Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3051 to 3075 of 4972 results

3051. Discern How Things Grow

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... do not guarantee either quantitative or qualitative spiritual results. If God is not at work in the process, nothing will happen. Paul understood his task to be a responsible worker along with others who may come along, and he was content to leave the effects in the hands of God. No human being has ultimate authority, and those who seek authoritarian positions in the church should be suspect. Church leaders are simply servants working together in "God's field." In the hot summer of 1789 Presbyterians ...

3052. Be Charitable In Your Judgment

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... audiences in recent years. The story written by Victor Hugo has keen perceptions about human nature. When the play opens Jean Valjean has just been released on parole after spending 19 years on the chain gang. He soon learns that the yellow ticket-of-leave that he must by law display condemns him to be an outcast. Only the saintly Bishop of Digne treats him kindly. Valjean, embittered by years of hardship, repays the bishop by stealing his treasured silver. Valjean is soon caught and brought back to the ...

3053. Look, The Morning Star

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... miner deep into the dark ground beneath him. The cage suddenly shoots to the surface with a jerk. The gate opens and in seconds he is jammed in with ten other men. A bell rings, and the cage plunges over 300 feet into the mine. Gasping for breath, Owen leaves the cage and staggers along through the darkness. His miner's lamp attached to his cap is the only light penetrating the darkness all around him. In these narrow tunnels he wonders if he will ever again see the light of day. But he learns to trust his ...

3054. Week Five Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... he was writing down the sins of the woman's accusers. As the scribes and Pharisees looked down possibly they saw their own transgressions against the Law of Moses. According to that law all present should have received punishment, but unlike the Daniel reading all leave without any stripes. Jesus makes no condemnation of the woman or her accusers. The point here is that God alone is the one to judge, not any of us who walk the human journey each day. It is easy to accuse others; our righteousness sometimes ...

3055. The Fourth Meal

Sermon

Robert F. Scott

... that Jesus preferred a chance to teach.Mary was sensitive to the word of God. She perceived that Jesus found his plain spiritual truth more important than a fancy meal, but she failed to realize her duty as hostess and her responsibility not to leave the whole burden on her sister Martha. Martha's outburst finally exposed the differences, and it opened the sisters to Jesus' words of healing.Gently he rebuked Martha, pointing out that he was more interested in helping people than in having a big banquet ...

3056. The Eighth Meal

Sermon

Robert F. Scott

... teaches them after the resurrection. This is the transition from the last Passover supper to the first Lord's Supper. The first Passover left behind the bondage in Egypt; ahead of it stretched the road to Canaan, the land of promise. This last supper leaves behind the bondage of sin; it leads to the glory of God's new promises: redemption, salvation, eternal life. The supper marks the transition from Jesus' bodily presence to the spiritual presence of the risen and ascended Lord. From now on his presence ...

3057. Pentecost -- A Wild, Weird, Wonderful Day

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... exile (Isaiah 43:2). The reference in the New Testament to the baptism by fire surely contains the idea of refining and purification. Fire, as a metaphor of God's holiness mediated through the Holy Spirit, may destroy or purge, but the Spirit does not leave men and women comfortably alone. The Holy Spirit as fire suggests enthusiasm. If we as church members do not get excited about our church, we are not going to excite anyone else. If we are not enthusiastic, we are not going to enthuse others. John ...

3058. Don't Sell Your Inheritance for Cabbage Soup

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... when God is going to confront you with a new idea and a new set of circumstances. When that happens, your faith can be stretched to such new limits it can never shrink back to the same size it was before. Stay hungry for God. Staying hungry now leaves us open to future possibilities. Develop a deep hungering for life. Remember this truth: the best time in your life is wherever you are right now. After all, today is the only day of your life over which you have any say. Therefore, believe today the best and ...

