Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3401 to 3425 of 4972 results

3401. A Little Child Shall Lead Them

Isaiah 11:1-16

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

... to him, a phrase kept ringing through my mind: "A little child shall lead them." I wondered where it had come from. I reached for my concordance, looked up the verse and found that it came, not from the New Testament, but the Old. When the man had stopped speaking, I read the verses which I had found in Isaiah chapter 11: The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and ...

3402. Backsliding

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Brett Blair

... read anything into that) we read that many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. Notice what is said, they turned back! They quit following. They became Temporary. I don’t think a single reason can be identified as to why so many stopped following, a combination of issues probably, as we have already noted: His teaching confused some. His images offended others. But primarily, I think it was his claim to be the new source of life, his claim to be greater than Moses, a new Manna. Either ...

3403. Creeds or Deeds

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Brett Blair

... the finger bowl in his two hands, lifted it to his mouth, and drank its contents--down to the very last drop! For an instant there was breathless silence among the British upper crust and then they began to whisper to one another. All that stopped in the next instant as the Queen, Victoria, silently took her finger bowl in her two hands, lifted it, and drank its contents! A moment later 500 surprised British ladies and gentlemen simultaneously drank the contents of their own fingerbowls. It was "against the ...

3404. Lip Service

Mark 7:1-23

Illustration

Brett Blair

3405. The Measure of Greatness

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

... . But the best they could muster up at this crucial moment was a blank stare and confused silence. They could not understand it because it did not meet what they felt was the measure of greatness. How do we grow to the point that we stop measuring people by their successes and start regarding people for their service, for their sacrifices? How do we move from a world’s model which measures value in terms of wealth, fame, and power to a model which measures value based on Jesus’ teachings? What ...

3406. We Are Able, But...

Mark 10:35-45

Bulletin Aid

Dallas A. Brauninger

... . Prayer of Confession Do you know, God, that just because we seem too busy to take time to live as Christians, that does not mean we no longer respect the teachings of our faith? Help us to reconcile our hearts so we do not give up on ourselves altogether and stop trying to practice our faith. We hear your voice calling as we harvest our talents. Help us want to turn a listening ear to you. For the sake of Christ. Amen. Hymns "Ye Servants Of God" "Guide My Feet" "Jesus Calls Us, O'er The Tumult"

3407. What Must I DO to Receive Life?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Brett Blair

... to the church could release loved ones from purgatory. He paid the fee to climb Pilate’s stairs—the supposed staircase that Jesus climbed the day He was sentenced to death. There where 28 steps. You were to crawl on your hands and knees up all 28, stop on each step and say the Pater Noster—the Lord’s Prayer—on each. Luther kissed each step for good measure. At the 28th the loved one you named was released from purgatory. When Luther got to the top of the steps he said, “Who knows whether ...

3408. The Three Poison Pills of Position, Prestige, and Power

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Brett Blair

... wanted position. Secondly, they wanted prestige. Position: climbing rank and exercising authority over others. Prestige: Wanting the recognition and honor that the position deserves. These were their motivation. A well-dressed European woman was on safari in Africa. The group stopped briefly at a hospital for lepers. The heat was intense, the flies buzzing. She noticed a nurse bending down in the dirt, tending to the leper, cleaning out the pus-filled sores. With disdain the woman remarked, "Why, I wouldn ...

3409. Lord, I Want To See

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Brett Blair

... is a central figure in the play and says: “Do any human beings ever recognize life while they live it every, every minute.” We don't see life. We don't see the needs of others. To our lasting shame we are like the disciples. We are too busy to stop and to care, and to be a friend. Somehow you and I have got to start kicking out the junk of our lives and start making room for people. There are too many lonely people in the world. There are too many sick people in the world. There are too ...

3410. Advent 4. Won't You Let Him Into Your Christmas?

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

... they opened their presents, tasted the sweets of their stockings and celebrated the great joy of the day. -- O how the Grinch hated the sound of it all. So, the Grinch hatched an evil plan. He would show them. He would steal their Christmas. That would stop all their laughing and singing and Christmas noise. He disguised himself as Santa Claus, and he went from house to house, and stole all the toys and presents and sweets of Christmas. He was so proud of himself and his evil deed, and on Christmas morning ...

3411. Ready or Not - Here I Come

Mark 13:32-37

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... , "Maranatha," "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." They wanted Jesus to come back that accounts could be settled. There were hardships and persecutions of the faithful. Evil was rampant and the devil seemed to be loose in the world. They wanted Christ to come and put a stop to it. How far we are from the same concern and same condition in today's world? Have we not the right to pray for the same? Again, they prayed for Jesus' return because it meant their salvation. Unlike many of us the first Christians were ...

3412. Good News for Bad Times

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... plate, and the last time you were here I ordered your driver's license suspended. What's the charge this time?" The defendant mumbled, "Jaywalking, your Honor." The way to get straight with God as preparation for God's coming is to repent. It means to stop sinning and start walking on the straight path of righteousness. When are we going to do this? For my birthday a daughter sent me a humorous card of a Hippie carrying a sign, "Repent." On the inside the card continued, "Tomorrow (today's your birthday ...

3413. Someone Greater Than a Prophet

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... ." Judgment reassures us that God is more than a benign grandfather grinning like a Cheshire cat with Alzheimer's at all the world's tawdriness, vanity, and hypocrisy. Judgment is the bitter end knot in the anchor rope of the universe, where finally everything is stopped and called into accountability, to give answer for all the deeds in life, good and bad, and to stand naked and undisguised without makeup before the presence of Almighty God. Yes, he is more than a prophet because he assures us when we are ...

