Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3426 to 3450 of 4963 results

3426. When The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... or sexually oriented businesses in Memphis, because money is involved. Money causes people to justify almost anything. Will power alone cannot stand up against red-hot lust or greed or prejudice or resentment. Only be being Christ-transformed and Holy Spirit-filled can we hope to prevail. According to a story I heard, there was a Jewish lady named Mrs. Rosenberg who some years ago tried to get a room at a fashionable hotel on Cape Cod. The desk clerk said, "Sorry, we're booked up." "But," she said, "your ...

3427. Even The Bosses Wash Feet!

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... be good enough." Then the bishop added the obvious, "And son, neither is your best good enough for Almighty God." Our only hope for salvation is to be cleansed of sin through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I'm not like a self-cleaning oven. I am cleansed ... by Jesus. My salvation is based on his cleansing. And only through his transformation can I ever hope to become a humble servant. This is why Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Unless I wash you, you can have no part of me." ...

3428. Building According To Code

Matthew 7:24-29

Sermon

Brett Blair

... not withstand the pressure. “And great was the fall of it,” said Jesus. This stands as a solemn warning for those persons who laughingly think that they can live their life any old way and there will never be a time of accountability. It is my hope this morning that all of you—in the process of constructing your eternal house—would build according to the code found in the Sermon on the Mount, and that you would build on the only one true foundation--Jesus Christ our Lord. Suggested closing hymn: My ...

3429. Victory

John 19:28-37

Sermon

Burton F. Blair

... of Jesus, one gets an overpowering feeling. In this cry, there is no note of despair, as if one has come to an end with no hope. Rather, as he speaks this word, he sounds as if he is the one who is in control. Jesus speaks as if he is a boxer ... forth in our lives also. Because Jesus said, "It is finished," we can never say, "I am finished." Nor can we think, "I have no hope." We cannot believe that our "sin is just too awful for God to forgive." Finishing his work on Golgotha, Jesus created a new beginning ...

3430. Surrender

Luke 23:44-49

Sermon

Burton F. Blair

... God, the Father, honored in resurrection. (Because of Jesus’ commitment to be faithful, God gave the gift of life - resurrection.) And it is this same commitment to which each of us is called as followers of Jesus. We are to honor God with all we are and hope to be. How? By surrendering our wills into his will. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25-26). Our commitment ...

3431. A Cosmic Announcement

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Susan Hedahl

... kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil ..." (Isaiah 64:1, 2a RSV). As followers of Jesus, we are instrumental in realizing God’s dream in our world. When Martin Luther King, Jr. proclaimed "I have a dream!" he was ultimately acknowledging God’s hopes for all of us. And through our parish ministries (list here) we demonstrate that we have made commitments to God’s people and dreams in the name of the One to come. Are there days when the vision is fragmentary? Yes. Are there moments when ...

3432. The Birthplace Of Humanity

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Susan Hedahl

... and birthing. For we may find at the manger what we had not thought possible, the re-creation of our own spirits there by the Child and because of Him! How impossible and yet how true. In the face of despair, lack of hope and the daily pressures of life, we come again to be reborn. With all our hearts, we rejoice in becoming, in this Child, "a new creation." Somewhere between the star high above and the manger far below we also see something else with the eyes of our heart. We see ...

3433. And Their Eyes Were Opened

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

Larry Powell

... the sudden awareness of another presence; we had not expected it, nor do we always recognize it immediately. It just abides, and just as with the Emmaus travelers, it comes into clearer focus in due time. As the Holy Spirit accompanies us in our own journeys, it is hoped that somewhere along the way it may be with us as it was with them; "And their eyes were opened and they recognized him" (v. 31). 2. It is significant that Jesus was made known to them in the "breaking of bread." In the upper room Jesus had ...

3434. Song of an Exile

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

Gordon Pratt Baker

... ; my body also dwells secure. For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit. (Psalm 16:9, 10) It is not that the poet looks forward to the Resurrection. It is rather that he harbors the hope God will exempt him from dying. Naive as the hope may seem these long centuries later, it is nevertheless a glimpse of immortality; and having caught it the psalmist has nothing to fear as the future unfolds. The path of life will still lie ahead of him, and he will tread its successive stages ...

