Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3201 to 3225 of 4972 results

3201. Chapter X

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Frank H. Seilhamer

... a kind of idolatry that can develop when you put anything before God. Whether you are setting up figures of cast metal, or carved wood, or are constructing a mental idol made between your ears, the thrust of these verses is to tell you to put a stop to it. Hence, all of these verses really belong together, not in two separate bundles. Other persons and groups have chopped the last one into two. They would have the ninth Commandment be, "You will not want for yourself your neighbor’s house," with the tenth ...

3202. Phony Excuses

Luke 14:19

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... dollars? Would you take five dollars for your shoes? (If she says yes, then take the play money out and give it to her) Now how about someone else. (At this point, depending upon the time that you have, you can buy as many things as you want until someone stops you for using the play money instead of the real money) What do you mean, play money? Why, it says right here that this is five dollars, and here is one that has a hundred on it and here is a fifty. You mean that this isn’t the real ...

3203. God Wants All of Me!

Matthew 22:37

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... happy -" Isn’t that a good poem? It’s not complete, part of it is missing? It’s not all finished, is it? Then let’s try one more time. Let me sing a song or, better yet, we can all sing a song together if you’ll promise to stop when I tell you to. For instance, we could sing "Jesus Loves Me." (Sing it to a particular line and then quit before finishing it) When we don’t finish the song, we haven’t done it all. To sing or say a poem or look at a picture, we ...

3204. He's Coming! He's Coming!

Matthew 21:5

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... to see who was coming. Well, boys and girls, the season that we are in calls for just such an announcement, with posters and fanfares; with joy and rejoicing. Do you know what season of the Church Year begins today? It’s called Advent and it tells us to stop whatever we have been doing and get ready for someone extremely important. Do you know who is coming? (Let them guess - it may be an uncle, some will say Santa, but wait until you hear Jesus) Who said Jesus? That’s right. Our Savior is going to come ...

3205. Whispering The Lyrics (revised)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Thomas Long

... . Carter, suppose when you are President, you get into a situation where the laws of the United States are in conflict with what you understand to be the will of God. Which will you follow, the laws of the state or the commandments of God?" Carter stopped, looked up, and blinked into the bright Georgia sun, obviously turning the question over in his mind. Then, perhaps still "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day," perhaps with the Spirit gently whispering the lyrics of the gospel into his ears, he turned toward ...

3206. God Bless America! Well ... Uhh

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

... yet the place we want it to be. That’s why we as Christian citizens on Thanksgiving Day cannot simply and blindly mumble a word of thank-you for the blessings of being American and why Christians cannot just sing God Bless America without stopping to ask what it means to be a Christian American. Being committed to Jesus the Christ gives our citizenship an extra and important dimension. The Christian faith embraces the whole globe. We are first of all citizens of the world community and secondly citizens ...

3207. Free to Be

Acts 4:23-31

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

... golf course. It became a terrific opportunity to get to know all sorts of people and a chance to discover what made them tick, especially their religious thoughts. When I came home to share those conversations around our table, my father would issue a stern warning, that I had best stop that kind of talk or I would be without a job. My fear for my own security can be a great enemy, and it can enslave me. Then I am no longer free. I cannot rationalize my way out; I can’t con myself out of being afraid. The ...

3208. APOTHECARY

Exodus 30:22-33

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... called an apothecary. We are all aware of the type of service which our pharmacist gives us, the training and skill that go in to the preparation of the many life-saving drugs which are available to us. And, of course, we can’t stop with the corner pharmacist. We must also include the employees of the great drug and medicine manufacturing companies. They mix and test and distill just as their long-gone counterparts did. And they are respected practitioners of an ancient trade, and held in high regard ...

3209. BRICKMAKER

Exodus 5:7, 16

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... gather straw for themselves." Exodus 5:16 - "No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us; ‘Make bricks!’ " We take bricks so much for granted in our modern world - we live in brick houses, we have brick patios and barbecue pits - that we seldom stop to think about them. In fact, I would seriously wonder if many of you would be really aware of the impact that is implicit in our text. The Pharaoh needed bricks, no doubt about that, with all the building projects he had going on. And, as slaves ...

3210. COURIER

2 Chron 30:6; Esther 3:13

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Have you ever stopped and really thought about the fantastic task of moving the mails? Or considered the weary mailman plodding along through all kinds of weather? Well, perhaps, having lived through the postal strike here in America, you are somewhat more aware of these citizens who are responsible for getting our mail to ...

3211. DREAM INTERPRETER

Genesis 40:8; Daniel 2:4

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... mental health. Ever since Freud published his monumental work, The Interpretation of Dreams, psychologists and psychiatrists have recognized the importance of the acting out of fears, hostilities, aggressions, etc., in dreams. So, in a very real sense, our psychoanalysts and psychiatrists today are dream interpreters. Of course, they don’t stop there and make a whole profession of it, as the ancients did, but they certainly recognize the importance of dreams and utilize them in helping their patients.

3212. FOWLER

Prov. 6:5; Jer. 5:26

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... They set a trap; they catch men." Although I don’t suppose that most of us ever use the word "fowler" in the course of your daily conversation, still this is a legitimate term to use for persons who capture birds for food or other reasons. If we will stop to think of the displays of rare birds in our zoos, we must realize that they had to be captured by experts. And that’s just what fowlers are - experts in catching birds. In biblical times, too, the fowler was a well-known man. Not only did he provide ...

3213. FULLER

Mark 9:3

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

... taking dirty laundry away and bringing back clean clothing; we are properly impressed with the enterprise of the young GI’s of World War II who thought up the diaper services; we take automatic washers and dryers so much for granted; perhaps we would do well to stop for a moment and think about those who used to be sent out of the city to do their cleansing work - because they smelled! Puts us in mind of Dogpatch’s "inside man at the skonk works!" That’s about the way people felt about fullers! Nice ...

