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Showing 3551 to 3575 of 4986 results

3551. Lent 1

Mt 4:1-11, Rom 5:12-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , the nature of his ministry. Matthew gives details in telling this story that heighten the connection between Jesus and Israel's past. We recall Moses' experience at Sinai when we read that Jesus fasted "forty days and forty nights"—the time of Moses' stay, without food or drink, on Sinai (Exod. 34:28). Moreover, the Son of God Jesus relives the desert experiences of Israel, but he does not give in to temptation, so that he actually fulfills or redeems Israel's history. The temptations are the testing ...

3552. Proper 11

Mt 13:24-30, 36-43 · Rom 8:12-25 · Ps 139 · Gen 28:10-19a

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... , because his vow, that the God of his parents would also be his own God, does not qualify as one of the great statements of faith in Scripture. Instead, it is hedged with no less than five conditions. The Lord will indeed be Jacob's God if (1) God stays with him, (2) protects him in his travels, (3) gives him food, (4) provides clothing, and (5) brings him back to Canaan in peace. In this response, Jacob is negotiating a deal more than he is demonstrating how the life of faith is one of risk. Jacob is not ...

3553. Proper 12

Genesis 29:15-30, Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52, Romans 8:28-39, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... of God in the confrontation between Jacob and Laban would suggest that we should not be encouraged to make more out of this confrontation than we already have. God does not appear to take sides in the confrontation of the two tricksters, and instead stays away from the story altogether. God does enter the story, however, in Genesis 29:31, and even though it goes beyond the boundaries of the lectionary text, it provides another level of commentary on how we are meant to read this text. When we broaden ...

3554. Proper 14

Genesis 37:1-11, Matthew 14:22-36, Romans 9:30--10:21, Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... covenant (vv. 7-11). The remainder of the psalm provides illustration and thus definition of what it means that the Lord is a God of covenant. As commentary on the Joseph story, and particularly the lesson for this Sunday, covenant means that God stays with Israel even when they act out of evil motive. This insight provides transition to Joseph's confession in the next lesson. NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS The lesson from Romans moves further into this important portion of Paul's letter (chapters 9-11) by describing ...

3555. Proper 28

Judges 4:1-24, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11, Psalm 123:1-4

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... reveal, While here o'er earth we rove; Speak to our hearts, and let us feel The kindling of thy love. With thee conversing, we get All time and toil and care; Labor is and pain is sweet, If thou, my God, art here. Here, then, my God, vouchsafe to stay And bid my heart rejoice My bounding heart shall own thy swa And echo to thy voice. Thou callest me to seek thy face, 'Tis all I wish to seek; To hear the whispers of thy grace, And hear thee only speak. Let this my ev'ry hour employ, Till ...

3556. Transfiguration

Psalm 2:1-12, Matthew 17:1-13, 2 Peter 1:12-21, Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... the disciples to strengthen them for the scandal of the cross. His glory shone from a body like our own, to show that the church, which is the body of Christ, would one day share his glory. While we should not make the mistake of the disciples and want to stay on the mountain, we should not, on the other hand, be in such haste to get back down in the valley "to heal these hearts of pain" that we end up proclaiming a salvation that is divorced from Christology.

3557. Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

King Duncan

... this evening. It is clear Jesus didn’t like hypocrites. And the question is, who does? Bishop William Willimon was talking with a man about his father. It seems this man’s father was a remarkable man. He did not have a huge amount of education, but by staying up late nearly every night, he self-educated himself in the ways of the law. During the Great Depression, a bank in his native county hired this man’s father to receive and to dispose of the many farms that the bank was foreclosing on as a result ...

3558. We All Have Skepticism

John 4:5-42

Illustration

George Clark

... : "Open wide now, this isn't going to hurt a bit." "It is easy to assemble. Just follow the directions." "Please, daddy, I'll walk him. I'll feed him. I'll do everything." "Hi. I'm from the IRS and I'm here to help you." "Mother is only staying for two weeks. You'll hardly know she is in the house." People may come to Jesus with some of that same skepticism. That's OK, as long as we are willing to listen. Because gradually people realize that when Jesus opens His mouth, the only thing that comes out ...

3559. John 11:1-45

John 11:1-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... short, Martha’s faith is still rooted in the messianic ideals of traditional first century Judaism. Verses 28-37 describes a new encounter: the focus is now on the exchange between Mary and Jesus. Unlike Martha who went and sought out Jesus, Mary has stayed in the house until her sister informs her that Jesus “is calling for you” (v.28). Mary responds immediately to Jesus’ special summons. Like Martha, Mary’s first words to Jesus reflect her conviction that “if you had been here my brother would ...

3560. Filtered Lives

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... the water clean. What can I do? (response) Hold up the filter. Does anyone know what this is? (response) It's a coffee filter. When you make coffee, you put the coffee grounds in this and run the water through it. When the water runs through it, the grounds stay in the filter. I can use this filter for my water. Put the filter over the cup of water and clasp it tightly against the jar with your hand. If I pour the water through the filter begin pouring the water through the filter into the other cup. What ...

3561. A Home to Call Your Own

John 14:1-4

Children's Sermon

Brett Blair

... pieces of wood together. The object here is to make noise, so don't hold back on the hammering. You will want to drive two nails, one on either side of the matching pieces of 2-by-4 to increase the stability of your work. Everyone needs to stay back a little so you don't get hurt. As you finish the first nail start your transition into the point of the lesson. Can anyone tell me what is built with hammers, nails, and wood? (homes, houses, buildings) That’s right. Examine you work but keep from standing ...

