Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3551 to 3575 of 4933 results

3551. A Glimpse of God

John 14:5-14

Sermon

George Bass

Philip seems, according to St. John, to have more in common with Thomas than he does with James the Less, the son of Alphaeus, of whom we have precious little information as a disciple, an evangelist, or even - as tradition tells us - as a martyr. Not that much more is known about Philip! Circumstance linked Philip and James the Less together because their remains, or relics, were moved to the Church of the Apostles in Rome on May 1; their bodies still lie together in a crypt under the main altar of this ...

3552. When the Golden Rule Isn't Enough - Mother's Day

John 15:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Today we honor our moms. Not everybody can be a mom, but everyone at some time in their life has had a mom, and at that time our mom was the most important person in our world. Some of us had moms who made great sacrifices in our behalf. We are profoundly grateful for that. So today we honor our moms. It’s not easy being a mom. Here are some examples of some mothers and things they could have said: Mona Lisa’s mother: “After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that’s the biggest smile ...

3553. Rules for Christian Households

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

The Household Rules The NIV entitles this section “Rules for Christian Households.” Here Paul sets forth a series of reciprocal admonitions that are to govern the relationships between wives and husbands, children and parents, and slaves and masters. This list forms what has come to be known in academic circles as the Haustafeln, a German term meaning a list of rules or duties for members of a household. Similar lists to the one in Colossians are found in Ephesians 5:21–6:9 and 1 Peter 2:18–25, 3:1–7. The ...

3554. God's Wrath Against Mankind

Romans 1:18-32

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Paul now launches into the body of the epistle with an indictment against humanity. He will maintain the charge until 3:21, at which point he will return to righteousness by faith which he introduced in 1:16–17. Romans 1:18–3:20 is a sobering exposé of the dark side of human nature. Throughout the attack Paul labors to demonstrate that there is no distinction between Gentile and Jew in the matter of sin and guilt, a point reasserted in 3:10–12, 3:23, and 11:32. Gentile and Jew are equally guilty before God ...

3555. Adam’s Prime Rib

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

When William Jennings Bryan went to the father of the young woman whom he loved to ask her hand in marriage, he remembered that the father was a strong religious believer, so he quoted a proverb of Solomon from the Bible: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing.” But the father surprised him by responding with a quote from St. Paul, “He who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better.” The young man was at a loss for a reply for a moment, but then he came up with this ...

3556. Easter 2

Acts 2:14-41, Psalm 105:1-45, 1 Peter 1:1-12, John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE Two major changes were made in the rationale of the Easter season in virtually all of the new lectionaries: the first was dropping the Latin names for the six Sundays between Easter and Pentecost, as was done in Lent. Since these names come from the introits, the psalms, rather than the gospels, and established the theoretical and real themes of the Sundays, something of Easter was often lost in the process. For example, the Fourth Sunday after Easter was Cantate and became known as Church ...

3557. Power to the Faint

Matthew 11:25-30

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and ...

3558. The Christian’s Style - 1960

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

What do you consider the most important and revealing fact to know about a person? Is it his antecedents, heritage, background? Certainly that is not to be overlooked. Or would you be most interested in his possessions, the position he occupies, the nature of his reputation? Unquestionably this factor would seem to be of no little practical consequence. Or would it mean most to know his possibilities, his promise, what he might become? That surely is highly significant. But there is something more ...

3559. Using our Special Talents

Romans 12:6-8

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: Cup, scissors, picture. Good morning, boys and girls. How are you on this beautiful winter morning? Winter must be a very special season for God, because He decorates His earth with snow and beautiful cloud formations in the heavens. It is wonderful how the various seasons do different things and make us feel differently. It makes me think of some good friends around my house that have special jobs. Let me show you what I mean. First of all there is my friend, Charley Cup. [Hold up cup, admiring it ...

3560. The Grief Grinch

John 11:17-37

Sermon

David E. Leininger

We are approaching an exciting time of the year - Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's. Times of celebration. Times for friends and family. Times of joy. And for some, times of incredible sadness. The holidays will be hard because someone with whom previous special days were shared is gone. To paraphrase Tennyson's In Memoriam, "Never Christmas wore to New Year's but some heart did break." If you have never experienced that, I would be tempted to offer congratulations, but I will not. They would probably ...

3561. Traveling Light

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Caroly R. Gibson

Sometime back a young family left for West Africa. Lee and Becky Prior and their three small children packed up and moved to the Ivory Coast. A carpenter and a homemaker, Lee and Becky have joined a group called the New Tribes Mission. Their task is to translate the Bible into the language of the multiple African tribes who have yet to know the story of Jesus ” to bring them the Gospel. They had made a decision to be missionaries for Christ. They had heard his call first to come to him and receive his love ...

3562. In the Wrong Place At the Right Time

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Back in early December, Jerry and I were in Jerusalem for a meeting of the presidents of the World Methodist Council. We deliberately chose to meet in Jerusalem because we wanted to identify the world Wesleyan family with that small, often- persecuted and almost always forgotten Christian community in that land our Lord made holy. It disturbs me greatly that of all the millions of Christians who visit that land, very few seek out the Christians there and hear their story. A Christian should not go to ...

3563. Braveheart

John 20:24-29

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

John 20:24-29 (NRSV) [24] But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." [26] A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with ...

