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Showing 3251 to 3275 of 4944 results

3251. In Those Days: The Voice Of The Time Keeper

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

A second is a second is a second, right? But if you’re at the big game it’s amazing what a difference it makes once there’s less than a minute left. Suddenly the scoreboard screams those seconds in fractions. Suddenly the clock moves maddeningly fast if you’re behind and agonizingly slow if you’re ahead. But that’s a product of our digital technology. Sundials, or solar clocks, in the time of Jesus measured time slowly, imperceptivity, even majestically. Complicating things further, the hours weren’t the ...

3252. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

What is God like? We’ve been exploring that question, each time with a different image for an answer. So far, we’ve thought about how God is like the words “I Am,” how God is like a potter and how God is like bread. Today we turn to an image that is probably more familiar than any other for most Christians ― God as parent. The religion of the Hebrews was not the first to regard God as father. Do you remember your Greek mythology, where Zeus was the father of the gods? And though we have no written records ...

3253. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

History records the expression, Athanasius contra mundum — Athanasius against the world. These words aptly express the situation in the fourth-century church when heresy almost reigned supreme — save Athanasius, a bishop who was a persistent and staunch defender of the faith. Athanasius was born into a Christian family in Alexandria, Egypt, in 295 A.D. In his early twenties he was ordained and entered the service of Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria. He accompanied the bishop to the first ecumenical council ...

3254. The Wedding Was Saved, but the Marriage?

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Larry Davies in his book, Sowing Seeds of Faith in a World Gone Bonkers, tells about a wedding he performed once on a wooden boat dock over a beautiful pond in Amelia county, Virginia. To his surprise, on the night before the wedding the bride (we’ll call her Pamela) called to ask him to read a special set of marriage vows to her new husband after the formal ceremony was through. She would give him a copy of the vows just before the service started. The next morning, the groom (we’ll call him Paul) also ...

3255. Tranquil: The Blessed Village on a Hillside

John 6:25-59

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

I am going to tell you a story. Keep in mind that it is just a story. In fact, because it has elements of magical impossibility, it can even be called a fairy tale. As such, it begins with that familiar line common to all good stories and fairy tales. Once upon a time, there was a village named Tranquil. It was an enormously blessed place. Tranquil had no serious problems. There was no homelessness, no food kitchens for the hungry, no street crime, and no white-collar crime. The roads were without potholes ...

3256. Eastern Tribes Return Home

Joshua 22:1-34

Understanding Series

J. Gordon Harris

An Altar Crisis on the Eastern Side of the Jordan River: Joshua closes with three chapters that form an addendum pointing out challenges for the next generation. These chapters include speeches that address concerns of Deuteronomy and use Deuteronomic language. Crises in these passages point toward the book of Judges and the rest of the so-called Deuteronomic History (Samuel and Kings). The closing chapters of Joshua parallel the final chapters of Deuteronomy with its farewell speech of Moses and story of ...

3257. Eschatological Discourse: Being Prepared for Jesus’ Return

Matthew 24:36-51, Matthew 25:1-13

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: Jesus predicts his return (parousia), which will usher in the end of the age and the final judgment, and warns that, because the time of his return is unexpected, his followers should be always ready for his return. Understanding the Text In the latter part of chapter 24 and the first parable in chapter 25, Jesus’ teachings turn from the signs portending the temple’s imminent destruction (24:4–35) to his reappearing (his parousia at the end of the age [see 24:3]), which will occur without warning ...

3258. Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

7:7–11 Earlier in the sermon (6:5–15) Matthew brought together a portion of Jesus’ teaching on the subject of prayer. Now he expands it by stressing how important it is for believers to be persistent in prayer. The present imperatives, “keep on asking,” “keep on seeking,” and “keep on knocking” (Williams) indicate that prayer is not a semi-passive ritual in which we occasionally share our concerns with God. In Luke, the narrative is immediately preceded by the story of the man awakened from sleep at ...

