Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3376 to 3400 of 4946 results

3376. Slippery Rock

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Some “rock” Peter turned out to be! Immediately following Jesus’ giving him that new name, the very first thing he did was to say something so stupid that Jesus had to call him a “devil,” and tell him, “You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.” (Matt. 16:23) Some rock! In J.D. Salinger’s novel CATCHER IN THE RYE, fifteen-year old Holden Caulfield gives us this profound theological reflection: “I like Jesus and all, but I don’t care too much for most of the other stuff in ...

3377. The House Of Our Dreams

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is an old Rabbinic story about a poor man who left the village of his birth, and set out to find the city of his dreams, where all was bright and perfect. After a day's walk he lay down to rest the night in a forest. Before going to sleep he removed his shoes and placed them carefully in the path, pointing them in the direction of his journey toward the magical city. While he slept, a practical joker came along and turned his shoes around so that they pointed in the direction of the village he had ...

3378. Being A Man of God

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some of you have known me long enough to know that one of my favorite theologian is Charles Schultz, the artist who gave us the wonderful Peanuts cartoons. In one of my favorite cartoons, Lucy comes storming into the room and demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single ...

3379. Guidance for a Time of Chaos

John 16:5-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Author Dennis Rainey tells about an exercise he leads each year with his sixth grade Sunday School class. He divides the class into three groups. These groups then compete in putting together a jigsaw puzzle. As these 12-year-olds scatter into three circles on the floor, he explains that there is only one rule in the competition: to put together the puzzle without talking. The contents of puzzle number one are deposited on the floor and Group One immediately goes to work. The group promptly sets up the box ...

3380. Blind Ambition

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

There's a story about a man whose great ambition was to become a general in the army. He imagined all the attention he would get, everybody saluting him, somebody to drive him around, all the perquisites of that high rank. One day he reached his goal. He was promoted to Brigadier General. The next day he moved into his new office, sat behind his new, big desk. He could just feel the power emanating from that office. His aide walked in, said, "There's a man here to see you." The general said, "Send him ...

3381. No Fear

John 15:1-8

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I have seen the words, "No Fear," on the back of cars driven by young men with their caps turned around backwards. I have seen "No Fear" emblazoned on T-shirts. I don't know about you, but the first time I saw those words, "No Fear," I immediately thought of 1 John 4:18: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. I thought, isn't it wonderful, these kids are so sophisticated in the Bible. Then somebody told me that that is not what "No Fear" refers to. Which caused me some trepidation, ...

3382. Now What?

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Mark Trotter

3383. You Will Never Walk Alone

Luke 24:13-20, 25-26, 28-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Summer is not far away now. It is a time when many people travel. If you are going abroad, I am sure you have already made plans to do so. If you have told anybody about your plans, I am sure you have gotten a lot of advice on where to stay, where to eat, and what to see. Through the generosity of many of you in this church, Jean and I were able to take a trip to Germany last summer. We had a wonderful time, made so in large part because of the advice that some of you gave us who had been there. The best ...

3384. Just the Right Touch

Mark 5:25-34

Sermon

James Merritt

The fifth chapter of the gospel of Mark is a menu of miracles. There are three miracles in this chapter, each of which illustrate the authority and the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first miracle, a man comes to Jesus bound in chains, bleeding from cuts, controlled by demonic forces. Jesus cast out these demons. He frees this man from the hounds of hell that have hunted him and haunted him, and changes him from a child of the devil to a child of God. Then Jesus encounters a woman with a ...

3385. I Believe in Easter

Acts 9:1-29

Sermon

James Merritt

On April 9, 1996, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia delivered an address to the Mississippi College School of Law. What he said generated a firestorm of criticism in the liberal press. He gave a brilliant and blistering portrayal of a society that now mocks religious belief, and especially the beliefs of Christians. Here is what he said that was so "controversial." The worldly wise do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. It is really quite absurd [to them]. So everything from the Easter morning ...

3386. Close Up - Wives: Sweet Surrender

Colossians 3:18

Sermon

James Merritt

Respect - if the coach doesn't have it, he loses control of the team. If the officer doesn't have it, he loses control of his troops. If the teacher doesn't have it, he loses control of the class. If the home doesn't have it, then the entire family is in trouble. We are in the middle of a series entitled, "Picture Perfect" and we have said over and over, "God desires for your family to reflect His glory." The way the family does that is by each member of the family fulfilling their God given roles and ...

3387. Is God Pleased With Me?

Hebrews 11:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the most exciting events in track and field is the relay races. It takes a combination of speed, timing, precision, and teamwork in order for a relay team to be victorious. Now the suspense is much greater than an individual race because in an individual race the fastest person always wins. In a relay race the fastest team can lose if one thing happens - they fail to pass the baton. Any track coach will tell you that relay races are won or lost not in the sheer speed of the team, but in the transfer ...

3388. I’m Movin’ On

Philippians 3:12-14

Sermon

James Merritt

Believe it or not, in the last several years I have become somewhat of a country music fan, and one of the groups I like is a group called Rascal Flatts. They came out with a song that both haunts me every time I hear it, and yet also brings me a sense of comfort. I want you to listen to just the first verse: Listen to the words one more time: I've dealt with my ghost, and faced all my demons; Finally content with a past I regret; I found you find strength in your moments of weakness; For once I'm at peace ...

