Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3501 to 3525 of 4933 results

3501. Obedience Is An Ugly Word!

Acts 5:17-42

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

A man, bragging on his dog, said, "He's a fine dog. He's so smart, and obedient, too. Why, all I have to do is tell him what to do and he either does it, or he doesn't!" The gospel's success or failure all hinges upon our acceptance or rejection of the word "Obedience." If we truly have faith, we will obey God. Obedience implies that we are not independent, that we are accountable to another, that we do have someone over us, that there is higher authority than ourselves. In a world where we are taught that ...

3502. Christmas and the Condensed Bible

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I must confess that I am not a great fan of Reader’s Digest, but in a strange way, the magazine is partly responsible for my being in the United Methodist ministry. You see, during the late 1940’s and 1950’s, the “red-baiting” era of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy, Reader’s Digest published an article titled “Methodism’s Pink Fringe.” The article purported to show that Methodists were, in reality, Communists, because they believed in such radical things as civil rights and world peace. Having recently ...

3503. How Moses Handled Stress

Numbers 11:4-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I once saw a list of professions ranked according to the degree of stress that can be found in that vocation. I looked for "minister." It wasn't there. I assumed there must be a mistake, so I looked under "clergy." It wasn't there, either. I looked under "pastor," and "priest." Not there. Later somebody told me that, as a matter of fact, ministry is considered one of the least stressful vocations. Which meant that all the worrying I've done for the last thirty years was for nothing. The fact of the matter ...

3504. Don't Get Too Big For Your Spiritual Britches

Judges 16:20

Sermon

James Merritt

He is undoubtedly one of the most amazing human beings I have ever seen in my life. His name is Niam Suleymanoglu. He stands 4 ft. 11 in. tall, weighs all of 141 pounds. You may not recognize him by his real name, but you may recognize him by his nickname. This hero of Turkey has been given the nickname "Pocket Hercules." He did something in the ‘96 Atlanta Olympics no one in Olympic history had ever done. For the third consecutive Olympics he won the gold medal in weight lifting. He won his division by ...

3505. The Way Over Is Under

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

It was known as the Roaring Twenties. It was a time very much like to the Soaring Nineties. Morals were being turned upside down. The Stock Market was rocketing to new heights. "Let the good times roll" was the national motto. Perhaps the biggest name of the decade was a man named Babe Ruth. He had single-handedly put baseball on the map and made it the national pastime. The major league owners realized they needed a Commissioner to oversee the game of baseball and preserve its integrity. In 1921 they ...

3506. Why You Should Study the Bible

Psalm 119:105

Sermon

James Merritt

The Bible is the book that is owned by more people in America than any other single book. But what do Bible owners really know about the Bible? 82% say the idea that “God helps those who help themselves” is taken directly from the pages of the Bible. 66% say there is no absolute truth. 63% cannot name the four gospels. 58% cannot name half or more of the Ten Commandments. 58% do not know Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. 52% do not know the book of Jonah is in the Bible. 48% do not know the book of ...

3507. Marketing or Disciplemaking?

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I don't remember my first experience at worship. I was carried there as an infant in my mother's arms. I can almost count on one hand the number of weeks in my 59 years of life that I have not been somewhere in a worship service to praise and thank God. Worship is a part of my DNA. It's just deep within my soul. It was the Westminster Catechism that stated years ago, the chief purpose of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. We were not created to please ourselves. We were made to please God. I ...

3508. The Good Husband

Isaiah 54:1-17, Isaiah 55:1-13, Isaiah 56:1-8

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Some of you here today are sitting in worship with a burden on your heart. Some of you are angry with God for that loss of job, or that sickness that has come upon you or your family. Some here today may have doubts that God truly cares about your life, truly cares about what happens to you or someone dear to you. Some of you may not be sure that God has heard you, or worse, that God exists to hear you. If you’ve been a lifelong church-goer, you’re probably afraid to ask those questions, just in case you ...

