Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3151 to 3175 of 4944 results

3151. Proper 23

Job 23:1--24:25, Hebrews 4:1-13, Hebrews 4:14-5:10, Mark 10:17-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Job 23:1-9, 16-17 In Job 23, Job responds to Eliphaz, one of Job's supposed friends and comforters. In this chapter Job longs for an experience with God to present his case to God. But, Job only experiences the absence of God. This absence terrifies Job and he wishes he could vanish in the darkness caused by God's absence. Epistle: Hebrews 4:12-16 In the first four chapters, the author of Hebrews demonstrates the superiority of Jesus over angels, Moses and Joshua. In Chapter 3 we ...

3152. Mark 6:14-29

Mark 6:14-29

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

People who think they are important, who think that they are important enough to have their names live on, repeat their names again and again. What am I talking about? Take former heavyweight champion and now indoor grill king, George Foreman. Foreman is also the father of five sons. He named all five “George.” Don’t ask, “Who comes when called?” Michael Jackson named both his sons “Prince Michael.” Michael’s older brother Jermaine Jackson named his daughter born in 2000 “Jermajesty.” But these recent ...

3153. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

You think it was hard for the first generations of disciples to explain Jesus’ death on the cross? It was almost as difficult to explain Jesus’ life. Whenever he spoke publicly it was with unique authority and with profound scriptural insight. Yet he abandoned the bimah, the teaching lectern in the synagogue, and instead chose to preach and teach in the fields, by the sea, on remote mountaintop, and from the humble homes of his disciples. Jesus’ lifestyle just didn’t mesh with the cultural expectations ...

3154. Dead Man Walking

John 11:38-44, John 11:17-37, John 11:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

In 1927, an S-4 Navy submarine was accidentally rammed by a Coast Guard Cutter, sending it immediately to the bottom of the bay. The entire crew was trapped. Every effort was made to rescue them, but every effort failed. Near the end of the four day attempt, to bring these men to the surface, a diver placed his helmeted ear to the side of the vessel and heard a man tapping Morse Code from inside. This was the last question that he heard. "Is...there...any...hope?"[[1]] If there is any day of the year and ...

3155. Houston We Have a Problem

Nehemiah 1:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

"Houston, we have a problem." They are the most famous words ever uttered in the history of space travel. One single sentence, five small words, but they signal what could have been the greatest disaster in the history of NASA. It was April 13, 1970; astronauts Jim Lovell, John Swigert, and Fred Haise were in the lunar module - Apollo 13. They were two hundred thousand miles from Earth, 5/6th of the way to the moon, 55 hours into their flight when disaster struck. A mysterious explosion rocked the ship and ...

3156. Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

Proverbs 16:1, 9, Philippians 3:12-15

Sermon

James Merritt

Some years ago, Newsweek magazine reported a fortune tellers' convention in Dublin, Ireland. Palm readers, crystal ball gazers and astrologers from all over the world gathered for a week to compare notes, learn techniques, and make new predictions. While they were all together in one of the convention meetings, a thief broke into their hotel rooms and stole all of their crystal balls and tarot cards. When the police investigated the crime, they asked the fortune tellers the obvious question: "Why didn't ...

3157. People Skills

Proverbs 12:26

Sermon

James Merritt

He was the first billionaire in the history of the world. At one time, the company he started, Standard Oil Company, controlled and marketed ninety-percent of the oil produced in America. We have today, Exxon, Mobil, Amoco and Chevron, because of this man's vision and ingenuity. For the vast majority of his life, he was by far and away, the richest man in the world. Even today, the name Rockefeller is associated with wealth. John D. Rockefeller, who probably never really knew exactly how much he was worth ...

3158. Holy Extravagance

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

In our spiritual voyages, surprises — sometimes outlandishly — come to us. We scratch our heads and wonder if what we are experiencing is fact or fiction. It may or may not be a time of inspiration. However, it may be one of instruction, as we view it in retrospect. You and I are to remember that every occurrence may very well be a teaching event. Mary's act near the time of Jesus' crucifixion is a scene mostly outside of our expectations and predictions. It catches us off guard and the same may have been ...