3389. Back to the Future

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

The experience in the ninth chapter of Luke is called "The Transfiguration Experience of our Lord Jesus," and is recorded in two other gospels - Matthew and Mark. Preachers, teachers, scholars, and theologians are all aware that something significant happened. I'll join with the ignorant and say like most of them that I don't know what happened, but something special and very unique made an indelible impression upon the minds of those who experienced it. It is as if there is almost a shroud of mystery ...

3390. Because God Said So, That’s Why!

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Narrator David (or Rachel) Esther Shepherd 1 Shepherd 2 Shepherd 3 Shepherd 4 Shepherd 5 Lead Angel Angel 2 Angel 3 Angel 4 Angel Choir King Caspar King Balthazar King Melchior Mary Joseph Props Lectern or podium Chair Bundle with jar inside Bundle with blanket inside Gifts for the Wise Men to give to Jesus Notes This production can be restructured to suit a cast that is predominantly male or female. The lead part of David can easily be transformed to Rachel. In the ...

3391. The Ministry of Unbinding

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Listen! We cannot raise people from the dead as Jesus did, but we share in the deliverance of those he has raised! Death and what is done about that — is in Jesus’ hand. It is He who can say with power: “Come forth! Come forth from your tomb.” But deliverance — that’s in our hands. “Unbind him” Jesus said, “unbind him that he might live.” So, we talk today about the ministry of unbinding. I Rehearse the story, so that our focus will be clear and we will not be questioning something that we think has been ...

3392. Lessons from the Ordinances

Exodus 21:2-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I’m not going to read scripture today as we begin our sermon, because our scripture lesson spans almost three chapters - beginning with 21 and going through the 19th verse of chapter 23. This section of the book of Exodus is called “the book of the Covenant” This was a sacred document for the Jews, containing the conditions on which the peculiar relationship between Israel and Jehovah was based. I’m using that word peculiar in its precise meaning. That God would choose these “nothing” people, these nomads ...

3393. A Goodly Heritage

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Fred Craddock tells of vacationing in the Smoky Mountains. One evening he and his wife had gone to Black Bear Inn for dinner They were looking over the menu when an old man came over to the table and greeted them and began asking: if on vacation, good time, where from, and what did for living. When Fred said that he was a preacher, the old man pulled up chair and said, “Let me tell you about a preacher.” “I was born back in these hills, my mother wasn’t married, and in those days you didn’t get over a ...

3394. When It's Time To Unite

I Corinthians 1:10-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

He drew a circle that shut me out, a heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout, but love and I had a wit to win, we drew a circle that took him in. I would like to complete this series of sermons on human relationships by talking about Christian unity. One bread, one body, one cup of blessing which we bless. Come…to the table. Come to the table, we need to talk. At the table, communication happens. People are drowning in information, but starving for communication. As one businessman said, “I don't understand. I ...

3395. Deciding To Excel In Everything

II Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

James Russell Lowell wrote: “Life is a leaf of paper white Whereon each of us may write A line or two, and then comes night. Greatly Begin! Though you have time but for a line, be that sublime - Not failure, but low aim is crime.” When the apostle Paul asks the Corinthians to help the mother Church of Jerusalem he makes his appeal on the foundation of excellence. “Just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for one another — see that you also ...

3396. When the Caterers Weren’t Available

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Today’s lesson is on one of Jesus’ best known miracles, the feeding of the 5,000. Of course, as someone has noted, if Jesus were alive today, he wouldn’t be allowed to get away with half the miracles he performed. It’s not just that we live in such a skeptical, rationalist age. It’s all the red tape as well. Here are a few examples. Turning water into wine. This would provoke immediate protests from the alcoholic beverage industry, who would argue that it was unfair competition, amounting to a monopoly. It ...

3397. Dancing for Joy (Thanksgiving)

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

In 1998 there was a film that was nominated for seven Academy Awards. It was titled Life Is Beautiful. Life Is Beautiful is a touching story about an Italian Jewish family that is taken to a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. At the camp Guido, the father, uses his fertile imagination to shield his son Joshua from the horrors of life in this terrible place. He hides his son from the Nazi guards. He sneaks him food and tries to humor him. Guido does everything he can to hide their true ...

3398. A Man Under Authority / A Centurion's Faith, An Elder's Love

Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Let it be done for you according to your faith.” Props: Centurion helmet or any military helmet and stick Hope pulls you forward. Faith pushes you forward. Love keeps you moving forward. A story recently made the news whereby a visitor from Israel to the US had a serious heart condition, and needed a heart transplant immediately or he would die. He was older than the recommended age for surgery, and had multiple other medical conditions that made any surgery problematic. Only two specialists in the world ...

3399. Trust in Me

Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: Youtube video of Kaa’s Song from the original Jungle Book There are so many impossibilities that become realities in the Christmas story that one hardly knows where to begin. But here’s one that you may not have thought of before. Mary is too young, and Elizabeth is too old, to have a child. The word we translate as “virgin” really means pre-pubescent maiden. So here we have a post-menopausal woman, Elizabeth, and a pre-pubescent woman, Mary, that God chooses to use to bless the world with good ...

3400. Even in Our Hiding

Matthew 2:19-23, Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

In Haarlem, Holland, 1837, a man named Willem ten Boom opened a watch shop. His family lived in the rooms above the shop. Later, the home and business was passed on to his son, Caspar ten Boom, and then later to Caspar’s daughter, Cornelia, who went by the name of Corrie ten Boom. The ten Boom family were devoted Christians, and their home was always open to anyone in need. The family served their community in Haarlem for many years; however, they would become well-known for their kindness and humanity ...

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