Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3051 to 3075 of 4884 results

3051. The Greatest Ability Is Dependability (Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... something, even 99.9% is not good enough if that does not represent your best. The only "good enough" that is good enough for God, is your absolute best. Anything less is being unfaithful. A magazine entitled Insight once published an article, "Strive for Perfection…or Else!" According to the article, if 99.9% is good enough then… 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly this year. 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next sixty minutes. 1,314 phone calls ...

3052. Glory Guaranteed

Jude 1:24-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... death. II. God's Marvelous Purpose Not only is God able to keep us from stumbling, but He is also going to "present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." (v.24) God's power is for your protection, but God's purpose is for your perfection. Now the phrase "in the presence of" literally means "before the face of." The Bible says that no man has seen God at any time, but one day all of us who love the Lord Jesus Christ, are going to see Him face to face. I can hardly imagine that ...

3053. Don't Believe the Lie about the Truth

John 8:32

Sermon

James Merritt

... . He said, "What is so funny?" He said, "I hate to tell you this, but my clock doesn't work very well either, and I've been adjusting it every day to the bell that I hear every afternoon from the factory at four o'clock!" Now that is a perfect picture of the society in which we live. When you affirm truth, the clock of your life will always be accurate because it will be set by God's eternal timepiece, the word of God, which is never wrong. III. There Is a Deliverance in Accepting Truth Now truth is ...

3054. Have You Seen the Light?

John 9:1-41

Sermon

James Merritt

... the Lord went out, the life went out, and when the life went out, the light went out. Because all darkness is, is simply the absence of light. Ever since that fateful day in the Garden of Eden, man has lived in spiritual darkness. Did you know you can have perfect 20/20 vision, but be as spiritually blind as a bat? Did you know that you not only have eyes in your head, you also have eyes in your heart? Paul said to the Ephesians, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…" (Eph. 1:18, NASB ...

3055. Once Save - Always Saved

John 10:27-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... five-year life. But Jesus didn't promise us five-year, ten-year, one hundred-year, or even one thousand-year life, He promised us eternal life. One of the great verses in the Bible concerning this subject is Heb. 10:14, "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." When you are saved, sanctified, and set apart by God to be in His family, it is for "all time." If you have ever bought anything expensive, such as a new car, or a fancy appliance such as a television, microwave ...

3056. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

John 16:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... . As a matter of fact, the worst form of human badness is human goodness when you try to substitute that human goodness for the grace of God. You see, our best righteousness is actually the worst kind of unrighteousness when compared to God's perfect righteousness. Oftentimes unrighteousness in the Bible is described in terms of our not being straight. In other words, we are crooked. It is not by accident that we often refer to criminals as "crooks." We call them crooks because they are crooked, they are ...

3057. Going For the Gold

Joshua 1:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

... be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." (Jn. 14:21) There was a Chinese Christian who came up to a missionary and said, "I have learned to quote the Sermon on the Mount." He stood before the missionary and quoted it perfectly word by word. The missionary said, "That is wonderful. How did you do it?" The Chinese Christian said, "I spent the last year trying to live it." IV. Finish up the Work of God God's last words to Moses were these: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong ...

3058. Who's In Charge Here

Judges 21:24-25

Sermon

James Merritt

... one you will be very familiar with. Here is the first quote, given by historian Christopher Dawson, over thirty years ago: We have entered a new phase of culture we may call it the Age of the Cinema in which the most amazing perfection of scientific technique is being devoted to purely ephemeral objects, without any consideration of their ultimate justification. It seems as though a new society [is] arising, which will acknowledge no hierarchy of values, no intellectual authority, and no social or religious ...

3059. Away In a Manger

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which are most surely believed among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed (Luke1:1-4) Luke lets his readers know right up front he's done ...

3060. Nothing Great Happens Without It

Luke 14: 25-35

Sermon

James Merritt

... ." Over the next two years, the sages condensed the book into one paragraph. The emperor still wasn't satisfied. Finally, these wise people came back with a single sentence inscribed on an index card. The Emperor read it, smiled, and said, "This is perfect. Now future generations will understand why we have been so successful. All the genius we possess is contained in this brilliant solitary phrase." The sentence read: "There is no free lunch." The truth is whether you eat dog food or filet mignon depends ...

3061. Thou Shalt Not Judge - True or False?

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... wife for the past half hour." But another reason why we cannot judge others is because we are fallen. "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" (v.3) You see, none of us are perfect. No matter how much we think we may know the heart of somebody else, we don't. We don't even know our own hearts. The Bible says, "The heart is deceitfully wicked and no man can know it. In fact, you will find that oftentimes when people judge others ...

3062. Till Death Do Us Part

Matthew 19:1-9

Sermon

James Merritt

... bond is not to be touched by what we do here today. They will be as married in the sight of God when we finish our work as they were before we began, and many people fail to understand that fact.8 This judge expressed the sentiment of Jesus perfectly. III. What the Law Allows The legalists come back looking for one more loophole. "They said to Him, ‘Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?'" (v.7) They were referring here to an incident that took place in Deut. 24 ...

3063. O Little Town of Bethlehem

Micah 5:2

Sermon

James Merritt

... to be given, he said he awakened in the middle of the night and sat down and wrote the music and the melody. He said until he died, he knew it was a gift from heaven. We now know that song as "O Little Town of Bethlehem." That song perfectly captures the beauty of Christmas. Little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie; Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by; Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting Light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight. Then ...