3059. The Oil For Squeaking People

Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... reaction should not surprise any of us. We do not appreciate hearing that we are expecting about the time we have the golden wedding anniversary. The Scripture goes on to tell us that Elizabeth is so embarrassed at wearing maternity tops she doesn't leave the house for five months. Once again, that strikes me as a very understandable response to a difficult and unexpected circumstance. The condition of Elizabeth must have given the ladies of the local Bridge and Gossip Club plenty to talk about. Those nine ...

3060. An Arranged Wedding, But An Intentional Marriage

Genesis 24:1-67

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... the same people. Both groups are Christians. They have lived together for so many centuries that many even have the same last names. However, Croatians are Roman Catholics and Serbians are Eastern Orthodox. Prejudice runs deep in the human heart. Abraham's servant leaves the land of the Canaanites and goes to distant Paddan-aram to find an Aramean girl. He prays for God's guidance and establishes an observation post at the town well. A particularly beautiful young woman drops by to draw jars of water ...

3061. Jesus Christ, Our Passover Lamb

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Steve Burt

... Weather Service; they battened down the hatches, stored bottled water, provisions, and candles in basements, and prepared for the worst. One man offered this account. "When the hurricane hit, around dusk, the sky turned black. The swirling wind picked up dust and loose leaves and anything it could find, pelting the house. Sheets of black rain raced across the fields like an army of shadowy soldiers coming to overrun our position. We retreated to the cellar and sat it out for a couple of hours, hearing the ...

3062. Meeting Our Needs, Not Our Greeds

Exodus 16:1-36

Sermon

Steve Burt

... . Nor were there special instructions given about them.) Their greed takes over, and some of them try to stockpile the manna -- even though they've been told to take only what they need. So the extra manna the Hebrews try to stockpile does indeed spoil, a fact that leaves them grumbling all the more. Their stomachs have been fed, but their greed hasn't. There's more. The writer of the passage wants to make sure we know it is God's hand in this, that it's not just some phenomenon or pattern which these poor ...

3063. A Law We Can Live With

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... the one now before us, we walk upon sacred ground. And at least in the case of the Ten Commandments, the territory is so rich in significance, so immense in meaning, that attempting to negotiate its terrain in a single sermon is like trying to rake leaves with a comb! In fact, it's difficult to know where even to begin. Some commentators, for example, offer a broad panoramic view of the landscape, suggesting that the most helpful way to understand the Commandments is to see them in their entirety; to step ...

3064. Expecting the Unexpected

Judges 4:1-24

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... . And that is the case, at least for me, with this unsettling account from the fourth chapter of Judges, in which the Israelites face overwhelming odds, and yet end up overwhelmingly defeating the vast army of the Canaanites. For whatever reason, the lectionary leaves off rather abruptly at the seventh verse. However, the narrative itself doesn't conclude there, and to get a real sense of what a scandalous passage this is, one needs to read on a bit further. Curiously enough, the story actually begins in ...

3065. Recalling, Remembering, And Rejoicing

Deuteronomy 8:1-20

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

... compassion. There's a community out there which needs to be nourished by the good news of the gospels. There's a world in need of your prayers and the promise of our Savior Jesus Christ. So carry on ... live simply, love generously, speak truthfully, serve faithfully, pray daily ... and leave the rest to God. For the same One who has led us this far, leads us still. Remember that. Above all, remember that!

3066. Invitations To The Light

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... the strangers saw her, they stopped. One of them sat down beside her, gave her some warm bread, and said, "The king is serving a banquet tonight for the wedding of his son. He'd like you to come to eat at his table and celebrate with him. Will you leave your tattered blanket here in the darkness? The king has provided a wedding garment for you. Put it on and come with us to the feast!" The outer darkness swallowed him up as Joel took his last swig of whiskey and passed out between two parked cars. He wasn't ...