3564. The Fellowship of Kindred Minds

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A cartoon, in a Saturday Evening Review, features a young boy sitting under a tree taking inventory of his relationships. “So far, I have 14 people who love me, 22 people who like me, six people who tolerate me, and I have only three enemies. I’d say that’s not bad for a little kid.” When it comes to relationships, how are you doing? We are made for community; we will never be satisfied to be self-reliant. We need one another. The friendships in the fellowship of the first century Church were so focused ...

3565. The Failure

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

James Merritt

You have ever known one, or you were one, or you still think you are one. You went to school with them. Maybe you grew up with them. Maybe you live with them. Maybe you even think you are married to them. They are easily identified by the labels that we put on them such as: losers, rejects, nerds, geeks, or failures. They get mocked, bullied, ridiculed, and made fun of. They are ostracized and isolated. They are on the outside looking in and nobody ever offers to let them in. You might say they are “On The ...

3566. Love of Money

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

Paul is about to bring the letter to its close. One more time he exhorts Timothy: These are the things you are to teach and urge on them. But before he concludes, the exhortation to teach and urge these things leads Paul to go back over the two dominant concerns one more time: the false teachers and Timothy’s role. In this section he presents the final exposure and indictment of the false teachers. Much that is said in the first paragraph (vv. 3–5) is reminiscent of the language of chapter 1. But much is ...

3567. Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

Amos 3:1-15

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

Summarizing Oracles (3:1-12): By including both Israel and Judah in the series of oracles against the foreign nations in 1:3–2:16, Amos has shown that the people of God have joined with the rest of the nations in a common rebellion against the lordship of Yahweh, thereby profaning God’s holy name. The prophet will then in 3:13–4:13 spell out the specific indictment against Israel. But before he does so, as Amos’s book is now arranged, he must first include some summarizing statements, in 3:1–12, that lay ...

3568. Personal Rights and Christian Testimony

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Teach the Text

Preben Vang

Big Idea: Personal rights must be put aside when they hinder an effective witness to unbelievers, or if they endanger the faith of immature believers. Even theological arguments that disclose certain behaviors as immaterial to the Christian faith become irrelevant in light of the greater assignment to imitate Christ. Understanding the Text The transition from chapter 8 seems quite abrupt. Is Paul taking a ninety-degree turn from a question about participation in Corinthian parties (eating meat) to his ...

3569. God Has No Grandchildren

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

On a children’s TV program, the announcer asked a little boy what he wanted to do when he grew up. “I want to be an animal trainer,” said the child, loudly and clearly into the mike. “And I’ll have lots of wild lions and tigers and leopards,” he continued boldly. “And then I’ll walk into the cage…” Here he hesitated for a second, and then added softly, “but, of course, I’ll have my granddaddy with me.” Granddaddies and Grandmothers are special. Ask any boy or girl. Grandsons and granddaughters are special ...

3570. The Womb of Amazing Grace

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

In John 3 we have the record of an amazing encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, a man described as a leader among the Jews and a member of the sect of the Pharisees. John 4 presents another stunning encounter, one even more startling. It involves a person from "the other side of the religious and political tracks," someone who lived out her life at the other end of the social and religious strata of that time and place. It is hard to imagine any greater contrast than that which is pictured in these two ...

3571. Your Faith Has Made You Well

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“How excellent is your lovingkindness, O Lord! Therefore the children of humankind put their trust under the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36:7) Prop: blindfold “Do you trust me?” [Choose a volunteer to come up to the front. Blindfold that person, and then proceed to direct them down the aisle and to a location somewhere in the room or sanctuary. You could also allow someone from the congregation to guide him or her.] How hard was that? Was it a bit scary? But you had to trust in the person guiding you. If ...

3572. God’s Dwelling Place

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

The Israelites were nomads. They lived in tents and when the time came to seek new grazing land they moved herds and houses at the same time. What they did for a living and how they lived were beautifully adapted to each other. After receiving the covenant of the Ten Commandments, Moses set aside one tent where the tribes would meet with God and remember and renew the covenant relationship. This was called the "Tent of Meeting," and it contained the Ark of the Covenant. It was "... a tent of meeting before ...

3573. Wisdom and Folly are Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 2:12-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Huwiler

Qohelet’s Experiment: Qohelet, using the implied persona of Solomon, undertakes to explore “all that is done” (1:13). “All” includes gaining wisdom, amassing possessions, building monuments, and engaging in celebrations. Solomon is an effective choice as speaker: he is the one character in Israelite tradition who can take wisdom, wealth, and extravagance to their extremes. This section records an experiment: a project that involves engaging in particular behaviors, recording the results, and analyzing them ...

3574. Going Home ― Part Two: Then And Now

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

John B. Jamison

Before we look at today’s passage, it will help if we take the time to remember a couple of old stories: The first story is about a time when God caused a terrible drought to cover the entire land. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel had built altars to other gods, like Baal, and had been hunting down and killing the prophets of God. The prophet Elijah was hiding in the wilderness when God told him to leave Israel and go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, an enemy of Israel. One day while he was there, ...

3575. Prayers for Memorial Day, Election, Thanksgiving

Bulletin Aid

Rolland R. Reece

Memorial Day Today, Creator God, we remember. We remember the courage of our forefathers who decided they could no longer bow to England's crown, so they went to war to gain our country's independence. We remember the agony and blood-letting of that war that pitted American against American, the north against the south. Even to this day the wounds of that fighting are yet to be healed. We remember that many years ago we sent our troops to "fight the Kaiser" in a war that was to end all wars. Then less than ...

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