Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3526 to 3550 of 4977 results

3526. The Reward

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

Sermon

James L. Killen

... just this once. What is the reward that comes to those who live the Christian life? There is a reward. When we think about the Christian's reward, we usually think of something that waits for us beyond this life, something we don't quite know how to describe because it is hidden behind a veil and probably cannot be adequately described in the words and concepts we have developed to describe things in this life. That expectation has been important to Christians down through the ages. It was important ...

3527. Dealing with Criticism

1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Sermon

James L. Killen

... of reality and the way to fullness of life, practical advice about how to live a Christian life in the real world, directions on how to run a church, and expressions of the loving concern of a good pastor for his people. But we will also find quite a lot of argument intended to defend his authority as an apostle, to refute the arguments of those who disagreed with him, and to defend himself against his critics. That is the first thing we can learn from Paul about criticism: that it happens. It comes with ...

3528. A Christian's Resumé

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God. That's what churches want - not only in their pastors, but also in the members of their congregations. That's what we want to see in everyone else, of course, but we know that we can't quite include that in our own resumes, at least not as something that is true about ourselves all of the time. But people are reading our "living resumes" all of the time. People, who know that we are Christians, are watching us. They are waiting for the mistake ...

3529. Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3-9

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... did not die. And as long as there is life still flowing through the system, there is hope of reawakening, resurgence, and resurrection. We need the vision to see beyond what might appear to be there in front of us, to be able to see what could, quite possibly, be there. As Robert Kennedy often said about himself, "Some people see things as they are and ask why? I dream things that never were, and ask why not?" Several years ago a teacher assigned to visit children in a large city hospital received a routine ...

3530. Because

1 Peter 1:1—2:3

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

3531. The Eyes of Your Heart

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Richard W. Ferris

... of $300 and has a waiting list of up to three years in advance. Needless to say, there are a lot of people who believe in crossing over and, in particular, in John Edward's ability to patch them through to their deceased loved ones. He is quite convincing. To his credit, at the end of every program, he states that it is not necessary to have a medium present in order to hear from those who have passed, if only we would pay attention. He believes that people on the other side are constantly communicating ...

3532. The Gifted

1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

Sermon

William G. Carter

... in the area. I'm looking for a church. But it has to be a charismatic church." I said, "You ought to come and worship with us. We have a charismatic church." She took a second look at me and said, "You can't be serious." "Oh, yes, I'm quite serious." She said, "Do you have faith healings?" "We probably do, but we don't make a big deal out of it. After all, it's a charismatic church." She said, "I'm not sure I understand. Do people stand up in worship services and speak in tongues?" "No," I ...

3533. A Name Not Taken in Vain

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Sermon

William G. Carter

... in Jesus, this God is not bound by human limits or divine superiority. Rather, our God reveals love and purpose through the essential community of the Divine Being. When Paul gives his blessing at the end of 2 Corinthians, he uses the words that we have come to know quite well. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you" (v. 13). He blesses us through a God who is known in relationship. The love of God becomes real to us through the grace of ...

3534. Thank God, We're Already Dead

Romans 6:1b-11

Sermon

William G. Carter

... seen. It is a large deep pool. It's elevated, about chest high as I remember. A casual visitor might confuse it for a hot tub, large enough for three or four people. But there are no spa jets inside, and the water, as I touched it, was quite chilly. I asked the pastor of that church, "How do baptisms get done at St. Peter's Lutheran?" "Just like anywhere else," he replied. "Do people get dunked in the Lutheran church?" He answered, "Some do. Others stand outside the font, and water is sprinkled on their ...

3535. Slaves of a Different Master

Romans 6:12-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

... things they don't need. Some people are slaves to cholesterol. They have never met a donut or a piece of bacon they didn't like. Some people are slaves to their jobs. They do not like their jobs, but the company is paying them too much for them to quit, so they go to work in golden handcuffs. Some corporations are slaves to greed. Everybody answers to the bottom line. If the bottom line is not high enough, somebody has to go. In the last few years, we have had all kinds of revelations about that, but it's ...

3536. Bragging Rights

Philippians 3:4b-14

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

... trying hard to accept the complete relationship. But even Paul finds this to be something he is still working on. For all our efforts to be perfect, to accomplish things, to be successful, Paul stands as a reminder to us that it isn't quite that simple when we speak of our relationship with Christ. Paul has spent years working on his relationship, trying to get everything in order and to ensure he has done everything possible to perfect the relationship. But he finds, after years dedicated to this project ...

3537. Worthy of God

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Sermon

Rick Brand

... poor results he was getting at Chapel at Duke, he complained to Stanley Hauerwas, who was named by Time magazine as the nation's most outstanding theologian. Stanley replied to Dr. Willimon, "Cheer up. This university is a bad neighborhood for Jesus. I think you do quite well, Wil, considering that this university is against everything Jesus teaches."2 To lead a life that is worthy of the God who has called you in Jesus Christ may run you in an entirely different direction than the rest of the world, but as ...

3538. A More Perfect Union

Habakkuk 2:1-5

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... spirit which weighs their interests along side its own without bias. The spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded. The spirit of liberty is the spirit of Him who, near two thousand years ago, taught mankind the lesson it has never learned, but never quite forgotten. That there may be a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered alongside the greatest. It is a grand vision. And to be American means to be on a journey towards achieving it.