3414. Giving Everything: The Widow's Might

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

... reminder to the kingdoms of this world… I That the Kingdom of God is built by the wealthy as well as the widow. Let me point out something from this text that should be obvious. Jesus was watching people give. He did not tell the leaders to stop collecting money. In fact, even when this widow gave everything she had, he did not criticize the temple that collected it. Let me add here, that I am keenly aware that the church has been accused of extorting people out of their money. In some cases that is ...

3415. Two Blessings for an Unwed Mother

Luke 1:46-56, Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

William G. Carter

... an expert on the birds and the bees. Biology was my major, and after a semester in the freshman class, I was certain that I knew more biology than most adults did in my hometown ... including my minister. A few days before Christmas, I stopped in to see him. He received me warmly and asked how I had fared in my first semester. “Okay,” I replied, skillfully avoiding the subject of my mediocre grades. “But I’ve come home with some questions.” “Really?” he replied. “Like what?” “Like the ...

3416. Home for the Holidays

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

William G. Carter

... listen to such nice music,” her mother said innocently enough. As everyone emerged from their rooms, they gathered in the living room for coffee. Laura told a story, and mentioned an event that happened at a restaurant on the previous Sunday. The conversation stopped for a minute, and she saw judgment in her parents’ eyes. A restaurant? On Sunday? No comment was made, but the silence spoke volumes. Laura writes: When I again flew home two days later, this time going the other way, I wondered: what did ...

3417. When the Sermon Turns Sour

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

William G. Carter

... But Jesus replies to them out of the side of his mouth: “I must go to Jerusalem, I absolutely must; because that’s the city that always kills the prophets.” Not long after that, Jesus comes around the bend on Palm Sunday. He sees the city, stops dead in his tracks, and begins to weep. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! If only you knew the things that make for peace. Instead you are too busy murdering the prophets.” Even on Easter: the news came out that Jesus was risen; but his own disciples didn’t believe ...

3418. Respect

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... guests of the hotel. They lived about twenty minutes away from the inn. Their home was in the wealthiest neighborhood on that island of very wealthy residents. In fact, Michael Jordan, the basketball legend, had lived next door to them. But Michael had stopped visiting the home after his father died. Roland and Elizabeth had moved south a few years earlier to escape the harsh climate of western New York, near Buffalo. When they finally moved into their posh dream house, they noticed something unusual. They ...

3419. When Life Gets Hard, Christian, Rebel!

Lamentations 1:1-22

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... ceases (3:25), who does not willingly afflict or grieve us (3:33). With a loving God like that, the next time life gets hard and leads you to question life’s meaning or the viability of seeking justice, Christians, you will not be able to stop yourself from rebelling. Christians are rebels, because we have a counter-cultural God who confounds the world’s chaos! The chaos in your life is not God’s will, and so the chaos and emptiness in life will not prevail! 1. Martin Luther, Christ’s Resurrection ...

3420. Your Sins Are Remembered No More! You Are Free!

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... of forgiveness. It is a free gift of God! I could just end the sermon at this point, and let you reflect on the goodness of God, and how his love for you has set you free from all the old claims that have enslaved you. But Jeremiah did not stop at that point, and so I will not either. Besides proclaiming that God would no longer remember the Hebrews’ and our sin in God’s Name, Jeremiah also proclaimed that the new covenant made by Yahweh would be one in which he would put his Law within us, write it ...

3421. God's Gifts Are Free: Enjoy

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

... and good deeds before God. It involves recognizing that all your accomplishments are not your own. Give them up! Then you are truly prepared to give thanks for all that you have. Something happens to you when you give up your good deeds in this way. When you stop trying to take credit for all the good things that you have done in your life, it becomes possible to give God the credit that he deserves for the good he gives through you. An awareness like that will not only make you thankful; God will use it ...

3422. True or False?

Isaiah 1:1-31

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... of the oppressed, the orphan, the widow (1:17). A God who cannot think of worship as separate from service, who knows that faith without works is dead, who demands continuity between what happens inside and outside the sanctuary. A God who hates sin, but won’t stop loving sinners. Do you know a God like that? A mysterious God, above our manipulations and outside our control, a God who will not be cast in our image. Above us, before us, beyond us. Around and behind and within us. Far, yet near. Close, yet ...

3423. At The Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

John W. Wurster

... from those commitments and wholly gave ourselves to God, how do we know God would really take care of us? It seems to me it’s a better idea to keep all the gods happy, not just one. I don’t care what Jeremiah says. And I wish he’d stop saying it. Is God really going to punish us just because we’re trying to live our own lives, to do things our own way, to do what we can see is best for us? God did bring us out of slavery, and God did bring us into this land ...

3424. Bad News from a Good Man!

1 Kings 21:1-29

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... ) bring a charge against (Naboth) saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king’ ” (1 Kings 21:10). She was a murderer. “Then take (Naboth) out, and stone him to death” (1 Kings 21:13). That is how sin works if we do not take control of it and stop it. It is conceived in the mind as insatiable desire for that bit more than we have. Next it sets aside all principles and, finally, it brings out the worst in us. Do you see why it is important to recognize the spiral of human depravity? “Oh,” you ...

3425. Plumb Line Prophecy

Amos 7:1-9, Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon. Just what is an inch, foot, or yard anyway, or a gallon or millimeter or milligram? It is a nationally-accepted standard of measurement, the perfect example of which is ...

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