Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 301 to 325 of 662 results

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... ALL, IT IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT JESUS. It is an important affirmation of his uniqueness. Earle Graser, the original radio voice for the Lone Ranger character, was once coaxed by friends into competing in a contest to see who could best imitate the Lone Ranger's "Hi-Yo, Silver, away!" Although radio continued to use Graser's recorded voice for that one call even after a new Lone Ranger took over the part for the deceased Graser, Graser somehow lost the competition that particular night at ...

302. The One Thing That Matters

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... man said: "Just a minute, Pastor, before you go you must see her anniversary present." He went to the dresser and pulled out a bottom drawer and produced a thin flat package. It turned out to be a string of pearls. The minister assumed they must be imitation. How could this farm boy afford the real thing under such circumstances? "Shut your eyes," the young farmer said as he stood behind her to fasten them. She caught the pearls in her hands and burst into tears, crying, "They are real! They are not mine ...

303. A Mystifying Question

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Sermon

King Duncan

... out the window and offered to do the manual of arms that he had learned at school for him. Addie got the family’s .22 rifle and the boy gave a quick demonstration of the manual of arms. Accounts of what happened next vary. Some say Addie was trying to imitate what he had just seen, others say he was putting the rifle away, others say he pointed it at one of the girls and pulled the trigger. The gun was loaded and a young girl, Ruth Mervin, fell dead. The aftermath was as curious as the incident. No one in ...

304. Ready For The Great Race

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... view we were likely to write a fair copy for ourselves, but by the time we had written three of four lines, we forgot about the `top line ™ and copied the lines we ourselves had already written.... The life of Christ is the `top line ™ which we ought to imitate, and always keep in view." (2) Life is a marathon. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Our chief impediment is sin. The victory goes to those who are faithful to the finish. Our only hope is to look to Jesus who has run the race before us ...

305. For Future Generations

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... was a musician too, a “Leader of the Band.” And this is what Dan says: “The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old. But his blood runs through my instrument, and his song is in my soul. My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man. I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band.” And somehow, that kind of testimony speaks volumes to parents. (5) A woman in Florida tells about asking a 5-year- old girl where she got her pretty red hair. The little girl thought about it ...

306. Jeremy And Jesus

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Jeremy died in June, and as Christmas approached, the pain of loss was still heavy on Marie's heart. She stood at her kitchen window numbly staring out at the snow. She saw Chris Martin, Jeremy's little friend, rolling snowballs and assembling a poor imitation of a snowman across the way. Poor Chris, Marie thought, he was always alone since Jeremy died. Marie hadn't been much comfort to the lonely boy. Her grief had been so intense she could barely look at Chris, for when she did, thoughts of Jeremy ...

307. Who Are You Trying To Impress?

Galatians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... in New York City, you see cheery curtains and venetian blinds in many of the windows. But wait! If you look closer, you will see that these are not curtains and blinds at all. Rather what you are actually seeing are vinyl decals ” plastic imitations of curtains and blinds placed over the broken windows of abandoned apartments. Some ingenious city official thought the illusory decals would make a good impression on potential real estate investors! It looks good. But it's a deception. (3) How sad if that ...

308. A Date With Destiny

Hebrews 10:19-39

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... God's love for us! That's the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who reaches out to kiss us with the mercies of heaven! And that's why, says the writer of this letter, we keep our appointments too: God has given us a future in which we can imitate His faithfulness, and make our vows, and keep our promises. We love, because He first loved us! That's where faithfulness begins! There's a second reason why Christians grow in faithfulness in their relationships to God and others, and that's given in verses 26-31. It ...

309. Searching For Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... the healing himself." "Would you want to bring sinners back to the path of rightenousness?" "No," he said, "it is not for me to touch human hearts. That is the work of angels." "Would you like to be such a model of virtue that people will be drawn to imitate you?" "No," said the saint, "for that would make me the center of attention." "What then do you wish for?" asked the angel. "The grace of God," was the man's reply. "Having that, I have all I desire." "No, you must ask for some miracle," said the angel ...

310. The Messiah Who Cares About Feet

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , he has found his most meaningful role in life to be caring for a young man in this community--a young man who is totally dependent upon him. INSTEAD OF PRACTICING UPWARD MOBILITY, NOUWEN IS PRACTICING DOWNWARD NOBILITY. Believe me, this is a tough act to imitate. I believe that was the rub for Peter. Religious rulers in his day paraded around in fancy clothes and expected others to cater to them. They were a privileged lot. Peter was ticked off at Jesus because, if the Lord did something humble like this ...

311. Living With Pizzazz

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... the strangest one we have in the Bible! There are some other rather strange stories that appear in collections like the Gospel of Thomas. But they didn't make it into the Bible! Think about it! If we're reading this thing correctly, Jesus is telling us to imitate a crook! A downright scoundrel! He cheats on his employer. He lies to his business associates. And yet, says Jesus, here's somebody from whom we need to learn! How could he do that? What are we missing, that the people in Jesus' world knew? How did ...

312. The Heart Of The Matter

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... he had become--while wearing the mask. (4) Yes we do wear a mask sometimes. But that's all right. We're not there yet, but God is not finished with us yet. Who do you want to be like? Whose mask is worthy for you to put on and imitate? As Karl Barth would say, "Only Christians know they sin and ever care about their sins." We do care about our sins. A doctor was talking about the importance of pain in healing our physical bodies. He said, "So long as a diseased appendix hurts there is hope for a ...