3435. The Reality Of Sin

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Robert Allen

... and then he asked, "Arkansas? I thought the Garden of Eden was supposed to have been someplace in the Middle East." "Well," I responded, "I don’t really know where the biblical Garden of Eden was located. But, I know that my Garden of Eden was on Blue Street in Hope, Arkansas. I was only a young boy (four or five years old) and I did something that I knew was wrong. My father usually put his change in a caddy on his dresser. I took a quarter without asking and went down to the store and bought myself some ...

3436. Hector’s Case Against Christmas

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Erskine White

... words of Jesus and shared His fellowship in that sacred meal, they knew they were receiving an inner assurance and a lasting hope which the world can test but never destroy. Hector was so impressed by what he saw that he changed his mind about ... dear to You for our good and the good of the world, we thank You today for this season of Advent, a season of expectation and hope. Help us to remain focused, not on the commercial noise around us, but on the growing joy within us. Help us to be grateful that You ...

3437. The Flight From Light

Isaiah 60:1-22, Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Erskine White

... end our confusion, to be our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and to show us in the flesh "the things that make for peace" (Luke 19:42). Here is a light which can answer the deepest longings of the human heart, and Herod is alarmed. Here is a light of new hope in a world whose long, dark history has been written in blood, and Herod is terrified. In fact, he is so unnerved at the prospect of a different kind of ruler and a new kingdom of justice and peace that he orders a terrible massacre in Bethlehem. The violence ...

3438. It Isn't Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

Brett Blair

... why he was rich. In their way of thinking, if a wealthy man could not receive salvation, then how could a poor man have any hope? They asked of Jesus: who then can be saved? It reminds me of the movie Fiddler on the Roof. The poor Jewish milkman who lives ... out of jail. He had nothing but a history of crime behind him, and when he saw Jesus as his Savior he knew there was salvation and hope and joy for him. And he knew how much he needed that help. But look at me. I was taught from earliest infancy to live as ...

3439. Why Don’t You Send Somebody?

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... wilderness. We can understand some of that feeling, for sometimes in the depths of our own struggles we may have felt alone, and even that God is remote from us. That is the very feeling of those who sat amidst Jerusalem’s ruins. But the prophetic word of hope to them suggests another prayer, "O that you would rend the heavens and come down!" Lord, do it all again! Mark’s gospel for the first Sunday in Advent records Jesus telling his followers to be alert and watchful for the coming of the Son of Man ...

3440. And Now For Something Completely Different

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... not let it unravel our life. A sailor, writing of the pleasures and hazards of sailing small pleasure boats, told of the choice that faces one whose craft is wrecked within sight of land. There are two choices. One is to stay there and cling to the wreckage, hoping someone may eventually see and come to the rescue. The other choice is to let go and strike out for shore. Either choice has its risks. One may cling to the wreckage and never be found, and perhaps drift farther out to sea. On the other hand, in ...

3441. Pontius Pilate - Adamant, But Acquiescent

Luke 22:66--23:25

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... it. They wanted it to read, "This man said he was King." Well, it stayed just the way it was. I told them, "What I have written. I have written." But now, because you are guilty of cowardice and compromise, because you, too, were there, what would you say? I hope that each of you, in true sorrow for your sins, and sincere faith in this Jesus as your Savior, will say: This the superscription be, Jesus, crucified for me Is my life, my ...

3442. Mary - Weeping Woman or Bold Believer

John 20:10-18

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... rolled that heavy stone into place, we felt another burden of grief roll over us. Jesus, our dear friend and master was dead. All the hopes that he had aroused in our hearts seemed to be dashed into tiny pieces, like a piece of pottery that falls from a shelf and ... again. And I do urge you to be sure to hear it again and again. You need that word of the Living Lord, if you hope to have a living faith in him. You need that instruction which is offered through the message that is proclaimed in your church. You ...