3509. Good News, Bad News, Good News

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Thomas Long

I forget now whether it was a famous football coach, a former president, or a positive-thinking teacher who put on his wall the motto, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" -- probably all three of them. In any case, I am aware of the fact that there are some people who pride themselves on being able to get motivated in tough situationns, to face head-on the tough issues. "Give it to me straight, Doc," they say to the surgeon, "I can handle it." They sign up for courses from the roughest ...

3510. Delivery

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I once visited a church in which the minister delivered what seemed at the time to be an interesting sermon, but I couldn't quite grasp the real thrust of the message, because it was delivered in a monotone, most of it read with little warmth or enthusiasm. [The church secretary] agreed to mail me a copy of the sermon I'd just heard. When the sermon arrived in the mail and I read it, I realized that the structure of the message was coherent and sound and the points well made. I could hardly believe I was ...

3511. What's A Savior Worth?

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:1-4

Drama

Joe Barone

Narrator: We don't often talk about money in the church, but the scripture talks about it all the time. Now don't panic! This is not going to be a sermon about money. It's going to be about just what the sermon topic says -- "What's A Savior Worth?" If you listened to the scripture, you heard two different stories, one story of a young woman who poured a flask of expensive oil on Jesus' head, and another story about Judas who sought out the authorities and negotiated with them to betray Jesus for 30 pieces ...

3512. Salvation as Personal Experience

Romans 9:30--10:21

Sermon Aid

T. A. Kantonen

Thus far we have studied Paul’s doctrine of salvation in objective terms. Salvation is the work of divine grace, centering in the atoning death of Christ on the cross and bringing about a change in the relation of mankind to God, a change described as redemption, justification, and reconciliation. We turn now to the subjective and personal aspect of salvation, to Paul’s answer to the question, "What must I do to be saved?" Faith When this question was asked by the Philippian jailer, Paul replied, "Believe ...

3513. The Joy of a Thankful Heart

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

On his way to Jerusalem, our Lord passed through the region between Samaria and Galilee. This was never a pleasant place for a Jew to travel. There was just too much animosity with the Samaritans. The Jews preferred to avoid them. Travel in the region of the Samaritans was simply distasteful. As Jesus walked, a group of ten lepers approached him. The group contains a curious mixture. For one thing, both leprous Jews and leprous Samaritans were traveling together.[1] The illness permitted them to rise above ...

3514. Little Ones

Luke 18:15-17, Matthew 19:13-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animations: stuffed lamb or if you dare, a real lamb; Youtube: “Do Sheep Only Obey Their Master’s Voice?”; (optional: book of fairytales) How many children do we have in worship today? Raise your hands! Why don’t you come on up! All of you… I wonder if you’d come on up and help me with someone. [Bring in the lamb….if you can have some of the children help to hold his leash.] Do you know who this is? Her name is Nessa. Would you like to pet her? [Allow the children to sit up front anywhere they like.] There ...

3515. Herod and Jesus

Drama

Jon Joyce

Setting The private sitting room in the palace in which Herod is staying in Jerusalem. A throne-like chair, perhaps with a gold or violet throw covering it, should be provided for Herod; this chair should face the audience. A simple chair or stool should be placed in front of the chair so that Jesus, when he sits down, may face Herod but not the audience. Other appointments to the room may be added for effect: potted palms, a small table with a wine carafe and fresh fruits, and anything else appropriate to ...

3516. Paul of Tarsus

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Drama

Michael L. Sherer

"I am content with persecutions for Christ’s sake ..." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Characters: Lector Announcer Antagonist Protagonist Participants enter and take their places in the chancel. As they come forward, the congregation sings the hymn "In the Cross of Christ I Glory." When the hymn is completed, the drama begins. LECTOR: I am most happy ... to be proud of any weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ’s power over me. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and ...

