Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 326 to 350 of 609 results

326. Gift of Positive Thinking

2 Corinthians 1:18-22

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... into glorious clouds of euphoria. In any event, God still loves us and will have compassion, provided we are receptive. Most of us have found ourselves in such a quandary. We have felt like asking where the presence of God is. Hopefully, it is here our cherished gift of positive thinking comes into play. Hopefully, it is also a time that we plead to God for patience, allowing neither worldly success nor failure to take the place of the here and now and eternal "Yes." There is no substitute for the eyes of ...

327. Proclaiming Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... who have been in ministry this is common ground. Yet, how quickly we can yield to the temptation of placing ourselves first. We are called to be on guard. 2. We are to take slave status that provides a clear image of the Christ. How can cherished human beings in the sight of God see, unless we are obedient and work to remove dangerous and even deadly cataracts? Spiritual eyesight, when it is faulty, gives birth to distortions that lead others in wrong directions. Not only do they arrive at dead ends, they ...

328. Birthpangs of the New Age

Romans 8:22-23

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

329. Looking to the Unseen

2 Corinthians 4:18

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... . Whether we speak of sound or the spectrum of light or the migratory instincts of birds or life instincts of animals or radio waves or gamma rays or the universe itself, there is evidence of the reality of the unseen. Indeed, some of our most cherished experiences are not readily visible. Watch a teenage girl spend hours preparing for her big date, or watch a young man groom himself meticulously for his beloved, or observe the touch of a married couple endeared to each other for fifty years, and we witness ...

330. God Our Protector and Shield

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... will be maintained from his extant record, but it is his strength of belief and unqualified devotion to purpose which will continue to serve as an example of faithfulness in ministry for future generations. James Gillis wrapped himself in the flag he respected and cherished and the banner of God's righteousness which he loved. While many men and women of great faith could serve as illustrations, Gillis' life presents the words of Saint Paul as a lived experience. He truly was a man who, while flying the ...

331. Dots on a Screen

Hebrews 9:24-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

... fears and passions in a half-scripted "reality show" why not confront the very real dangers presently threatening our real world? Real life-and-death dramas unfold all around us each day: • Little children need to be loved and cherished. • Our elderly in nursing homes need to be visited. • Teenagers are struggling with the meaning and purpose of their lives, and are considering ending them. • People are tortured by guilt and shame and desperately need redemption. • Unchurched family, neighbors ...

332. Proper 12, Proper 13

2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship Let me tell you a story, one that will tug at your heart, one that will rouse your sense of justice, one that will cause you to tower and rage in righteous zeal. Let me tell you about a precious lamb, loved and cherished as a child, stolen by a thoughtless, rich neighbor. Let me show you the culprit. Hold up this mirror. Then come before your Lord with humility, begging for grace. Collect There is no mystery, Omniscient God. We come before you as sinners. We pray for your forgiveness. We ...

333. Getting Down To Basics

Romans 3:19-28

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear. (Psalm 24:1-2) Collect Your gift of grace we cherish, your salvation we embrace, your beauty we behold. Thank you, Living God of past, present, and future. Call us back home. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Great God of grace, we throw the word "grace" around like it was a law or something, and forget to receive it for ourselves and ...

334. What Part of “You Shall Not” Don’t You Understand?

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... with the Lord. Commandments four through ten are called he second table of the law. These commands from God deal with our relationship with one another. The first command in the second table has to do with the home and our parents. We are called to cherish and respect the home and our father and mother. "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), the fourth commandment says. As children we learn to believe and trust God by believing in and trusting our parents. That's why parents need to be ...

335. God’s Surprises

Acts 10:44-48

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... prices, I don't know." I swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes. "My husband passed away eight days ago," I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in my voice. "Buy him the steaks. And cherish every moment you have together." She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away. I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There I stood, trying to ...

336. The Gravity of Grace

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... funds for the poor and homeless. In the bipartisan, in-your-face flaunting of truth-telling and integrity-living practiced by so many of our political leaders. In the fact that last year, the example Hollywood chose to cite as a defender of our most cherished constitutional rights was Larry Flynt, the publisher of some of the most violent, abusive, degrading pornography in the country's history. It is not our mission as the church to sit on the sidelines bemoaning the thinning of the moral air, or to watch ...

337. A 24-7-365 God

Hebrews 7:23-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . Jesus' sacrifice introduces each one of us to the arms of God's mercy, and takes us to the heart of God's love. The forgiveness Christ obtains for us brings us into our heavenly home as full members of the divine family, where we are protected and cherished, nurtured and taught at the knee of our divine parent. With Jesus, we may also now address the ultimate reigning power of the cosmos as "Abba." Anyone who is a parent knows that parenting is a 24-7-365 undertaking. It doesn't matter if your child is ...

338. Psalm 23

Psalm 23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Psalm 23 is arguably the most memorized, the most quoted, the most cherished piece of scripture in Western culture. Even the most biblically impaired have heard somewhere, sometime, "The Lord is my shepherd." Coupled with its familiarity is its continuing ability to offer deep comfort, solace and strength to a great diversity of people in all sorts of situations. But Psalm 23 does ...

339. Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... the authenticity of the saying. As unusual as this method is for determining accurate scholarship, one of the most distressing outcomes of the Jesus Seminar group is the swath of black or at least gray that their investigations are cutting in some of our most cherished gospel texts. The flash of red appears all too infrequently for the comfort of those who still hope to find glimpses of the human Jesus on the pages of their Bibles. Today's gospel reading is unusual in many respects, not the least of which ...

340. What Did You Do On Earth?

John 1:43-51

Illustration

Brett Blair

... God, what will you tell him you did on earth, made red soda water?" The young man snapped back, "And what is wrong with red soda water?" Nothing, my son, except you happen to be endowed with great talents and abilities which I cherish for God and the Christian ministry." Consequently, the young man went back to school and prepared for the preaching ministry. He itinerated in Arkansas. Finally he was called to the First Church in Houston. He became a wonderful leader for Christ because someone recognized ...

341. Rainbows and Roses

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The President’s promise. “To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ’till death us do part.” The promise we give each other in the marriage ceremony. Promises are important. Of course, a promise is only as good as the character of the one making the promise. The One who has made 3,000 promises to us in ...

342. Easter 3

Luke 24:36-49, 1 John 2:28--3:10, Acts 3:11-26

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... preach repentance and forgiveness to all nations. This is Luke's version of the great commission in Matthew. What are we to do about this life, death and resurrection of Jesus? Is it only a page of history, a story to be told, a memory to be cherished? No, the significance of Jesus' career is that it has worldwide implications. On the basis of the cross and resurrection, the world is to be told to repent and accept forgiveness. This is to be done in his "name." It is in his name that forgiveness is possible ...

343. The Urgency of the Task

Luke 24:36b-48

Illustration

Editor James S. Hewett

... of Christ's people are like old Tarisio? In our very love of the church we fail to give the glad tidings to the world; in our zeal for the truth we forget to publish it. When shall we all learn that the Good News needs not just to be cherished, but needs to be told? Don't bury God's Good News of Easter at the bottom of a rickety old bureau. Let the people hear the great sound of the music: He is Risen!

344. Proper 14

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33, Psalm 130:1-8, John 6:25, 41-51, Ephesians 4:25–5:2

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... Christ our Lord. Amen PRAYER OF CONFESSION Loving and forgiving Parent, Loving and forgiving Christ, Loving and forgiving Spirit, we confess that we are not always generous, tenderhearted and forgiving. We can be spiteful in our behavior because of the bad feeling that we cherish in our hearts. That anger can come out in angry shouting and cursing, which is not only offensive to others but grieves your Spirit within us. Forgive us for resisting the Spirit who is at work in us to make us more like Jesus ...

345. First Sunday of Advent

Matthew 26:36-46, Psalm 122:1-9, Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:8-14

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... spirit, grant sure hope to the dying and a peaceful rest. Eternal God, we give you thanks for the remembrance of those most dear to us, whom you have released from the sorrow and sighing of this life into everlasting joy and gladness. Grant that as we cherish their memories we may strive to imitate their virtues and share the fruits of the one Spirit who is embodied by the church of Jesus Christ. Hasten the day when the church militant becomes the church triumphant and we again are united with those whom we ...

346. Easter 3

Psalm 116:1-19, Luke 24:13-35, Acts 2:14-41, 1 Peter 1:17-21

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... Truthful God, patient Teacher, Inspiration of prophets, we confess that we are often dull and sluggish in our thinking and slow of heart in believing. We prefer to hear what we already know than to think out something we have not heard before. We cherish our mixture of faith and doubt, rather than seek the surer faith that comes with a broader knowledge of the scriptures. Forgive our use of less than our full intellectual capacities in worship and less than an adventurous faith in following you; through ...

347. A Time for Opportunity

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... will I be happy?” “Ah,” said the fortuneteller, “that has nothing to do with the future but what you do in the present.” (4) He was right again. God’s will is for us to choose to be happy this day and every day, to believe the Gospel, to cherish the truth that in all things God is with us and we can be victorious in any circumstance. That does not mean that we will not go through difficult times. It means that we will not let our circumstances determine how we look at life. Rather we will let ...

348. Got Milk?

1 Peter 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... a restaurant that night, you obviously come in and take off your dirty work clothes, shower and put on clean clothes to go out. Before you can sit down to eat at the table called the Bible, you've got to be clean. Psalm 66:18 says, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." (Psalm 66:18, ESV) In other words, if there is sin in your life prayer is useless until you get rid of that sin - you can't talk to God. Just as you talk to God in prayer, God talks ...

349. Marriage 101

Ephesians 5:22-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... , you are to make her beautiful, you are to grow in the Lord and help her grow in the Lord. "So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church." (vv.28-29) It doesn't get much stronger than this. What does a man do with his body? He satisfies it. When the body is hungry he feeds it; when the body is thirsty he waters it; when the body is ...

350. Overcoming the Sacred Cows

Mark 7:1-23

Illustration

Mickey Anders

... to change it to blue. Some people just weren't sure they could worship God on a BLUE CARPET, God forbid. At another church, we had the Great Hymnbook Controversy of 1975. For twenty years, the 1956 version of the hymnal had been used and cherished in that church, but now the music committee wanted to purchase the newly updated 1975 version. This decision sparked a major debate on the quality of music in each hymnal. The final decision was made at a two-hour church-wide business meeting where we finally ...

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