called Christmas. Good Christian men, rejoice, With heart and soul and voice; Give ye ...

3003. Lengthen the Cords and Strengthen the Stakes

Isaiah 54:2-3

Sermon

James Merritt

As Yogi Berra said, "It's de ja vu all over again." You just can't seem to get rid of me. Many of you spent a good deal of time, and some of you a full eight years with me on this committee. Now I'm back. You may feel like the man who went out and bought a new boomerang and killed himself trying to throw the old one away. Dr. Chapman Mr. Chairman Members of the Executive Committee Distinguished members of the gallery and guests: As our Southern Baptist Convention embarks on a journey into a millennium, I ...

3004. The Near Edge of God

Jn 1:1-3, 14

Sermon

When I was three years old, I used to think that the true measure of things was how big they were in comparison to how big I was. There were Billy-sized things. And there were bigger things. But when I was three, almost everything fell into the category of "bigger things." Most everything was huge when I was small, but seems to have shrunk, now that I have become huge. Whenever I go back to the house in which I previously lived ... the school in which I previously studied ... the fields in which I ...

3005. The True Olympians

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What image are you going to take away from the Beijing 2008 Olympics? Is it Michael Phelps with his history-breaking breastplate of gold medals draped across his chest? Is it the first-ever gold/silver finish in women’s gymnastics? Is it the pictures of athletes who, unlike me and you with our bellies and bulges and barnacles, represent the peak of human perfectibility? Is it being part of the largest electronic crowd ever watching a sporting event, the USA vs. China basketball game? Is it the snapshots of ...

3006. Joseph: Don't Bury Me Here

Genesis 50:22-26; Exodus 13:19-22; Joshua 24:32

Sermon

John E. Harnish

So Abraham and Sarah sojourned in the land of promise. They lived in tents, looking for a city. And when, as God had promised, a son was born, they named him Isaac. Isaac produced sons...twins in fact, Esau and Jacob, whose name actually means "heel-grabber" because he was born hanging onto his brother's heel. As a second-born twin, I am not sure it's a compliment to be compared to Jacob, but I do tend to identify with this story. And if you ever want to read a tale of classic sibling rivalry, take a look ...

3007. The Revelation Code IV: The Fight at Frodo's Tower

Revelation 19:1-21

Sermon

John E. Harnish

What a motley crew, a seemingly mismatched band of brothers—a red-headed dwarf, a wispy Elfin, a quartet of hairy-toed hobbits and a couple of fumbling and feuding humans. It's a strange and unlikely assembly, especially when arrayed against the overwhelming and foreboding forces of evil that surround them. An odd and rag-tag bunch with the most improbable mission…to save the world! It's the "Fellowship of the Ring" in Tolkien's massive narrative, and it's not at all unlike the odd collection of improbable ...

3008. When Seeing is Not Believing

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John E. Harnish

And the story of Easter day continues. John says, "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week..." Imagine...just hours later, really, it is the evening of the day of Resurrection, the evening of the day which began in a garden, the evening of the day when Mary saw the Lord, the evening of the first day of the week. The doors are shut. The disciples are scared to death, and Jesus comes and stands among them and he says, "Peace be with you." He says it three times here, you notice. My guess is ...

3009. The Magna Carta of the Human Soul

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In 1215 the English barons, fed up with the wimpy, weak‑willed rule of King John, forced their way into London. They brought with them a new document for the king to sign. Wisely, the King signed and sealed it at Runnymede, a water-meadow about twenty miles southwest of London. We know this document today as the “Magna Carta,” the “Great Charter,” or literally, the “Great Paper.” This ground‑breaking document forced the King to acknowledge limitations on his ruling rights, forced him to accept the ...

3010. Engage Mind before Putting Mouth in Gear

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

When we were children our parents often quoted us the expression, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Generally this was a welcome comment that brought significant comfort, especially after the callous and thoughtless words of one of our friends or classmates hurt us. As children this expression works well and alleviates many problems, but as we mature we begin to see that this catchy phrase really does not help, for it simply does not apply. The reality is that words can ...

3011. Chocolate Cake, Flooded Waters, and Baptism

Genesis 9:8-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

There was a man, let's call him Rod, who was a fine woodworker. He made cabinets, tables, and mantels for family, friends, and fellow church members. One day his pastor asked him to come to his house and reconstruct a cabinet over his new refrigerator. The new refrigerator was taller than the old one. Rod agreed. When he came to do the work his pastor and his pastor's wife were not at home. They had given him a key to get in. Why not? Rod was the former president of the congregation, a man to be trusted, a ...

3012. Seeing the Elephant/Hearing the Owl

2 Samuel 18:24-33

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Today, as it has always, the church confronts problems that appear to dwarf both it and its abilities. In the face of issues as massive as war, global warming, the AIDS epidemic and economic recession, Christians face challenges to their personal faith so great that a kind of spiritual paralysis can set in. How can the church get people moving again and buoy up their belief that their individual attitudes and actions do make a difference? "How to Plan for 1995," a feature article in Fortune Magazine ( ...

3013. No Green Without Red

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

If you do not live a gospel that calls you to a life of sacrifice and service, you are living a shallow, selfish, shoddy substitute that promises much and demands little. This week's texts give off both green lights and red lights: the hopeful green lights of salvation and redemption (in Hebrews) and the ominous red lights of sacrifice and service (in Mark and Isaiah). The ongoing challenge of discipleship is to acknowledge both these colors as we encounter them, not abandoning or avoiding atonement ...

