Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 301 to 325 of 388 results

301. Two Kinds of People

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Some wag has said that there are basically two kinds of people in the world: those who divide people into two kinds of people and those who do not. Jeremiah says in our text for the day that there are indeed two kinds of people. One kind he calls cursed; the other he calls blessed. The life of the cursed he compares to a low bush in the desert, inhabiting a parched and desolate wilderness. The life of the blessed, on the other hand, he compares to a tree planted by the waters--that spreads her roots out by ...

302. Epilogue

Job 42:7-17

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

Intercession for the Three Friends 42:7 After the LORD had said these things to Job. This phrase connects back to the formula that introduced the theophany in 38:1. As there, this phrase makes clear to the reader that the divine interrogation in chapters 38–41 addresses Job—and not Elihu, whose speeches immediately precede God’s appearance. This editorial comment also links the prose epilogue to the theophany and demonstrates a purposeful movement to unify the various segments of the book. Stating the ...

303. Betrayed by God in Battle?

Psalm 44:1-26

Understanding Series

Craig C. Broyles

Adversity is never easy to bear, but what makes it worse is feeling that God has brought it on (v. 4). What makes it unbearable is the utter disappointment of what were believed to be legitimate expectations from God. As one turns to prayer, God becomes both the problem and its solution. Psalm 44 is a prayer psalm lamenting a battle defeat. The people have been killed, despoiled, and dispersed (esp. vv. 10–11, 19, 22). The survivors feel humiliated (vv. 13–16) and downcast (v. 25). The psalm contains no ...

304. Toward A More Sensuous Christianity

Sermon

John A. Stroman

In using the word "sensuous," I am not using the word in a carnal or bestial sense, but rather in a sensory sense. The experience of the Holy Spirit is sensuous in the sense that it is stimulating, inspiring, exciting and at times emotional. The apostle reminds us, "For the kingdom of God is ... joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). When electricity was first introduced some Frenchmen wanted to know how fast electricity moves, so the abbot of a large monastery volunteered his monks for an experiment. ...

305. If Only We Would Hold On ...

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"Staying in school is too much for me right now," Evelyn began. As her supervising pastor, I could understand the pressures she was under. She and her husband were both in their first year of seminary, and, on top of classes, he had just been appointed to serve a two-point charge. Bill and Evelyn were conscientious young people and wanted to give their best to their studies and to their church members. "I need some time to back away and get a new perspective on my life," she continued. "I still feel a call ...

306. Epiphany 3

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 7:1-40, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13, Mark 1:14-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Theme: The universality of God’s mercy Exegetical note After some initial reluctance, and a legendary bout with the digestive system of a large fish, Jonah accedes to the will of God and delivers God’s word of warning to the Gentile city of Nineveh, which promptly repents and believes in God, who in turn mercifully forestalls the threatened judgment. The entire story shows that God’s mercy extends well beyond the boundaries of Israel. Call to Worship Leader: Give thanks, ...

307. God Believes In Us, Too

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Dr. Chane M. Hutton

There is a well-known and widely practiced tactic in sports and in life known as "messing with your opponent's mind." They tell us that one of the most adept practitioners of this art was Dizzy Dean, the great St. Louis Cardinals pitcher of years ago. One day the New York Giants put runners on first and second with two out, and Dean intentionally walked Hughie Critz to load the bases. It seemed like a dumb move as the dreaded Bill Terry, the last National Leaguer ever to hit .400, was next up. But Dean ...

308. Victory on a Broken Knee

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Once there was a man who acquired a claim to a gold field in California. The claim was in a lonely spot in the mountains. When the man started to dig for gold, he found evidence that much work had been done on the claim a long while before. Far into the excavation he found an old rusted pick, its handle rotted off but its point sticking firmly in the rocky soil. He went to work and, to his amazement, just a few feet beyond where he had found the pick he came upon a rich vein of gold. Later he would learn ...