3159. Gratitude: A State of Mind

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Today's Gospel Reading reminds us once again that Jesus' journey has a destination. He is moving, slowly but surely, toward the holy city. Today we watch and listen as Jesus comes into Bethany, and his journey toward Jerusalem comes ever closer. Geographically, Jesus is probably somewhere between Samaria and Galilee. The miracle that happens here is not in keeping with his other miracles. The miracle has an unusual skew to it. We have learned to expect Jesus to heal someone and for that healing to happen ...

3160. The Prodigal Father

Romans 8:14-17

Sermon

John Jamison

It wasn't their first fight. Like most fathers and sons they had their disagreements. But this time, something was different. A line had been crossed that had never been crossed before. They sat there, staring at each other, both realizing they were in new territory, neither of them sure that they really wanted to be there. No one remembers who broke the silence and spoke first, but it moved quickly from there. No one remembers just how long the fight continued. But everyone remembers that moment when it ...

3161. Abraham Believed God

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

If you've traveled with small children in a car, you've probably heard this conversation more than once. Sooner or later, whether the journey is half an hour or half a day, someone asks, "When do we get there?" "Soon." "How much longer?" "A few minutes." How long do we have to wait? It is an essential question asked in scripture. Job, the psalmist, and God's people wonder over time how long they will have to wait until God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray that phrase in the Lord's Prayer ...

3162. A Stone’s Throw From: New Life

John 8:3-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Have you ever really messed up? Has there ever been a moment in your life when you needed a mulligan or do-over or second chance? Unless your name is Jesus and you were born in Bethlehem, of course you have. We all have, that's one of the things we have in common. We've all made our messes and we are looking for a chance to start over. We're looking for the kind of place described by Louise Fletcher Tarkington: "I wish that there were some wonderful place In the Land of Beginning Again; Where all our ...

3163. Put It In A Sack, Swing it Over Your Head and Scream Like A Chicken

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

My favorite old TV show is the Dick Van Dyke Show. I have all five seasons on DVD and no matter how many times I watch them, they still make me laugh. In one particular episode titled "The Impractical Joke" one of Rob Petrie's co-workers, Buddy, pulls a practical joke. Rob gets mad and at first wants to get even but then decides that the best way to get even with Buddy is to do absolutely nothing. It will (and does) drive Buddy nuts waiting for Rob to do something to get even. And in the end, Buddy is so ...

3164. Discover the Perfect Gift of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

This time of year we're all searching for the perfect gift aren't we? We want Christmas to be special for the people we know and love. We want it to be memorable. Often times though we're like a comic I saw this week in the theological section of the paper. In the Pearls Before Swine comic strip: Pig and Rat are talking and Pig says: "Look, Rat . I'm counting down the days to Christmas with my new homemade calendar. You open a prize box for each day that passes. It's called and Advil calendar." Rat simply ...

3165. Do You Have Beautiful Feet?

Romans 10:5-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A teenage boy kept begging his father to let him drive the car to school which was only three blocks away. Exasperated his father replied, "Drive to school? Why do you think God gave you two feet?" The boy answered, "One foot is to put on the brake. The other is to put on the accelerator." (1) One day a grandmother noticed something wrong her five year old granddaughter's feet and said: "Honey, you've got your shoes on the wrong feet." The little girl looked down and then said: "But Grandma, these are the ...

3166. Hope That Hangs In There

Isaiah 35:1-10

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

For the first time in more than 100 years much of the Southeastern United States last summer reached the most severe category of drought, creating an emergency so severe that even Atlanta came within 90 days of running out of water. The little town of Omre, Tennessee, was hauling water on fire trucks from Alabama and limited water availability to three hours a day. Christian artist Michael W. Smith and the mayor of Atlanta pleaded for people to hold prayer meetings asking God for rain. I don’t know for ...

