Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3126 to 3150 of 4933 results

3126. A Time to Dance

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

My maternal grandfather was a railroad engineer and a Presbyterian elder. During the 1930s he had three teenaged children. It was his custom on many Saturday nights to invite all the local teenagers into his large living room for a dance. He would hire a little three-piece band and roll back the rugs. Grandfather was thrilled that the teenaged girls would invite him to dance and then would break in on each other. Some of the other elders at the church did not share Grandfather's enthusiasm for those dances ...

3127. The Escape

Drama

Douglas W. Orbaker

The story takes place in a Roman prison in Jerusalem during the Jewish Passover festival. The time is early in the first century, around 33 AD. As the play opens, a small cell appears with a barred window to the center rear, and containing two cots, one on either side. There is a prisoner on each cot, staring at the ceiling. (As the lights go on, the roar of a crowd is heard off-stage.) Theudas (He gets up from cot and goes to the window.) Well, I see the natives are restless. I wonder what all the ...

3128. My Soul Is Glad - Because of God

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

There is in this sermon a gentleness that belies what it asks us to see, "That life does not change, but the way I experience it does." Moving, as it does, through a revision of the popular picture of Mary, now seen in clearer light than that of positive or negative speculation, but rather in the light of faith and praise of God; through that of an unlikely contemporary, "Who also experienced hunger so that he knew only God could help him," the sermon reminds those who believe, and invites those who do not ...

3129. I've Got a Strong Case of the 'Can't Help Its'

John 1:35-42

Sermon

James W. Moore

One of the great celebrative anthems that comes to us out of African-American culture is the powerful spiritual “Ain’t Got Time To Die.” It was written by Hall Johnson and it has these joyfully dramatic words: “Been so busy praising my Jesus, Been so busy working for the Kingdom, Been so busy serving my Master… Ain’t got time to die. If I don’t praise him, If I don’t serve him, The rocks gonna cry out Glory and honor, glory and honor… Ain’t got time to die.” In this inspiring and wonderful spiritual song, ...

3130. A Story Worth Sharing

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

WATCH YOUR MOUTH! What a lesson. There is a classic story about a minister who comes to church one snowy Sunday morning to find that only one lady has been able to make it to worship. As it happens, the text and sermon for the day came from this third chapter of James and focused on the damage done by gossiping. It also turned out that, of all the people in the congregation, this one lady was more guilty of this particular sin than anybody! So, one-person congregation or not, the pastor proceeded as if ...

3131. Good News For You

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

A little boy in a Christmas program had but one sentence to say, "Behold, I bring you good tidings." After the rehearsal he asked his mother what "tidings" meant. She told him tidings meant "news." When the program was performed, he was so scared before the large congregation that he forgot his line. Finally the idea came back to him and he blurted out, "Hey, I got good news for you!" Each of our lessons from the Scripture this morning is about the good news of Christmas. Isaiah tells us that a virgin will ...

3132. Why Did He Do It?

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Each Lenten season we come to the same troubling question. Why did Judas betray his Master? Thirty pieces of silver was a paltry sum. Why go to the trouble? There is evidence to indicate that before the betrayal, Judas had a place of honor among the disciples. The fact that he was the treasurer shows he was trusted. John 13:29 indicates that he may have been reclining alongside Jesus at the last supper. He was in a place of honor. Why in Heaven's name did he do it? What caused him to betray innocent blood ...

3133. Washing Away The Junk

Luke 3:21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

After tucking in his six-year-old son Chris one night, Robert O'Brien tapped his son's chest and asked, "Do you know what you have in there?" Chris looked puzzled and responded, "My guts?" "No, you have a piece of God," his father replied. After a brief silence Chris responded, "God is in my guts?" "No," said his Dad, "we have a piece of God inside of us; it is God's gift to each of us." Chris smiled, tapped his Dad's chest, and asked whether his Dad had a piece of God in his guts. They laughed and ...

