Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3176 to 3200 of 4938 results

3176. A Perfect Prayer

Sermon

Erskine White

Romans 8:26-27 Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind, that I may discern between good and evil. (1 Kings 3:9) Most of us would admit without too much prodding that we are not perfect, that we are a frustrating blend of good and evil. Oh, I've known a few Christians who think they are without sin because they are saved, but these are people who don't understand themselves or the Scriptures. For the rest of us, I think we'd all confess that we are flawed and fallible, imperfect at best. But what ...

3177. Who's the Greatest?

Mark 10:35-45

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

Exegetical Aim: Leadership and Authority mean service and humility. Props: A towel (or shoe brush), and quarters enough to give to every child and one penny. Lesson: Good Morning! (response) I have a question for you this morning. Are you ready? (response) With enthusiasm to draw the kids in: Who among you is the greatest? (response) Single out one of the children who responded. You are? (response) Why are you the greatest? (response) Stand up and come over here. Since you are the greatest I am going to ...

3178. All I Want for Christmas is Peace

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

Have you heard about the young woman who lived on a large ranch in West Texas? She had fallen in love with a local cowboy named Tex...and she wanted to get married. But Texas was inexperienced in the world of romance...and to make matters worse, he was extremely shy. She realized that she needed to help him a bit to move this courtship along.., so she took matters into her own hands. “Oh, Tex,” she said, “Do you think my eyes are like glittering stars?” “Yes,” he replied. “And,” she asked, “Do you think my ...

3179. Always?

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Rick Brand

Now there is a greeting that will knock you back a moment. "We always give thanks to God for all of you." Other translations put it: "We give thanks to God always for all of you." And maybe Paul was pouring it on a little thick, but it is a greeting that will put one on the defensive, because if we are honest, we cannot reply that we have always been praying for Paul. If we are honest, we cannot say that we are always faithful in our prayers at all. Paul tells the church at Thessalonica that he is always ...

3180. Easter 7

John 17:1-11, Acts 1:6-14, 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11, Psalm 68

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 1:(1-7) 8-14 At his ascension, Jesus promised to send the Spirit to the disciples. The risen Lord meets with his eleven disciples a short distance from Jerusalem where before ascending to his Father, he promises them the Spirit who will give them power to witness throughout the world. Then they returned to an upper room in Jerusalem to pray. With the disciples are Jesus' brothers and mother. This is her last appearance in the New Testament - she is seen among the first Christians ...

3181. Trip Questions

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

At some time every older sibling has pulled this on a little brother or sister who had a nickel they wanted. "Okay," older child offers, "let's flip for it. Heads I win, tails you lose." The little kids agrees: "Sure!" Then when heads appears the older proclaims "Heads, I win!" Of course if tails comes up the declaration is "Tails, you lose." At this point it suddenly dawns on the younger child that this is truly a no-win situation. Whatever way the coin lands it's going to land in their sibling's pocket. ...

3182. First-Class Christianity

Ephesians 5:18-21

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a cowboy who was going to take a stagecoach west. When he went up to the ticket agent, the agent said, "Do you want a first-class, second-class, or a third-class ticket?" The cowboy said, "All the seats are the same, why should I buy a first-class ticket?" The agent said, "You'll find out later on. I would advise you to buy a first-class ticket." The cowboy did. When they reached a muddy hill, the driver called out, "All second-class ticket holders get out and walk." He then said, "All third- ...

3183. www.Salvation.com

Ephesians 2:8-10

Sermon

James Merritt

If God had a website on salvation, and you were to pull up that page to find what the God, who will decide who gets into heaven and who does not, says about salvation, what do you think you would find? (Incidentally, there is such a website, because I found it in preparing this message—what they had on several pages I believe God probably could condense down to one paragraph, which is the text we are preaching from today. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is ...

