Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3026 to 3050 of 4935 results

3026. Building Our Foundation on God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

"I'd sell my soul to play for the Washington Senators." Joe Hardy, the protagonist in the popular Broadway musical, Damn Yankees, says these words in a fit of frustration. Joe is what we call today an average middle-aged couch potato. He sits in front of his television and watches baseball and most of the time his beloved team, the Senators, are defeated by "those damn New York Yankees." Joe always wanted to play ball but things just did not work out that way. Marriage, children, and work occupied the life ...

3027. Through the Lens of God

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

One day a man told a story which touched the hearts of all. He began, "I was a timid, frail, lost, and lonely six-year-old child when I first arrived at the farm in Georgia. I would have remained that way had it not been for an extraordinary woman. She lived on the farm in a small two-room cabin where her parents resided when they were slaves. To any outsider she simply appeared as any other African-American on the farm, but to those who knew her, she had a spiritual force whose influence was felt ...

3028. The Whole Shebang in Six Words

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The more complex our world becomes, the more simplicity it needs. This quest for simplicity has become the holy grail of science, whether in the form of physicist Stephen Hawking's TOE and his lifetime pursuit of a Theory of Everything (TOE), or theoretical physicist Stephen Wolfram's "A New Kind of Science" (the title of his 2002 book). Wolfram, a Ph.D. at 20 from Caltech, proposes that instead of looking for more and more complex theories to creation, we should be looking for simpler ones (primitives, he ...

3029. Promises to Keep

Hebrews 8:1-13

Sermon

James McCormick

Do you know the name Tom Dooley? Not the folk song Tom Dooley, but Dr. Tom Dooley? You need to know his story, because Dr. Tom Dooley was a Twentieth Century saint. While serving in the Navy, he saw the physical suffering of the people of Southeast Asia - so much illness and suffering, so few doctors to deal with it. When his tour of duty was over, he resigned his commission and went to Indochina, now Laos, to serve as a medical missionary. There he poured out his life on behalf of the people. He saw ...

3030. Breathe on Me, Breath of God

Acts 2:1-4

Sermon

James W. Moore

Let me begin with three quick stories. See if you can find the common thread that runs through them. The First Story is about a woman who lives in Texas. She is a motivational speaker who is often asked to give the key-note address at conventions and convocations. Recently she returned home after speaking five nights in a row. Her husband said: “Honey, I know you must be really tired. Why don’t you “sleep in” in the morning?” That sounded good to her, so she did stay in bed longer than usual. When she ...

3031. Love Came Down at Christmas

Luke 2:15-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

Several years ago, Tom Southerland spoke here in Houston. His schedule was so hectic at the time that the organizers of the event had to schedule his speech for 7:00 in the morning. Fifteen hundred people turned out at 7:00 a.m. to hear him speak. Tom Southerland… do you recognize that name? Let me refresh your memory. Tom Southerland had been a prisoner and had just been released. He had been held captive for four years by Shiite Muslims in the Middle East… and much of the time Southerland was in solitary ...

3032. Changed Lives - Thomas

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a story that has been making the rounds for some time now. It is about a group of scientists who got together and decided that humankind no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell God that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go on and get lost?” God listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After ...

3033. How to Live a Sizzle-When-It-Drizzles Life

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When the sun went down, life slowed down. That’s how it used to be. When illumination after dark meant a smoky oil lamp or a dangerously dripping tallow candle, there were limitations on activities. Forget all those Hollywood movies. The rich might have had enough candle-power (and servants) to light up a ball room or a banquet hall. But for common, everyday people, the light of one or two lamps and the glow from a small cooking fire was all that brightened the night. Even the faintest light was far more ...

