Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3451 to 3475 of 4935 results

3451. Advent 1

Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122:1-9, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 24:36-51

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The risen, ascended Lord, Jesus Christ, whose reign has begun, will return at the end of this age, to bring in the fullness of God's Kingdom and reign over all of the affairs of the earth. Be prepared! Wait! Watch! Wonder! Work! Walk! The First Sunday in Advent is the theological/thematic key to the entire year's preaching from the lectionary; it sets the stage, as it were, by directing the attention of preacher and people upon the completion of God's business with the world in Jesus ...

3452. Only the Wounded Can Serve

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

When war casualty figures are announced, the list usually includes both the dead and wounded. For all practical purposes an injury is almost as useful as a fatality. The cold logic of such devilish grim business classes both in the same category ... loss of retaliatory potential. There is no place in this horror called war for the wounded. They have nothing more to offer to the immediate needs. They have been reduced from possibility to impotency. Thus, those who use statistics as part of strategy take ...

3453. Right on the Money!

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

One day a mother was having a deep discussion with her 12- old daughter about values. She said, "Honey, What you need in order to survive in this world is faith in God and a good sense of humor." The daughter thought about that and then, with a twinkle her eye, said, "It also helps to have a credit card." How thoroughly American is that 12-year-old. We are a credit culture. Partly because of the credit cards, many of us have le irresponsible and undisciplined in our finances. If the average 65-year-old ...

3454. The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

Robert Allen

We were just completing our evening meal when the phone rang. The kids started laughing because the joke around our house is that we cannot sit down to eat without the phone ringing just once. Sometimes it is someone trying to sell us siding for the house ... or it’s a phone call for one of the kids ... or a phone call from someone just to chat. On this night, the call was to let me know that Bob had taken a turn for the worse. A family member was calling and asking if I could come to the hospital. I ...

3455. Peter’s Second Sermon

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

It has been pointed out - many times! - that no aspect of worship has been so generally and ecumenically roasted as preaching!1 The many jokes about preachers and sermons rank next to, maybe slightly ahead of, jokes about mothers-in-law. Being a preacher and teacher of preachers, I have heard my share of funny stories about bad sermons. Like the one where the student preacher, who just finished preaching his masterpiece, piously asked the professor, "With what prayer should I begin my sermon?" The ...

3456. The Generation Gap

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

William McKee Aber

We live in an age of gaps. There is the generation gap (best known, probably, because of the alliteration of the title, and for the fact that we have all felt ourselves a part of it at one time or another), and the marriage gap, the racial gap, the economic gap, and a host of others. In a world desperately needing unity lest it blow itself to smithereens, we live separated by chasms and gulfs. It would seem that God - if He is really a part of our world in the present age - speaks to our separations. Hence ...

3457. John the Baptist

Drama

Charles L. Koester

INTRODUCTION: [This portion is read from the lectern by the introducer or narrator.] Preaching can be dull. When that is true, it is normally the preacher who is dull. Preaching ought to be exciting. The ministry of John the Baptist offers proof that it can be. John the Baptizer burst into human history as God’s unconventional man; wild, rugged, fearless, and austere. Surviving in the wilderness on locusts and honey, his unconventional message was one of repentence, for the Kingdom of God was at hand; the ...

3458. Saved!

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Then who can be saved?" (v. 26) We have a sublime vignette before us, a scene in the ministry of Jesus which reveals not only secrets about people, life and values, but the nature of salvation itself. Unhappily, we frequently fail to understand, miss the point, strain at the gnat, and swallow the camel in attempting an explanation. An Honest Soul Our young man is transparently honest. (I call him young because he sounds like a student.) Like Jesus, we love him, and his good qualities are abundant. At ...