309. A Penny For God

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

A huge sofa filled the sidewalk in front of a home. Evidently the sofa had been taken out to the curb by the owner for trash collection. Since the sofa was in pretty good shape, a lot of people driving by slowed down for a closer look. But when they saw how big it was, they'd pass on by without stopping. Eventually a compact car pulled up, and two men got out. They removed all the cushions, turned the sofa upside down, and shook it hard. Then they picked up all the coins that tumbled out of the sofa, ...

310. The Tenacity of Trouble

James 4:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today we continue in our illuminating study of the Epistle of James. Often in our study of the Bible, we must read and know the chapter or verses that surround the body of scripture we are studying. This principle is quite evident in our efforts today. There is a reason why we must learn and receive instruction to Tame the Tongue and know the Trademarks of Truth. There is a reason we must know how to Trip the Tempter and Trust the Truth. It all hits home in the fourth chapter. Here we see the results of a ...

311. Making Compassion a Verb

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

David G. Rogne

The Superintendent of Schools was having a bad year. Some contentious issues were being dealt with by the school board. One Sunday, during the coffee hour after church, I heard the Superintendent say in a particularly loud voice, "For crying out loud, it's my day of rest, too!" Someone had approached him about a concern in the school district, and he felt that there was no place he could go to get away from it. I learned right then not to approach people about business matters when they are not on duty. ...

312. Through the Lens of God

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Richard Gribble

One day a man told a story which touched the hearts of all. He began, "I was a timid, frail, lost, and lonely six-year-old child when I first arrived at the farm in Georgia. I would have remained that way had it not been for an extraordinary woman. She lived on the farm in a small two-room cabin where her parents resided when they were slaves. To any outsider she simply appeared as any other African-American on the farm, but to those who knew her, she had a spiritual force whose influence was felt ...

313. Which Will It Be - the Silvered Cross or the Slivered Cross?

Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Except for Christmas and Easter Sunday, there isn't a lot of everyday recognition of the Christian liturgical calendar in our post-Christian culture. But this is a new phenomenon. Our kids might not believe us, but not only did most businesses used to close on Sundays, but other Christian observances were commonly honored as well. McDonald's came out with it's Filet-O-Fish sandwich in the 1960s not out of some kind of early health consciousness, but so that on Fridays observant Catholics could still drop ...

314. Jesus Radical Prescription

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Mike Ripski

We’re still sitting on the hillside with those whose lives Jesus’ has changed with the miracle of God’s love. He’s teaching us about God’s new world, where God’s love reigns. Jesus has just told us that he came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. For example, “The law says, ‘Do not murder.’ But I say that not killing someone doesn’t go far enough. God is concerned about how you feel toward others, how you perceive them, how you relate to them. Therefore, beware of your anger toward others. Beware of ...

315. Thin Spaces

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

A few Sundays ago I observed that in the Celtic Christian tradition there is an appreciation for what are called, “Thin Spaces” – those times when heaven and earth intersect. Those occasions when extraordinary and ordinary merge. When John Wesley had the experience of having his “heart strangely warmed” – that’s an example of a “Thin Space.” Jesus took three of the disciples, Peter, James, and John up on the mountain. There they saw Jesus transfigured before their blinded eyes. They saw Moses and Elijah ...

316. Stilling Storms

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

A mother was out walking with her 4 year old daughter. The child picked up something off the ground and started to put it into her mouth. The mother took it away and said “Don’t do that!” “Why not?” asked the child. “Because it’s on the ground,” said her mother. “You don’t know where it’s been. It’s dirty, and it’s probably loaded with germs that could make you sick.” The child looked at her mother with total admiration and said, “Mommy, how do you know all this stuff? You’re so smart.” The mother said, “ ...

317. Habakkuk: The Problem of Evil

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A young business executive sent this letter to this pastor: “I see so many people around the church who have such strong faith that I feel like I don't fit in. I would like to feel confident. I wish I didn't have doubts, but I've got more questions than answers. Sometimes I wonder if I am really a Christian. Can you help me with any of this? [Signed] Bob" Could you have written this letter? Whoever said that we should not question things surely never read the Bible. The Bible is full of questions. I hope ...

