Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 301 to 325 of 975 results

301. Ascension

Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:36-49, Luke 24:50-53, Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The risen, ascended and exalted Christ. Both Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:44-53 relate the story of the Ascension, according to Luke. The account from Ephesians 1 exalts Christ as having all things put under his authority. COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 1:1-11 In introducing his book, Luke notes to Theophilus that he is taking up where he left off with his gospel. The gospel ends with the witness to the resurrected Christ and Acts begins by bringing to a close this 40-day string of appearances. The disciples ...

302. Epiphany 7

Mt 5:38-48 · 1 Cor 3:10-11, 16-23 · Lev 19:1-2, 9-18 · Ps 119:33-40 · Ps 71 · Ps 62

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 A preeminent characteristic of God, according to the Pentateuch, is holiness. The Lord is in a class by himself; God is righteous, just, loving, and forgiving. God's people are likewise holy the Lord's. Their behavior must reflect this reality. They must love their neighbor as themselves because all belong to the Lord. Unfortunately, this love was constricted by a narrow definition of the neighbor a fellow Hebrew. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23 Paul ...

303. Lent 5

John 11:1-16, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:1-17, John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Ezekiel 37:12-14 God instructs Ezekiel to preach to the dry bones scattered over the valley floor and as he preaches to them they come together, as flesh and sinew cover them. The dry bones represent the people of Israel, who have been taken captive and live hopeless lives in a strange land. The message is that God will carry his people home and fill their lifeless carcasses with his Spirit. This word of hope helps lift the people from their depressed state. Epistle: Romans 8:8-11 ...

304. God Is Down To Earth

John 1:1-18

Sermon

John A. Stroman

And the Word became flesh and lived among us....-- John 1:14 William Barclay is convinced that John wrote the fourth gospel for the sake of this fourteenth verse. Early in the first chapter John talked about the Word: the creative and dynamic word. The Word was the agent bringing about creation. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. -- John 1:3 In ...

305. Advent 4

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Both Old Testament and Gospel portray the theme of God building a house, a kingdom or a people. In the Old Testament text, King David desires to build a temple for God but finds out that God is going to be the One building a house (dynasty) of David's descendents. In the Gospel, Angel Gabriel informs the Virgin Mary that God is going to build up his Kingdom through the son she was to conceive through the Holy Spirit. COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 David wants to build in Jerusalem a ...

306. Christmas 2

Jn 1:1-18 · Lk 2:41-51 · Eph 1:3-18 · Jer 31:7-14 · Ps 147

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14 This passage derives from the "book of consolation" portion of Jeremiah, compiled by Baruch, and covers the 622 B.C. to 609 B.C. period. God promises to redeem the remnant from captivity. They will return with tears of joy welling in their eyes. The earth will participate in the restoration by bountifully yielding her produce; it will be a well-watered garden (v. 12). All inhabitants will rejoice. Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14, 15-18 A hymn of praise to God for ...

307. Prayers for Advent 2

Isaiah 40:1-31, Psalm 85:1-13, 2 Peter 3:1-18, Mark 1:1-8

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

Call to Worship Hear the words of the Lord. Are they not words of peace, peace to his people and to his loyal servants and to all who turn and trust in him? Prayer of Confession God of the first day, God of today, God of the last day, we admit that we are more frightened by the threat of a nuclear accident or a nuclear war than we are hopeful for a new heaven and earth. It is like our apprehension of major surgery, an unpleasant experience, but one that can bring about the condition in which healing can ...

308. What's The Bottom Line?

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

George Johnson

What are your thoughts when you first wake up in the morning? What am I going to wear today? Is the bathroom free? What's the weather like? Can I stay in bed just a little bit longer? I am waking up earlier now that I'm on the other side of 50, the second side of life. My thoughts early in the morning are usually around the day's appointments. Let's see, Lois needs that article by 9. I could go to the hospital over the lunch hour. Confirmation is today. What meeting do I have tonight? Will Viv and I have ...