3167. Winning the War Over Fear (Series: Winning the Wars of Daily Life)

Luke 12:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

According to a public opinion poll, 40% of Americans fear public speaking, 36% fear heights, and 34% fear being closed in small spaces. According to these statistics, when I step into the pulpit to preach, my fear factor on a scale of 1-100 should be about 110. People ask me all the time if I still get nervous when I preach. The answer to that question is yes. To handle the Word of God and deal with things eternal ought to make us tremble, but there is a difference between awe and angst. I think that is ...

3168. The Color Wheel of Blindness

John 10:22-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

When anxious teenagers finally go to get that sovereign rite of passage into adulthood called the “driver’s license,” they have to pass a tricky written test and a nerve-racking driving test. But there is a third test they must pass as well: A vision test. It is one of the odder quirks of the DMV (Division of Motor Vehicles) that the eye exam is often given last — suggesting that knowing the rules and operating a vehicle are more important than being sure you can see where you are going! For most drivers, ...

3169. Love and Obey (Mother's Day)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Greetings on this Mother’s Day. Someone has made a list of nine things a Mother would never say. See if your Mom would ever say these things: 1. “How on earth can you see the TV sitting so far back?” Anybody? 2. “Yeah, I used to skip school a lot, too.” 3. “Just leave all the lights on . . . it makes the house look more cheery.” 4. “Let me smell that shirt Yeah, it’s good for another week.” 5. “Go ahead and keep that stray dog, honey. I’ll be glad to feed and walk him every day.” 6. “Well, if Timmy’s mom ...

3170. Living While You Wait

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There were two fellows who lived and breathed baseball. They were professional players with the Atlanta Braves and you would think that playing for a living would be enough. But not so – these guys breathed, ate, and slept baseball. More than teammates, they were very close friends. So, they talked with each other about that mattered most in their lives. One of their big concerns was whether there would be baseball in heaven. They loved baseball so much that they were not sure at all they wanted to spend ...

3171. Exit and Entrance

Galatians 4:21-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

It was in the newspaper back in the late 1950’s, at the height of the civil rights movement - an unforgettable picture which captured not only the emotion of one man, but the deep sense of freedom and joy and release and affirmation of a whole people. A black man, who must have been over 100 years old, was being carried on the shoulders of a group of young men. They were taking him up the steps of a courthouse in a Southern town to register to vote. The caption beneath the picture said he was born a slave ...

3172. John the Baptist: Parable and Prophet

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The other day I received a very flattering and enticing letter, offering me what was called a “highly valued” membership in a very select group. Let me share with you a part of that letter. Dear Dr. Dunnam: I believe you’ve earned this privilege. You’ve worked hard and have been recognized for your efforts. Now it’s time for you to carry the card that symbolizes your achievements - the Gold Card. Only a select group of people will ever carry the Gold Card. So it instantly identifies you as someone special ...

3173. When It's Time to Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It has been reported that the average American in a lifetime will spend five years waiting in line, two years returning telephone calls, eight months opening junk mail, and six months staring at traffic lights. In spite of all our modern technology, the first words we often see on the computer screen is “please wait". Anyone who makes a telephone call these days is likely to be put on hold long before they hear a human being on the other end of the phone. Some of you got to church today in a “holding" ...

3174. Knowing When To Run

Genesis 39:1-2, 6b-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In Kenny Rogers' greatest hit, he meets up with a gambler who gives him this advice: You got to know when to hold ‘em Know when to fold ‘em Know when to walk away and know when to run You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table There's time enough for countin' when the dealings done. In this soap opera episode from the life of Joseph, which is our scripture lesson for today, Joseph knows when to run. Maybe there is a lesson from the life of Joseph for all of us who struggle with temptations ...

3175. The Fellowship of Kindred Minds

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A cartoon, in a Saturday Evening Review, features a young boy sitting under a tree taking inventory of his relationships. “So far, I have 14 people who love me, 22 people who like me, six people who tolerate me, and I have only three enemies. I’d say that’s not bad for a little kid.” When it comes to relationships, how are you doing? We are made for community; we will never be satisfied to be self-reliant. We need one another. The friendships in the fellowship of the first century Church were so focused ...

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