318. I Don't Get No Respect

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you will remember the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield who made a handsome living with the phrase — “I don’t get no respect.” “I don’t get no respect,” Rodney would say, adjusting his tie. “I tell ya when I was a kid, all I knew was rejection. My yo-yo, it never came back . . . With my dog I don’t get no respect. He keeps barking at the front door. He don’t want to go out. He wants me to leave . . .” Said Dangerfield, “I asked my old man if I could go ice-skating on the lake. He told me, ‘Wait till ...

319. Much Bad News, Some Good

Jeremiah 16:1--17:18

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

These two chapters are a mixture. God privately instructs Jeremiah not to socialize; God speaks publicly about keeping the Sabbath. The people of God will be exiled; but there will be a restoration. A prophet turns to God in his frustration; Gentiles turn en masse to God in conversion. There are mini essays; there are proverblike sayings. However, the theme remains unchanged: sin is pervasive and judgment will be certain and terrible. God gives Jeremiah three commands about his social life (16:1–13). The ...

320. The Unbelief of the Jews

John 10:22-42

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

The temple courtyard was surrounded by colonnaded porches that gave shelter from the weather. Solomon’s Porch was on the east. Since it is winter (the season of Dedication) Jesus is found there sheltered from the cold Jerusalem wind (10:22–23). If the judicial emphases that we are following are correct, here the christological inquiries take on new significance. The evidence has been displayed (10:25–26), and now Judaism aims its two charges that will reappear later at the formal trial: (1) Are you ...

321. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Luke 9:10-17

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

Luke’s account of the feeding of the 5,000 is based on the Marcan account (Mark 6:30–44) and is the only miracle found in all four Gospels (Matt. 14:13–21; John 6:1–15). Luke omits, however, Mark’s feeding of the 4,000 (Mark 8:1–10 and see Matt. 15:32–39). Such an omission is due to (1) Luke’s avoidance of repetition and to (2) the fact that the evangelist has omitted a large section of Mark (6:45–8:26, sometimes called Luke’s “Big Omission”) in which the second feeding story occurs (see note below). Verse ...

322. Israel Routs the Philistines

1 Samuel 14:15-23

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Israel Routs the Philistines: As news of these events spread (vss 1-14), there were dramatic effects in both camps. The Philistine outposts became aware of their vulnerability and almost certainly headed back to their base, causing panic there. 14:15–19 According to verse 15, the ground shook, adding to the panic. The writers state that God was involved. Saul’s reaction to the observable chaos in the Philistine ranks was twofold. First he carried out a head count, which revealed that Jonathan and his armor ...

323. Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold

Isaiah 37:1-13

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Hezekiah’s Great Political Crisis Confronts Him (37:1-7) We may be surprised to find the introduction to the second half of the book in chapters 34–35 followed by four chapters of prose stories about Hezekiah, the last of the kings of Isaiah’s own lifetime. One reason for this surprise is that they also appear in 2 Kings. As with 2:2–4, we do not know which is the more original version. But Isaiah is prominent in the stories and they incorporate some of his prophecies, so it is reasonable enough that they ...

324. R.S.V.P.

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Will Willimon

"At Duke," she said, ''we work hard, we play hard." A visitor here on campus, Friday noon through Sunday evening, might get the impression that we are one of those infamous "Party Schools." Late one Sunday night last winter, I was awakened in the middle of the night and asked to deliver a sad message to a Duke freshman. I got up, put on clothes, stumbled out into the night, drove through deserted Durham streets, wondering if I needed aid from Public Safety to get in the sleeping dorm. I stumbled into a ...

325. The Final Questions

John 6:60-71

Sermon

George W. Hoyer

We are all being taught by God. Jesus cited that in one of the lessons from John's gospel we have heard on the last four Sundays. We have been taught. We have learned. Today we have the final exam. The gospel poses a number of questions. They seem to be rhetorical, asked simply for effect. No answer seems to be expected. But how successful would a student be who, seeing his final examination, looks up and says to the instructor, "I assume all these questions are rhetorical"? Are you ready? Give answers to ...

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