Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3426 to 3450 of 4935 results

3426. Jesus Prays for His Disciples

John 17:6-19

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

Just as in verses 1–3, the Son’s work of “glorifying” the Father is defined as revealing or making the Father known, but in this case the revealing is to the specific group of disciples gathered to hear Jesus’ last instructions. The phrase those whom you gave me focuses on this limited group in contrast to all those you have given him (out of all people) in verse 2. Such phrases as they have obeyed (v. 6), now they know (v. 7), they accepted, they knew, they believed (v. 8) are Jesus’ testimony to the ...

3427. Thank God We're Free at Last

Romans 6:12-23

Sermon

King Duncan

In January 1985, a large suitcase was discovered at the customs office of the Los Angeles International Airport. Inside the suitcase was the dead body of an unidentified young woman. U.S. Customs agents who discovered the body immediately launched an investigation. What they uncovered was a tale of a horrible tragedy that resulted from the desperate desire of two young people for freedom. The dead woman was the wife of a young Iranian living in the U.S. Her desire was to join her husband. However she was ...

3428. Please Pass the Resurrection Biscuits

Luke 24:35-48

Sermon

King Duncan

The Rev. Susan Sparks tells a wonderful story about her grandmother whom she and the rest of the family called Ganny. Ganny lived in a tiny town in South Carolina, says Rev. Sparks, and when they’d go to visit, the aroma of all kinds of good things cooking would float through her screen porch and out into the yard to greet them: delicious Southern dishes like creamed corn, collard greens and hopefully cornbread. She says “hopefully, cornbread” because the one thing Ganny could not cook was biscuits. Now, ...

3429. If Your Cry for Help Is Loud Enough...

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

King Duncan

In the cartoon strip Ziggy, Ziggy and his dog Fuzz are lost in ski country. Ziggy pulls out a book and says to Fuzz, “We won’t get lost hiking in the woods this time because I brought the cross-country skier trail guide book . . . “Matter of fact, Fuzz, this area here looks none too familiar . . . I better consult the guide. See, there are three methods of finding our way home. First, there’s the ‘coin flip method.’ I think we’ll skip that . . . “Two is the eeny-meeny-miney-mo method! Uh . . . that doesn’t ...

3430. Vendetta

2 Kings 1:1-18

Sermon

Lori Wagner

You probably all know the play by Shakespeare called “Romeo and Juliet.” Even if you aren’t a Shakespeare fan, or even if you detest trying to read an older version of English, modernized versions of the play in the form of movies and references have made the story timeless. For those of you who may not know the whole story, it centers around two families, the Capulets and the Montagues. Another family, the Verona family is in different ways tied to both. But the famous feud takes place between the ...

3431. Profiles In Joy

John 20:1-18 · Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought pantyhose containers, the kind that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the ...

3432. Hungering for Some Time Off

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Sermon

King Duncan

How many of you have a hard time taking a vacation? We all want a vacation. We all need a vacation. But do you have trouble finding the time for one? Do you have trouble leaving work back at the office when you go on vacation? Do you feel like your vacation is re-charging you or draining you? Futurist and author Faith Popcorn claims that, compared to the rest of the world, Americans suffer from a condition called “vacation starvation.” The average employee of a large business gets about two, maybe three, ...

3433. God Is Like...Fire

Malachi 3:1-4 · Luke 3:1-6, 9,16-17

Sermon

Kenneth L. Gibble

What is God like? We’ve been exploring that question, each time with a different image for an answer. So far, we’ve thought about how God is like the words “I Am,” how God is like a potter and how God is like bread. Today we turn to an image that is probably more familiar than any other for most Christians ― God as parent. The religion of the Hebrews was not the first to regard God as father. Do you remember your Greek mythology, where Zeus was the father of the gods? And though we have no written records ...

3434. Advent 3

John 1:1-18, John 1:19-28, Isaiah 61:1-11, Isaiah 65:17-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon Aid

E. Carver McGriff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-11 How dear this passage is to Christian hearts, echoed as it was from the lips of Jesus (Luke 4:17-19). These words are, in many ways, as timely today as they were to those disappointed people returning to Israel from their long exile. Excited, they were filled with high expectations when they began to arrive. But social and political disappointments quickly followed. Bone-weary, discouraged, deprived of hope, they trudged in thousands to their fields, probably ...

3435. Envy - Where Is The Grass Greener?

Gn 4:1-26, Mt 20:1-16, Philip 4:10-20

Sermon

R. Curtis Fussell

I have a friend by the name of Robert who has always enjoyed playing jokes, especially at the expense of others. One day Robert was expecting a visit from his childhood friend Larry, whom he hadn't seen in over ten years. In their teens Robert and Larry had a friendly rivalry going between them. So Robert came up with this idea of trying to impress Larry that he had become extremely wealthy. There was a very exclusive neighborhood in town with many magnificent homes which would be ideal for this scheme. ...

3436. Proper 7

Mt 10:16-39 · Rom 5:12 – 6:11 · Jer 20:7-13 · Gen 21:8-21 · Ps 86

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 21:8-21 Sarah jealously guards the rights of her natural son, Isaac, by ordering Abraham to throw out her slave girl, Hagar, with her son. God speaks to Abraham in his distress about the plight of Hagar and her son, telling him to do as Sarah wished because his descendants would be counted through Isaac. Furthermore, God would also make a great nation through Ishmael. Lesson 1: Jeremiah 20:7-13 Jeremiah was born about 650 B.C. and began his ministry in the 13th year of King ...

