Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 3226 to 3250 of 4942 results

3226. Future Perfect

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Do you remember High School English class? Not English lit or American lit. I mean the class where they taught or tried to teach us all about adjectives and adverbs and dangling participles? One of the things I remember about English class diagramming sentences. It was then that we had to know all parts of a sentence and especially all the various tenses. Past, Present, Future and then there was one that always bumfuzzled people, the Future Perfect. According to the website, www.EnglishPage.com, "The ...

3227. Another Road

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I want to start this morning by taking a short poll. First: How many of you still have your Christmas Tree up? Second: What do you have on the top of your Christmas tree, a star or an angel. How many of you have stars on top of your tree? How many of you have angels? The reason I asked the first question is: Christmas, from the Christian perspective isn't truly over until January 6th or Epiphany, the day we traditionally celebrate the visit by the Wise Men. The reason I asked the second question is: I ...

3228. The Promise of Hope

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A little boy and his Dad were in church, and the boy asked, "Dad, what does it mean when the people pass those plates?" Dad said, "It means the people are giving gifts to God." Then the boy asked, "What does it mean when they have those trays stacked up there and bread and wine and people go up and kneel?" Dad answered, "It means they are guests at the Lord's table and they're taking communion." And then the boy asked, "What does it mean when the preacher lays his watch on the pulpit?" Since the preacher ...

3229. Hope In The Midst of Uncertainty

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I just read about two Senior Citizens who were out for their usual morning walk. They both had been complaining about the aches and pains of getting older. As they passed the local funeral home one of them turned to the other and said, "Look there's no hope of recovery, we're just getting older. Let's just go in and give ourselves up." (1) I also read about a For Sale ad in the Roanoke, Illinois, Review which read: "Hope chest: Brand new, half price, long story." (2) I'd like to know the story behind that ...

3230. No Longer Strangers

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Chapter Two of Ephesians is one of Paul’s clearest statements about the Cross as God’s power for redemption. In this chapter, Paul used the most dramatic image he could have used to describe the estrangement of the Gentiles, and the reconciling power of the Cross. His image was the Temple in Jerusalem. The layout of the temple painfully marked the separation of the Gentiles. Inside the temple walls were a series of courts. The innermost court was the hallowed “holy of Holies” into which the High Priest ...

3231. The Reluctant Prophet

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Chapter three and half of Chapter four of Exodus is the story of the burning bush. This episode is central to the Exodus story, but we can get too preoccupied with the burning bush. Some would even want to debate the kind of bush it was. But that misses the point. As someone has well said: “When God decides to make His appearance to man, any old bush will do.” We are staying with the story of the burning bush again today as we continue our preaching journey through Exodus. In my last sermon I talked about ...

3232. The Blood Shall Be a Token

Exodus 12:1-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Bible students and teachers have always connected the Old and the New Testaments by using types. That is, seeing in the Old Testament a type of what really is fully revealed in the New. This began with those who wrote the New Testament. Paul saw Jesus as the new Adam. Matthew saw him as a Moses. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews interpreted the tabernacle of the Old Testament as a type for the ministry and mission of Jesus. When we began this preaching journey through Exodus, we talked about Exodus ...

3233. Opening and Closing Doors

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Many years ago, Dr. James Fisher, a practicing psychiatrist, wrote a very entertaining little book entitled A FEW BUTTONS MISSING . It was a light treatment of some of his experiences in psychiatric practice. However, near the end of the book, Dr. Fisher became very serious. This is what he said. “What was needed, I felt sure, was some new and enlightened recipe for living a sane and satisfying life — a recipe compounded from all the accumulated scientific knowledge acquired through study and research. I ...

3234. The Shared Life of the People of God

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Here again chapter divisions do not adequately communicate content and continuity. Verses 24—26 of Chapter 5 could easily be a part of this chapter because Paul is talking about how the Spirit governs our lives in our social relationships. As indicated in our commentary on Gal. 5:13—15, Paul calls us to be servants. This requires more than service when, where and to whom we choose; it is a style of life. We willfully become servants. The constraining force of Christ love replaces the binding force of law ...

3235. Joy Comes in the Morning

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

It would take very little personal conversation among us this morning to discover the healing, encouraging, strengthening, supporting, comforting power the Psalms have been in our individual lives. A variety and a large number of Psalms would be pointed to as the ones that have ministered to you in a particular time of need. At our Administrative Board meeting two weeks ago, Karla Grant shared her Christian pilgrimage verses from the Psalms. This is her story. Six weeks after she and Don welcomed their ...

3236. The Beginning of the Story

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

“And now you know the rest of the story!” That’s the way Paul Harvey closes those dramatic monologues which keep your mind on tiptoe as you discover the fascinating life details and historical quirks of notable people and events. Paul Harvey is a craftsman with words and pulls us to the edge of our seat to learn the rest of the story. Mark, our Gospel writer, does the same thing - but for “the beginning of the story”, not the rest of it. A visitor to the Grand Canyon looked at that mighty panorama of God’s ...

3237. Fish or Cut Bait

Mark 1:14-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

You may have heard the story about the fisherman who had a fantastic reputation for his ability to catch fish. Everyday he would go out in his boat and bring back an incredibly large number of fish, and his reputation spread far and wide. One day a stranger came to the camp and wanted to go fishing with him. The fisherman said, “Come back to tomorrow morning at 4:30, and we’ll go. The stranger was back the next morning, and two men got into the boat. The stranger was puzzled at what he saw. All the ...

