Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3351 to 3375 of 4977 results

3351. Angels in the Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... am not the least bit cheered by the thought of harps. My dear Matilda, who rejected my suit in 1900 for the sake of a common actor, was a competent harpist. To hear the plucking of the strings again can only bring regret and melancholy. ...Lord, I am quite convinced that I shall not be at home in heaven. Is this all You have to offer?” And then the man concludes, “Lord, the thought of being a ghost haunts me!” (London: Epworth Press, 1959, pp. 46-47) No, I do not think that we “become angels” when ...

3352. On Talking to Oneself

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... kindness and love.” (Tintern Abbey) A minister friend in the Detroit Conference was in seminary with me. I once told him of the time in seminary when I was in the depths of despair and a kind word from him touched my life. He couldn’t remember it! That’s quite as it should be. We aren’t expected to tally up our good works and present them as a due bill to God. The people Jesus commended in the parable found in Matthew 25 did not even realize that they were doing a good deed to Him when they fed ...

3353. When Tradition Gets in the Way

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... put rules and regulations before the claim of human need. The commandment of God was that the claim of human love and human ties should come first; the commandment of the scribes was that the claim of legal rules and regulations should come first. Jesus was quite sure that any rule and regulation which prevented a man from giving help where help was needed was nothing less than a contradiction of the law of God. We must have a care that we never allow rules and regulations to paralyze the claims of charity ...

3354. Jesus Out of Character

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... accused Him of being illegitimate. He was despised and rejected Himself. And that is why I cannot accept any explanation of this strange story which has Him despising and rejecting another human being. Say that the story got garbled in translation, say that it never happened quite the way Mark reports it, say that Jesus said these words with a smile on His face, say anything you like, but don’t try to tell me that Jesus ever rejected anyone who sincerely sought for His help. That’s not the Christ I know ...

3355. Knight of the Woeful Countenance

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... .” “No problem,” thought the man, “that’s only $400 a year and that isn’t much nowadays. Why, that’s only $8.00 per week.” So they prayed together, and he promised to give back 10% to the Lord and the Lord’s work. Over the years this man became quite wealthy, and eventually came to the point where he was making almost $100,000 a year! He came to the pastor and said: “I’d like to be released from that promise I made many years ago. One tenth of my income is now $10,000 a year, and I ...

3356. Are We Able?

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... confidence and self-assurance! These guys must have just finished reading Norman Vincent Peale’s famous book, THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING. (A seminary professor of mine used to say that “Those who find Peale appealing would find Paul appalling.” That’s not quite fair to either Peale or Paul, but you get the drift). Jesus wasn’t inviting the disciples to a church picnic. Were they wrong? Of course they were. Mark makes that abundantly clear. He tells us in graphic detail just what happened when ...

3357. Palm Sunday (Prologue)

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... Passion Week, the crowds lined the streets, and you almost get the impression of a ticker-tape parade down Broadway. But when the broad way of the crowds became the narrow way of the cross, the clamor died down and they began to sing a quite different tune. “Hosanna!” became “Crucify!” One can only ask: “Where were the crowds a few days later when Jesus really needed them?” Where were the well-wishers when He was in anguish in Gethsemane? Where were they hiding when Jesus was being beaten and ...

3358. Holy Tuesday

Mark 11:27-33

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... it is good, some of it is harmless, some of it is downright awful! The question is: will we obey Him? I have a rabbi friend who says that God doesn’t even care whether or not we believe in Him, just so we obey Him. I might not go quite that far, but it is an interesting idea. Jesus did say that He was not so much impressed with people who call Him “Lord, Lord,” as with those who actually try to do what he said. (Luke 6:46) In Shakespeare’s KING LEAR, (Act 1, Scene 4) the banished ...

3359. Who Is the Light of Your Life? (I am the light of the world)

John 8:12-30

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... window from his bed. One evening found Stevenson doing exactly that. These were the days before electric lights and timers. Robert Louis Stevenson saw the town lamplighter coming along the street. As the lamplighter lit the street lights in succession, he was quite overwhelmed. He wrote in his journal about the lamplighter who went along "punching holes in the darkness." According to our lesson today--and various other places in scripture--this was the mission of Jesus Christ--to punch holes in the darkness ...

3360. The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed be Thy Name

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... region. They all laughed and said, "With all the modern chemicals and machinery we have available now, we can just eliminate that position." So they did. They were proud of themselves. During the first year, people began to notice that the water wasn't quite as sparkling as before, but "sparkle" wasn't all that important. During the second year, the people noticed that the water had changed color, and some even mentioned that there had been more sickness that year than in past years. During the third year ...

3361. The Lord's Prayer: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... others who are opposed to it. This story is a reminder that very few people really put God at the center of life and events and look at him with the eye of faith to see how they might live here on earth for the Glory of God. To be quite honest with you, there are times when I do not easily "run" for the kingdom of God. I am committed to it, but without prayer, the reading of the word of God, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, I am positive I would have adopted other platforms than those ...

3362. The Lord's Prayer: Deliver us from Evil

Matthew 6:5-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . There are birds of song and birds of prey." You see, the trouble with weeds is that they do not seem to understand that they are not welcome. They come uninvited. No good farmer wants them in his wheat field, but there they are! He would not mind them quite so much if they would stay outside the fence line, or along the road, but they are never content with that. They insist on invading the field. The same is true about life. Evil would not be a problem for us if we could always count on it staying ...

3363. GIVE ME YOUR SINS: The First Word

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... . Yes, we often do hold onto grudges and desires for vengeance like they were valued treasure--but it is a type of treasure that will bury us without hope or love. Perhaps some of you have heard about a woman who was rushed to the emergency room because she was quite ill. After a battery of tests, the resident on duty told her "I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that I have found out why you are ill. The bad news is that you have an advanced case of rabies, for which there is no ...