3067. To All Those Who Have, More Will Be Given

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Phyllis Faaborg Wolk

... expects of his disciples. To help shed some light on the meaning of this parable, I will retell the story using images and illustrations that we, as twentieth century Christians, can understand: Jesus was preparing his disciples for the time when he would have to leave this world. He told them that his departure would not be permanent -- that he would return. Before he left, he wanted to entrust each of his followers with his special talents. To one he entrusted the talent to teach. To another, the gift of ...

3068. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... be discarded. How often people complain that no one pays any attention to them. Or they complain that a spouse never listens to them. People want to be valued. They sometimes express the way they are used as being like a doormat. People walk over them and leave their dirt on them. The question arises as to whether such people have not demonstrated their worth. They do not have self-esteem and do not assert their own value. They are like salt that has lost its tastiness. They need to return to the source of ...

3069. Sowers Of The Seed

Psalm 119:1-176, Romans 8:1-17, Genesis 25:19-34, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... groups should not be made in terms of the amount of fruit (growth) produced. It should rather be that we are faithful "sowers of the seed." 3. The Central Point of the Parable. The central point of the parable should grant hope. The Holy Spirit will not leave the word devoid of results. We should not be too disturbed about the kind of soil in which we sow the word. Some of it will produce results, not so much because of our doing, but because the soil is receptive already. 4. Sowing the Seed Prolifically ...

3070. Two Sons: A Parable

Matthew 21:28-32, Matthew 21:23-27

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... between the profession of faith and the life of the believer. The hypocrisy of those who claim to be followers of Christ and the denial of it in their life styles is one of the main obstacles to persons coming to a church or for young people to leave the church. A life lived as a serious attempt to accord with the example and teachings of Christ is one of the strongest invitations to others to become followers of him as Lord. Without the joining of faith and works which flow from it, the appeal to others ...

3071. The King's Wedding Feast

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... presence of the king. 5. "Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth." (v. 13) This expression is symbolic of the distress of those who have missed the meaning of real life in the kingdom. To be out of the presence of the king who is the source of life leaves persons in darkness. They then experience deep sorrow and regret at having missed the point of what life is all about. Contemplation The parable of the wedding feast has some problems associated with it. A danger which many face is to try to press every detail of ...

3072. Christ the King

Psalm 100:1-5, Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ephesians 1:15-23, Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... is clear. Actions display the true character of persons. How they behave has consequences in the formation of personality. It is their personality that endures and has permanence. Continued ignoring of the needs of others has a corroding affect that eventually leaves persons alienated and alone. Callousness to the needs of others burns away the spirit and the light within a person. The consequences are not arbitrary. They are the inevitable outcome of habitual action. Precis of the Parable The Son of Man ...

3073. Don't Sweat The Numbers

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Radecke

... and another 10 percent for 60 months for a car, after the government has already taken 28 percent to run the country and keep its promises, and that agency that assigns nine-digit numbers to newborns has taken 7.65 percent, well, that doesn't leave very many numbers to feed, clothe, educate and entertain the family. Consequently, this nation's savings rate was about the lowest in the developed world. It was in the area of giving numbers away, however, that the people exhibited the most unusual attitudes and ...

3074. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

... son's bedside. They had begun this hypocritical ruse, and now there was no choice but to keep on playing the game. The mock rabbi accompanied the distraught father to his son's sick bed. That night, the three travelers slept fitfully. They were eager to leave town before their deception was discovered. In the morning, the innkeeper, still hoping for a miracle and grateful for the prayer of this visiting "rabbi," sent the party off with the loan of a carriage and a team of horses. They left the village and ...

3075. The Church With Nothing

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Thomas Long

... , not into a locked closet. Now go!" Or perhaps the risen Christ would come to bail out these terrified incompetents and take over the task himself. "You obviously can't handle the job. I give you a divine mission, but here you are, only hours after I leave, in a hideout shaking in your boots. I'll take it from here." But no, Jesus neither scolds nor relieves them of their duty. To this church with nothing, Jesus provides a strange set of words and actions, a string of seeming non sequiturs. He says "Peace ...

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