Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3176 to 3200 of 4914 results

3176. Unstoppable Love

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Charley Reeb

If I could only preach one sermon, my point would be Jesus loves us more than we could ever imagine and wants to bring healing and wholeness to our lives. I have been preaching the gospel for over twenty years. During that time I have learned one indisputable fact: Only the love of Christ can satisfy and sustain us. Jesus Christ is in love with the world and desires more than anything else for us to receive his forgiveness, grace, power, and love so that we can live an abundant life. To drive this point ...

3177. Mary: The Handmaiden of the Lord

Luke 1:38-45

Sermon

Charley Reeb

This morning I want to tell you how to get blessed by God. We all want God to bless us. This morning I am going to tell how to get that done. How many of you want to be blessed by God? Me too! Now when I say blessed I am not talking about the prosperity, name and claim it gospel that’s popular. I am not talking about saying a prayer and having a million dollars in cash show up in a briefcase at your doorstep. When I say bless I am talking about God showing up in your life in a way that transforms you. I am ...

3178. The Fall of Man

Genesis 3:1-24

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

The Fall: The interchange among the man, the woman, and the serpent provides dramatic movement, and captures how motivation to disobey God rises from an inversion of the order of responsibility that God had established. 3:1–5 Act 2 of the drama begins with the introduction of a new actor, the serpent, one of the wild animals the LORD God had made (2:19). The serpent is described as more crafty (’arum) than the other animals. ’Arum makes a wordplay on “naked” (’arummim), which occurs in 2:25, and thus ...

3179. David Makes Solomon King

1 Kings 1:28-53

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

Solomon Becomes King: The narrative that begins our book (1 Kgs. 1–2) is really not a beginning at all, but the last chapter of the larger story of David, which is found in 1–2 Samuel. It is in 2 Samuel 11 that Bathsheba, who plays such a prominent role in 1 Kings 1–2, first appears—possessed by David at the cost of her husband’s life (2 Sam. 11:6–27). Later the lives of various of David’s sons are recounted (2 Sam. 12–18). The end of 2 Samuel is a sorry tale of wickedness and weakness, which raises a ...

3180. Rebirth

John 3:14-21

Sermon

John Jamison

The city of Jerusalem was packed with strangers during the Passover feast, so you could walk a long distance and never see anyone you recognized. He was counting on that, as he quickly moved along the streets with his head held low and his face covered. He moved from alleyway to alleyway, looking carefully in all directions before stepping into the openness of a street, making sure there was not someone who might recognize him. But while he tried to remain hidden, he had to be careful to not appear too ...

3181. Have You Ever Screwed Up?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John Jamison

Have you ever screwed up? I mean, really, really screwed up? It may have been fully well-intentioned or not, but the simple fact is that you knew you screwed up and so did everyone else. If you have, then you may have a slight idea of what the mood was in that little group of people who walked down the road that morning. Only a few of them had actually been there to see what had happened on Friday; the rest had already run away or gone into hiding. As many times as those few told the story of what they had ...

3182. The World's Most Extraordinary Club

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 When you were a kid, did you ever create your own exclusive club? Only you and your best friends could be in the club, and everyone else was an outsider. You got to create the rules, the club name, the secret handshake. And you got to decide who you let into the club and who you kept out. It gave you a feeling of real power. Rev. Will Nickles tells a story of when he was around seven years old, and his older brother started a secret club with a friend next door. Will ...

3183. Broken Yet Sincere

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Kintsugi pottery (or something similar) –a piece of ceramic broken and repaired with a gold filling. Scar tissue is visible history... Sometimes the joins are so exquisite they say the potter may have broken the cup just so he could mend it[1] The Japanese have a unique kind of artwork called “kintsugi” (to patch in gold) or “kintsukuroi” (to repair with gold). The artist takes a shattered bowl or pitcher and pieces it back together again, sealing the cracks and holes with pure gold. The result is a ...

3184. Syrophoenician Lives Matter!

Mark 7:24-30, Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6) Animators (Props): cornucopia….apples…..pumpkins As we enter the fall season, we prepare for a lot of celebrations. Halloween, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, Advent. In the midst of all that, there are festivals for families and celebrations for children too. It’s the ...

3185. Apples, Onions, and Cheese

Mark 7:1-23, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’ And many peoples and ...

3186. Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain

Mark 15:42-47

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Anointing oil (preferably frankincense or myrrh) Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain -- It sounds like a mystery like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, doesn’t it? Or for those with a slightly more sinister flair, a story by E. L. Stine. Intrigue, Mystery, Mayhem, and a good dose of the gruesome. And slightly Spooky. The events surrounding Jesus’ death were certainly strange and unusual. The High Priest and his family of former and future high priests had been pushing to get something done about Jesus ...

3187. All the Pretty Horses

Luke 12:13-21, Luke 12:1-12, 1 Kings 3:16-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Storing up! When we hear that parable that Jesus told, we immediately think of silos and cornfields and harvest and grain. And that’s exactly the metaphor Jesus uses to describe “storing up” to the man in the crowd who approached him about help to get his deserved portion of inheritance. But it’s too easy merely to say, don’t put your security into money but into God. “Be on guard against all kinds of greed!” warned Jesus. “This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you ...

3188. God Has Not Forgotten You

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

"’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”(Jeremiah 29:11) “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Parable: An elderly man sat at North Port, where he sat each day for many years. One day, a stranger came by and asked him what he was waiting for. “I’m waiting for my ship to come in,” replied the man. “I don’t see any ships round here,” exclaimed the man. “Why don’t ...

