Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 301 to 325 of 609 results

301. A Tale of Two Cemeteries

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

George Bass

Two of my favorite cemeteries are thousands of miles apart. One is in rural Minnesota, about thirty miles from my home. To me, it is a symbol of the church triumphant and the church militant, because it completely surrounds a church building. No one can enter any of the doors to the church without walking through the cemetery, past the graves of relatives, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. It seems to me that no one could belong to and attend that church without having genuine perception of the true ...

302. An Almost Anonymous Apostle

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

George Bass

Half a century ago, an adventurous youth was brutally attacked by the brakeman on a freight train. He realized that the trainman was attempting to kill him and, despite a sudden realization that he was stronger than the brakeman and a consuming rage to retaliate, he jumped off the train at the first opportunity to do so. He made his way to a hobo jungle where a tough-looking man asked, "Who slugged you, kid?" They talked until the man fell asleep. Someone whispered in the youth’s ear, "Careful, fella ... ...

303. Who Keeps Getting in My Way?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

Some years ago, ten doctors were appointed by the United States Government to meet together and draw up ten laws of public health, which were to be given to the American people to serve as a guide for good health. After twelve days of extensive debate, they found that they could not agree on the laws because of their diverse areas of concern: one was a cancer specialist, one a heart surgeon, one a psychiatrist, and so on. Also, they were from different sections of the country and were concerned that some ...

304. What Form of Church Does God Want for the Furture?

Romans 12:1-8, Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

A farmer who had never been to the city was chosen by his grange to represent them at a national convention, and thus he found himself in New York. After checking in at the hotel, he approached an elevator, something he had never seen. He watched as a very large woman walked into the elevator. The door closed, what appeared to be a single hand on a large clock made a revolution, and the door opened again, this time discharging an attractive, curvaceous young lady. The astonished farmer ran to the nearest ...

305. Are You Still Frightened of the Dark?

Genesis 1:1-5 · John 1:4-5 · Psalm 139:11-12

Sermon

Robert Noblett

Children go through a period when they are frightened of the dark. They are convinced that there is a robber inside their clothes closet. They are sure there is some kind of ethereal character lurking about in the basement. Beyond a doubt, they are of the conviction that there is a ghost-like essence biding time beneath their bed. Children usually outgrow that stage, but occasionally you find those who don’t, and they carry this fear of the darkness into their adult lives. In one of my former congregations ...

306. Why Did God Allow That To Happen?

John 9:1-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Tragedy can strike so quickly and capriciously. While going about our everyday lives, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, the world can be changed. As a nation we've been living with that awful reality since 9-11. Thousands killed for no reason by complete strangers, who assumed, somehow in their mind, they were doing some good for this world. Then there are natural disasters: tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes...If you have avoided tragedy at this point in your life thank God that you have been ...

307. The Deeper Meanings of The Christian Faith by Dr. Bryant M. Kirkland

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Mann

I would like to talk with you about the meaning of Christianity. I took seriously the assignment that was given to me. I studied about Paul’s sermon at Mars Hill where he stood up in the great place of debate and spoke so eloquently that the people said, "Tell us what is the meaning of this Jesus and the resurrection that you proclaim." I have tried to work out this message mindful of what I imagine are your thoughts, my own thoughts, and the troubled thoughts that are characteristic in this modern period ...

308. Men of Distinction

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

For a number of years nearly every magazine carrying advertising showed handsome men in various prestige poses and labeled them "Men of Distinction." They were usually found in an elegant setting of impeccable decor, dressed stylishly, and bearing all the distinguishing marks of affluent, successful men of the world. There was a thoroughbred kind of casualness in the demeanor and an aura of "we have arrived." The ads had a compelling quality. The subliminal message fairly screamed that if one used the ...

309. Being Set Free

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Today’s Gospel promises us freedom, if we will truly be disciples of Christ. In fact, Jesus promises that if we will learn, know, and follow the truth, we will be set free. Remember, however, first we must become disciples. Jesus tells us that to be a real disciple is to accept what he says about how great God is and how terrible sin is, and what the real meaning of life is. When we do this, we are starting to take the role of discipleship. In order to be a disciple, we are told to remain in the word. The ...