3134. The Perfect Man

Hebrews 10:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

You’ve probably heard the story. A perfect man meets the perfect woman. After a perfect courtship, they have a perfect wedding. Their life together is, of course, perfect. One year, just before Easter, they see a beautiful rabbit hopping along the highway. It is the Easter bunny bringing colored eggs to all the boys and girls. While they are thinking to themselves that it is such a perfect event, to encounter the Easter bunny on such a perfect day, a terrible tornado comes and smashes into this perfect ...

3135. Saved to Share

Acts 26

Sermon

James Merritt

A man told the following true story: A man suddenly knocked a glass off the table and stood up, his face red and his eyes bulging. A piece of steak had lodged in his throat and he couldn't breathe. I glanced around the room hoping someone would rush to him to apply the Heimlich maneuver. But everyone froze helpless. I pushed my chair back and ran to his side. When I wrapped my arms around his girth and squeezed, the meat dislodged from his throat and I could hear the welcome sound of a deep breath. Later, ...

3136. On The Night When He Was Betrayed

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

Have you ever been betrayed by one of your closest friends? After opening yourself up and becoming vulnerable to another person, to have them abuse the trust you placed in them and stab you in the back can cause more pain than if that person had beaten you to a pulp. If a person who claims to love you turns around and hurts you deeply, you probably do what most of us do in that situation — you hurt them back. Certainly, you wouldn't choose to spend your last night alive with that person. Especially if you ...

3137. Anatomy Of A Testimony

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

David J. Kalas

You see a man busily writing. His face reveals the intensity of his focus. He sometimes smiles as he writes, then stops to think again. At times he shows some dissatisfaction, and he goes back to rewrite some sentence or phrase. Clearly, he wants to get this just right. We hesitate to interrupt his concentration, but we can't restrain our curiosity. "Excuse us," we say. "What is that you're working on so diligently?" He looks up from his work and smiles. "I'm writing a toast. It's a toast that I'm going to ...

3138. Choosing

Joshua 24:1-27

Sermon

Argile Smith

Do you remember the generation gap that existed between you and your parents when you were a teenager? Do you sense the same kind of gap widening between you and your children? When we consider the story of Joshua in his old age calling on Israel to serve the Lord, we have to factor in the reality of a generation gap. It presents a challenge for people of different generations when they try to communicate with each other. Parents who grew up in the seventies and eighties regularly have difficulty talking ...

3139. Who's Your Master?

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Bradford Robinson tells about a minister in Texas who used a very creative visual aid to start his message. He brought on to the stage a beautiful Golden Irish Setter that belonged to his youth minister. The youth minister loved this dog so much that when the dog had been sick and had to be in the vet kennel overnight, he stayed all night with him. Needless to say this dog also loved his master. The senior minister brought the dog on to the stage and he rolled a ball across the platform and said, “Fetch, ...

3140. Timothy’s Encouraging Report

1 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The somber note on which the previous section ended now gives way to joy at the news brought to Paul at Corinth by Timothy. The Thessalonians were standing firm in the faith and still held the missionaries dear. In view of the missionaries’ intense longing for the Thessalonians (2:17), this news is like a breath of life to them—“now we really live” (vv. 6–9). On the strength of it, Paul reports, they pray night and day that they may see them again (v. 10). An actual prayer to that end follows in verses 11 ...

3141. At the Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Jeremiah 20:1-6

Understanding Series

Tremper Longman III

Jeremiah’s First Trip to the Potter (18:1-23): Though observed by Jeremiah rather than performed by Jeremiah, we now hear of another prophetic action that illustrates the prophet’s verbal message. Jeremiah 18:1–4 narrates the action while 18:5–10 interprets the general significance of the action. Verses 11–12 apply the teaching of the general principle specifically to Judah and Judah’s negative response to God’s call for repentance. A poetic oracle registering surprise at the people’s unwillingness to ...

