Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3451 to 3475 of 4946 results

3451. Courage Me!

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

One day a guest was checking out of a major hotel in Honolulu. While he was paying his bill at the desk in the lobby, it suddenly dawned upon him that he had left his briefcase in his room upstairs. He called to a bellboy standing nearby, "Son," would you please run up to my room and see if I left my briefcase there? The limo is waiting and I've got to get to the airport as fast as I can." "Sure," said the young man, "I'll be back in just a minute." Well, in no time, the bellboy came running out to the ...

3452. No Longer Damned

Romans 8:1-11

Sermon

William G. Carter

The text for today is Romans, chapter 8, verse 1: "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." I'm not sure all of you were paying attention, so I'm going to say it again. The text for today is Romans, chapter 8, verse 1: "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." You know, this is really important, so I'm going to say it one more time. Romans, chapter 8, verse 1: "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." You know what ...

3453. On the Beach

John 21:15-25, John 21:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

On this third Sunday in the season of Easter, we look at yet another resurrection appearance, this one from the Gospel of John. The disciples are despondent. The world has collapsed around them. Their Lord has been crucified. I suppose that by the time this story takes place, which is at least a week after the Resurrection, we can assume that they have heard of the Resurrection, if they have not actually experienced the Resurrected Christ. Although we know that some did see him, if you think of the Upper ...

3454. Pentecost! Slow ... and Sure!

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Have you ever noticed how we preachers often promote the early church as if it were the ideal? "Why, they did a miracle a day in the early church." "When they had a prayer meeting, everyone came!" " They spoke in Greek then!" (As if it were some sort of superior language!) On and on we can go browbeating ourselves by comparison. Yet, when one really studies the Bible, he discovers that early believers weren't perfect either. Moses had his temper. Noah got drunk. David fell into adultery. Peter couldn't ...

3455. Out With the Old - In With the New

Philippians 3:12-14

Sermon

James Merritt

Contrary to what you might think, "Out with the old in with the new" is not the title of an Elizabeth Taylor Seminar on marriage. But it is the title of my message as we leave an old year and enter a new year. I was interested to learn that the month of January is named after the Roman god Janus, who was a god that had two faces. One face looked back to the old year; the other face looked forward to the new year. On the last day of any year, I think we all have two faces. One face looks backward to a year ...

3456. The Only Way to Fly

2 Timothy 3:15-17

Sermon

James Merritt

Whenever I think about the last day of JFK, two words will always stick with me: "Graveyard spiral." From all indications it was a graveyard spiral that took the life of John F. Kennedy, Jr. The graveyard spiral is a series of ever-tightening turns that corkscrew a plane toward earth. It is the leading danger when new pilots leave clear weather for clouds or darkness. An inexperienced pilot will lose his bearings and the plane will begin to turn without his even knowing it. By the time the force of gravity ...

3457. What Is A Christian?

Acts 11:26

Sermon

James Merritt

A local businessman was teaching a Sunday School class of fourth grade boys, and he was really trying to impress the class because his son was a member. So during the lesson he asked the class this question: "Why do you suppose that people call me a Christian?" Well, there was dead silence. Not one boy or girl spoke up. He asked the question again: "Boys and girls, why do you suppose that people call me a Christian?" There was still no response. Finally, the man paused, scratched his chin, and said: "Now ...

3458. Fill'er up Lord

Ephesians 5:18-21

Sermon

James Merritt

I know that it is rude and impolite, generally speaking, to ask personal questions. I mean there are just certain questions that people should know better than to ask. For example: You should never go up to a woman and ask, "How much do you weigh?" Likewise, you should never go up to a woman and ask, "How old are you?" You should never go up to anyone and ask a question such as, "Is that a wig?" or, "Do you color your hair?" You should never ask anyone, "Did your plastic surgery not work out, or do you ...

3459. Learning to Love Ourselves

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

James McCormick

She was a beautiful Scandinavian girl. She had come to the hotel room of Dr. and Mrs. Walter Trobisch for counseling, just one day after they had given a lecture at one of the universities of northern Europe. As they talked about her problems, one basic issue kept coming up – one that seemed to be at the root at all her problems. She could not love herself! In fact, she hated herself so much that she was only a step away from ending her own life. She had been raised in a very religious home. Her parents ...

3460. Thin Spaces

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

Mike Ripski

A few Sundays ago I observed that in the Celtic Christian tradition there is an appreciation for what are called, “Thin Spaces” – those times when heaven and earth intersect. Those occasions when extraordinary and ordinary merge. When John Wesley had the experience of having his “heart strangely warmed” – that’s an example of a “Thin Space.” Jesus took three of the disciples, Peter, James, and John up on the mountain. There they saw Jesus transfigured before their blinded eyes. They saw Moses and Elijah ...

3461. Parenting 101

Ephesians 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a young couple who had just purchased brand new appliances for their house, and they decided to give their old refrigerator to their parents. Since they lived many miles apart, they just shipped the refrigerator to their parents. A few days later the phone rang, her mother said, "Honey, we want to send you a check for the refrigerator." The daughter said, "No, Mom, it's a gift. We want you to have it." The mother said, "But you could have sold it and made money." The daughter said, "Look, Mom, ...

3462. A New Beginning for Everyone

Exodus 35:4-29

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to take you back 3,500 years to the very first capital campaign found in the Bible. The Lord does not even wait to get the children of Israel to the promise land until He asks them to do two things: (1) Take an offering; (2) Build a building. Now there are two parts to this campaign that are extremely important. Notice who they were to give their offering to: "Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, and ...

