Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3251 to 3275 of 4963 results

3251. Proper 23

Psalm 106:1-48, Philippians 4:2-9, Matthew 22:1-14, Exodus 32:1-33:6

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... that case. Rather, he assumes it and labors in passages like this lesson to inform the Church that as believers we, too, are liable to divine judgment. As Matthew views it, the Church is a mixture of good and bad, and for the time-being that condition remains. But Matthew does not understand that the mixture is permanent. There will come a time when the bad will be exposed for what it is. That act of judgment, Matthew reminds us, will be the work of God. We cannot tell from the text whether Matthew is ...

3252. Proper 27

Joshua 24:1-27, Psalm 78:1-72, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Matthew 25:1-13

Sermon Aid

Soards, Dozeman, McCabe

... the Lord. This would seem to call for the use of "God Moves in a Mysterious Way," with its stanza Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. For these remaining Sundays in the year the conclusion of I Thessalonians, which does not appear in the lectionary, may serve appropriately as a benediction: "May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the ...

3253. Transfiguration

Psalm 2:1-12, Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... the reality of Christ, the importance of scripture, and the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian thought and life; and all such reflection should be cast in the context of the community of faith. Matthew 17:1-9 - "The One Who Remains" Setting. Matthew locates the crucial account of the Transfiguration toward the end of the narrative portion of the fourth section of his treatment of the ministry of Jesus. The incident is deliberately linked with the foregoing events: Peter's declaration at Caesarea Philippi ...

3254. Commentary for Matthew 4: 1-11

Matthew 4:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... experience his own span of wilderness wandering. But he will face his tests with a different outcome. Whereas the old Israel was incapable of keeping their trust in God and their commitment to the covenant, Jesus as the new Israel remains steadfast and his fidelity to God unwavering. Although God was the tester of Israel in the wilderness, the devil proctors Jesus’ exam. Matthew refers first to “the devil” (“diabolos”), but then switches to “the tester” or “tempter” (“peirazon”) which ...

3255. Strangely Warmed

John 3:1-21

Illustration

Leonard H. Budd

... years earlier. But now, at age 35, he first discovered his spirit-being "strangely warmed." The message of God's love had penetrated his mind in such a way that - with a third of his earthly life already over - he was now a changed person. That personal experience shaped the remaining two-thirds of his years upon this earth. That is what Jesus was talking about when he met with Nicodemus.

3256. We Don't Have To Do Anything About It, Do We?

Matthew 21:1-11

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... ' teachings, about his miracles, then about his crucifixion, and then about his resurrection. Finally he informed her that he had decided to become a disciple of Jesus. In her letter of response, Diana said, "What I feared was that it might affect you. It is a beautiful story. Let it remain so. We don't have to do anything about it, do we?" Oh yes, we do, Diana.

3257. The Great Leap of Faith

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Eric Ritz

... It seemed that the Roman authorities had taken their fondest hopes and greatest dreams from them on Good Friday. They were living as victims--when God had achieved for them the victory. How tragic it is for Christian believers to continue to fight the Good Friday battle and always remain a victim when we could claim the resurrection power of Christ and be a victor. However, I understand that it does take a leap of faith to believe that Christ has won the big war when our world looks the way it does today.

3258. Changed Lives - Simon Peter (Maundy Thursday)

John 13:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... . As he sat in his booth a little ways away from the counter, Craddock wrestled with whether to say something to chide this manager for his shameful, racist conduct. Meanwhile the black man quickly slurped down some coffee and fled into the darkness. Craddock remained silent. “I didn’t say anything,” he confessed. “I quietly paid my bill, left the diner, and headed back to my car. But as I walked through the parking lot, somewhere in the distance, I heard a rooster crow.” One Sunday Fred Craddock ...

3259. Looking Into the Eyes of the Risen Christ

John 20:11-18

Sermon

James W. Moore

... boys are still there. The others have run off, terrified. She lifts her eye-patch and one of the boys sees himself as an old, old man falling off a ladder. It scares the dickens out of him… and he and his brother run home in fear. Now, only Edward remains. What should he do? Does he really want to look into her eye? Does he really want to know? On the one hand, knowing how you are going to die could “spook you out”… but on the other hand, you would know that you are going to survive everything else ...

3260. Jesus Wuvs Me and Dat's Dat

John 15:1-5

Sermon

James W. Moore

... so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish. So, the point is clear… If we are to stay alive and well, if we are to thrive and produce good fruit in this world, if we are to remain spiritually healthy and whole… then here’s the formula in John 15… stay connected to the true vine… stay connected to Christ’s servant mentality, stay connected to Christ’s great promise to always be with us and stay connected to Christ’s amazing grace remembering ...

3261. What in the World Are We Doing?

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... to his death. The night passed, the next day, the next night. Some couldn’t stand the strain and took their lives. Others were led away insane. Heart-broken, the Millerlites returned to their homes they had neglected… and to crops that had remained unharvested. In recent years, we have seen tragic examples of this world rejection approach in… - Jim Jones’ Jonestown where over 900 people died in a mass suicide in November of 1978, - David Koresh’s Branch Davidians tragedy in Waco in April of 1993 ...

3262. There's an Elephant in the Room and Her Name Is Katrina

Exodus 14:10-15

Sermon

James W. Moore

... knows that he can’t blame anybody else anymore and that when he takes responsibility for his own life… that his community will help him, his family will help him, his church will help him… and God will help him too. Now, one final response to trouble remains to be listed… the response of Moses. Moses said: V. “LET’S GO FORWARD… TRUSTING GOD.” Though caught between the Pharoah and the deep Red Sea, Moses did not give up, he did not quit, he did not throw in the towel… No, he trusted God and ...