3014. The Compleat Christian

Romans 5:1-5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The profile of a mature Christian is marked by suffering, endurance, character and hope. Paul boldly asserts that we are justified by faith through grace - denying that we can in any manner earn our way toward salvation. He then just as boldly declares that there is a definitive set of virtues, a Christian Complex if you will, that a true disciple should purposefully cultivate and visibly demonstrate. The tension between these two demands has always kept the church a bit off-balance, a trifle uncertain of ...

3015. The Problem of Unanswered Prayer

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In Jesus'' prayer life, there was a codicil to every one of his prayers: "not what I will but what you will." This codicil is the solution to the problem of unanswered prayer. In life there are optimists, pessimists and Woody Allen. Allen looks at life with all its suffering and hardship, all its evil and misery, and boldly concludes that there is no God and that suicide is probably the most reasonable response to the angst of existence - only to quickly catch himself and consider, "Well, let's not get ...

3016. The Ultimate Soul Food

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Jesus has two major metaphors for himself-Bread and Water: "Bread of Life" and "Living Water." For the Christian, the #1 soul food is bread and water. What makes bread come alive, what turns juice into wine, is YEAST. There is a Kudzu cartoon that shows the preacher reading from the pulpit the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily....low-fat, low-cholesterol, salt-free bread ..." The last frame has him saying to himself, "I hate these modern translations." Despite such modern translations, despite new ...

3017. What Is a Good Samaritan?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a world that teaches achievement (doing), Jesus teaches us the values of aliveness (being). The essence of Christianity is being, not doing. As Billy Graham has been preaching to the world for 40 years, if you want to make a difference, you have to be different. This was the error of the lawyer Jesus spoke with in today's gospel text. The lawyer wanted to reach his goal, his desired finish line of "eternal life" by doing something, by achieving something. The Good Samaritan parable demonstrates that we ...

3018. Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The homily to the Hebrews is full of dire warnings and extravagant promises. Both of these extremes are punctuated by the writer's almost frenetic pleas for the people to press on in faithfulness so that they may bring the promises to fruition in their own lives. The first two verses of chapter 12 establish a motif that the author continues through verse 13. Using familiar physicality, he creates an image that translates into the 20th century pulpit with as much power as it had in the first century. By ...

3019. 2 Timothy 1:1-14

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's second letter to Timothy overflows in the apostle's great love for his young colleague and his genuine concern about the challenges and hardships Timothy is facing. After a customary salutation in verses 1-2, Paul moves to a series of thanksgivings which reflect these dual interests of love and concern. This thanksgiving section foreshadows much of the content of the rest of Paul's letter - a literary device used also in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and Philippians 1:3-8. Paul's focus throughout this letter ...

3020. Jeremiah 1:4-10

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

We have already reached the midpoint of Epiphany, a season first liturgically celebrated by Egyptian Christians in the fourth century. A season in the church calendar sandwiched in between the Sundays of Christmas and the observance of Lent, Epiphany moves us away from the vision of a tiny, helpless, infant Jesus and shifts our focus to the way God's works are made manifest among us. In Jesus' ministry, this work begins with his baptism (the gospel reading on the first Sunday of Epiphany). In this week's ...

3021. Matthew 17:1-9

Matthew 17:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The only single event in Jesus' earthly life more shrouded in mystery and enigma than the mountain-top experience of the Transfiguration is the great mystery of the Incarnation itself. While the Transfiguration is described in each of the three synoptic Gospels, it has been only weakly celebrated in the traditions of the church. Like the disciples who first witnessed the Transfiguration, the church has also seemed unsure of what it meant, what its purpose was, and what it calls Christians to do today. ...

3022. Mark 9:30-37

Mark 9:30-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Once the glorious moment of the transfiguration is past in Mark's gospel (9:2-8), Jesus and his disciples begin on the journey to Jerusalem that leads them ever closer to the events of rejection, humiliation and death. This week's gospel text shows Jesus and the disciples moving "through Galilee" while keeping a low profile. Instead of enjoying the hospitality of friends and family as might have been expected in these familiar lands, Jesus circles the wagons tightly. He sequesters the disciples in ...

3023. Mark 8:31-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The central portion of Mark’s gospel, 8:27-10:45, is a journey narrative. This journey begins with Peter’s surprisingly astute recognition and declaration of Jesus as “the Messiah” (8:29). The “journey” that takes us across the scandalous topography of Jesus’ messianic identity, his mission, and the nature of the discipleship required by those who would follow him. Although Jesus had ordered his own disciples to keep his messianic identity a secret, Jesus now begins to tick off a list of the actions and ...

3024. Christmas 1

Isaiah 61:10–62:3, Luke 2:21-40, Galatians 3:26–4:7

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 61:10--62:3 This passage, written by Third Isaiah around 530 B.C. deals with a time when the returned exiles did not find conditions as glorious as Second Isaiah promised. Third Isaiah kept the message of righteousness and salvation, pictured as festive garments, alive in a disappointed people. In chapters 60-62 the prophet announces God's promise of deliverance. Verses 10-11, spoken by Isaiah or Jerusalem, constitute praise and thanksgiving for the promised deliverance. In ...

3025. Where Does God Start?

1 Chronicles 29:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

It is without question the most famous house in all of the world, and the most recognized. It is known as the White House. It serves as the official residence for the President of the United States. It stands on 18 acres along Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, DC. The interesting thing about the White House is every President in the history of this country has lived there except one, and the one who didn't was George Washington. Here's the interesting fact. It was George Washington who chose the site where ...

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