3259. Echoes

Luke 3:21-38

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

When I stand before this text, I hear an echo. What stands out most is the word from heaven as Jesus comes up from the water: "This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him." At another place in scripture where Jesus goes to the mountain with Peter, James, and John to "reveal" himself more pointedly in what we call the transfiguration, suddenly we hear the words of his baptism echo from heaven again: "This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him." The echoes that reverberate from baptismal waters and off the ...

3260. The Blind Guiding The Blind

Psalm 92:1-15, Luke 6:46-49, 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, Isaiah 55:1-13, Luke 6:37-42

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The passage for today has what is described as a parable. It is a one-sentence parable, more like a saying than a typical parable. It is only one or two sentences long. The passage actually contains four such parables or sayings. While the passage is part of a longer discourse of Jesus addressed to "a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people" (Luke 6:17), this section seems more directly addressed to the disciples. The first of the parables or sayings deals with an analogy to a blind ...

3261. Proper 19

Psalm 14:1-7, 1 Timothy 1:12-20, Jeremiah 4:5-31, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

Recovering The Lost Most of us have experienced loss. It may be money or something else of value. It may be a pet or an animal we were raising. It may be a person who rebelled against the family or cut all ties with church and community. Loss always results in sadness. If the loss is due to our carelessness or our actions, we probably have a sinking feeling in the pit of our stomach. It is a combination of guilt and sadness at the same time. Even if the loss may not be of great value, we may spend hours ...

3262. Week Four Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week FourIsaiah 65:17-21John 4:43-54 God Restores Hope In 1935 Bill W. and Dr. Bob lived on the fringes of society. They were drunks spending their nights and many days drinking away the cares of life. Both men needed someone who could help them to regain their dignity and self-worth. They found that special person in each other. The story of the sobriety and recovery to productivity of these two men is the story of the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), an international organization which ...

3263. Time Out

John 12:1-11

Sermon

Robert Beringer

A woman who worked in a high level job for a major corporation experienced a grueling schedule and a lot of pressure. So when she was offered the opportunity to attend a stress reduction seminar, she quickly accepted. However, she soon realized the seminar might not be as helpful as she first thought. The instructor arrived late, out of breath, and announced, "In order to accommodate everyone's busy schedules, this five-day seminar will be speeded up and completed in two days!" In our study of turning ...

3264. A Positive Addiction

Romans 1:1-17

Sermon

Robert R. Kopp

I am not ashamed of the gospel.... - Romans 1:16 You've probably heard about the first group of Scots to hit shore building the First Presbyterian Church and the second group of Scots building the Second Presbyterian Church across the street. Proving ecumenism and even denominational unity to be a myth, it's not uncommon in many parts of America to find Presbyterian churches within spitting distance of each other. That's always the case where the Presbyterian population is dense. That's a taste of the ...

3265. Gifts of Lent IV: Simon Gives His Strength

Mark 15:1-15

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue You need directions to Golgotha, the place Jesus was crucified? Sure, I'd be happy to show you. No, I don't live here in Jerusalem. But I know the path to the cross very well. You see, I helped Jesus carry the cross. Perhaps you could say it was my gift to him. Oh, I didn't consider it a gift at the time, although I do now. At the time, I considered it both an inconvenience and an insult. It was the last thing I wanted to have happen on my pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a trip I might make ...

3266. You Can Be Real

Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

Several years ago our family spent a week as guests at a motel deep in the Appalachian Mountains. The motel manager was a nice enough sort of guy, forty-ish and very talkative. He was an intriguing fellow. The first day there he told my wife of having previously lived in Florida where he worked as a scuba diver. "I only left because I was attacked by a killer shark," he said. "It almost got me. Otherwise, I guess I'd still be there." The following day I was anxious to hear the story for myself. The ...

3267. Proper 24

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, Luke 18:1-8

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:27-34 The promise of a new covenant. Because of their sins, Yahweh sent Judah into captivity. Now in Babylon they are without a nation, homes, and temple. The time is coming for re-building the nation. This, too, is God's work. As the first step in re-building the nation, Yahweh promises a new covenant (testament). The old Mosaic covenant was broken by the people's sins. The new covenant is to replace the old one. It will be a covenant of spirit rather than of law, ...

