Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3326 to 3350 of 4957 results

3326. When "Well Done" Is Rare

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... strategy for life employed by the one talent servant. There was a very cautious man who never laughed or played. He never risked, he never tried. He never sang or prayed. And when he passed away, his insurance was denied. For since he never really lived, they claim he never died. You cannot reach your full potential with your efforts crippled by caution. Mark Twain once said, "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." The one talent servant in our lesson tonight sure ...

3327. Worry Wart or Winning Warrior

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... surrender because they are coming at us with EverReady flashlights." Often we surrender our priorities in life because we attempt to solve problems with only our limited resources. The tragedy of most of our lives is that we worry so much about tomorrow that we never claim the resources that God has provided to live today. Don''t let the mountain of your life scare you from beginning the first step of the journey. My friends, in light of the worries and anxieties which life in the 1990s will set before us ...

3328. The Noteworthy Witness of a Widow

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . I have never seen one shelter for homeless people run or sponsored by the Atheist International, or "Unbelievers United Against Hunger and Homelessness." Yes, organized religion is always better than disorganized religion. Third, let me ask a penetrating question. Can anyone present today claim they can out-give God? Let me explain! A nine-year-old boy resented having to do chores for his mother. One day after he had cut the lawn, babysat for his little sister, and cleaned up his room, he was told to ...

3329. Preparing for Something Big

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... looked forward eagerly to the return of Jesus. They were not frightened by it. In fact, they expected it to happen in their lifetime. If there were any problems, it was disappointment when Jesus' return did not happen when they thought it would. Secondly, those who claim that the return of Jesus will be "terrifying" are misinterpreting the words of Jesus! Jesus was saying that God's final kingdom will come with such power that the forces of evil will be toppled. What does all this have to do with our daily ...

3330. Only Sex? (New)

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... deal. It’s a physical need like hunger and thirst. It’s not important spiritually. Meanwhile unplanned pregnancies yield a staggering harvest of unwanted children and guilt-inducing abortions. Sexually-transmitted diseases run rampant among young people. AIDS claims thousands of lives. Young marriages founder when couples confront the truth that all they had in common in their courting years was a sexual relationship. Adult singles dread the dating scene because of the degrading sexual demands it often ...

3331. Listen to Him

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... out of the park. But that day, Lou Gehrig did hit a home run. In fact, he hit two home runs. July 4, 1939, the New York Yankees celebrated Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium. He was already stricken with the debilitating disease that would claim his life. A huge crowd gathered at Yankee Stadium to pay their respects. The governor was there, the mayor, and many other celebrities. Just before Gehrig was asked to address the crowd, Tim--by this time 12 years--old, walked out of the dugout, dropped ...

3332. He Came by Night

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... "eternal life," or to the "Kingdom of God," or to "rebirth" -- you can call it what you want. The important thing is that you take Jesus seriously. I did that. Not all at once, but eventually, so that when he was crucified I was among those who were unafraid to claim his body and prepare it for burial. I had learned from him that I didn't have to be afraid or cautious any longer. I can say now that I am not ashamed to call him my teacher and to believe what he said. I am convinced that Jesus makes ...

3333. When Nothing Is Everything

Mark 12:35-40

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... the dark, cramped, poverty-stricken, wealth-cursed corners of our world. God grant that it may be so. God grant that our Lord Jesus will say of us, "Out of their poverty they gave everything they had, all they had to live on. And by my grace, their nothing I claim as everything." Amen. 1. Martin Luther, The Small Catechism in Contemporary English (Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1979), p. 13.

3334. Birthing the Kingdom

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... may confidently step into the world with the Good News, knowing that Jesus had indeed won the war; but they aren't to be fooled. Battles and dangers loom ahead, as sinful people and broken creation itself fight a rearguard action against Christ's claim upon them. In Jesus' opening words, heard today, he sketches out several threats. Later he'll deal with some of them at greater length. Some of the dangers are associated with a singular disaster that was looming upon them: the destruction of the Temple ...

3335. Waiting for Godot?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... let them down, Christians are convinced that none of them -- not the least among them -- need ever fear that he or she is living a life without purpose. Unfortunately this happy conviction is not shared by those who have dismissed the claim of Christ upon their lives. Someone has suggested an imaginary conversation between inhabitants of Mars and residents of earth. After communication has been established, the Martians describe themselves as "beings inhabiting a planet which is the home of creatures who ...

3336. The Source

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... in Lincoln, Nebraska, had reached an agreement with pornographer Don Parisi, who wanted to donate his Internet domain name madonna.com to the hospital. But the agreement was voided because the singer Madonna filed and won a complaint to claim the domain name. Her publicist boldly asserted that she "happens to be the most famous Madonna in the world." Something must have happened, though, because the address madonna.com does take you to the MadonnaRehabilitationHospital. Of course the actress ...

3337. Grace in the Midst of Hopelessness

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... recruits us to intercede for each other. Disciples of Jesus are called to experience and to share God's grace, even in circumstances that seem to scream out a reality of hopelessness. Author and church leader Lee Strobel, in his book God's Outrageous Claims, recounts an incident from his days as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, where he helped bring to light the sometimes-deadly consequences of riding in a Ford Pinto. From time to time this compact car would burst into flames when struck from behind ...