3214. SHIPBUILDER

2 Chronicles 20:36

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

2 Chronicles 20:36 - "He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish, and they built the ships in Eziongeber." Although many of us enjoy the sea and a great many Americans own and sail boats of many kinds, if we stop to think about the contrasts between our country and Palestine, perhaps we will be able to understand the reasoning behind a statement that the Jews were not a sea-minded people. Look at a map of Palestine, and compare it with our own country, and look at the differences in ...

3215. Parents, Tend Those Lambs!

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... is a brilliant church consultant. He has a full repertoire of wise advice. For example, he says, "Most of us have an old friend by the name of 'perfectionism.' Take that old friend for a ride with you out into the country. When you get to an isolated spot, stop the car and ask your old friend to get out. Then close the door, drive away, and leave him there." In other words, Dr. Callahan is urging us to quit beating up on ourselves because we are not perfect. If you are humble enough to admit your errors and ...

3216. A Kudzu-Kind of Kingdom

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... better care of his chickens than he ever has before, and he is sending you every penny of his profit and he is going to continue doing it until you get out of school." The weeks turned into months and the months into years. Donnie did not stop until Bill graduated. Donnie is now fully grown and a very successful businessman. Occasionally he still comes to see Bill Hinson, in his private plane, to check on his investment. Bill Hinson adds this: "There were times back in school when I took that letter full of ...

3217. Spiritual Markers

1 Samuel 7:2-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... means "the stone of help." Thus we sing even today, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come." This was not the only time in scripture that a stone or marker was set up to remind the people of God's mighty intervention. When God stopped the flow of the Jordan River so that the Israelites could cross over into the Promised Land, Joshua and his people took stones from the riverbed to build a monument of remembrance. I call us to do the same today and through the years to come. Make a mental ...

3218. Thy Kingdom Come

Luke 17:20-37

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... reveals that it is made of metal and anchored in cement. Obviously, the sign's creator wanted to hedge his bets. Thirty-five years ago Billy Graham predicted that the end of time would come within ten years. Of course, that did not happen. Dr. Graham stopped making that kind of prediction. Jesus responded to the Pharisees' question by saying: You don't understand what the Kingdom of God is like; therefore, you cannot recognize it when it comes. Now, look at the last sentence in verse 21: "FOR. IN FACT. THE ...

3219. The Forbidden Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to make of these unrealistic, exalted expectations of Jesus? Philip Yancey, the author of a little book entitled "The Jesus I Never Knew" has helped me with this problem. The Sermon on the Mount is God's ideal plan toward which we should never stop striving. Our inability to live this ideal means that all people stand before God on level ground: murderers and temper-throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and coveters. Because we do not measure up to these ideal standards, we have nowhere to turn but the ...

3220. The Heavier the Purse, The Tighter the Strings

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Down in Brazil a few weeks ago I heard that great Korean Bishop Sundo Kim say, "If you don't tithe, your pocketbook is not converted. And if your pocketbook is not converted, you aren't." Some people cannot be completely converted until they stop misappropriating funds. A Christian is expected to do more than tithe. After we have taken care of food, clothing, shelter, and a tithe, we should invest a goodly portion of our surplus in kingdom commodities. Our founder John Wesley heeded this admonition. When he ...

3221. A Personal God in an Impersonal World

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... held the child and wept, unable to find words big enough to say thank you. Les got back into his car feeling really good. Next morning Les was traveling that same stretch of interstate. He saw that same bulldozer up ahead on the right. Les decided to stop and thank the operator for being so helpful the day before. But as soon as that bulldozer driver saw the police car, he jumped off that bulldozer and started running in his direction. When the man got close, he blurted out, "Officer, that baby you saved ...

3222. Even The Bosses Wash Feet!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... the common touch even when the cameras are not rolling. When he speaks at banquets, he makes a point of going into the kitchen and shaking hands with every dishwasher and busboy. When out in public he often worries his bodyguards because he is prone to stop to talk with a little child. Typically he will ask, "How old are you son?" Then his next question is, "What did you have for breakfast today?" In that strange, wonderful company called the Kingdom of God, even the bosses wash feet. Have you allowed Jesus ...

3223. A Prophet in a Panic

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , it's 1/3rd. Therefore, many of us are spending an enormous part of our lives in solitary fashion, outside sustaining relationships. That makes us easy prey for anxiety and depression. Notice a third truth from Elijah's experience: WHEN YOU START RUNNING, IT'S HARD TO STOP. Poor Elijah was in a panic. He ran all day, glancing back over his shoulder occasionally to see if Jezebel's soldiers were in hot pursuit. When we give in to anxiety and begin to panic, it's like a runaway train hard to bring under ...

3224. The Greatest Story Ever Told

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... permission, Christina packed a few things and left home one morning before dawn. She left a note for her mother. Mother Maria was heartbroken. Quickly she packed a few things and prepared to go in search of her daughter. On her way to the bus station she stopped by a drugstore to get one last thing--lots of pictures. She sat in the photography booth, closed the curtain and spent all she could on pictures of herself. Stuffing these into her purse she boarded the next bus for Rio. Maria knew Christina had no ...

3225. Advertised Goodness

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... complained to me last week that our church's purchase of the Mobile Medical Clinic for the poor people of Brazil received almost no publicity in the United Methodist Reporter. For just a moment I considered writing a letter to the editor, but Jesus' words stopped me in my tracks. If our dominant motive is to look good in the United Methodist Reporter, that defective motive will short-circuit the spiritual power of what we are doing. Now, let's consider this matter of motivation in our public prayer life ...

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