Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 326 to 350 of 655 results

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Linus is philosophizing with Lucy. "Life is peculiar," he says. "Wouldn't you like to have your life to live over if you knew what you know now?" Lucy stares off blankly, then asks, "What do I know now?" E. Stanley Jones once told of being on a cruise ship. There was a rather corpulent couple on that cruise who seemed to live from one meal to the next. They were retired and obviously had plenty of money, but they seemed miserable. They were always angry with the table stewards for not giving them super- ...

327. How Shall We Prepare?

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

(John the Baptist Announces His Coming --Third Sunday of Advent) Howard Hensley was standing in line at the post office. Standing in line is not one of his favorite things to do, especially during the busy Christmas season. This day was no exception. He waited anxiously for the postal clerk to weigh his packages and give him his stamps. His irritation quickly increased when he overheard a shabbily dressed man ask another clerk for $50 worth of Madonna stamps! "What corrupt influence is the government ...

328. Come Home To God

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Angela Akers

A patient, while recovering in the hospital from a heart attack, met this over zealous evangelist. For half an hour, the preacher lectured the man on being thankful for God's mercy and repenting immediately of his sins. "Tell the truth, brother," the pastor remarked. "During your heart attack, didn't all your sins flash before your eyes?" With a mischievous grin, the patient responded, "Don't be ridiculous, the attack only lasted six hours!" (1) None of us likes to hear the word "repent," do we? At best, ...

329. Haunted By The Cross

John 18:1-11; 18:33-19:16; 19:28-42

Drama

King Duncan

A Drama for Good Friday [This Good Friday drama can be approached in two ways: Ideally you have talented people in your church who will memorize their parts and perform in costume. This would be powerful and memorable. Otherwise, it could be presented as Readers' Theater, with a narrator and actors simply reading their lines. Suggested hymns to play softly in the background during readings and monologues: 1. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Simon Peter) 2. Just As I Am, Without One Plea (Samaritan woman) ...

330. Depression: When the Spirit Is Faint

Psalm 142:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

A disturbed and deeply troubled individual went to a psychiatrist to relieve his anxiety. He awoke melancholy every morning, and he went to bed in the evening deeply depressed. His day was marked by darkness and clouds. He could not find relief from this anxiety. In his desperate condition, he decided to seek the help of a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist listened to him for almost an hour. Finally, he leaned toward his patient and said to him, "You know, there is a local show at the theater. I understand a ...

331. He Is Not Here He Is Risen

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

If I were not preaching through the Gospel of Mark these days, I would have probably chosen another Gospel from which to read the Easter story. All the other Gospels tell a fuller and more complete, even more dramatic, story of the Resurrection. Mark’s announcement of Easter is really understated. In Mark’s Gospel, the big day is Good Friday He builds up to that day for five chapters, beginning with Palm Sunday. I don’t know whether you’ve ever noted it or not, but the events of Holy Week take up one-third ...

332. History: His Story

Matthew 21:33-46

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

There have been many who have sought to write a history of the world. Cavemen painted the story of their civilization on the walls of their home. Around 70 A.D., a Hebrew soldier named Josephus surrendered to the Roman army rather than die. Dead men tell no tales, and he said he wanted to live to tell the story of the fall of Jerusalem. Today, his history of the Jewish wars is an invaluable tool to historians. Many of you are familiar with Will Durant. For half a century, he and his wife wrote the multi- ...

333. Courage Under Fire

Jude 1:22-23

Sermon

James Merritt

As you know, the Louvre is one of the most famous art museums in all of Europe. They once ran a contest in a newspaper, providing a prize to the person that gave the best answer to this question: "If a fire broke out in the Louvre, and you could save only one painting, which one would it be?" Well, Tristan Bernard, a French novelist, won the prize with this reply: "I would save the one nearest the exit."1 That is not quite the type of courage I want to speak about today. I am speaking about the courage we ...

334. God's Laughter

Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Okay, who knows how Joan of Arc died? Right. She was burned at the stake. Keep that in mind; it will come up again in a few minutes. Today's text is about Sarah laughing, and it strikes me that it would be better if the lectionary had scheduled this reading for sometime in April instead of during the summer. That's because April is National Humor Month. This observance was started in 1976 by humorist Larry Wilde, author of 53 books on the subject of humor, and director of The Carmel Institute of Humor, ...