3064. How to Lower Your Temper (-ature)

Proverbs 16:32

Sermon

James Merritt

... we spend time with angry and rebellious people, we will inevitably become angry and rebellious. (Dad, this is a strong reason why you need to be actively involved and in charge of the types of relationships your children establish.) A wonderful story illustrates perfectly the truth that we need to convey to our kids about anger. There was a certain man who purchased a newspaper at a newspaper stand. He greeted the newsman very courteously, but in return he received very gruff and discourteous service. The ...

3065. Mom: The Heart of a Godly Family

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

James Merritt

... exercise wisdom in how she handles the checkbook. One of the major causes of marital discord is money. Sometimes, unfortunately, it is the wife who is the major cause because she cannot get a grip on the handling and holding and spending of money. Theirs was a perfect marriage except for one feminine flaw; He was fast on the deposit, but she was quicker on the draw! Well, a godly wife and mother will not be a hindrance in the finances of the family, but a help. She will help guard the family finances as ...

3066. There's God In Them There Hills

Psalm 19:1-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... who is right. It is called "the judgments of the Lord." (v.9) The final verdict on what is right and what is wrong, who is right and who is wrong, is found in this Book. Then we are told why the Bible is valuable. First of all, it is perfect. (v.7) The only infallible, inerrant, inspired book in the world is this one that has been written by Almighty God. It is also "sure." (v.7) In this book you will find no equivocation, no doublespeak, no footnotes, and no amendments. It speaks only the truth. It is ...

3067. The Law of the Harvest

Psalm 126:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... when you win people to Jesus Christ. Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, "Even if I were utterly selfish and had no care for anything but my own happiness, I would choose if I might, under God, to be a soul-winner. For never did I know perfect overflowing unutterable happiness of the purest most ennobling order, until I first heard of someone who had sought and found the Savior through my witness. No young mother so rejoiced over her first born child, no warrior was so thrilled over a hard-won victory." We ...

3068. God, Elvis, and O.J. Simpson

Psalm 139

Sermon

James Merritt

... and homecoming queen, named Nicole Brown. She was immediately smitten with this athletic superstar. She moved in with him; they lived together for a few years and then married just before their first child was born. It seemed as if they were the picture-perfect all American couple. But we now know of the abuse, both verbal and physical, that was a part of this marriage; police calls, at least nine of them; multiple affairs. As you now know, domestic abuse in America has become an epidemic. Every fifteen ...

3069. What to Remember When You're Having a Bad Hair Day

Romans 8:28

Sermon

James Merritt

... its own. Think about it this way: Every moment of every day is one individual piece of the puzzle of God's plan for your life. God can reach into a bag of circumstances on any given day, with his eyes shut, pull out any piece and make it fit perfectly in the puzzle of his plan for you. Now that does not mean that all things that happen to us are good. As you well know, everything that happens to you is not good. But everything that happens to you will ultimately work together for your good. When I was ...

3070. Nothing but the Blood

1 John 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

... true. I. The Blood Comes From a Supernatural Person This verse tells us that we speak of "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son." This is not ordinary blood. There is no other blood like it. The blood that flowed in the veins of Jesus Christ was the pure perfect sinless blood of God the Son. One of the most incredible verses in the Bible is Acts 20:28. Here is what it says: "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God ...

3071. The Sin of Silence

1 John 1:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... difference between judicial pardon from a judge and parental forgiveness from a Father. You see, in one sense, we have been forgiven of our sin—singular. But this verse says "if we confess our "sins"—plural. When a person becomes a Christian he doesn't become perfect, he just becomes forgiven. Because of his old nature, he still sins. When he sins he must confess that sin so that God can forgive that sin. I am convinced that there are many Christians who are living in defeat almost every day of their ...

3072. Easter and a Lost World

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... ve visited around the world. It is the Acropolis, on which the Parthenon sat overlooking the exquisite city of Athens. The Parthenon was a temple dedicated to Athena, who was the Greek goddess of wisdom. It was built 400 years before Jesus Christ and is probably the most perfect building ever built in the history of the world. It is an architectural wonder. But that is not even my favorite spot. Just about 50 yards from the Parthenon is a huge rock. It is about 30 to 40 feet high and you can climb on top of ...

3073. What to Wear to the War

Ephesians 6:13-17

Sermon

James Merritt

... in life that is important, it is how you react to what happens to you that really matters to God. If you're at peace with God you can withstand any storm that may come your way, for the Bible says in Isa. 26:3, "God will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is fixed on Him." I read about an elderly lady who was living in an apartment building with her family in London during the second World War. The Germans came and bombed all around them all night long, and when they began to search among the blown ...

3074. Battle Stations

Ephesians 6:10-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... the weakest. Now I want you to listen carefully. There is plenty of room for confidence in the Christian life, but there is no room for pride. The Lord said to Paul in 2 Cor. 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." But then Paul added in verse 10, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." It was when Paul recognized his weakness that he realized his strength. As you study the great men of God throughout history, you will find they were men who recognized their ...

3075. Face the Music

Hebrews 9:27-28

Sermon

James Merritt

... letter was dated on Thursday. Senator Coverdell complained of a terrible headache on Friday; was taken to the hospital on Saturday; operated on Monday; and was dead on Tuesday. This past week, for the first time in history, after twenty-four years of a perfect record, the safest plane in aviation history joined the ranks of all other planes, when the Concorde went down in flames killing over a hundred people. Just last week the one year anniversary of the death of JFK was commemorated. Whether it is the ...

Showing results