3437. The Great I AM

Sermon

Ronald Lavin

But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever,and ...

3438. Bread of the Eucharist (Bread of Life IV)

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Charles R. Leary

I enjoy watching comedians we all can name our favorites doing monologues. I’m sure you’ve seen this happen. In the middle of a monologue when the mood is mounting, what is supposed to be the punch line falls flat. The comedian does a back-up motion, possibly a turn-around on the floor, and says, “Oh! I thought that one would go over big!” At that point he may try to explain it. When the audience gives no more applause, he re-adjusts and goes on. You know what it is like telling a story or joke and have it ...

3439. Just Speak The Word

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Larry Powell

It is somewhere written down that many years ago a rider on horseback approached a group of soldiers attempting unsuccessfully to move a heavy piece of timber. A corporal was observed standing nearby, hands on hips, barking the order, "Heave. Heave." Despite repeated efforts, the soldiers were unable to accomplish the task. Apparently of the mind that the situation hinged upon his determined commands, the corporal persisted, "Heave. Heave." Addressing the corporal, the horseman asked, "Why don't you help ...

3440. A Thankful Heart

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Erskine White

Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice ... giving Him thanks. (Luke 17:15-16) If you ever doubted the importance of saying "thank you" to someone when a "thank you" is due, consider the story which is our text for this sermon. Luke tells us that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem and as He passed near Galilee and Samaria, He was met by ten lepers. They called out to Him, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Jesus sent them on to the priests and as they went ...

3441. Portrait Of A Powerful Servant

John 13:1-17

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Jesus loved to paint portraits for the soul. He did it through his actions as well as his words. Indeed, his whole life was a powerful illustration. On the particular night to which our texts bear witness, the image Jesus will etch into the memories of his disciples will be so powerful that they will never again be able to think of him without reference to this event. Writer Walter Wangerin suggests that the atmosphere of that evening was shrouded in mystery and filled with intrigue. There was the meal ...

3442. Playing By A Different Set Of Rules

Matthew 13:24-30, Matthew 13:36-43

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

Obscenity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. With words to that effect more than two decades ago the Supreme Court of the United States of America left the decisions regarding pornography in the hands of local communities. During the intervening years states and cities have struggled with the issue, desiring to uphold the basic rights of freedom of speech and expression, and at the same time attempting to establish and maintain what is decent and acceptable to the majority. The latest entry to ...

3443. The Burning Bush Within Us

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Justin Tull

The flame is a part of our biblical heritage, from the burning bush, to pillars of fire, to the flaming tongues of the Spirit at Pentecost. The flame is a part of our church tradition and biblical tradition. It symbolizes the Spirit of God that interacts with us in so many different ways. Today we take a look at Moses’ experience at the burning bush. From this account we may learn many things about ourselves and about the God we worship. Several years ago, Dr. Bill Power, professor of Old Testament at ...

3444. Monday Morning Faith

Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Johnny Dean

If we’re honest about it, we have to admit that just about the only place where we feel comfortable making bold statements about our religion and our allegiance to God is in church on Sunday mornings. In our hymns we sing, "All to Jesus I surrender All to Him I freely give." In our confession of faith, we say, "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept him as Lord of my life." And when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it ...

3445. Learning to Walk on the Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

"Take heart ... it is I ..." It was not the custom of Jesus to go about walking on water. When he wanted to cross a lake or stream, he normally got into a boat, as you and I would. When he walked, he usually walked on earth, as you and I do. But in Matthew 14:22-33 we have an exception. Here the story is told of a night when Jesus walked on the storm-driven waves of Galilee. Some of his disciples were out there in a boat, fearing for their very lives, many furlongs from land, beaten by the waves, the wind ...

3446. Tomb for Sale

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

George Bass

Some time ago, a strange classified ad appeared in the newspaper of one of our cities. It began: "Tombstone for sale," and continued, "Didn’t die; don’t need it." The details that followed in the ad caused a reporter to investigate and to interview Art Kranz, the man who had taken the advertisement in the classified section of the paper. Kranz told him that the tombstone had been in his living room for several months, but it was not his; it had been ordered by his sister after she was told that she was ...

3447. How Was Jesus' Death Different?

John 19:28-37, John 19:17-27

Sermon

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. (John 19:17-18) Death is a common experience of life. All who lived in the past died. Every one of us now living will die sooner or later. Approximately five thousand Americans die every twenty-four hours. Almost two million deaths occur in our country every year. There are ...

3448. Thanks, Lord

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a ...

3449. The Resurrection of the Body

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Dean Lueking

I am the Resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. (John 11:25) An Unsurpassed Word of Comfort Without question, these words of our Lord are unsurpassed in the comfort, assurance, and strength they bring to all who hear them in faith. To know that the blank, the ache, and the emptiness which death brings have been met and conquered by one who is equal to the task is the best news we can ever receive. If you know what it means to listen for a footstep that never ...

3450. Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Exodus 19:1-25

Sermon

Our "take-it-or-leave-it" attitude concerning God is evidence that we do not always fully appreciate who he is. You may have watched Marlin Perkins of TV's "Wild Kingdom." This wonderful animal lover and trainer has been trying to get people on a first-name basis with animals for most of his seventy-seven years. His wife, Carol, gave this account: "When Marlin and I were dating, I wanted him so badly that I never let him know how little I knew about animals. Soon after our marriage we went to the Belgian ...

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