Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 301 to 325 of 4938 results

301. Turning the Corner on the Very End

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

James Weekley

The greatest of all human mysteries is death. Its sphinx-like profile casts a mysterious shadow upon the light of our progress. It becomes a riddle even to us today because, we, too, are unable to comprehend it. There is very little we can document about death. We do know that death is the unwelcome stranger who comes without invitation. This dark angel is no respector of age and social status. The rich and young die alike. Alexander and Jesus died at age thirty-three; Keats succumbed at twenty-six; ...

302. Love One Another

John 13:31-38

Illustration

Lee Griess

A junior high music teacher had just organized a band in her school. The principal was so proud of the music teacher's efforts that without consulting her he decided that the band should give a concert for the entire school. The music teacher wasn't so sure her young musicians were ready to give a concert, so she tried to talk the principal out of holding the concert, to no avail. Just before the concert was ready to begin, as the music teacher stood on the podium, she leaned forward and whispered to her ...

303. One Final Meeting

Sermon

Carroll Gunkel

Henry Senkiewicz, in his novel of the early days of Christianity, QUO VADIS, relates a poignant meeting. Simon Peter, having faced persecution, and believing he can endure no more, decides to leave Rome and, in so doing, save his life. While on the Appian Way, Peter has a vision wherein he meets the Lord Jesus walking toward him and Rome. Falling on his knees, humbly before the Lord, Simon Peter asks, "Quo vadis, domine?" "Where are you going, Lord?" To which Jesus responds, "If thou desert my people, I am ...

304. The One Right Choice

Psalm 45:6-7, Romans 7:15-25a

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity; you love righteousness and hate wickedness. (Psalm 45:6-7) Collect Lord, in our distress you found us and brought us together as your family in Christ. We praise you for your loving kindness. Great is your faithfulness. Amen. Prayer Of Confession While Isaac waited, a great drama was working out for his benefit. A trusted servant works out your will, Lord, praying the first prayer spoken aloud in your ...

305. Every One of God’s Promises Is A “Yes”

Isaiah 43:18-19, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18-19) Collect In your sign, Lord, we shall conquer as you establish your peace. Your sign is the cross. We are as ready with Jesus to turn the world upside down, loving our enemies, doing well to our enemies, doing good for those who hate us, blessing those who curse us, praying ...

306. The Jericho Road

Luke 10:25-37

Illustration

Robert Beringer

The Jerusalem-Jericho Road of Jesus' day was the scene of one of the most compelling stories our Lord ever told. To this day, the actual road is little more than a strip of rocky terrain which leads us from Jerusalem south to the village of Jericho. What is remarkable is that in just 15 miles, the elevation drops from 2,400 feet above sea level to 1,400 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea. (I will always remember those figures because when I once preached on this parable, I announced that the Dead Sea was ...

307. One Ripe Apple

Humor Illustration

A Sunday school teacher turned to her class and said, "When did Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden?" A hand shot up immediately. The teacher called on the little boy, and he said, "It was after September 15." The teacher was surprised at the answer and asked, "Why do you say that?" He replied, "Because the apples aren't ripe before September 15."

308. Can We Bear the Light?

Matthew 25:31-46

Illustration

B. Wiley Stephens

The story is told of a young monk asking an older monk, "Father, if God is infinitely merciful, how can he deprive anyone of his heavenly kingdom?" The older monk answered, "Why do you keep turning your head from side to side?" The younger monk replied, "Because the sun keeps hitting me right in the eye and just won't leave me in peace." "Then you've answered your own question," the older monk laughed. "God doesn't deprive anyone of his heavenly kingdom. Some simply cannot bear the light, any more than you ...

309. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream and Daniel’s Interpretation: Part One

Daniel 2:1-23

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

2:1–13 · The king and his astrologers:In Nebuchadnezzar’s second year (2:1; 604 BC), he has a dream that disturbs him greatly. He turns to the traditional wisdom of his time by calling on his sages—“the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers” (2:2)—to tell him what his dream means. They are all too ready to please the king, and ask for the particulars of the dream. Their request is “in Aramaic” (2:4), the official language of the Babylonian Empire. (Here begins the Aramaic section of Daniel, ...

310. Come Clean

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Sermon

Charley Reeb

There is an old story about a mother of eight who walked into her house after visiting with a neighbor and found her five youngest children huddled together in the middle of the living room. On closer examination, she discovered that her children were gathered around a family of skunks. Utterly shocked, she screamed, “Run, children, run!” Responding to their mother’s command, each child grabbed a skunk and ran.[1] This story is a poignant parable of our sinful nature. Like giddy children huddled together ...

311. Only One Plan

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

There is a legend that recounts the return of Jesus to glory after His time on earth. Even in heaven He bore the marks of His earthly pilgrimage with its cruel cross and shameful death. The angel Gabriel approached Him and said, "Master, you must have suffered terribly for men down there." He replied that he did. Gabriel continued: "And do they know and appreciate how much you loved them and what you did for them?" Jesus replied, "Oh, no! Not yet. Right now only a handful of people in Palestine know." But ...

312. Turn On the Lights!

Romans 10:8-13

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A Walkman stereo cassette player with headphones. Record on it the following words from Matthew 5:14-17: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Boys and girls. Oh...Hello. I have something very special in my cassette ...

313. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

... items on open display. If one’s heart (again, the source of moral decision-making) is led astray by the “eyes” to desire something spied among the wares, it is an easy matter to bend (a good rendering of the verb behind NIV’s turned) one’s normally straight “path” to approach, in the crush of people, and steal the item away. Metaphorically, such a theft would certainly cling to the “hands” as much as any wound or bruise. Verse 8 outlines the consequence should Job’s denials be proven ...