3263. Changed Lives - Thomas

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... of crisis know that God sometimes hides Himself from us. Why? I don’t know. Again, maybe it’s because that is the only way God could help us grow spiritually into souls worthy to spend eternity with Him. People who do not struggle with their faith remain forever spiritual adolescents. The important thing is this: all saints of God go through times of doubt. But do not let the world mislead you. “This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the ...

3264. To Be a Christian

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

James McCormick

... of a variety of inclinations and opinions. In fact, there are no two sheep exactly alike. Perhaps the one thing we all have in common is that we all belong to the same shepherd, and we all respond to the same voice. I am sure that I could not long remain a Christian apart from the family of God. I need you. We need each other. It is in the gathered company of believers that Christ is most alive and life giving. Why would anyone want to belong to Christ without belonging to his church? It is from the church ...

3265. From A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23

John 10:1-10

Illustration

Phillip Keller

... makes the difference in their destiny. I have known some of the wealthiest men on this continent intimately—-also some of the leading scientists and professional people. Despite their dazzling outward show of success, despite their affluence and their prestige, they remained poor in spirit, shriveled in soul, and unhappy in life. They were joyless people held in the iron grip and heartless ownership of the wrong master. By way of contrast, I have numerous friends among relatively poor people—-people who ...

3266. Responding to the Spirit, Responding in the Spirit

John 14:15-21; Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

Thomas Long

... media mavens moved in for interviews, pushing themselves to think of clever questions to ask a presidential candidate on the way out of a Southern Baptist Church -- "Did you like the sermon?" "Did you enjoy the choir this morning?" "Do you plan to remain a Baptist in Washington?" -- on and on the banal questions spewed. Suddenly, a reporter, probably in a stroke of luck, shouted out a question that genuinely mattered: "Mr. Carter, suppose when you are President, you get into a situation where the laws of ...

3267. EXEGESIS: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 6:6-11

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... predator. The fearful power of evil, those principalities and powers opposed to the reign of God and the source of the hardship and harm heaped upon the Christian community, is the very reason they must "resist" or "oppose" the enemy and remain "steadfast" in faithfulness. While the strength of the enemy is formidable, 1 Peter encourages the Christians of Asian Minor to find their own strength in remembering that their "brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering ...

3268. Waves of Worry

Illustration

Adrian Dieleman

A submarine was being tested and had to remain submerged for many hours. When it returned to the harbor, the captain was asked, "How did the terrible storm last night affect you?" The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm? We didn't even know there was one!" The sub had been so far beneath the surface ...

3269. A Dead Balloon

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

Brian Stofregen

... of power. It's flat. There's no more "spirit/breath" within it. On one hand we are not like that balloon. Jesus promises that the Spirit will be with us forever. We will never run out of the Spirit's power. The Spirit given to you in baptism remains forever. On the other hand, over and over again in Acts, we read that certain disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Their filling didn't just happen once, but over and over again. So we also need to be refilled. Weekly we return to church as a refilling ...

3270. The Writing on the Wall: A Poem for Mother’s Day

2 Timothy 1:5

Illustration

... she got, Then stomped from his room, totally distraught! She headed for the den to confirm her fears. When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears. The message she read pierced her soul with a dart. It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart. Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it, With an empty picture frame hung to surround it. A reminder to her, and indeed to all, Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.

3271. The Play's Playbook for the Game of Life

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... first down, and Stanford marched down the field. In four plays they got to the 18 yard line. With eight seconds to go, the field goal kick was up . .. And good. Stanford had won the game, 20-19, and the crowds went crazy. Or had they? Only four seconds remained on the clock, so Stanford had to kick off, even as their fans started crashing the sidelines and the band walked onto the field. But this is where the game became The Game. [If you can show the YouTube clip of the game at this point, super. If you ...

3272. The 3 Rs of a Holy Life

2 Corinthians 13:1-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... today where the trinity of evils, the world, the flesh and the devil, are at work. Maybe it is your work place. Maybe it is your school. Maybe it is your neighborhood. Maybe it is your family. Maybe it is your church. Paul’s directive remains: “Greet each other with a holy kiss.” Be in genuine, Christ-directed relationship with all those around you. You are to respect those who are before you. You are responsible for your actions to these others. You are in relationship to these others. There are ...

3273. Be of One Mind

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... messy. But it is terrific compared to every other form of government. It succeeds not because everyone agrees on everything, but because we do not. In every democracy there are people on both the left and the right. That is, there are some who want everything to remain the same while there are others who want the system radically changed. Then there are a host of people in between. At times one side is in control and then, for a time, the other is in control. We swing one way and then back to the other ...

3274. Keeping the Christian Faith

Matthew 6:25-34

Illustration

Michael B. Brown

... the story is anything but. Sometimes in life it is all too difficult to find someone to trust, someone to believe in. Even spouses, parents and dearest of friends can let us down. But the Christian faith teaches that when all the others have come and gone, God remains constant -- "the same yesterday, today and forever." God is always in our corner, always as close as a prayer, always loving us whether or not we deserve it and always willing to carry the heavy end of each of our crosses if asked. "If God so ...

3275. Immune to Religion

Matthew 7:1-6

Illustration

Dennis Kastens

Sir Alexander Fleming, upon introducing his newly discovered drug, penicillin, warned against taking too little of it. An underdose, he said would permit germs to remain in the system thereby allowing one to build up an immunity to the drug. These immune germs could be "passed on to other individuals so that the thoughtless person playing with penicillin treatments may be responsible for the death of another" if not himself as well. Something similar to this ...

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