3142. Solomon's Throne Established

1 Kings 2:13-46

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Solomon Consolidates His Position: David has gone, and Solomon has been left to fend for himself. His rule was firmly established, 2:12 tells us. This is clearly an allusion to 2 Samuel 7:11b–16, where the verb ḵwn (established) appears on three occasions (vv. 12, 13, 16; cf. also v. 26) of God’s action in ensuring for David an everlasting dynasty. In 1 Kings 2:12–46, this same verb appears on four occasions, strategically positioned at the beginning and end of the section (vv. 12, 45–46) and halfway ...

3143. The Bethsaida Boys

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

John Jamison

After Jesus was baptized by John, he went to spend time in the desert lands east of the Jordan River, to begin preparing for the work he was going to do. While he was there in the wilderness, he got word that John had been arrested and killed. It was then that he decided it was time to come back to Galilee and get to work. He traveled around Galilee, which is not a big place, and began preaching and teaching, picking up where John the Baptist had stopped. We could spend a lot of time talking about John’s ...

3144. Some Greeks

John 12:20-33

Sermon

John Jamison

Jesus was back in Jerusalem for another Passover. According to John’s gospel, this was the third time Jesus and the disciples attended the Passover festival and each time they were there they got in trouble. The first two times they somehow got out of town and made it back up north to Galilee to continue their ministry. It would be much more difficult to accomplish that this time. Everywhere Jesus went he drew a big crowd. People had heard about this teacher from Galilee, and the things he was saying. More ...

3145. Choices

Philippians 1:12-14, 19-24

Sermon

Will Willimon

"Why do you enjoy preaching at Duke chapel," the interviewer asked. And I heard myself reply, "Because it's a great privilege to be with young adults, students, who are making so many important decisions in their lives. The way I see it, of the five or six most important choices we make choices about career, education, marriage -- many will be made right here at Duke. And I enjoy preaching to, counseling with, people who are at that stage of life." It is a privilege to be with people asking, "What ought I ...

3146. The Agenda Factor

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

William L. Self

Architecture and power are Siamese twins joined at the hip. Rulers have always wanted to translate their power into brick and mortar -- from the tower of Babel and Egypt's pharaohs to Chairman Mao, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler. I. M. Pei, in his contract given by FranÁois Mitterand to renovate the Louvre, was commissioned to re-establish the glory of France. Serious resources have been committed by rulers to display their strength and grandeur with architecture. David had finally consolidated his ...

3147. Lent 5

John 7:45--8:11, Luke 20:9-19, John 12:1-11, Philippians 3:12-4:1, Philippians 3:1-11, Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 43:16-21 Yahweh promises to do a new thing for his people in exile. The "new thing" (v. 19) Yahweh promises is a new exodus from bondage in Babylon. The "former things" (v. 18) refer to the exodus from Egypt. As in the first exodus, Yahweh will make a way through the wilderness and provide water as the people cross 600 miles of desert from Babylon to Jerusalem. A third exodus is the sacrifice of Christ who redeemed us from the bondage of sin and who now provides food and ...

3148. Pilate's Sign

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

Comment: Before I got started telling story sermons and dramatizing Bible stories at the church I was serving, I was invited to take part in a Good Friday ecumenical service. Instead of the Seven Last Words, we were asked to preach on the "Seven Other Words." I was assigned "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." At the time, our city had a rash of police brutality incidents. One in particular had caused a great uproar in the city. A young African-American man stopped to see if he could help at the scene of ...

3149. Pilate's Sign

Drama

Jerry Eckert

3150. Third Sunday of Easter

Luke 24:36b-48

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting Leader: "Peace be with you." Congregation: And also with you. Leader: After the resurrection, some of Jesus' first words to his friends were, "Peace be with you." Congregation: We come seeking your peace, blessed Jesus. Your peace is not like the world's, the peace you offer, Lord, cannot be shaken by this world's terrors. Fill us with this peace that defeats even death. Prayer for Illumination God of the Holy Scriptures, we see Jesus' example.When tempted in the wilderness, Jesus resisted by ...

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