3268. Proper 25

Exodus 22:16-31, Leviticus 19:1-37, Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Matthew 22:34-46, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; 2:1-16

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Loving God and the neighbor. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Moses goes to the top of Mount Nebo in the land of Moab, where God shows him the promised land. Then he dies and God himself buries him. Joshua inherits the spirit of Moses and the mantel of leadership. He will bring the people into the fulfillment of God's promise. The Deuteronomist summarizes the life of Moses by commenting that there has never since been such a prophet who knew God face to face. Old Testament: Exodus 22:21 ...

3269. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Proverbs 31:10-31, Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18, Malachi 2:1-9, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Being ready for Christ's kingdom. To be prepared, a person need only walk in the light of God's love and invest her/his talents. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Judges 4:1-7 The Israelites were oppressed by the Canaanites. The Hebrews cried out to God, who sent Deborah as prophetess and judge. Deborah sent Barak and a horde of Hebrews against the Canaanite king, Jabin, and his general, Siera. The Hebrews triumphed over the technologically superior enemy army. Old Testament: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 ...

3270. Friday -- The Good One

Hebrews 10:1-18

Sermon

Mark J. Molldrem

A youngster in Sunday School asked the pastor, "If Jesus died on Friday, why do we call it good?" It seems contrary to reason to call this day Good Friday, when congregations around the world remember Jesus' death with black and an empty chancel. Images like these recount the day: forsaken, scorn, thorns, despised, grief, sorrow, wounded, tears, darkness, and death. How can we use a word like good in the same breath? What good can come from Jesus' death on the cross on a day long ago on a hill called "the ...

3271. Proper 15

Mt 15:21-28 · Ex 16:2-15 · Rom 11:13-16, 29-32 · Ps 78

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

The Miracle Of A Woman's Faith In the miracle of Jesus' healing a Canaanite mother's demon-possessed daughter, we confront a different kind of Jesus. Is he the same Jesus whom we often describe as "meek and mild?" Can this be the same man who blesses little children, gives sight to a blind beggar, forgives an adulterous woman, heals a lady by her touch of his garment, and tells the story of a Good Samaritan? Here we experience a Jesus who does not seem to fit into this portrait. He ignores a woman's cry ...

3272. What's a Good God Doing In a World Like This?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

James Weekley

But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth ...

3273. It's Tempting

Mark 1:9-13

Children's Sermon

Object: a wallet full of money. Lesson: Jesus was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. Girls and boys, do you like finding things? It can be fun, and a little bit exciting, to discover something you didn't know was there. Sometimes we dig around in a field or in the back yard or a vacant lot and we find something we didn't know was there. If nobody has their name on it, we can keep it for ourselves. Suppose you were walking down the street one day and you found this. (Show them the billfold.) ...

3274. Have You Accepted Jesus' Invitation?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

George Johnson

This morning I want to talk to you about becoming a Christian - the invitation of Jesus to come and follow him. It is not my intention to judge who is or is not a Christian, or criticize anyone's experience of salvation, or to suggest that you are not already a member of God's family. My intention is rather to allow this text to speak clearly to us about Jesus' invitation. My purpose is to give voice to Jesus' call to discipleship. I approach this text from Matthew with a few assumptions, a few underlying ...

3275. A Farewell Gift

John 14:15-31

Sermon

John M. Braaten

I have never liked saying "goodbye," it always elicits feelings of finality. So I say other things like, "See you!" or "Hope to see you sometime." Most of the time I like quick goodbyes. However, when a loved one leaves there are no formalities. We embrace, sometimes through tears. It is not uncommon to cast out cliches, often with a bit of humor, to lighten the atmosphere. But in the end the word "goodbye" is bound to be spoken. It's a comforting thought really, because it is a shortened form of "God be ...

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