3034. Don't Get Too Big For Your Spiritual Britches

Judges 16:20

Sermon

James Merritt

He is undoubtedly one of the most amazing human beings I have ever seen in my life. His name is Niam Suleymanoglu. He stands 4 ft. 11 in. tall, weighs all of 141 pounds. You may not recognize him by his real name, but you may recognize him by his nickname. This hero of Turkey has been given the nickname "Pocket Hercules." He did something in the ‘96 Atlanta Olympics no one in Olympic history had ever done. For the third consecutive Olympics he won the gold medal in weight lifting. He won his division by ...

3035. Star Witness

John 1:35-51

Sermon

James Merritt

One of my favorite movies is "The Untouchables." Elliott Ness is the hero, Al Capone is the villain. The entire picture is a portrayal of how Ness is trying to nail Capone and send him to prison. Capone seems to thwart him at every turn until Ness discovers the one person who can put him away—his bookkeeper. The climatic scene in the train station is one of the most exciting I have ever seen, as the mob is trying to get the bookkeeper out of town while Ness is trying to stop them; and he succeeds only ...

3036. No Fear

Psalm 23:4

Sermon

James Merritt

Fear—we all know what it is. It is one of the most debilitating emotions known to the human race. As a matter of fact, it is fascinating to see just what it is that people fear most. Here are the three greatest fears people have in America: Fear number one: Going to a party where they will be surrounded by strangers. Fear number two: Having to speak before a crowd. Fear number three: Being asked a personal question in public.1 Fear is unbelievably powerful. It penetrates the heart, it poisons the spirit, ...

3037. In Love with Howard

Matthew 13:44-46

Sermon

King Duncan

Most of us associate the name Robert Fulghum with his little book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. But he wrote other books, one of which had the simple title, Uh-Oh. Like his better-known work, it, too, is filled with witty essays. In the latter book Fulghum tells about being asked by a journalist if he believed in God. “No,” replied Fulghum, “but I do believe in Howard.” “Howard? You believe in Howard?” asked the reporter. “It all has to do with my mother’s maiden name,” said Fulghum ...

3038. What Are You Looking For?

Acts 1:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Usually we move through this passage fairly quickly—ready to get on to chapter two and the excitement of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit: Flames of fire Speaking in tongues Preaching of Peter Birth of the church Or we get hung-up on the Ascension—the aerodynamics of this mystical, mysterious lift-off of the Risen Jesus into heaven. Or we focus on the promise of the Second Coming and all that might mean. But at the beginning of this series of sermons which is meant to lead us into conversation ...

3039. Rags and Robes

Micah 1:1-7; 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Disciples of Jesus Christ are in the business of making rags into robes. We need to clothe people with integrity (a robe) even when they are dressed in rags. In the "affluent '80s" the rich got richer at a rapacious rate, while our increasingly stratified society saw the poor get much poorer at an equally alarming speed. Slowly, we became aware that our economic system was producing a growing underclass that had nowhere to go, nowhere to live except the streets. Even the most career-obsessed, social- ...

3040. The Ride of Your Life

1 Peter 1:17-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

With Jesus in charge, you get a white-water-rafting kind of experience throughout life not a dull float downstream, but a hang-onto-your-hat exhilarating, get-wet ride. Jesus offers us a life-substance, not a lifestyle. How much do you have invested in your "lifestyle"? This "investment" counts not only the money, time, energy and enthusiasm spent, but also the satisfaction gained. Think you aren't "rich and famous" enough to have a "lifestyle"? (Ever watch "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"?) Think again ...

3041. Who Are the Encouragers?

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There are few ministries more important than the ministry of encouragement. One of the most idealized lifestyles of all time is that of the American cowboy. The success of movies like "City Slickers" shows that the dream to be a cowboy still ranks right up there on people's "wish lists." What is the big attraction behind the cowboy persona? Perhaps it can be found in the cowboy "theme song" that we all know: "Home, home on the range Where the deer and the antelope play Where seldom is heard, a discouraging ...