3539. A Tale of Two Dancers

Mark 6:14-29

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... not going to get you there, but your deeds. I dreamt that death came the other night, and heaven's gates swung wide. An angel with halo bright ushered me inside. And there to my astonishment stood folks That I'd judged and labeled as quite unfit, of little worth, and spiritually disabled. Indignant words rose to my lips, but never were set free. For every face showed stunned surprise. No one expected me. Reinhold Niebuhr started his career as a pastor in Detroit during that infamous Ford Motor strike, when ...

3540. Beware of Crowds

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... understands what they are going through. She resolved also to get personally involved, to be with those who are suffering. Jan has found many ways to do that over the years. But this last December there was a wonderful opportunity that has turned into something quite astounding. A friend called her and said that she was in depression and considering suicide. Jan and another friend told her she must go to the hospital, but that they would stay with her so that no matter what she had to face, she would ...

3541. Have You Heard?

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... coming of which we pray for every day. Two thousand years ago now Jesus came saying, "The kingdom of God is at hand. Follow me, and I will lead you there." If you have wised up, if you have figured out what life is all about, then it is really quite simple. You will follow. In simple trust like theirs who heard, Beside the Syrian sea, The gracious calling of the Lord.

3542. Hope Is Medicinal

Mark 1:40-45

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... continued to play with arthritis, keeping his disease a secret. But after a while he couldn't hide it. During that period he practiced five or six hours a day to keep his hands limber. Finally they became so swollen and sore that he had to quit. He retreated into his apartment in New York, and retreated into depression. He thought that his life was over. Probably out of that despair, he stopped taking his medicine. Then discovered that he was feeling more alert and sensitive to what was going on around him ...

3543. Imagine a World

Matthew 18:10-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... shepherd, seeking out the lost with grace. Scott Peck wrote his famous book, The Road Less Traveled, many years ago now. He is a psychiatrist, you remember, who discovered the power of religion to heal. That is, positive religion, grace-ful religion. It caused quite a stir when the book was published because it was unusual for a psychiatrist, especially in those days, to give credit to religion. Psychiatry was labeled as generally anti-religious as a result of seeing so many lives that had been messed up by ...

3544. Lateral Thinking

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... That is how he discovered "lateral thinking," solutions that move laterally, and sometimes even backward, until you find the gate that nobody knew existed. Well I haven't heard much about Edward De Bono lately, but there was a time when he was in the news quite a bit, because he was being used by corporations and by government agencies to solve problems for them. My favorite story is a solution he found for a corporation that had its offices in one of those tall New York skyscrapers. The building, it turned ...

3545. The Day Life Increased

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... I am tempted to sympathize with the older brothers, because Joseph is such a brat, he needs to be put in his place. But what the older brothers did was hardly appropriate to the offence. Putting Joseph in his place is one thing, selling him into slavery is quite another. You know what it is? It's betrayal and abandonment. It is exactly what the disciples did to Jesus, who after pledging their loyalty to him, saying, "We will never leave you," all forsook him and fled. And then he, like Joseph, was sold, for ...

3546. The Extended Family

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... love. It is called The Great Commandment. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." That's called The Great Commandment, and that is quite enough. So why do we have a new commandment? Well here is the answer. Look where they are. It's the Last Supper. Which means, it is a Passover meal. Now get this. In Jewish families, then and today, you celebrate the Passover with your family. Now ...

3547. The Lonesome Valley

Matthew 21:1-11; 26:36-46, 69-27:1,15-26

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... the story of Palm Sunday. And he didn't want to go there. If you read the story in all the gospels, you will see that. According to Matthew, in fact, he spent his whole ministry in Galilee. He never went to Jerusalem during his lifetime. Which was quite extraordinary. It would have been natural and easy to journey to Jerusalem from Galilee. In fact, it would have been expected that a good Jew would go to Jerusalem several times in his life to the Temple for the high holy days. Jesus never went there. Until ...

3548. The Messiah

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... church communities, was an honor that you carried with you all year long. Sittler then mused on the popularity of the oratorio. He concluded that the texts, the score, and the magic of the season, all come together to produce something that is quite extraordinary. It is not unlike Oklahoma. I hope Handel will forgive us for saying this, but like Oklahoma, it combines all the combinations of a winner. First the libretto, the beautiful biblical texts. Most of them come from the incomparable poetry of Isaiah ...

3549. The Sin of Being Less

Colossians 3:1-14

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... immediately thought, "He's found out about me." Before he could answer the preacher said, "Wait a minute. I know who you are. I can see the family resemblance. You're a child of God." Then he put his hands on the boy's shoulders, and said, "Son, you have quite an inheritance. Go out and claim it." "If you have been resurrected with Christ, seek the things that are above." 1 Thanks to Brian Bauknight

3550. They Grow Up Fast

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... her son even though she never understood him, even though he broke her heart. She stayed with him. She was there at the manger, and she was at the cross. She is the only one who can say that. She was with him from the beginning to the end, never quite understanding him. Mary is the model of a parent. But that is a sub-text to this story. You could call it "parental bewilderment." The main theme of this story is the son's vocation. Luke says that he discovered it the same way that you and I discover it ...

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