3189. Where Is He?

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Most parents are at some point familiar with children who hide when they’ve done something that they know they weren’t supposed to do. In fact, as a parent, you know something is up when your usual inquisitive, under-foot child has gone entirely missing in the house, nowhere to be found. At that point, it’s best to check the cookie jar, take note of windows and vases, make sure the cat is still safe, and see if anything else seems awry. Your hiding child is a sign that something has happened, even if you’ ...

3190. I Have Seen the Lord

John 20:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s so good to see you this Easter morning as we celebrate the greatest event in human history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb! I hope you came here this morning ready to celebrate. Ironically, on that first Easter Sunday morning, the women came to Jesus’ tomb expecting to do nothing like celebrate. They expected nothing but death and grief and painful memories. The surprise they experienced that morning changed their lives—and the course of human history. What would you do if you came to ...

3191. Knowledge

Genesis 3:1-19 · Psalm 90

Sermon

Will Willimon

It's a story, primitive story, primordial, which means basic, deep; a true story. It's from Genesis, the beginning book of the Bible, beginning of humanity. Genesis means "in the beginning." In the beginning, God made man and woman and put them in the garden. God will keep the good garden. All man and woman must do is to enjoy, to "be fruitful and multiply" -- which sounds enjoyable. It's a story like the ones told to and by children -- naive, fairytale-like, deep, true, like the fairytales told to you ...

3192. Happiness Full Stop

John 15:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Good morning, and Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers and mother-figures in our fellowship of faith. On this special day, we would like to thank all of you who shape our lives and build our families and serve as our safe place as we go out into the world. Mothers have a unique power to influence their children no matter how old those children get. Phil Keith, the former police chief of Knoxville, Tennessee, tells of receiving a call from his mother while he was in the middle of a televised press ...

3193. True Worship

Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon

Will Willimon

"For this reason..." begins today's text from Ephesians. For what reason? What is the reason why Paul bows his "knees before the father?" What is the reason for him to fall stupefied, dumbfounded to his knees (in the words of the hymn) "lost in wonder, love, and praise?" What reason has moved Paul to worship? What reason thrusts you to your knees in praise and adoration? Here in the chapel, with the great organ sounding forth, great choir and congregation, that will move many to worship. What reason ...

3194. Sheep and Shepherds

John 10:11-16 · Psalm 23

Sermon

Will Willimon

Someone was telling me about a college, somewhere in the Midwest, that had a large contingent of Iranian students. Back when the former Shah was deposed, the students demonstrated at the college administration building. The president went out to speak to them and, during the course of their negotiations, the president casually remarked something to the effect that, “You look like a bunch of sheep out here.” With that, the students went on a campus-wide rampage, breaking windows, threatening other students ...

3195. First Responder

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

At the Pepper Ranch Preserve in Immokalee, FL, workers from several different public safety agencies spent five hours trying to rescue a worker from the University of Florida who was collecting water samples in a distant area of the preserve.The man, who had a history of heart problems, began experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath. 911 was called, but safety workers couldn’t get quite close enough in their vehicles to help the man. They spent the next several hours working their way through dense ...

3196. Beloved

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How do you know that someone loves you? Whether it’s your spouse, partner, parent, friend, or someone you’ve been dating, relationship therapists tell us to look for certain “signs” that you are feeling love toward that person, or that that person loves you.[1] Those signs are pretty straightforward, and I’m guessing every one of us has encountered at least some of them. If you’ve been fortunate enough to encounter them all, you know what it means to share a loving relationship: You feel safe with them. ...

3197. When Darkness Covered the Land

Matthew 27:11-54

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

Do you know what was the darkest moment of the year all over the earth for 2022? An organization called EarthSky.org does. Their computers determined that on the night of December 6, 2022 maximum darkness, they called it “global darkness,” cast almost 9 out of 10 people in the world in darkness. At some point during that night Africa, Asia and most of Europe were dark. In fact, there was a precise point on that night in which 85.92% of the people in the world were in total darkness. (1) That’s fascinating ...

3198. God's GPS

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

When was the last time you got lost? Was this the result of human error or technological error? Or both? Last year, a news station in Indonesia broadcast a story about an Indonesian groom who went to the wrong wedding and almost married the wrong woman because of an error by Google Maps. It appears that this was an arranged marriage, so the prospective bride and groom did not realize the mistake. Family members from the two families discovered the mistake as they chatted before the wedding. Fortunately, ...

3199. The Great Debates

Matthew 22:34-46

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In the 22nd chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a wedding banquet––with a clear smack in the face to several of his contemporaries. Jesus had a habit of lighting fires under his opponents in a brilliant way. In response, the remainder of the chapter is riddled with what we might call a set of “great debates,” rabbinical debates between Jesus and the authorities, including the Sadducees, Herodians, Pharisees, and their disciples about all manner of Jewish law. The chapter ends with Jesus having ...

3200. Jubilaeum

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Genesis 2:4-25, Leviticus 25:8-55, Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[If you can, sound a ram’s horn, or you can use a French Horn] [Sounding of the horn!] Hallelujah! The Lord be praised! This is the day of the Lord! And the people proclaimed…..Hallelujah! This is the day of the Lord! This is the day of the Lord! The day of Pentecost. The day we reaffirm our baptism in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit of Christ in our hearts and minds, lives and church. Praise the Lord! For you are God’s favored among God’s people. It’s a day of celebration! A day of utmost joy! I ...

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