310. While We Watch for the Coming

Matthew 24:1-35

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

Matthew 24 is a tough one! Some preachers are not honest with its interpretation. In this chapter the author of Matthew gathers together interweaving strands of material about the future. The sentences are all mixed up, and they deal with six different subjects of the future. There is advice given by Jesus as to what to expect. 1. The attack in Jerusalem by Titus. "So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, ... then let those who are in Judea flee ...

311. Drastic Surgery

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

Herchel H. Sheets

In February, 1966, a young surgeon from India, then a resident at a St. Louis Hospital, took a radical step in an attempted reconciliation with his estranged wife. She was a staff physician in Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, and was living in a dormitory there. The surgeon called a taxi driver to his apartment door and gave him a package which he asked him to deliver to his wife’s room. His wife’s roommate answered the knock at the door and accepted the package. It was blood-soaked, and when she opened ...

312. Achieving An All-In Victory - 1952

1 John 5:1-12

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

We have talked so much about winning an "all-out" victory during the years of World War II that our attention has been focused and our interest centered upon mass behavior. We speak of the world as having gone mad. But madness is a malady of the human mind. The world outside cannot go mad; only the world inside is capable of sanity and insanity. We talk of the Government’s having full responsibility for making all the decisions. But the Government is not an abstraction. It is composed of individuals. And ...

313. The Christian’s Style - 1960

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

What do you consider the most important and revealing fact to know about a person? Is it his antecedents, heritage, background? Certainly that is not to be overlooked. Or would you be most interested in his possessions, the position he occupies, the nature of his reputation? Unquestionably this factor would seem to be of no little practical consequence. Or would it mean most to know his possibilities, his promise, what he might become? That surely is highly significant. But there is something more ...

314. A Mother Who Could Let Go

1 Samuel 9:1--10:8

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

In a labor room on the obstetrics wing of a hospital, a doctor found a crumpled paper on which an expectant father had done some scribbling. Obviously, during the pauses in the long labor process, he had been thinking about the child about to be born. This is what he wrote: John Peter Jones, John P. Jones, J.P. Jones, John Jones, Governor John Jones, President John P. Jones, All the Way with JPJ!" Maybe the baby turned out to be Juanita Paulene Jones! I can tell you one thing that father and mother ...

315. The Sabbath - Delightfully Different

Exodus 20:1-21, Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I grew up in a Methodist preacher's home. Papa was strict about the Sabbath Day. No work was allowed on Sundays. When Mama pointed out to him that cooking and cleaning were work, Papa knew he was cornered. So, he took us out to lunch on Sundays, but he felt bad about making the restaurant personnel work on the Sabbath. Papa did not like the idea of watching television on Sundays, but I noticed that he often peeped at the TV late on Sunday afternoons when his beloved Washington Redskins were playing ...

316. Christ Shall Return

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

One of you told me recently about a pastor who one day visited a dear elderly member of the church. He decided to check on her salvation. He said, "Aunt Susie, do you believe in the hereafter?" She replied, "All the time, preacher, all the time. I go to the kitchen and think to myself, 'Now, what am I here after?" That little story reminds us all that we have to specify what kind of hereafter we're talking about. This morning I'm talking about the long-term future of our world. I'm not referring to where ...

317. Derailed Dreams

Genesis 37:12-36, 50:15-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

In the pre-dawn hours of Monday, October 9th, Amtrak's Sunset Limited train tumbled off a trestle in a remote section of Arizona. One crewman was killed and dozens of passengers were injured. A note found near the wreck took responsibility for the sabotage in the name of "Sons of Gestapo." Trains are not the only things that get derailed. D r e a m s sometimes get derailed too. Some dreams are sabotaged by enemies. Others are wrecked by one's own mistakes or negligence. For example, if you give your child ...

