Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3001 to 3025 of 4977 results

3001. A Date with Destiny

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... I doubt it. In this life you and I are pilgrims on a journey (and in a moment, we will take a bit of nourishment for our pilgrimage). We prepare ourselves as best we are able, but we know painfully well that our preparations are never quite enough. We take what comes, make the appropriate adjustments, and move on. Our preparations at Pearl Harbor in 1941 were woeful, and the result was disaster. But the further result was to awaken this "sleeping giant" of a nation from its isolationist hibernation and move ...

3002. Ban the "Buts"

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... for wildflowers. I learned to boldly venture into the cooler at the florist shop in search of lemon leaves and baby's breath. Just this week I made the most amazing discovery - I like doing the flowers. It's not the arrangements themselves; I'm never quite satisfied. Spending time in the silent church, either alone or with my husband, is so refreshing. I peruse the bulletin board and book table, poke around in the sacristy picking out a vase, talk to God, maybe sing a little. Today, for no reason at all ...

3003. A Tale of Two Sisters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... open with something like "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." But it was neither. Unusual, to be sure. Even a little exciting. After all, these were the days of an itinerant rabbi called Jesus of Nazareth who was attracting quite a bit of attention. At some point previous - we are never told when, where or how - these two sisters, Mary and Martha, along with their brother Lazarus, had been introduced to Jesus. They must have become fast friends because Jesus and his entourage were welcomed ...

3004. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... good heads on their shoulders, and no one would ever say that Jacob did not have a good head. Augustine was a Jacob. He had any number of religious experiences before he became a Christian. But even once he had made the decision to follow Jesus, he was not quite ready to give it his all. He refused for a long time to be baptized because the church at that time believed that sins committed after baptism would not be forgiven; Augustine had some sinning to do and he did not want his faith to get in the way ...

3005. Would a Loving God Really Let Anyone Go to Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... in the world to come are everlasting separation from the comfortable presence of God, and most grievous torments in soul and body, without intermission, in hell fire forever."(2) That is pretty clear. But these days, we do not hear that very often. Quite frankly, many people believe Hell does not exist. In the minds of many, Hell is only an expletive: Hell, yes; Hell, no. But is that legitimate? The tradition surely says that there is a literal, awful, fiery place where unsaved sinners will spend eternity ...

3006. Pentecostal Power

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... good-bye the modern way. They were designing seven churches and at the end of meeting with the pastor of each church, Pastor Malcomb used the new phrase he had learned, “Val- EE-Et-Suda.” He could tell by the look on their faces they were quite impressed with his Russian. However the last pastor took him aside and said, “Robert why do you keep telling each pastor to ‘Get lost’ at the end of the meeting?” (2) When you are communicating in another language, you must be very precise. But even in ...

3007. Hard to Believe

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... hoax. Think about that. If the resurrection of Christ did not happen, the accounts we have are all fabrications. Those witnesses cited by Paul all lied, everyone. The Apostles who had been living in utter terror during and after the crucifixion but who suddenly became quite public in their proclamation and finally each one gave their lives for it had made this incredible shift for no reason at all. Now, which is harder to believe? All that? Or that the God of all the universe was not about to let evil ...

3008. East of Easter

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... love and service and sacrifice. The lives and words of Moses and the prophets were recounted to drive home the point. And now God's grand seed of strategy had burst into final glorious blossom with the events of these past few days. Did the travelers understand? Not quite. But now they had arrived in Emmaus. The afternoon had gone too quickly; they did not want their conversation to end. "Friend, can you stay for a bite of dinner? We don't have much - just some bread and wine - but we would love to have you ...

3009. The Christ of the Commonplace

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself." Remember what you learned in Sunday School? Remember the Bible stories? Remember God's promises? And as he talks, a glimmer of hope begins to warm their hearts. Did the Cleopas and Mary understand? Not quite. But now they had arrived in Emmaus. The afternoon had gone too quickly; they did not want their conversation to end. "Friend, can you stay for a bite of dinner? We do not have much - just some bread and wine - but we would love to have ...

3010. No Time for a Knapsack Faith

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... in the Antarctic ice and whose life was in peril being so shy that he was reluctant to let his colleagues know of his situation? “Are you really very busy?” he had asked as he dangled there in mortal danger. Sir David Edgeworth was obviously quite a timid man. In the same way, if all we knew about God was this transcendent Lawgiver and Judge that we have described thus far we might also be timid about seeking Him out. How do you approach a Being who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, everlasting ...

3011. Different From A Camel's Hair Sport Coat

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Frank Lyman

... a drab float come down Fifth Avenue and proclaimed, "Here come the ones who got the whole thing started!" Let's pray that we don't miss the real parade of God's forgiveness and love. I close with this: Michigan Upper Peninsula has a village which is quite busy this time of year. It's on the Lake Superior shoreline, and I understand that as one drives down M-28 and nears Christmas, Michigan there is a sign which reads "Christmas Go Slow." The sign is good counsel. Go slow this Christmas. Savor the good news ...

3012. What We Have Is A Communication Problem

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The owners decided to increase the station's wattage from 250 watts to 5,000 watts of power. Some glitch in their increased wattage, however, caused them to be broadcast not just over the radio, but also over local telephones in the area. Nearby residents were quite baffled to hear sermons coming in over their telephone lines. Talk about a Higher Power! God could overwhelm us with His message for us, if God were of such a mind, but then we would not live by faith. We would live without the burden of ...

