Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3376 to 3400 of 4490 results

3376. What If It Is True?

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Well here we are already, the fourth Sunday in Advent. Christmas is just a few days away now. If you have noticed the sequence of lessons read here in church during these four weeks, they begin the first Sunday with longing, and expectation, and the hope that God will send a savior, a Messiah. Each week we move closer to that event that we as Christians believe is the event in which God kept that promise to send a savior, the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem. It was here at Bethlehem, we believe, that God ...

3377. Advent 1

Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:8-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 2:1-5 (C, RC, E) In the "latter days" all the nations will come to Yahweh and make peace. This passage is repeated in Micah 4:1-3. Scholars claim that it was a later insertion. It tells us what will happen in the latter days, the end-time of earth. The house of the Lord, or Yahweh, will be the highest mountain and center of the earth. All nations will come to him for instruction in the Torah. Yahweh will "judge between the nations" in terms not of punishment but of the ...

3378. Epiphany 5

Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Isaiah 58:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) A comparison of proper and improper fasting. The passage, written by Trito-Isaiah in the sixth century B.C., deals with the returned exiles in Jerusalem where conditions were deplorable. In those days fasting was used to express great sorrow or supplication. This encourages many fasts, but God seemingly did nothing! Why not? What kind of fasting is acceptable to God? One type of fasting produces no divine results: ceremonial fasting without regard for human ...

3379. Proper 16

Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 11:33-36, Romans 12:1-8, Isaiah 51:1-16, Exodus 2:1-10, Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 1:8-2:10 The birth of Moses. The story of the Patriarchs ended with Joseph's bringing the Hebrews to Egypt. In due time they multiplied until they became a threat to the Egyptians. The story of the Exodus begins with the birth of Moses who was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. The next ten readings will take us from Moses' birth, to the release from Egypt, to the wilderness wanderings for forty years, to Moses' death. Old Testament: Isaiah 22:19-23 Worthy and unworthy leaders ...

3380. Building Our Foundation on God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

"I'd sell my soul to play for the Washington Senators." Joe Hardy, the protagonist in the popular Broadway musical, Damn Yankees, says these words in a fit of frustration. Joe is what we call today an average middle-aged couch potato. He sits in front of his television and watches baseball and most of the time his beloved team, the Senators, are defeated by "those damn New York Yankees." Joe always wanted to play ball but things just did not work out that way. Marriage, children, and work occupied the life ...

3381. Will You Give Christ Your Supper?

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

The world scene today is as frightening and desperate, as needy and inexplicable as I've ever seen it. There is a bewildering global economy that's sucking jobs overseas and lengthening unemployment lines. India and Pakistan are on the brink of war and armed with nuclear warheads. There is a threat of terrorism in every subway, stadium, and cockpit. A younger generation is adorned with spiked hair and grunge clothing; they are pierced, painted, and ready to party. Add that to Korea's intransigence, Africa' ...

3382. The Chair

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

"God is our refuge and strength." These opening words of Psalm 46 are almost the signature words of this hymnbook we call The Psalms. "God is our refuge and strength . . . The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge . . . Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, though the mountains move in the midst of the sea." Here's a hymn that celebrates one fact, one foundation on which you can build your life: God is with us. No matter that the earth shakes, and the mountains move, ...

3383. Keep on Praying

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anyone here this morning trying to housebreak a new puppy? If you've ever tried to housebreak a new puppy, you know that the key to success is consistency. You must always take the puppy out the moment it wakes. You must never let it whine and look like it needs to go without whisking the little creature outside. And if you let the puppy get away with any indoor accidents, you can bet that it will return to the scene of the crime for a repeat version of its indiscretion. The same absolute consistency is ...

3384. Quarterback 101

Jeremiah 32:1-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Any fans here this morning lucky enough to have your favorite baseball team in a division play-off? Anyone want to predict who's going to play in the World Series? (Customize your opening interactive to your own setting. If you don't want to make this an interactive moment, you can redo in narrative form.) For you it's still baseball season. For the rest of us, our days of summer are done and it's definitely time for football. Football is a sport that can easily fill up every part of a fall weekend. High ...

3385. Someone to Watch over Me

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anybody here remember how much you always wanted your parents to watch you when you were little? Go back in time. Remember swimming at the local pool as a child? No matter how poor or perfect your swimming skills, you always kept on eye on Mom or Dad so you could catch their attention. Whether you were diving, dog paddling, or just hanging on the edge practice-kicking, your refrain was a constant "Watch this!" "Watch this!" "Watch me!" "Watch me again!!!" All of us were anxious to gain parental approval, ...

3386. The Ultimate Happy Meal

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Can you guess what this is? (Have on hand a McDonald's Happy Meal for a show-and-tell.) Chicken nuggets, French-fries, something to drink, and most important of all – a schlocky piece of plastic that, at least for the next five minutes, spins, bounces, whirls, rolls, or whistles better than any other toy on earth. You know what it is: a McDonald's Happy Meal. Is there alive in North America an adult who's ever spent a lunch hour with a child without feeling compelled to buy a Happy Meal at some time or ...

3387. Christianity's First Sermon

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Theme: On this Christ the King Sunday, we remember how Jesus, “the King of the Jews,” wants to be Jesus, “the King of hearts” in each of our lives. The Word-Made-Flesh . .. Exegesis of Luke 23:33-43 Today is “Christ the King Sunday.” The Sunday before Advent begins its four week count-down to the crib of the infant Jesus. In the church’s liturgical calendar this is the Sunday we celebrate Christ’s divine kingship, his ruling authority over all of creation. Then we try not to get whiplash as we turn the ...