3338. Grace in the Midst of Exasperation

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... 't foul out." Imagine what it would be like if you were awarded the Olympic gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle -- which every four years showcases the world's fastest aquatic athletes -- even though you don't know how to swim. All you would have to do to claim the status of "fastest swimmer on planet earth" is show up at the medal ceremony, cry a little bit during the National Anthem, and then head for the post-race party. That's what God has done for us. If we enter a relationship with Jesus, then we are ...

3339. Grace in the Midst of Guilt and Shame

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... . Isaiah 61's spirit of heaviness -- the spirit of despair -- is like the entanglement of clinging clothes. Ours is a culture on the verge of drowning under the weight of unresolved burdens of personal guilt and shame. Despite our claims of post-Enlightenment wisdom and the keenest insights of the therapeutic industry, American society seems singularly ill-equipped to peel these burdens away. Guilt and shame, furthermore, are tricky animals. As feelings they are frequently experienced out of proportion ...

3340. Lethal Weapon

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... Testament stories of creation. The author moves from the taming of the animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea to the cursing of fellow humans who have been created in God's likeness. The image presented contains a profound theological statement. One of the amazing claims of the Bible's account of creation is that humans as well as all of life were created by God's word. God spoke and things were created. God's word stirred life into being. The Bible also maintains that we are to be co-creators ...

3341. The Battle of the Wisdoms

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... or even "better" or "worse."1 There are only our responses to these choices based on our perceptions of what is best, eventuating in only a difference to us in ways that we can measure and appreciate. The book of James attempts to refute the claims of personal preference. The author distinguishes between two types of wisdom: that which is "from above" and that which does not come down "from above." Here is a clarion call for a battle between two wisdoms, Godly and human. James seeks to stress the importance ...

3342. The Achilles' Heel of the Church

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... the medical, psychological, physical, and spiritual aspects of life in manageable shape. We have peace between the churches and the hospitals. We have not only peace but a wholesome alliance between the best of our Christian traditions and the spiritual claims of Eastern religions. Meditation and yoga are now practiced in church gymnasia by brown-bagging business people during lunch hours. From preachers who view the scriptures as "Gospel Medicine,"2 to the readers of Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh, whose ...

3343. Good News!

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... amazement, when he finished, he stated: "Today this scripture is fulfilled!" Who would have thought that God would appear in Nazareth, of all places? Who would have thought God would come down to dirty old Nazareth? They didn't rejoice or celebrate when Jesus made that claim in Nazareth. He was just a hometown boy. Their response was to rush him out of the service and try to throw him off a cliff. The people of Nazareth were scandalized by the offer of unlimited grace and therefore did not receive the "good ...

3344. Morning Has Broken

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... Did we somehow lose God along the way, and in his place there is now chaos? Our God is a God who brings order and meaning out of chaos. That is the essence of creation which simply confirms that, even in chaos and the way life is, it can be claimed and redeemed by God. Creation out of chaos must be understood as an ongoing work God has begun and continues. It began in the creative mind of God and continues even now as the Creator God works to bring meaning and order out of our chaotic world and lives that ...

3345. The Gospel According to Johan

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... mark. This "Scrooge" doesn't have a heart for the people. So here's the question for you and me: If Jesus came to save the people of Kabul, New York, London, Tokyo, and all people everywhere, what kind of love should we show others if we claim to experience God's love? God asks Jonah this question; "And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?" (Jonah ...

3346. How to Recognize a Prophet

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... at ... The Prophetic Message The message that the true prophet will proclaim is God's message. This prophet will speak everything that God commands him. How will the people know who the true prophet is if there are several voices claiming to proclaim truth? Israel continually faced the problem of distinguishing false prophets from true prophets. There were two characteristics that distinguished the message of the true prophet from false prophets. First, the false prophet spoke in the names of other gods ...

3347. The Right Word For Memorial

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... say to us. But how do we appropriate that word? How do we bring those silent voices -- those now quiet lives into the living present. "This is Life Eternal," He said, "to know the Father and to know me whom the Father has sent." Let's use Jesus' claim about himself as our way of allowing the memorial word to become flesh in us. Earlier in his conversation with the disciples there in the upper room, he was trying to tell them about his death and resurrection, about his going away to prepare a place for them ...

3348. The Church: Identity And Function

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... deeds. We are witnesses. The function of the Christian is gathered up in one of the most signaled doctrines of Protestantism, the priesthood of all believers. It is our most talked about and our least practiced doctrine. All of us are priests. Every person here today who claims to be a Christian is a priest. And what is the function of a priest. It is twofold. First, we speak to the people for God. Now that’s our primary task. Everyone of us is a priest and we have the opportunity and the responsibility ...

3349. A Guiding Presence

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... And sooner or later, that house of clay will crumble around you. A second big feeling which comes when we go quiet within because we sense no guidance and register no response from God is the gnawing, devastating suspicion that prayer is meaningless and people claim far more about its power and effectiveness than they actually experience. Now be honest, be honest. Haven’t you been there? I have. That’s what the psalmist is saying. “What hurts me most is this. That God is no longer powerful.” Do you ...

3350. Being Christ

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... when he raised him from the dead.” Now the share he offers which is the key phrase in that passage is our share in the life of Christ, which is the heritage of all Christians, and the power which raised Jesus from the dead, which can be claimed by us. Paul talks about this especially in terms of our sharing the resurrection of Christ. This prayer makes it clear that the spiritual life is a life guided by and empowered by the same spirit that guided and empowered Jesus. The spirit is the breath of Christ ...

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