3013. The Secret Ingredient Of Success

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... of success ” find what we're naturally good at and give it our best. A person who can't carry a tune will never sing with the Met no matter how hard they work. On the other hand, there are many performers who as young people had quite ordinary voices, but through hard work ” thousands and thousands of hours of practice ” have become accomplished singers. It was not that they had extraordinary talent to begin with. It was that they took what they had and used it to the utmost of their ability. Enrico ...

3014. Been There, Done That, No Thanks!

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... , Ms. Carter was a very loving woman," Waters says. She recalls one Saturday morning in particular. Ms. Carter had planned a class picnic. However, Waters' mother had not been able to get her ready in time to go. Waters had 12 brothers and sisters. It was quite a chore for her mother to get them all prepared, especially the girls, because it required that she spend time getting their hair all braided. Her mother was so busy trying to do everything, she just hadn't gotten to little Maxine yet. Waters thought ...

3015. Reality Maps And Rolling Stones

John 20:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... told him he'd found India when he landed in the New World. That is why we call Native Americans "Indians" to this day. (2) In 1597 another young sailor returned to his home port in Madrid, Spain. Juan Combe had been to the New World, and he was quite a celebrity. People flocked to hear stories of his ventures among the Indians. He was wined and dined, the toast of the town. Then one day it rained and Juan Combe walked through the streets of Madrid wearing a wonderful cape that kept him and his clothes dry ...

3016. How Can You Tell A Christian?

John 13:31-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... survey was to find out what people think of those who wear eyeglasses. Shoppers in a mall were asked to look at pictures of men and women with and without glasses and rate them according to certain characteristics. The results were quite interesting. Men wearing glasses were considered more intelligent and more trustworthy than those without. In the rating of women for intelligence, however, glasses made no difference. But glasses did add an air of financial success to both sexes. Women with glasses were ...

3017. Hope Wins!

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... greenhouse effect? Scientists are divided. And what about the specter of international terrorism? And the problems of violence, drugs and the breakdown of the family? It's easy to get excited about the great promise that the future holds but it's also easy to become quite fearful. There is much that is wrong in this world. There is an awful deterioration in societal values, the result of which is yet to be determined. What can we say about the future? HOPE MIXED WITH FEAR. THAT IS ABOUT ALL WE CAN SAY ABOUT ...

3018. How To Stay Young Forever

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... and the health club and striking out at home ” looking after the outer person and neglecting the spiritual life within. Some of you may know that Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain as we know him, was not a happy man. Particularly in his later years, he was quite crusty and cynical. Twain was married to a woman named Olivia Langdon. Olivia was a believer. Her faith was simple and she was a devout Christian. When they first married they read a chapter from the Bible every day and had grace at meals, but soon ...

3019. On Being Mistaken For A Mannequin

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

King Duncan

... admittance. The first question is this: "Did you come alone?" And if ” tragically ” your answer is "Yes," the second question follows. "How could you?" I don't want our church to be mistaken for a mannequin, do you? The answer is really quite easy: a commitment to fellowship, a commitment to prayer, a commitment to outreach. Pentecost can happen again, but it will only happen when those three attributes of the early church are present. 1. (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishing, 1994). 2. John ...

3020. Let's Play, Stump The Theologian!

John 16:5-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... decided on going into the garden at once. But alas for poor Alice! When she got to the door, she found she had forgotten the little golden key, and when she went back to the table for it, she found she could not possibly reach it. She could see it quite plainly through the glass, and she tried her best to climb up the table-legs, but it was too slippery; and when she had tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing sat down and cried. (3) I can sympathize with Alice, can't you? There are many ...

3021. Can People Change?

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... of this pressing issue of crime in our streets concerns our approach to treatment of those convicted of crimes. The public mood seems to be for longer and longer sentences and more executions. The amount of money we are spending on incarcerating criminals is really quite unbelievable. Is the money well spent? Who knows? What we do know is that many people released from prison return there at a later date. What are we to do? Each of us will have our own solutions. At the heart of this controversy, though ...

3022. Preparing for the Unexpected

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... to be both prepared and patient. (2) He waited for that one perfect pitch. When it came, he was prepared. It is not difficult to see that preparation is one of the keys to a successful life in almost any field. Many of our young people will be quite successful someday in their chosen profession. Why? They worked hard in school and went out prepared. Some of you will get off to a roaring start in your work this week. Why? You've set your priorities, done your homework, know what you must do to make the ...

3023. Drooping Arms And Crooked Feet

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... the ergograph ” would gradually drop. However, if researchers said to the student, "You're doing great . . . keep up the good work. . . I'm proud of you," suddenly, the student's energy would dramatically improve. On the other hand, if they said, "You're lazy. . . quit dragging your feet . . . what's wrong with you. . . ." ” talking discouragingly and critically, the energy curve would go down. Now let's go back to our text. St. Paul tells us we are not alone in the race of life. We are surrounded by a ...

3024. The Most Vexing Question In The Bible

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... owner of the house gets up, and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, `Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, I don't know you or where you come from. . . .' " (NIV) I don't know about you but I find those words quite disturbing. After all, you and I prize tolerance. "Live and let live," is the creed by which we live. Then we read Jesus' words: "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and not be able to." How shall we ...

3025. Wrestling In A Title Bout

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Mark Clark

... comes upon us with disarming force, like at a Tennebrae service, when we hear the sound of a hammer driving spikes onto a cross, and we're reminded that God~s love is unshakable. God wrestles for our souls, and that is good news, but not easy news. Jacob had quite a sore hip after his striving with the Lord. God was not going to let Jacob leave that place at the Jabbok ford without giving him a good souvenir. It is no different with us. When we are confronted with the love of God, we can either run or ...

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