313. Barking Pigs and Determined Disciples

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Sancho Panza hangs in fear from the ledge of a window all night long, too frighted to let go. When morning dawns he discovers his toes are only an inch off the ground. It's amusing to think of Simon Peter climbing out of the boat trying to imitate his Lord by walking on the water. Then, like a cartoon character, he makes the mistake of looking around. "What in the world am I doing?" he asked himself and suddenly he begins to sink. How often that happens in life. People are charting a successful course in ...

314. A Friend In High Places

Hebrews 7:11-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... to build into your life. Not someone who's smarter or more gifted than you, but somebody who's been down the road. Somebody willing to share their strengths and weaknesses everything they have learned in the laboratory of life. Somebody whose faith you'll want to imitate. "A Barnabas is a soul brother, somebody who loves you but is not impressed by you. Somebody to whom you can be accountable. Somebody who's willing to keep you honest, who's willing to say, "Hey, man, you're neglecting your wife, and don't ...

315. Passing The Test Of Faith

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Sermon

King Duncan

... about the albatross's infatuation with the wooden decoy, said, "He seems to have no desire to date real birds." I can see that happening with people. I know it happens with regard to our faith. There are many people who have an infatuation with a pale imitation of Christian faith and never experience the real thing. There are many people who say, "Oh, yes, I believe in God. I read my Bible. Every night I say my prayers." But let something unpleasant happen--a setback of some kind, a heart break, a scare ...

316. Setting An Example

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... more than golf. And he did it by simply observing his granddad. St. Paul praised the Christians at Thessalonica for being “an example to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia." The people at Thessalonica had been worshipers of idols, but now they were imitators of Christ. And they made this transition in the middle of much tribulation. There was nothing phony in their witness; they were the real thing. And everyone who heard their story was compelled by it. That's what we need today. People who are ...

317. Schadenfreude

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Rev. Dr. S. Ronald Parks

... elementary playground and listen to the children for a few minutes. Have you ever heard this? (Sung in a whiney voice) "Na-na-na-na-na-na." Fans of The Simpsons will recognize Nelson Munn as the poster boy for Schadenfreude: "Ha-ha!" (An imitation of Nelson's voice is essential) Still not sure you're familiar with the concept? Schadenfreude is the perverse glee that you experience when someone else fails or experiences disappointment. It is not innocent or reflexive, like snickering at a banana peel-induced ...

318. Flesh-eaters; Blood Drinkers

John 6:51-58

Sermon

King Duncan

... I never knew did it for me. I'm just saying thanks." In some traditions the Lord's Supper is called the Eucharist--which means "Thanksgiving." How can we not be grateful when we remember what Christ did for us? Ephesians 5:1-2 reminds us, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Only the most ignorant or withered hearts can perceive this truth and not feel overwhelming ...

319. You Will Not Leave My Soul In Hell

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... voyage, before he came to guide me. Don't we all? When the boy is six he wants to be a fireman; at 10 he would be either a cowpuncher or president; at 15 an astronaut, then a lawyer, doctor or minister. We all choose our heroes and worship and imitate them; dream that we will be like them when we grow up. We'd save a lot of trouble and frustration if we would pick up Christ as our pilot while we're still young." (3) The chief problem in our lives is that we want to "pick up the ...

320. People of Influence

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... Silas had and the influence that the church at Thessalonica had. Paul writes: “Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” Influence. Paul modeled faith for the Thessalonians and ...

321. God’s Strange Arithmetic

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... house. The house was newly plastered for the wedding and the exterior newly painted, thus appropriately carrying out the decorative scheme, for the groom was newly plastered and the bride freshly painted. The groom wore a rented dinner suit over athletic underwear of imitation silk, and his pants were held up by pale green suspenders. His number 9 patent leather shoes matched his state in tightness and harmonized nicely with the axle grease polish of his hair. P.S. This is probably the last issue of this ...

322. What the Maid Said to the Fisherman

Mark 14:66-72, Mark 14:53-65

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... the service for a “spot of tea.” I got kidded about it, but I had unconsciously picked up the British way of saying it. Accents are easy to pick up. At least most of them are. The Galilean accent, however, may be the most difficult to imitate in all the world. Here is what I mean. One of the most famous sermons of Christian History was written by the Scots preacher Arthur John Gossip titled, “The Galilean Accent.” He takes the words spoken to Peter by the bystanders as a distinct compliment. Since ...

323. Facing Difficult Decisions in Life! Part VI

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... he never had before. Annie wrote these words. "For the first time in our marriage, my husband and I had plenty of time to spend together. We started taking walks, and stayed up late to talk. Our oldest boy became his father''s shadow, following him and imitating him whenever possible. My husband was able to watch his boys grow up day-by-day, something he had missed when he was traveling and earning a large salary." In short, Ed lost his job but rediscovered his life. About ten months later, Ed found a job ...

324. The Marvelous Message of Easter

Mark 16:1-20, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Jesus Christ is your passport to heaven. In the tradition of the ancient Russian Orthodox church, the day after Easter was devoted to telling jokes. Priests would join with people in unveiling their best jokes for one another. It was an interesting tradition of imitating the cosmic joke that God pulled on Satan in the Resurrection. Satan thought he won on Friday but God had the last laugh on Sunday. That is a marvelous and awesome perspective on life to have. Third, Easter day makes a marvelous difference ...

325. He Came by Night

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... direction of Moses, they were troubled by a plague of serpents which bit the people and caused many to die. The people interpreted this as punishment for certain sins they had committed. They confessed their sins and asked Moses to help them. In keeping with the imitative magic of that day, Moses formed a serpent out of bronze and had it put on a pole. Whenever people were bitten, they were told to look upon that bronze serpent in faith, and they would live. You can believe what you want about the details ...

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