3443. Great Grace Was Upon Them!

Acts 4:32-37

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... were attempting to live that future which they looked forward to ... where there indeed would be no more tears, poverty or suffering. That’s what this community of believers is all about. We are the people of God’s future. We are to be signs of hope to those around us. Under the power of God’s great grace, we can begin to live that way now. Amen. 1. Thomas Long, Journal for Preachers, "The Road That Leads from Pentecost: Preaching through the Summer," Pentecost, 1988, p. 3. 2. Gerhard Krodel, Acts ...

3444. Peter’s Second Sermon

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... about healing. He wanted my opinion about going to Lourdes, France, a place made famous for its healing miracles. He got around to asking me if I would conduct a healing service for him. I was quite reluctant. I didn’t want to be a promoter of false hopes. But he persisted and I gave in. With several deacons from the congregation and other close friends we held a healing service in his hospital room. I did not give orders to God that my friend be healed. But I asked for healing, both of body and spirit ...

3445. The Path of Maturity

Drama

William Grimbol

... for is to endure ... to kill some time ... waste some time spend some time. Who could have ever imagined that Time would become our most feared enemy? We are ashamed, Lord, of our laziness ... our lack of courage our lack of hope ... our lack of faith. We are embarrassed with how little time we actually devote to the art of loving ... how seldom we strive to fulfill your call to love with reckless abandon, but Lord, we just don’t love our Selves, we just don’t believe that our lives are ...

3446. Seven Words to Us - A Good Friday Tenebrae Service

Drama

Douglas W. Orbaker

... . Jesus, remember me. Angry Thief: And you claim to be the Messiah. This is some way to lead Israel. Save yourself and us! Repentent Thief: Maybe your kingdom really is different. Jesus, Remember me. Angry Thief: We trusted in you! You’re dashing our hopes, destroying our dreams. Save yourself and us! Repentent Thief: I may deserve this, you don’t. Jesus, remember me. Hymn (Extinguish Second set of lights) Part 3 Scripture: John 19:25-27 A Litany on Jesus’ Mother and Brothers (Based on Matthew 12:46 ...

3447. Bethlehem: Capitol of the Universe

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight. That’s why we make pilgrimages to Bethlehem, and sing about it. And that’s why multitudes of people find melody in the very sound of the name. Somehow, the hopes and fears of the centuries are met in that little town. While the Apostle Paul never mentions Bethlehem as such, he refers dramatically to what happened there. "But when the fulness of time was come," Paul said, "God sent forth his Son ..."1 It was a special time, Paul felt, ...

3448. The Jericho Road: Where the Action Is

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... and sometimes so distressing. Still he redeems; still he stops for the faltering; still he transforms and brings new life. The song I sang, as a bass in the boyhood male quartet, said something to that effect in the last verse: O brother to you, this message I bring Though hope may be gone, He’ll cause you to sing ...1 I just want to tell you that it’s true. Wherever your Jericho Road may be, whatever the nature of your crowded way of life - "he’ll cause you to sing." I dare to say that he’s on your ...

3449. The Authority of Jesus

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

... war; it is tired of suffering; it is tired of poverty and hunger and disease. Jesus comes offering peace, healing, fullness, and wholeness. Those aren’t the kinds of things you force on people. You don’t overpower them with things like that. You offer; and, you hope that the people are wise enough to accept the gift. Jesus’ entrance on a donkey was the age-old sign of a king who comes in peace and love. That’s what the world needs now, not another power-hungry dictator. Judas: You’re a fool. Both ...

3450. Stewards of Life, Death, and Beyond

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... every Christian and steward of life and death ought to have one filled out, signed, and explained to their family. Our statement does remind us that Christian stewardship of life "Mandates treasuring and preserving the life which God has given. Meaning and hope are possible in all of life’s situations, even those involving great suffering." The Hospice program is a beautiful and very Christian-like approach to the death process. We do believe that health care includes not only attempting to cure disease ...

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