3042. Romans 12:9-21

Romans 12:9-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts in Romans 12:3-8 is immediately followed by the apostle's litany of true agape-inspired Christian characteristics. For Paul, Christ is fullness (pleroma). Agape love is the necessary component if the fullness of spiritual gifts is to be activated and exercised within the Christian community. Romans 12:9-21 makes up a unit of Christian "sententiae," similar to ones found in Hebrew wisdom literature. Some scholars have suggested that Paul even had at his disposal a kind ...

3043. Third Sunday in Lent

1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 63:1-11, Luke 13:1-9

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 63:1-8 First Lesson—The prophet makes an eloquent appeal, offering a spiritual banquet of food and drink as the outcome of repentance. Isaiah 55:1-9 Second Lesson—Paul warns the Corinthians that sexual immorality can be a deadly sin. 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Gospel—The relatively innocent may suffer with the guilty, but the day of judgment will come for everyone in due course, warns Jesus. Luke 13:1-9 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: ...

3044. The Bible: Head and Heart

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

"With Jesus in your heart, you just can't hate anybody." That is our destination, but sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. I want to take you on a journey through the text for today. As we continue to preach on the life of our Lord Jesus, we will basically arrive at the same destination: "With Jesus in your heart, you just can't hate anybody." This is a wonderful text, a dense text that is chock full. It's almost like a good hamburger with all that good stuff hanging over the ...

3045. Whose Inheritance Is It?

Ephesians 1:11-23

Sermon

Donna Schaper

The Holy Spirit gives us our inheritance. It does not come from our parents or grandparents, our nation or our race. Our inheritance is a gift from God. We have it as a dominion and domination. Domination — when we get first things absolutely first — is not a bad thing! Once we know the source of our inheritance, no other gods can rule us. Saints are the people who know this. Saints know who gave them what they have — and they don't imagine that they are like the used car dealer who, having inherited the ...

3046. He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s an old story. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. A young soldier fighting in Italy during World War II managed to jump into a foxhole just ahead of a spray of bullets. He immediately attempted to deepen the hole for more protection. As he was frantically scraping at the dirt with his hands, he unearthed a silver crucifix, obviously left by a previous occupant of the foxhole. A moment later, a leaping figure landed beside him as shells screamed overhead. The soldier turned to see that his new ...

3047. Cross Eyed: Glory

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

The movie, Cinderella Man, takes place in the depths of the Great Depression. Boxer Jim Braddock's family, like so many others, is living in poverty. He gets up early one morning hoping to get a shift at the dock. He gets ready to sit down and eat a meager breakfast, prepared by his wife, Mae. Jim gets up and wonders where his wife has put his socks. Mae tells Jim that she "washed them last night. Took them right off your feet." She pulls them from the oven where they have been drying. Little Rosie, ...

3048. Could We Start Again, Please? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

John 3:1-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It’s been said of Jesus that whenever he met a person it was as if that person were an island around which Jesus sailed until he found the real problem. And there he landed. He did that with the wealthy tax collector Zacchaeus and landed on the question of integrity. “All that I have stolen, I will repay four-fold.” He did that with the woman at the well and landed on the subject of marriage. “Go call your husband.” And here in John 3, Jesus does that with the powerful, prestigious, political Nicodemus by ...

3049. Follow Your Calling (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Back in the 1980’s, popular author Stephen Covey said the key to managing life is distinguishing between the urgent and the important. Urgent matters clamor for our attention. Important matters shape our lives. Before cell phones and Blackberries became a part of our anatomy, Covey warned that a phone call most likely will feel urgent, but it may not be very important. On the other hand, a call from God is both urgent and important. Two critically important questions every person must ask and keep on ...

3050. Style: Some Distinctive Marks of a Methodist

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Circumstances sometimes call us to do strange things — things-we would not otherwise do. Circumstances also cause us to do things we should have done but never got around to doing them before, like learning that we might have cancer, might provoke us to write a will. That’s really too serious an illustration for the story I’m about to tell. Two out-of-town visitors were walking along a street in New York City late one night. One of the pair, wary of the reputation of city streets at night, kept glancing ...

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