3388. Get Out of Your Big Pickup Truck!

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A few years ago, just before Thanksgiving, Tom Lind, a salesman from Montana, was making his rounds, traveling his regular route along the southern Oregon coast. As usual he was in his older model pickup, piggybacked with his small camper. Looking to continue his route south and east, Lind made a fateful spur-of-the-moment decision. He opted to take the scenic route. Only a few miles on this blue highway, however, the elevation rose rapidly and good ol' Oregon drizzle transformed into swirling snowflakes. ...

3389. Jesus' Forty Days, and Ours

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

James McCormick

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all begin their stories of the adult Jesus at the Jordan River, where he is baptized by his cousin John. In baptism, Jesus identifies with us, and with all people everywhere. And, there, at the baptism, God said, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” At the beginning of the story, the gospel writer wants to make it clear who this is he is telling about: this is Jesus, the son of God! What a powerful beginning to the story! Jesus knew, as he must have known for some ...

3390. Proper 14

Genesis 37:1-11, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:30--10:21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament texts explore the power of God in history. Genesis 37 introduces the story of Joseph and Psalm 105 reviews Israel's entire history of salvation. Genesis 37:1-4, 12-36 - "The Power of Oppression" Setting. The Old Testament lessons for the next two Sundays come from the story of Joseph. The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 provides a hinge between the preceding ancestral stories of Abraham and Sarah-Hagar, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Rachel-Leah Genesis 12-36), and ...

3391. Thanksgiving Day, North America

Luke 17:11-19, Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Psalm 65:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Deuteronomy 8:7-18 is a sermon by Moses calling Israel to remember that their good life in the land is a gift from God. Psalm 65 is a hymn. Deuteronomy 8:7-18 - "Giving Thanks" Setting. Deuteronomy 8 is part of a larger section of literature that includes chapters 6-8, in which Moses exhorts Israel to keep the law. This section looks at law from a number of different perspectives. Law is introduced with the promise of blessing in 6:1-3, and it is equated with love in 6:4-9 ("Love the ...

3392. The Lost and Found Sheep

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

He called himself Father Gabriel. He was a “self-proclaimed” modern-day prophet of God. He came to the town… where we were living… in the early 1980’s. He set up shop in a store-front and announced pompously that he had special gifts from God… which no other living person in the world possessed. With TV and radio spots, with Billboards and newspaper ads, he proclaimed boldly that all who followed him and put their faith in him and joined this church would be blessed with great wealth and perfect health. ...

3393. The Scarlet Letter

Exodus 20:14

Sermon

James Merritt

Probably the mother of all misprints in any book, came in the misprint of a Bible. In 1631 someone discovered a word that was missing in a newly published version of the Bible, called The King James Version. The missing word was "not" in the seventh commandment which then made the Authorized Version to read, "Thou shalt commit adultery." From then on, this 1631 addition of the Bible became known as the "Wicked Bible."[1] Well, this seems to be the Bible the world is wanting to read today. Without question ...

3394. The Sword of the Lord

Hebrews 4:12-13

Sermon

James Merritt

I want you to listen to this description of a book and see if you can guess which book is described: This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's ...

3395. Joy to the World

Luke 2:8-12

Sermon

James Merritt

If you were to ask anyone on the street what is the most joyful time of the year? Without any question, it would be practically unanimous that Christmas is the most joyful time of the year. One of the carols you will hear everywhere you go is one entitled, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." In 1719 Isaac Watts wrote a hymn that came to be entitled, "Joy to the World." Now the interesting thing about this song is, the only stanza that is related to Christmas and the birth of Jesus, is the first one ...

3396. My God Is Real

Psalm 14:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, a master theologian, one of the greatest pastors in the history of the church, once said: The proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.1 From time immemorial the human race has been filled with questions about ...

3397. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

That haunting song you just heard, written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene and sung so beautifully by Cheryl Sarfas (or Amy Ford), causes me to wonder, “What did Mary know? And, conversely, what did she not understand?” Mary, the mother of Jesus, was probably about 14 years old when we meet her in Scripture. She was a simple Jewish girl born to Hannah and Joachim in the village of Nazareth, up in Galilee, the northern part of Israel. Mary’s parents were godly peasant folks whose only bragging point was that ...

3398. A Purse and Two Swords

Luke 22:35-38

Sermon

Let me begin with a couple who both appreciated the finer things in life and were comfortably able to afford them. When it came to travel, they went by the best means to the best places. That is, until their plane went down….suddenly….dramatically…..into the choppy waters of the sea. But the emergency exits opened (as engineered) and the inflatable slides were positioned (as instructed), meaning that virtually all were evacuated (as scripted). There they were, crammed into lifeboats, with barely room to ...

3399. Bountiful Faith: Two All Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles...Etc

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Have Faith… Strong in faith: "Just a little dab'll do ya." Ministry by faith: "Does she or doesn't she?" Saints by faith: "Good to the last drop." In a day when everything changes, some things never change. And in it all and through it all, a bountiful God of grace gives us a bountiful heart, a bountiful faith… 1. God calls us to live boldly and to give bountifully. Our theme verse for this campaign includes the phrase "Live courageously," but at least one translation says, "Live boldly." I like that! To ...

3400. Moses: On the Manna Diet

Exodus 16:1-5

Sermon

John E. Harnish

The story begins with the people grumbling…not only their stomachs, but their souls as well. So they form a "Back to Egypt Committee" whose mantra is "Why'd you bring us out here…everything was so much better back in Egypt." I guess just about every time the people of God begin to journey into an unknown future, they have to deal with the "Back to Egypt Committee," a desire for the good old days. Well, God heard their grumblings and, lo and behold, God provided—quail for protein and a generous serving of " ...

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