3238. When It's Time For Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A Gallup Poll asked Americans what they try to do when they are wronged? Forty-eight percent said they try to forgive; eight percent said they try to get even. In our minds at least, forgiveness outdoes revenge six to one. Forgiveness—what a wonderful idea! Forgiveness is the oil that lubricates the human machine. Without it, all of life becomes hot and squeaky. Or as my favorite author on the subject Lewis Smedes says, “God has invented forgiveness as a remedy to the past that even He could not change.” ...

3239. Why Do People Suffer?

John 9:1-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

There is an old story about a construction worker who attempted to lower a barrel of brick by means of a rope and pulley. The bricks however, were heavier than the worker. The man went up as the brick came down. The two collided in mid-air, injuring the worker's shoulder. Upon impact, the bottom of the barrel ripped open. The brick spilled out. Now, the worker was heavier than the brick. As the man came down at high speed, he collided with the barrel coming up, causing injury to his shins. This time the ...

3240. About Whose Business Was He?

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The thing I like most about working in a church is the opportunity to connect with people of all ages and stages of life. We baptize babies and conduct funerals. We celebrate weddings and visit hospitals. Confirmation begins in a few weeks for our 6th graders and the PEP Club meets monthly for our seniors. Faith is important at every phase of life. So it is that Luke's gospel includes a few childhood stories of Jesus ignored by Matthew, Mark and John. On the 8th day after his birth, Jesus is circumcised ...

3241. What Would Jesus Say About Materialism?

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A religious coalition led by Rev. Jim Ball launched a media campaign three months ago asking Americans “What Would Jesus Drive?” The advertisement, designed to discourage religious people from driving SUV’s, pickups, minivans and other gas guzzling vehicles, quickly captured the attention of Americans. The three major auto makers publicly stated that they already made fifty models of fuel efficient cars, but trucks and SUV’s now outsell cars at dealerships across America. Comedian Jay Leno said Jesus would ...

3242. The Church As Family

Matthew 12:46-50

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

When God made you and God made me, He made us a part of a family. He gave us grandmas and grandpas, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles and lots of others. For when God made you and God made me, He made us a part of a family. When Jesus spoke of family, he extended it far beyond blood lines and DNA. He called the entire Christian Community a family, the family of God. I want to use that metaphor to call us to communion today. The Church is the family of God. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven ...

3243. Work

1 Corinthians 3:9-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs who left their mother to build homes of their own. The first little pig built his house of straw. The second little pig built his house of sticks. The third little pig built his house of brick. Soon the Big Bad Wolf came to visit the three little pigs. When the little pig in the straw house would not let him in, the Big Bad Wolf huffed and he puffed until he blew his house in. When the little pig in the house of sticks would not let the wolf in, the Big Bad ...

3244. The Joyful Provider

John 2:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The season of Lent has arrived. It's time to repent and believe the Gospel. We are encouraged to remember that we are mortal, as if our bodies would ever let us forget. Lent is a 40-day period of self-examination and self-denial — except for Sundays. Tucked into these forty days are six “little Easters" — days to remember that God in Jesus Christ gives us the victory over sin, over death, over all that destroys our relationship with Him. So this First Sunday of Lent, I invite you not to the wilderness of ...

3245. Finding Our Place in the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Christian artist, Twila Paris, does a song entitled, "How Beautiful is the Body of Christ." Some of the lyrics go like this: How beautiful when humble hearts give The fruit of pure lives so others may live. How beautiful the hands that serve The wine and the bread to the sons of earth. How beautiful is the body of Christ. The Church is the body of Christ. The world calls the Church an institution. Not all of us feel a need for an institution. Others call the Church a great society. Not all of us are into ...

3246. Colossians 1:1-14

Colossians 1:1-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

There is disagreement among scholars over the authorship of Colossians. Was it was written by Paul or composed by Timothy for Paul. Maybe it was authored by some other close companion of Paul’s who wrote in the apostle’s name and style? The current debate over authorship was not a concern for first century Christians, nor for the subsequent generations of Christ followers. Whether the author was Paul or one of his companions, the letter to the Colossians was presented under the authority of “Paul, an ...

3247. The King on a Donkey

Mark 11:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you heard my story about the husband and the wife who had quarreled. It had been a high-pitch quarrel, each digging their heels in to preserve the position they had vehemently taken. Emotions ran high. Both were nursing their hurt feelings in defensive silence. As they were driving to attend a family wedding in a distant city — it was an uneasy and quiet trip, both of them starring straight ahead or out the window as the miles went by in icy silence. The angry tension between them was so thick you ...

3248. Being Open to the Impossible

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old story about Albert Einstein. He was going around the country from university to university on the lecture circuit, giving lectures on his theory of relativity. He traveled by chauffer-driven limousine. One day, after they had been on the road for awhile, Einstein’s chauffeur said to him, “Dr. Einstein, I’ve heard you deliver that lecture on relativity so many times that I’ll bet that I could deliver it myself.” “Very well,” the good Doctor responded, “I’ll give you that opportunity tonight ...

3249. Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

How many of you remember the story of “Stone Soup?” This old folk tale was made into a children’s book in 1947 by Marcia Brown, popularized by Bob Keeshan, aka “Mr. Kangaroo,” in the 50s, 60s and 70s, and somehow still makes the rounds today first among pre-schoolers or early elementary kids. Stone Soup is a classic story that demonstrates how if people come together and share what they have, no one has to go hungry, no one has to be left out in the cold. But “Stone Soup” also demonstrates the practice of ...

3250. Hebrews 11:1-2; 8-16

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Some compositions are meant to be read: the words are most powerful on the page. Other compositions are meant to be spoken: the words best move from the air into the ear to reveal the true nature of their meaning. The author of Hebrews writes extensively about complex issues, theological constructs, the reality of faith. But his message is composed more like a powerful sermon than a progressive exploration of ideas. That is why even though there is no certainty about the author of Hebrews or the audience ...

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