309. Playing By A Different Set Of Rules

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

Obscenity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. With words to that effect more than two decades ago the Supreme Court of the United States of America left the decisions regarding pornography in the hands of local communities. During the intervening years states and cities have struggled with the issue, desiring to uphold the basic rights of freedom of speech and expression, and at the same time attempting to establish and maintain what is decent and acceptable to the majority. The latest entry to ...

310. Lent

Sermon

Betty Lynn Schwab

Lent 1 Reader 1: God spoke to Moses saying: "You shall keep the Festival of Shavuot for the Lord your God, contributing a freewill offering in proportion to the blessing that you have received from the Lord." Reader 2: In Jesus' day, the Festival of Shavuot required every male in Israel to travel to the Temple of Jerusalem. There he offered God the first ripe fruits of this land. It was a time of thanksgiving for the goodness of the land. On Shavuot, it was said, Heaven decided the fate of the trees and ...

311. If Only We Would Let God Mold Us ...

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"John’s pulling his ear again," my wife would say wearily when I came home for lunch. "I guess I’d better take him back to Dr. Byrd’s this afternoon before things get worse." "That probably means another round of penicillin shots for John and some more sleepless nights for us," was my usual response. That dialogue was repeated over and over in our household. It seemed as though we would never get our three-year-old son’s ear infections cleared up. We were positive his body was working up an immunity to ...

312. Mi Casa, Su Casa

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Mark Radecke

The relationship between a landlord and a tenant is at best a tenuous one: the landlord is understandably concerned about the use or abuse of his property (after all, it is his house); the tenant understandably concerned about the maintenance and privacy of the place (after all, it is his home). Our friends’ younger daughter begged - no, she positively importuned - her parents for a pastel colored bedroom. They relented, and asked permission of their landlord, offering to buy the paint, provide the labor ...

313. Stop, Look, and Listen

Hebrews 10:20

Children's Sermon

Objects: paper "stop," "yield," and "railroad crossing" highway signs I'm sure one of the biggest complaints about growing up is that you can't do what you want to all the time. But have you ever thought what the world might be like without rules? Everything would be confusing and messed up. I have before you three signs which you probably see every day. (Illustrate these signs as you explain them.) First, there is a stop sign. Imagine you are riding in your car with your father. Soon he sees this red sign ...

314. Broken and Beautiful

Luke 18:9-14, Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

If I were to call you a "broken" person, you would probably resent it. But the Bible says that a certain kind of brokenness is essential if we are to be close to God. That late Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard could tickle the funny bone of almost anybody. But when he wrote about his father, he could make you cry. His father was a soldier, a veteran of World War II who returned to military duty in Korea. There in brutal warfare against the Chinese, Mr. Grizzard, Sr. saw more suffering and horror than he ...

315. The Resurrection of Our Lord

Isaiah 25:1-12, John 20:1-9, John 20:10-18, Mark 16:1-20, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: Isaiah 25:6-9 Theme: From a shroud springs salvation Exegetical Note This eschatological passage envisions a great, sumptuous, universal feast to be given by God (on a mountain) in conjunction with the divine destruction and "swallowing" of the "covering" or "veil" of death and the tears and reproach that death brings. Verse 9 conveys the joy of a people who have waited a long time for this salvation, and are ready to celebrate. Call to Worship Leader: Arise! Shine! Give God glory for the ...

316. Blessed With Peace

John 14:15-31

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

This week two thoughts were foremost in my mind. One thought was quite normal for a preacher as well as a basic necessity. What shall I emphasize Sunday morning when I am using for my text the words of Jesus which he spoke on his last night upon earth to his disciples? "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you ..." The other thought was quite different. I remembered that 31 years ago last Wednesday I was ordained into the ministry at the fiftieth anniversary of Trinity Church. After my father gave ...