3184. Developing a Glad Attitude

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

It always amazes me when I read about a sports figure who decides to hold out for more money. With salaries that are often in the millions, they feel underpaid unless they are at the next level. I heard one player say to a reporter on SportsCenter, "It's not about the money. It is about respect." A few moments later, the host of the show made the comment, "When they say it isn't about the money, it's always about the money." This attitude of grabbing all you can get is not limited to the world of sports. ...

3185. A Match Made in Heaven

Genesis 29:15-28

Sermon

David J. Kalas

One of the great privileges of being a parish pastor is the opportunity to officiate at weddings. Most folks only know how beautiful a wedding is from the pews. I want to tell you, though, that a wedding is even more beautiful from the vantage point at which I get to see it. I get to stand here in the front. And from here, I get to see the faces. I am always touched as I watch the faces of the bridesmaids and the groomsmen while their best friends — or, often, their siblings — come to this long-awaited ...

3186. Determining Your Destiny

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

James Merritt

A well-to-do man and his family of five lived in a plush, gated neighborhood in a wealthy urban community. He was a righteous man, by all accounts. A volunteer worker in the student, faithful to his wife, never missed one of his son’s baseball games. “I’ve never met a better man than that one,” someone was overheard saying of him at church. “It’s amazing how the Lord has blessed him.” At night, when the man turned into his neighborhood, he would always catch a glimpse of a young lady on the far street ...

3187. In Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:13-52

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

The missionaries cross to Asia Minor, where Paul’s first recorded sermon is preached in Antioch. The speech is given at length, so that on other occasions Luke needed only to say that Paul “proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues” (13:5; 14:1; etc.) without feeling obliged to give the content of the preaching each time. And like the speech, the response was also a paradigm, with some Jews believing but many rejecting the gospel. It is possible to see in the pattern of ministry outlined in this ...

3188. “Their Violence Comes Down on Their Own Heads”

Psalm 7:1-17

Teach the Text

C. Hassell Bullock

Big Idea: While God’s justice is ultimately the solution to the problem of evil, evil also carries in itself the gene of self-destruction. Understanding the Text Psalm 7 is an individual lament, as are Psalms 3–6. The two ingredients that constitute this type of psalm are the lament and the reasons for lament.1 The lament is against David’s enemies, expressed in 7:1, 6, 14, 15, and 16. Whereas the innocence of Psalm 6 was more implied than explicit, here the psalmist is so convinced of his innocence that ...

3189. Jesus: The Ultimate Ordinary

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

Once again Jesus gives a curious, cryptic teaching that leaves us wondering. “I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” These remarks are hard to interpret. Yet, as with all he says, we are inclined to believe they hold great value for us. Not long ago in a study group a man asked me if Jesus were “ordinary.” The question was unusual. On the spur of the moment I replied, “Of course, Jesus is ordinary.” His reply, “Jesus is the ultimate ordinary ...

3190. The Day Of Thanksgiving

Mt 6:25-33 · 1 Tim 2:1-7 · Joel 2:21-27 · Ps 126

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Joel 2:21-27 The first part of this chapter (vv. 1-17) is the traditional text for Ash Wednesday. These verses call the people to a solemn assembly so that they might repent of their sins and plead for Yahweh's mercy. This action is ordered because of a devastating invasion of locusts. Our lection for Thanksgiving follows the call to repentance with a message of hope and restoration. God will restore the land to fertility; the earth will yield its increase and the people of God will ...

3191. The Best For Last

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

Come with me to a party. The party is a wedding celebration. Hard as it is for you to believe, these celebrations lasted four days with some heavy drinking involved. At the party I want you to overhear a conversation that is going on. The conversation is between Jesus and his mother. Mary points to the fact that there is no wine. In many marriages I know, the husband is supposed to know what to do if the wife calls attention to something. "Honey, my car is on empty." Translated, that means, "It is time for ...