3459. The Man Who Couldn't Hear

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Brett Blair

In ancient Greece it was customary for peddlers who walked the streets with their wares to cry out, "What do you lack?" The idea was to let people know they were in the vicinity, and also rouse the curiosity of the people. Coming out of their houses they would want to know what the peddler was selling. It might be something they lacked and needed, or simply something they desired. What do you lack? We may have sight and hearing, but what do we lack? Take an honest inventory of yourself. Have you found ...

3460. You Don't Need Jesus

John 1:19-28

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

The man the world needs now. Who is he? A wise man like Socrates? A military genius like Alexander? A brain like Einstein? A statesman like Lincoln? A theologian like Barth? Jesus? No, the man the world needs now is not Jesus. Are you shocked at this? Do you call it heresy? If the world does not need Jesus, then whom does it need? The man the world needs even more than Jesus is John the Baptist! If Jesus came without the work of John the Baptist, the world would not know, appreciate, or accept Jesus as ...

3461. Hated, Excluded, Reviled, Defamed — And Leaping For Joy

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

William G. Carter

In a certain town, a man walked into a bookstore to return a purchase. “It’s a Bible,” he said, handing to the clerk at the cash register. “Was it a gift?” asked the clerk. “No, I bought it for myself,” he said, “and I made a mistake.” “Didn’t you like the translation? Or the format?” “Oh no,” the man said, “the format was clear and the translation was fine. I made a mistake.” The clerk said, “Well, I need to write down a reason for the return.” “In that case,” said the man, “write down that there is a lot ...

3462. Real Gratitude

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

I want to begin this morning by telling you about two of my most prized possessions. The first one is a simple ordinary rock. It’s a rock with some green and yellow paint splattered on it. I use it as a paper weight on my desk. I have had it for over 30 years. It’s not worth a lot, but I cherish it. If I tried to sell it, I couldn’t get much money for it, but you see, I would never even consider selling it, because I treasure it so much. Why is it so special to me? Not because of what it is. Not because of ...

3463. Carrying Worshipers out on Stretchers

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

William Willimon tells about a church in a town he was visiting years ago. According to the newspaper, the church was having an all-day meeting of the church’s “medical auxiliary.” Willimon figured this was a meeting of church folks who occasionally volunteered at the local hospital. He was wrong. A friend of his, someone who knew more about the church and its denomination than he did, told him that this was not the case. He said “the medical auxiliary consists of those persons who handle the stretchers, ...

3464. A Fishing Trip To Remember

John 21:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

A man showed up at church with his ears painfully blistered. After the service, his concerned pastor asked "What in the world happened to you?" The man replied, "I was lying on the couch yesterday afternoon watching a ball game on TV and my wife was ironing nearby. I was totally engrossed in the game when she left the room, leaving the iron near the phone. The phone rang and keeping my eyes glued to the television, I grabbed the hot iron and put it to my ear." "So how did the other ear get burned?" the ...

3465. Marriages That Last

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

King Duncan

Liz was sure her boyfriend Martin would make a great husband, especially when she met Martin's parents. "They're so nice to each other," Liz remarked. "It's great how your dad brings your mom coffee in bed every morning." Eventually, Martin and Liz got married. As they were heading for their honeymoon destination, Liz spoke of the loving home they would have, and mentioned once again Martin's father's habit of bringing his wife coffee in bed each morning. Liz asked jokingly, "And does this trait run in the ...

3466. Good News For You

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

A little boy in a Christmas program had but one sentence to say, "Behold, I bring you good tidings." After the rehearsal he asked his mother what "tidings" meant. She told him tidings meant "news." When the program was performed, he was so scared before the large congregation that he forgot his line. Finally the idea came back to him and he blurted out, "Hey, I got good news for you!" Each of our lessons from the Scripture this morning is about the good news of Christmas. Isaiah tells us that a virgin will ...

3467. Choose Life!

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Sermon

King Duncan

The ability to make concise and accurate decisions is one of the great secrets of successful living. Those of you who are sports fans will appreciate the story of a college football team whose starting quarterback was injured. The number two quarterback had not even dressed out due to illness. This left only a freshman quarterback who also did their punting but had absolutely no game experience as a college quarterback. The coach had to throw him into the fray, however. It was first down, but the ball was ...