335. More Than A Kumbaya King

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Anytime the phone rings at 4 a.m. it’s always unnerving. Very rarely is it good news. Two years ago Peggielene Bartels got just such a phone call. The call she got was from her uncle back in her homeland of Ghana in West Africa. He informed her that her other uncle, who had ruled as king of the small fishing village of Otuam, had died. But the call Peggy ultimately answered wasn’t just some sad family news. It was life changing. The village elders had anointed her as the successor to her uncle. Peggy had ...

336. It Takes Two

Illustration

Staff

The power of a successfully communicated thought, from one human mind to another, is one of the greatest forces we know. But like the tango, it takes two to communicate. You can communicate a thought, but your thought may not be understood. In some cases, your thought may not even reach the proper target. That's why it pays to ask questions to make certain that people understand what you are saying. The great movie maker, Cecil B. DeMille would agree. DeMille was making one of his great epic movies. He had ...

337. Looking for Rainbows

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Jack Coe was a popular evangelist in the first half of the twentieth century. Like many popular evangelists of the time, Coe held his services in a tent. Coe’s tent was a massive structure which would hold ten thousand people. One day Coe had a dream in which he saw a flood. The dream troubled him so much that he told his wife about it. Later, when he was conducting a crusade in Kansas City, he dreamed once again about a flood. Together these two dreams seemed so real that he felt that perhaps God was ...

338. When the New Comes, the Old Passes

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

On the church's calendar, this is the last week of the year. It is called Christ the King. The day points to the culmination of history. On that last day, every knee shall bow. Death will be defeated. God will raise up God's people and the whole world will rejoice in the coming of God's reign. The gospel reading for the day, Luke 23:33-43, tells of a conversation Jesus had with two convicted criminals as all three were hanging on crosses. The conversation is rich in nuance and meaning. The Lord asks that ...

339. Jonah Flees from the Lord

Jonah 1:1-17

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The Command and the Flight (1:1-3): 1:1–3 The NIV has omitted several rhetorical devices in these first three verses that are significant for an understanding of Jonah. Verse 1:1 begins with way e hî, which may be translated, “Now it came to pass,” or simply “Now.” The word is a sure indication that what follows is a story or narrative (cf. MT of Josh. 1:1; Judg. 1:1). Verse 2 begins with “arise” (RSV; NIV: go; qûm), and this verb is repeated at the beginning of verse 3: “But Jonah rose (qûm) to flee to ...

340. Imitating Christ's Humility

Philippians 2:1-11

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

Call for Mutual Consideration Paul’s concern for unity of mind and mutual consideration among the members of the Philippian church need not imply that there was an atmosphere of dissension there. The fact that two members are singled out by name and urged to agree in 4:2 could suggest (unless 4:2 belongs to an originally separate letter) that theirs was an exceptional case of conflict. We do not know what Epaphroditus had told Paul about the state of the church, but at this time Paul found sufficient ...

341. Through His Faithful Death, Jesus as Messiah Redefined Brings Life

Matthew 27:27-31, Matthew 27:32-44, Matthew 27:45-56, Matthew 27:57-61, Matthew 27:62-66

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

Big Idea: In his narration of the crucifixion Matthew intertwines his affirmation of Jesus as the true king of the Jews with his use of Psalm 22 to indicate Jesus as the one who trusts God when suffering unjustly, thereby demonstrating Jesus’ death as the completion of his faithful mission, a redefinition of kingship, and a cosmic life-giving event. Understanding the Text The crucifixion narrative (27:27–50) brings together various christological threads of Matthew’s Gospel. The kingly (messianic) identity ...

342. A Call to Servanthood and Suffering

Mark 10:46-52, Mark 10:35-45, Mark 10:32-34

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Once more the disciples fail by seeking greatness rather than servanthood, and the right “path” is shown by Bartimaeus, who centers entirely on Jesus and “follows” him “along the road.” Jesus is central, and here he reveals that his way of suffering is redemptive, providing a “ransom for many,” and ends his public ministry with a call to discipleship. Understanding the Text This is the final set of events in Jesus’s public ministry, as the rest of Mark will cover the passion week, crucifixion, ...