3192. The Road To The Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

I have always enjoyed that CBS News segment, "On The Road With Charles Kuralt." He takes us to out-of-the-way places like Bethlehem, Georgia; Farmington, Iowa; and Old Town, Maine. He shows us a piece of Americana, and helps us understand ourselves. So, on the Sundays between now and Easter I want us to go on the road with Jesus of Nazareth be on the roads Jesus traveled in order that we would see him more clearly and understand more nearly what it is we are to do. The first road I want us to travel is the ...

3193. Don't Mess With Mr. In-between

James 1:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Harold and Maud is a fascinatingly different, but warmly convincing novel. It's by Colin Higgins, and is the story of two persons who not only affirm each other's existence, but also cherish the mutual meanings they share. A young man in his 20's and an enchanting woman in her 70's become real friends. Maud cares for Harold, not because he is useful or ornamental. He is neither. Not because of anything he does or has, but just because he is himself. Harold is thus better able, when he is with Maud, to ...

3194. The World Needs Less Mother Goose More Mother Teresa

Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A thief in his old age, unable to ply his “trade,” was starving. A wealthy man, hearing of his distress, sent him food. Shortly thereafter, both the rich man and the thief died, on the same day. The trial of the benefactor occurred first in the Heavenly Court. The verdict? He was found wanting and sentenced to Purgatory. At the entrance, however, an angel came hurrying to recall him back to Court. There he learned that his sentence had been reversed. Why? The thief whom he had aided on earth had stolen the ...

3195. God's Christmas Tree

1 Peter 2:24

Sermon

James Merritt

How many of you have real Christmas trees in your house? I am talking about real deal Christmas trees - the kind that you have to water, that have needles that fall on the floor, make you sneeze and give you raspy throats. How many of you have artificial trees, fake trees, or counterfeit trees? You may be interested to know that this year, about 24.5 million real trees will be sold during this Christmas season and about 10 million fake trees. Christmas trees are a big business (as you can imagine) in this ...

3196. God and the Minimum Wage

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

James Merritt

In 1938 the United States Congress passed a law called "The Fair Labor and Practice Act." That law affects millions and tens of millions of lives to this very day, because it established for the first time in our history a minimum wage. Believe it or not, it was set at 25 cents an hour. I can remember working when I was in high school in a Five & Dime Store for $1 an hour. The only reason he paid me that much was because he had to, because he would tell me many times I wasn't worth that. That law was ...

3197. Deciding To Excel In Everything

II Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

James Russell Lowell wrote: “Life is a leaf of paper white Whereon each of us may write A line or two, and then comes night. Greatly Begin! Though you have time but for a line, be that sublime - Not failure, but low aim is crime.” When the apostle Paul asks the Corinthians to help the mother Church of Jerusalem he makes his appeal on the foundation of excellence. “Just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for one another — see that you also ...

3198. Lessons from a Fool

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Bishop William Willimon was chaplain for many years at Duke University. He is a well-known writer and speaker. He says wise things in a witty way. Once Willimon and his wife had a group of students over to their home after a chapel service. They had a picnic, then some of the students lingered to play basketball or to talk. Willimon sat on the patio with one student who said, “Dr. Willimon, thanks for having us over to your home. This is the first time I’ve ever been in a faculty home.” “That’s a disgrace ...

3199. Envision: The Great Commission

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

James Merritt

I am absolutely convinced after having lived my life to this point, that there is nothing more powerful than a vision. Every great institution, every great invention, every great innovation known to the human race has been the result of somebody’s vision. This past month we have asked you to envision a church filled with followers of Christ, who give everything they have and everything they are to doing three things 24/7: Love God, Serve Others, sharing Jesus. It all begins with loving God. We have learned ...

3200. Unity in the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-16

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

The Appeal and Pattern for Unity Chapter 4 begins what often is referred to as the ethical or practical section of the epistle. If chapters 1–3 provide the theological basis for Christian unity, then chapters 4–6 contain the practical instruction for its maintenance. Unity has been established (the indicative); now it becomes the duty of the believers to strengthen and maintain unity in their fellowship (the imperative). This generalization does not mean that chapters 4–6 are devoid of theological content ...

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