3517. The Sufficiency of Christ

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Some years ago, I had the marvelous opportunity of visiting Philippi. I was troubled by the fact that not much was left of that once flourishing Roman colony. But out by the river, where Lydia was converted, and perhaps baptized, I gained a helpful perspective. The most winsome church of the apostolic age probably never had a building of her own. It was the church in Lydia’s house, or in the house of some other. If there was a particular building for the church at any time during her history, not one stone ...

3518. Facing Fears, Kingdom Style

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

I had heard of the place for years, but never seen it until Tuesday in Chicago- The Pacific Garden Mission. Lori and I were on the way from a science museum to an art exhibit (I believe vacations are for learning!), and there it was on the left side of the street. I first knew it through the dramatized radio program Unshackled which tells the stories of those whose lives were turned around by faith in Christ and the help of the mission. Down-and-out to up-and-on is a story line with endless variations. ...

3519. Achieving Peak Performance

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I have always been interested in those people who make speeches for a living, the professionals, the ones who speak at conventions, banquets and motivation seminars. They call themselves, "hired gums." I will confess to a certain degree of envy when I read or hear about them. Not because of the exorbitant fees that they charge, but because they give one speech over and over again. Preachers can't get away with that, not very often anyway. We have to write a new sermon every week to preach to the same ...

3520. The Problem with Promises

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

Sermon

James L. Killen

The problem with promises is that you have to trust them. You have to believe that they will be fulfilled, and live as if you believe that they will be fulfilled, before they can do you any good. We don't like to do that. We are cautious people. We want something to be thoroughly proven before we will believe that it is true. We want to investigate an enterprise thoroughly before we will invest in it. But that doesn't really work with believing in God. There is a limit to what we can know about God without ...

3521. Stand Up and Be Counted

Daniel 3:1-30

Sermon

James Merritt

The Olympics are coming to Atlanta. The Olympic Flame is coming through America. But Cobb County, in Atlanta, has been declared off limits to the Olympic Flame. Why? Because of this resolution that was passed by five Cobb County Commissioners: Whereas, the Cobb County Commission is legally charged with protection of the safety, health, and welfare of the community; and Whereas, there are increasing assaults on those community standards which further the protection of the public safety, health, and welfare ...

3522. Manual Labor Is Not the President of Mexico

Proverbs 6:6-8

Sermon

James Merritt

"It's true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?" Ronald Reagan1 Two teenagers were talking, and one said to another, "I'm really worried. Dad slaves away at his job so I will never want for anything, pays all of my bills and sends me to college. Mom spends every day washing and ironing and cleaning up after me, and even takes care of me when I am sick." "So, what are you worried about?" He said, "I'm afraid they might try to escape!" That story reflects my belief that ...

3523. It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Matthew 5:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

If you have any reason to wonder why this message is important, maybe this letter will show you better than I could tell you. About four years ago I got a letter from a little girl in Macon, Georgia. Here's what she wrote me: Dear Dr. Merritt, Hello! I was just wondering can you help me? My Mother wants to move to Sweden. I am supposed to go, but I don't trust her. She says I'll come back. I don't know. My Daddy lives here, Georgia, USA. He's American. He is not going. What should I do? If I say Sweden, my ...

3524. Repeat After Me

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

One thing a good teacher knows is that repetition is one of the best ways to teach, as well as one of the best ways to learn. If you think about it, we learn the alphabet by repetition, by saying the letters over and over. We learn how to count the same way. We learn the multiplication tables by repeating them over and over again until we could do them in our sleep. Paul begins this chapter by saying, "For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe." (3:1) Paul is about to ...

3525. Ignite: Fire Extinguishers

Acts 15:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

Five words and regardless of where you are on the political spectrum you would agree they became one of the most famous political slogans of any political candidate in the last 50 years, “Change We Can Believe In.” Regardless of what you think about the slogan or even the man, one thing we all can agree on is that change is difficult. The older you get the harder change is. There are a lot of people I know who are more comfortable with putting up with old problems than they are finding new solutions. They ...

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