343. The Arrest of Jesus

Mark 14:43-52

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: Jesus’s battle with his enemies begins with his arrest. Here his disciples fail again, and what draws his internal (vv. 32–42) and external battles at Gethsemane (vv. 27–31, 43–49, 50–52) together is the necessity at all times to depend on God and his will. Understanding the Text This story provides a transition from Gethsemane (it takes place in that garden and is the natural denouement to it) to the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate. Here the passion predictions of 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34 ...

344. The Roman Verdict

Luke 22:66--23:25

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: The Roman governor, under pressure from the Jewish leaders and crowd, reluctantly condemns Jesus to death. Understanding the Text In 18:32–33 Jesus predicted that he would be handed over to “the Gentiles” for execution, and that prediction also now comes true. Hitherto, the whole move against Jesus has come from the Jewish leaders and has taken place within Jewish circles, but now the political reality demands that, in order to have Jesus executed, they must involve the Roman governor. But while ...

345. Tell It Not in Gath!

2 Samuel 1:1-16, 1 Samuel 31:1-13

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: Rebellion against the Lord culminates in humiliating defeat, but the demise of the Lord’s rebellious servants is to be lamented, not celebrated. Understanding the Text Chapter 31 returns the focus of the story to Saul and picks up where chapter 28 left off. Samuel’s prophecy of Saul’s impending death and of Israel’s defeat (28:19) is fulfilled. In 2 Samuel 1 the focus returns to David. There is a flashback at the beginning of the chapter: verse 1 informs us that this episode takes place on the ...

346. Zophar Rejects Job’s Complaints

Job 11:1-20

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Zophar dismisses Job’s complaints as illogical. Understanding the Text In their first responses to Job, Eliphaz appeals to experience and personal revelation (Job 4–5), Bildad adduces traditional teaching (Job 8), and Zophar applies strict deductive logic to evaluate Job’s situation (Job 11). Zophar seems to be the most curt and insensitive of the three friends in speaking to Job. By taking the retribution principle to its logical conclusion, Zophar insists that suffering necessarily proceeds ...

347. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

The Handwriting on the Wall (5:1-9): Big Idea: Sacrilege against God can lead to a divine confrontation that worldly wealth, power, and wisdom cannot adequately address. Understanding the Text Daniel 5:1–31 is woven into the book’s overall literary structure in two ways. First, it advances the narrative of chapters 1–6, in which the first four focus on Nebuchadnezzar (chaps. 1–2 with historical markers and 3–4 without) and the last two show the transition from Belshazzar of Babylon to Darius the Mede ( ...

348. God Has the Last Word

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Charley Reeb

It is amazing how sounds will stir the mind and heart. For instance, music has a marvelous way of igniting an array of emotions. Someone can listen to a song, close their eyes, and feel once again the exhilaration of their first kiss or the bittersweet memory of love that was lost. A note or two of music can resonate a deep chord within. Movie makers know this well and use it to their advantage. Ever tried to watch a movie with your television muted? The drama of the movie is removed. The screeches, ...

349. Zophar

Job 11:1-20

Understanding Series

Gerald H. Wilson

11:1 The last of Job’s three friends makes his debut with rather breathtaking harshness. Zophar rejects Job’s claim to righteousness and even undermines his integrity by classifying Job’s claims as idle mockery which cannot go uncontested. The key to Zophar’s viewpoint is found in 11:6, where he clearly states that Job’s suffering is the result of his sin and is even less severe than deserved. While Zophar does hold out hope for Job, it has little to do with a confrontation with God. Such a collision would ...

350. Deathbed Confessions

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Did you know that Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis and one of the most important figures of the early 20th century was a teller of jokes? He was. In fact, way back in 1915 he told a joke about a minister who was summoned by a group of anxious relatives. They wanted him to extract a deathbed conversion from an atheistic and unrepentant insurance salesman. The meeting between the minister and the insurance salesman took place, and the longer the meeting continued behind the hospital's closed ...

Showing results