3468. Breaking Down The Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

Lucy and Linus have a chicken wishbone. They are going to pull it to make a wish. As Lucy explains to Linus how the wishbone works, Linus asks, "Do I have to say the wish out loud?" Lucy says, "Of course, if you don't say it out loud it won't come true." Then she makes her wish first. She says, "I wish for four new sweaters, a new bike, a new pair of skates, a new dress and one hundred dollars." Linus goes next. "I wish for a long life for all of my friends," he says. "I wish for world peace, I wish for ...

3469. What We Are About

Acts 13:13-52

Sermon

King Duncan

The new music teacher at the Junior High school had just organized a band. The principal decided that the band should give its first concert, but the music teacher was not certain that the band was ready. Just before the concert, the music teacher whispered to her nervous musicians, "If you’re not sure of your part, just pretend to play." When the big moment arrived, she brought her baton down with a sweeping flourish and lo, nothing happened. The band gave forth with a resounding silence. Sometimes the ...

3470. Forgiven!

Galatians 2:11-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Recently a religious talk show hostess was interviewing a new believer. The new believer had come from the wrong side of the tracks-economically, socially, morally, and spiritually. As he gave his testimony, this man, who had seen it all and done it all continually thanked God for the change God had made in his life. "I can’t express," he said, "the gratitude I feel that God has changed my life." The talk show hostess knew where he was coming from-for she, too, had walked on life’s wild side before coming ...

3471. The Secret Of Champions

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Last week we asked where have all the heroes gone? This week, "The Secret of Champions." If this all seems a little too upbeat for you, blame the writer of the letter to the Hebrews. Who can help standing a little straighter and stepping a little higher after reading the eleventh chapter and the first part of the twelfth chapter of this great book? First of all, the writer lists the great heroes of the Bible in chapter eleven and then he says, "THEREFORE, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of ...

3472. What Do We Need For Christmas?

Luke 2:(1-7) 8-20

Sermon

King Duncan

The story is told of a female college sophomore who decided it was about time she experienced her first official date. Her roommate, who was a knowledgeable junior, asked whether she preferred Southern boys or Northern boys. Since she was from South Dakota she was unaware of such nuances in the male gender and asked what the difference was. Her worldly-wise roommate answered, "Southern boys are more romantic. They will take you walking in the moonlight and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Northern boys ...

3473. What Is True And Who Can You Trust?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

(Christ the King) Leo Rosten tells a story about Yuri Smolenski, a Jewish engineer in the former Soviet Union. Yuri had been ordered to move to a minor position in a faraway, frozen Siberian outpost. His parents, in tears, were watching him pack. "I'll write every day," said Yuri. "But the censorship," wailed his mother. "They'll watch every word." Yuri's father said, "I have an idea. Anything you write in black, we'll know is true. But anything you put in red ink, we'll know is nonsense!" A month passed; ...

3474. The Peace That Christ Gives

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

A couple was traveling out West. They stopped at a sign that said, "Echo Point." "Try it," the wife suggested. "I think it's silly," her husband said. Finally he agreed to try it. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Baloney!" After a moment, he said, "See, nothing happened." "Try it again," his wife said. This time he shouted, "I'm the best looking man in the world!" Then the echo came back ” "Baloney!" Is there anyone here this morning who is absolutely satisfied with everything you are and everything ...

3475. When Heaven Rejoices

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

An owner of a small, crossroads store was appointed the local postmaster. But six months after his appointment, not one piece of mail had left the village. When concerned postal officials from Washington investigated, the local postmaster explained, "Well, it's simple; the bag ain't full yet." Once there was a church board that decided it wanted its congregation to grow numerically. An evangelism committee was chosen. The first thing the committee did was read every book and article they could find on ...

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