317. Blow The Trumpet In Zion

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Larry Powell

Is there a word which falls upon the human consciousness with a more resounding "thud" than the word "Repent"? "Oh no," you say. "It is the theme of the prophets, the touchstone of the gospel, and the initial requirement for entrance into the kingdom." That is true, but it is also true that the inherent dynamic of "Repent," one of the foremost action words in the vocabulary of humankind, has been neutralized by a generation no longer arrested by its appeal. A concrete sign in the shape of a cross stands ...

318. Good News for Tenant Farmers

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A true story - an incident from the 1930's when the Tennessee Valley Authority was building its many dams on the Tennessee River.(1) To do that, they had to relocate a number of people who were living in the area that would be flooded when the dams were finished. One family in particular lived in an old, ramshackle cabin. The TVA built them a beautiful split-level ranch home on the hill overlooking the location of their former home. But when the Authority came to help the family move, they refused to go. ...

319. A Niche For Every Itch

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you noticed a growing trend in our society to classify people according to personality types as if we are trying to find a niche for every itch? For example, in the world of advertising, there is a theory that divides people into different groups based on their supposed lifestyles. For example, two of these groups are called the belongers and the achievers. Belongers are middle-class folks who want more than anything else to do the accepted thing. Therefore, to sell a product to people in this group ...

320. On Being Picked For The "Rework"

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

King Duncan

"Behold, the potter was working at the wheel And the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter. So he made it over reworking it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it." (Jeremiah 18:3,4 Amplified Bible) It was a classic episode of "I Love Lucy." Lucy had taken a job at a candy factory and she was being trained on the first day of her new job. It was Lucy's duty to stand at a conveyor belt with pieces of candy continuously passing in front of her. She ...

321. Birdbaths and Flagpoles

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

"I want to start a garden, but my yard's a little problematic," a customer told the proprietor at the yard and garden center. "I get blazing afternoon sunshine for about two hours, but otherwise it's all shade." "What kind of soil," asked the proprietor. "Hard clay, lot of rocks," said the customer, "What do you recommend I plant." "Hmmm," mused the store owner. "Why don't you look down Aisle B. We've got a big new supply of birdbaths and flagpoles . . . " (1) Maybe you have a lawn like that--good for ...

322. The Divine Balance

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

A banker called in a certain man to talk to him about his account. "Your financial affairs are in a mess," he said to the poor man. "Your wife constantly overdraws your account. She is behind in her charge accounts at the department store, and her check stubs are all added wrong. Why don't you talk to her about it?" "Because," said the man, "I would rather argue with you than with her." There's a man whose marriage is badly out of balance. Balance. We are all trying to find it, aren't we? Balance between ...

323. Managing Your Anger

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever gotten so angry with your boss that you wanted to walk out the door? Not just walk out the door, but to exact a little revenge in the process? Advice columnist Jeffrey Zaslow once asked his readers that question. Here is what he got: Several waitresses and secretaries said their most satisfying career moves were out the door. Gina, a Woolworth's waitress, told how her boss once offered a ten-cent raise, "as a big favor." Gina saw it as a big insult, and her customers egged her on to quit. It ...

324. It Doesn't Matter What I Do

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Sermon

King Duncan

"Five Things Christians Should Never Say," #5 A would-be burglar in Pennsauken, N.J. needed to make sure the door to the company he was looting wouldn't fully close while he was burgling the place, so he stuck a piece of paper in the door. The piece of paper was a traffic ticket he'd been issued for driving with a cracked windshield. Police found the ticket, with a name and address on it, still in the door the next day, which proved helpful in their pursuit of the burglar, who was arrested at his home in ...

325. A Church Fueled By Prayer

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Any of you who have ever tried speaking in front of people will appreciate the predicament that Dr. Ralph D. Nichols of the University of Minnesota once found himself in. He was addressing a high school commencement when suddenly a child began to cry. That was distracting, but not too much of a problem. But then another child added his loud voice. And then a couple of small boys started galloping up and down the aisle. With the sinking feeling only a public speaker knows, Nichols realized he had lost his ...

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