3364. What Is Your Response toe the Resurrection?

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , spied his companion a short way off, and asked, "Where are we?" His companion replied, "Oh, about a hundred yards further than last year." (1) We all know that if you look hard enough, you will find evidence of a Good Friday world still operating quite strongly in our world today. The forces of evil displayed during Holy Week can be the defining orientation and focus of your life if you allow it. However, you will not be the first person to become disappointed at Easter. When Mary Magdalene first arrived ...

3365. Half-Time is Now Over

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... the extra-ordinary. No matter how ordinary life is, it becomes "extra-ordinary" when the risen Christ is revealed to us. Dr. Tony Campolo, in his film series, You Can Make a Difference, tells the story of a Christian colleague with a PhD. in English Literature who quit his job and became a mailman because Christ opened up a new tomorrow in his life. Tony went to the man’s apartment to try to persuade him to change his mind. Here is how Tony describes that encounter: Tony says, "I couldn’t change his ...

3366. Your Faith: Winning or Whining?

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... of the greatest books for hours of discouragement, defeat, or depression, because it emphasizes the character and the qualities of Jesus Christ. If we see him as he is, we cannot help but be strong in faith. When we are strong in the faith, we have no desire to quit after the first lap, because it is now our desire to follow the King of the Road wherever he wishes us to serve and share. THIRDLY, YOU KNOW YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST IS FRUITFUL AND GROWING WHEN YOU BEGIN TO TRUST HIM FOR THE SMALL THINGS OF LIFE ...

3367. Blank Walls or Filled Lives (Part V)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... off and to wish them safety and a good catch. By mid afternoon, the waves were rolling higher than usual. A sharp, brisk wind whipped little spits of salty spray into the faces of the rugged man and his teenage boys. The wind increased; the waves grew quite large. The storm caused the little boat to toss and pitch as the three rowed desperately to get back to shore. The fierce storm put out the light in the lighthouse on shore, leaving the fishermen groping in the dark. Meanwhile, in the kitchen of their ...

3368. Facing Difficult Decisions in Life! Part VI

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... and said, `Bad luck, good luck, who is to say?'' "Two days later, the horse came back from the mountains, and with him were six wild horses that he had met on the steppes. The old farmer was able to corral all seven of these creatures, which was quite an economic bonanza. "The word got around the village. The villagers came at night and said to him, `So glad to hear about your good luck, about all the animals that you now have.'' "Again, the old farmer shrugged and said, `Good luck, bad luck, who is to ...

3369. Emptying and Exalting (Part XI)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... time to introduce her children to the larger world. So she gathered her brood of little mice together and set out for a walk. They walked down the hall and made a turn to the right. They went down a little further and made another turn to the right. Then, quite by surprise, they came upon the family''s cat, dozing in the sunlight. Well, the mother mouse was scared. But she didn't give in to her fright. She crept forward ever so slowly. Just as she was about to get past the cat, however, the cat''s eyes ...

3370. The Importance of the Second Violin

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... difficult position to fill in the orchestra?" He thought for a while and replied, "The position of the second violin." It seems that everyone prefers the prestige of the first violin. However, for the musical sound to be complete there is a need for the second violin. Quite often our family goes to New York City to see a Broadway play. If you look closely in the playbill, every starring role is backed up by an understudy. The position is crucial. You must have someone who can step in when the star or head ...

3371. The Servant Who Delivered the Mail

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... name, it was common in the era and culture he lived in. It is certainly not a common name today. As Max Lucado shares: "`Epaphro-what-us?'' you say. Just ask the apostle Paul. He''ll give you the correct pronunciation. He''ll also give quite a character reference. To describe this fellow with the five-syllable name, Paul used more succinct words, like brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and messenger. You don''t earn eulogies like these from appearing at an occasional youth rally or showing up at church ...

3372. The Destructive Power of Dis-Unity

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... to me than any other tool. When I can''t bring down my victim with any of the rest of these tools, I use discouragement, because so few people realize that it belongs to me." The enemy of joy is discouragement. It causes one to want to quit running the good race and fighting the good fight. Specialists have wondered why Canadian geese always fly in a "V" formation, so their engineers did a study on the subject. They discovered that the flapping of each goose''s wings provided an upward lift for the goose ...

3373. The Test of a True Testimony

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... and together they walked up to the former Methodist''s fence. He was looking down at the steak on the grill and said, for all to hear, "You were born a steer. You were raised a steer. Now you are a fish!" James knew that it was not quite that easy. The only way that a Christian could grow was by "being quick to listen" as recorded in verse 19. James knew that every church had a "jawbone," but he also knew that great talkers are rarely good listeners, and listening is crucial to spiritual growth. James ...

3374. The Temptation to Talk Transformation

James 2:14-26

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... first-person story: On the street, I saw a small girl, cold and shivering in a thin dress, with little hope for a decent meal. I became ANGRY and said to God, "Why did you PERMIT this?" For a while, God said nothing. That night, He replied quite suddenly, "I certainly DID something about it. I made YOU!" This is exactly what James is sharing in this lesson. In verses 20-26, James demonstrates how ridiculous it would have been for Abraham and Rahab to have faith--but not act upon that faith. A Salvation ...

3375. The Telling Trademarks of Truth

James 3:13-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... any use? Answer: Someone thinks so. The tunnel contains the ideal growing conditions, a businessman says, for growing mushrooms. Now some of us must think about this. A multi-multi-multi-million dollar tunnel built to discover the secrets of the universe will quite likely end up being used as a mushroom farm." (1) This is exactly what James is teaching us in his instructional manual today: there is a great difference between knowledge and wisdom. There is a trademark of truth that cannot be denied. Only ...

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