318. "Hands Off!"

Exodus 20:1-21, Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

No one ever painted Americana with more accuracy and charm than did Norman Rockwell. Some of us who are older than most of us can remember his classic paintings which adorned the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. One of them focused on the buying of the Thanksgiving turkey. The turkey is lying on the scales and the butcher is standing back of the counter, apron pulled tight over his fat stomach, a pencil tucked behind his ear. The customer, a lovely lady of about sixty, is watching the weighing-in. Each ...

319. Family, Family, Who’s Got the Family

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

Why not age-cast this skit? It will mean more to the teenagers. CAST: Barbara, age 15; Susan, age 6; Mother and Grandmother. PROPS: Chair for Grandmother and for Mother. Handwork for Grandmother. Doll and doll dress for Susan. Barbara’s necklace and lipstick. [GRANDMOTHER enters, sits and begins handwork. SUSAN enters, sits on floor to dress doll and put necklace on doll. In a moment MOTHER enters, sits wearily.] MOTHER: [sighing] What a day. GRANDMOTHER: You wear yourself out for nothing. Cleaning those ...

320. Last Ditch Stand

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

This is actually a brief play. It is planned for discussion afterward, preferably in small groups so that all will share. It is a play about conviction. For more impact, let adults play the adults. The cast: Dr. John Whitney, a surgeon; Helen, his wife; Nancy, their fifteen-year-old daughter; Rod, her seventeen-year-old boyfriend. The play takes place in the living room of the Whitney home. However, all you really need is some folding chairs, two put together as a sofa. Props needed are an ashtray and a ...

321. How Do You Like Yourself?

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

Tell me, what do you think of yourself? How do you feel about living with you? You know, the precedents aren’t too encouraging. A man that we call Saint Peter cried out: "O, Lord, keep away from me, for I am a sinful man." A man whom we call Saint Paul had the words wrenched out of him: "O, wretched man that I am." And the great king, David, cried out in the Psalm: "I am a worm" - I am a worm! - "and no man." Or make it more contemporary. A teenage girl in my study stated her problem honestly: "People don’ ...

322. Our Father Who Art on Earth

Proverbs 1:8-19

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

This morning we celebrate a rather poor imitation of something that takes place on the second Sunday in May. It is the day when we pull our leftover sentiments out of the deep freeze where we stashed them on Mother’s Day, warm them up a bit to dish them out now for Father’s Day. Yes, it is Father’s Day. It always comes as a bit of a shock and surprise, doesn’t it? No one talks very much about it. About the only ones who make us aware of it are the merchants who have for sale those things, which, by some ...

323. Growing Up

Judges 17:1-13

Sermon

Michael J. Anton

NEW YEAR’S DAY Last night the final day of the Lord came one step closer. In assorted ways and with a mixture of feelings we watched the hands on the clock make their last revolution and inch their way into the new year. No one really looks different, and the scenery hasn’t changed between yesterday and today, but we have that feeling of climax, knowing yesterday is last year. In the mind’s eye, there is a great, long distance between today and all that happened last year. We feel a newness, a freshness ...

324. MAGICIAN, SORCERER

Micah 5:12; Acts 8:9

Illustration

Stephen Stewart

Micah 5:12 - "and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more soothsayers;" Acts 8:9 - "But there was a man named Simon who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the nation of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great." Throughout history man has been fascinated by the thought of defying or controlling the laws of nature. A man who can place his hand in a roaring fire and bring it out unharmed will attract as much attention today as he did 5,000 years ago. ...

325. The Might of the Mite

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A few months ago I received a letter that touched my heart. Let me share a portion of it with you, using fictitious names so that anonymity will be preserved: "Dear Dr. Bouknight: My name is John Brown. I have been a member of Christ Church for four years. At that time a very dear friend, Jean Smith, invited me to attend the 9:45 service. Christ Church has been the only tangible thing in my life to remain a 'sure thing' during these last four years. I have experienced the highest highs, and the lowest lows ...

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