3463. Live and Let Die

Galatians 2:20

Sermon

James Merritt

How do you live the Christian life? Well, believe it or not, the answer is You don't! Over one billion people have become Christians in the last 2,000 years. But only one person has ever lived the Christian life, and that is Jesus Christ. I am going to make an amazing statement, but I believe it is true. The average Christian knows far more about how to become one than how to be one. The average Christian will say, "I'm trying to live the Christian life the best way I know how." When a Christian makes that ...

3464. No Need to Worry

John 10:11-18; 27-30

Sermon

James Merritt

I want to make a confession to you that really pains me, because I hate to admit personal weakness, at least publicly, but if there is an Achilles heel in my life - it is worry. The truth of the matter is, if you just look around you, you realize that we all do have reasons to worry. I mean you have to stay out of the sun, because it can cause skin cancer. Air vents in public places can cause lung clotting molds to form in your body. Potato chips have too many carbs and too many vitamins can be toxic. ...

3465. Are You In The Know?

John 10:27-29

Sermon

James Merritt

If there is anything this post-modern culture that we live in is sure of it is that you cannot be absolutely sure of anything. You can believe in many things. You can be passionate about a lot of things, but nothing can be known absolutely, especially in the area of spirituality and morality. I discovered this quote by Gandhi that serves to emphasize the almost universal uncertainty that is associated with religious belief of any kind. When he was asked why he tried to persuade people of his political ...

3466. Lean on Me

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

One of the tangible benefits of reading the Bible is that we discover that God calls people to service in areas they may not have thought possible. People often discover that with God's help they are able to reach deep within themselves and find strength they did not know existed. Back in the '60s, Bill Withers sang, "Lean on me when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on." For most of us, it is not until we find ourselves unable to carry on that we discover that with God we can ...

3467. When God Builds the House

Psalm 127:1-5, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Let me begin this sermon on a personal note. This time last year I was a patient at Vanderbilt Hospital feeling much too weak to either eat or pray. Through that dark night of the soul, the looming question of my ability to continue as pastor of this great congregation weighed heavily on my heart and mind. Last fall seems like a long time ago now. As we pause to celebrate a building milestone in the history of this congregation, I want to thank God for the privilege of being able to be present. Life is a ...

3468. Remember: No Deposit, No Return

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Remember the TV series, Sanford and Son starring Red Foxx and Demond Wilson. It gave us the memorable lines: "Oh, this is the big one, I'm coming to see you Elizabeth" and "You're so ugly if you pressed your face in some dough... you'd have gorilla cookies." Sanford and Son was about Fred and Lamont Sanford who owned and ran a Junkyard. But it was really about all the junk and clutter in their lives. I think it's a parable for our lives, too. You see, we all have a lot of trash and garbage and clutter in ...

3469. The Parable of the Soil

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Almost all denominations, or what I call “tribes,” used to be able to boast an extensive farm system for growing the next generation of leaders. The past two decades have seen a gradual dismantling of that farm system. But you can still see features of it. Starting with the cradle roll and ending with the theological seminary, the church built for its future just like sports teams built for their future in a farm system. One of the most important vestiges in the church’s farm system is summer camp. How ...

3470. The Renewal of Life

Isaiah 43:18-25

Sermon

Richard Gribble

There once was a tree that lived happily in a big forest with many other trees. Occasionally, some of his brother and sister trees were cut down and the tree grieved, but when he discovered that his friends were reborn into some beautiful object that helped human beings, he no longer wept but actually looked forward to his turn to become something beautiful. Before long, a woodcarver came and examined the tree. The carver looked at the tree and imagined a beautiful figurine that could be made from its fine ...

3471. The Place beyond Revenge

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22

Sermon

Donna Schaper

A custom is begun! Because of the vengeance that the king took against Haman for Esther, the Jews are to remember their salvation. On the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month they are to send gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor. Oh, God, help me to understand violence! Help me to understand vengeance. I am pretty good at the other sins, like lust and greed, pride and gossip, but violence I just don't understand. I also don't really understand the tribalism that is beyond it. Is that ...

3472. Are You in Labor?

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman goes to her doctor. The doctor verifies that she is pregnant. This is her first pregnancy. The doctor asks her if she has any questions. She replies, “Well, I’m a little worried about the pain. How much will childbirth hurt?” The doctor thinks for a moment then says, “Well, that varies from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy and besides, it’s difficult to describe pain.” “I know, but can’t you give me some idea?” she asks. “Well, he said, “Grab your upper lip and pull it out a little . . .” ...

3473. Honk If Something Falls Off

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Peter Barnes tells about a radio preacher that he listened to while he was in college named the Rev. Apostle J.R. Chambers, Jr. Quite surprisingly for a radio preacher, Chambers had a decided speech impediment. Each week he recited the verse from the Bible on which his entire ministry was based. It was Matthew 5:48, “You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Because of his impediment each week the verse came out like this: “Yyyyou must . . . You mmmmust be . . . You must bbbe . . . You ...

3474. Lost

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

Have you ever lost something of value that was really, really important that really mattered to you and you couldn’t find it? Once you realized it, what did you do? You dropped everything you were doing and immediately went looking for it. Do you remember when you found it? Do you remember the joy, the relief and the happiness that you felt? Maybe it was your car keys or your wallet or a credit card or even a wedding ring. How many of you have ever lost a kid? I can tell every one of you this. If you have ...

3475. The Plague of Frogs

Exodus 7:25--8:15

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

8:1–15 The second plague was an army of hopping and noisy frogs. While the first plague brought death to the fish of the Nile and to the waters of the Nile itself, the second brought an overabundance of amphibious life from the waters. Frogs (tsepardeʿim) invaded the land. The Hebrew word is considered an onomatopoeia, as it sounds like the noise made by new frogs. Creation seemed out of control, with the Egyptian frog goddess Heqet (whose purpose was to assist in childbirth) running amok. Moses and Aaron ...

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