314. Prayers for the Sundays After Easter

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

Our Creator, how we enjoy the arrival of spring. Lush green grass rises in our lawns decorating our streets with home to home carpeting. Bird songs, silent in winter, now fill the air with enchanting melodies. The brown loam of our gardens and fields warms in preparation for the coming seeds and plants. The brilliant colors of jonquils, tulips, and hyacinths edge our flower beds and ring our trees. Who are we that you lavish upon us such splendor? The air warms as the sun dispatches the winds of winter. ...

315. Life in the Living Stone Age

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Canaan Valley, West Virginia is a high mountain valley. It is, in fact, the largest high mountain valley east of the Rockies. The valley nestles in the bottom of a bowl, surrounded by barren, windblown tundra on the tops of the mountains. As you walk across the strangely spongy surface of the mosses and lichens that cling to the earth high up on the mountain ridge, suddenly there rears up a row of teeth in front of you, stone stalagmites pushing up from the earth. Chiseled and chipped by decades of wind ...

316. Last Words

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: Last Words New Title: Before It's Too Late, Turn Around A lawyer was trying to console a weeping widow. Her husband had passed away without a will. "Did the deceased have any last words ...

317. Elihu

Job 32:1--37:24

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

The Friends Conclude and Elihu Begins Excurses: Had the third cycle of dialogue between Job and his three friends been complete, we would expect to find Zophar’s concluding speech in response to Job at this point. However, at least in the canonical form of the book, Bildad’s truncated final speech (25:1–6), Job’s expanded concluding speech (chs. 26–31), the complete absence of any final speech by Zophar, and the opening comments in the following Elihu section, press the reader to understand this collapse ...

318. America in the Mirror

2 Kings 17:5-23

Sermon

James Merritt

Oftentimes the question is asked, "Is America in the Bible?" Well, the answer to that question is both no and yes. No, I do not find America directly in the Bible; I know of no Bible prophecy that can be directly traced to United States. But on the other hand, I do believe we see in the Bible a parallel to America. I see a nation, which in many ways, pictures the past, the path, and the problems of America. Israel was born supernaturally, and almost instantaneously. Like America, Israel was at one time the ...

319. Supernatural: Running On Empty

John 2:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

Most of you know I am a huge sports fan and one of my favorite sports is Major League Baseball. There are so many fascinating stories that come out of baseball and I just came across one that I thought was particularly interesting. Probably the greatest knuckle-ball pitcher who ever played the game was Hoyt Wilhelm. He was the first knuckleball pitcher ever elected to the Hall of Fame. What fascinates me about him is how he made his Major League debut as a hitter. On April 23, 1952 in his second game with ...

320. Poem: In Memoriam

Eulogy

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Preface Strong Son of God, immortal Love, Whom we, that have not seen thy face, By faith, and faith alone, embrace, Believing where we cannot prove; Thine are these orbs of light and shade; Thou madest Life in man and brute; Thou madest Death; and lo, thy foot Is on the skull which thou hast made. Thou wilt not leave us in the dust: Thou madest man, he knows not why, He thinks he was not made to die; And thou hast made him: thou art just. Thou seemest human and divine, The highest, holiest manhood, thou. ...

321. Sick Of A Sick Society

Jeremiah 14:1--15:21

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"If you will turn back to me, I will take you back and you shall stand before me. If you choose noble utterance and reject the base, you shall be my spokesman. This people will turn again to you, but you will not turn to them. To withstand them I will make you impregnable, a wall of bronze. They will attack you but they will not prevail, for I am with you to deliver you and save you, says the Lord; I will deliver you from the wicked. I will rescue you from the ruthless." Repeatedly it is said that our ...

322. Twelfth Night

Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Drama

Jerry Eckert

Comment: For Christmas Eve, 1993, we went to a simple format. The liturgist and I alternated as we did prayers, carols, and scripture texts about Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, and concluded with a candlelight ceremony. Planning for 1994 again made us search our imaginations. Maybe these moods go in cycles. We felt we wanted something more for this new year. I suggested the "You Are There" format (from CBS's radio and television programs of that name) and that got several excited. It involved people from the ...

323. Seeing With The Eyes Of Faith

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Thomas C. Willadsen

We’ve been walking with Jesus on the way to Jerusalem for over a month. The stories from Mark’s gospel have showed us many sides of Jesus’ personality. Perhaps more importantly, they have shown us many sides of the disciples’ personalities. The disciples in many ways took our place in that drama. They reacted as we would, most of the time, I think. They were slow to understand that Jesus was going to suffer and die. They were more concerned about their own status and power than anything else. They ...

324. Elihu Makes His Appearance

Job 32:1--37:24

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: The young Elihu claims to know the truth that has escaped Job and his friends. Understanding the Text After Job concludes his words in 31:40, the reader expects to hear Yahweh speak to resolve the debate between Job and his friends. Instead, a young man named Elihu bursts upon the scene, and for the next six chapters he holds the stage. In his long, uninterrupted speech, Elihu summarizes the points made by Job and the friends, often quoting or alluding to their specific words. He agrees with them ...

325. How To Get Better When You're Bitter

Exodus 15:22-27

Sermon

James Merritt

Something that has become a Christmas tradition for our family every year is going to see the play, A Christmas Carol, at an Atlanta theatre. It's one of those stories that I never get tired of seeing. As you know, the central figure is a bitter old man by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge. For much of the play Scrooge is a real downer. But at the end, Scrooge discovers the true meaning of Christmas, and with his heart totally changed, a man who once lived in the desert of bitterness, now swims in the river of ...

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