3562. Casting Cares

1 Peter 5:7

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... of more times. What should I do? (response) Oh, I didn’t notice that box. I could put all of these things in there, and it would be less of a burden. Place the things in the box. That box is big enough to hold everything and those things should stay in there just fine. Application: Hold up the box. This is much easier. I always try and carry too many things around. I carry a lot of things around in my head too. I worry about money, children, my wife…. I even worry about the church. That reminds me. The ...

3563. Two Roads Diverged

Romans 8:1

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... the road of the Spirit are always trying to make God happy. That road has love, hope, faith, goodness, mercy, and humility. Which of the roads do you think is the best road to be on? (road of the Spirit) That’s right. The Bible tells us that if we stay on the road of the Spirit, we will be fine with God. Let’s Pray: Help us, O Lord, to always walk on the road of the Spirit because that will take us to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

3564. A Great Debt

Romans 8:12

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... my twenty dollars? Do you have twenty dollars in your pocket? (response) You owe me now. You’re in debt! But, I tell you what I’m going to do. I am going to forgive your debt. You no longer owe me the money. Ok? (response) Allow the storekeeper to stay where they are and don’t ask for the money back just yet. Have you ever borrowed something and then had to give it back? It’s hard to be in debt to someone especially if you can’t pay it back. Application: Now he borrowed twenty dollars from me ...

3565. River of Disappointment

Mt 21:1-11

Illustration

King Duncan

... Can you imagine his disappointment with the crowds who would shout hosanna one moment and crucify him the next? Disappointment with his disciples--one of whom would betray him, his most trusted who would deny him, and the three closest to him who could not even stay awake on the job while he agonized over the cup the Father had set before him. Can you imagine the hurt he felt within? Sir Alexander Mackenzie is a Canadian hero. An early fur trader and explorer, he accomplished a magnificent feat when he led ...

3566. The Road from Palm Sunday to Easter

Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:28-44

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... in the dark. The only road from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday runs right through the middle of Good Friday. That road is not an easy road to walk. Those who don't have the stomach for the journey, those who seek that ouch-less faith we talked about, will stay home from today until next Sunday, showing up just in time for the trumpets and the lilies and the hallelujah chorus. The rest of us better hang onto one another as tightly as we can as we tiptoe past the tombstones and stand together at the foot of the ...

3567. Aw Shucks!

Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:28-40

Illustration

A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, "Why do you have that palm branch, dad?" "You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today." The little boy replied, "Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!"

3568. One Spirit, One Direction

Philippians 1:27

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... . Props: A balloon that is blown up with air, not helium. Lesson: Choose two volunteers. Today I want to play a game with you. It involves this balloon. Do you want to play? (response) In order to play, you have to follow some rules. Rule 1 is that you must stay on your knees where you are. You cannot get up and move around. Okay? (response) And the second rule is that you must put your arms behind your back. Is it a deal? (response) Good, here's how you play. I want each of you to try and blow the ...

3569. Where Easter Leads

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Dean Lueking

... had. "How much did I pledge to the church?" he inquired! ... In those last days - not last but beginning days - Wayne moved gracefully from the things on earth to the things above. His humor became sharper as his perspective deepened. He suffered awhile longer, stayed around long enough to let us know, without words, that we need not fear nor sorrow overmuch because he knew the Lord who would not let go. That, finally, is where Easter leads: to the ringing, joyous, hearty, jubilant laughter and singing and ...

3570. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... But, just then, she heard a gentle knocking on her car window. One of our ushers had run to help her with two umbrellas. He took one girl and one umbrella and she took the other girl and the other umbrella and they got into the church… and they stayed… and now they have become one of the finest families in our church… not because of the sermon I preached that day… but because of one of our ushers who saw their need and rushed out to help them… in a simple, but profound way. What if he hadn’t ...

3571. The Lost and Found Coin

Luke 15:8-10

Sermon

James W. Moore

... it." But, just then, she heard a gentle knocking on her car window. One of our ushers had run to help her with two umbrellas. He took one girl and one umbrella and she took the other girl and the other umbrella and they got into the church… and they stayed… and now they have become one of the finest families in our church… not because of the sermon I preached that day… but because of one of our ushers who saw their need and rushed out to help them… in a simple, but profound way. What if he hadn't ...

3572. Rise Above It

John 21:15-19

Sermon

James W. Moore

... was the comedian George Burns. He died in Beverly Hills on March 9, 1996. He was 100 years old. When he was in his nineties he wrote a book entitled “How to Live to Be 100… or More.” In the book he has a chapter with the heading, “Stay Away from Funerals, Especially Yours.” George Burns said that “if you look in the obituary column in the morning and your name isn’t there, go ahead and have breakfast.” He said that if he ever looked in the obituary column and found his name was there, he ...

3573. There's Nothing in the World I Wouldn't Do for Him

Mark 14:22-25

Sermon

James W. Moore

... came back for me. He had shrapnel wounds all across his arms and chest… and head. The head wounds… that’s why he has the seizures.” The man paused for a moment and then he said: “I don’t know how in the world he did it, but somehow he stayed on his feet… and came back and dragged me to safety. Every stop was so painful for him. Every step he would cry out in agony. I kept telling him to leave me behind and go on and save himself, but he told me… ‘No way… No way I’m ...

3574. Love One Another

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

James W. Moore

... the man’s car and stared at the man as he enjoyed his fresh lemonade. Finally, the boy asked the man if he were finished. “Just about,” the man said, “but why?” The little boy said, “That’s the only cup we have, and we need it back to stay in business.” It’s difficult to operate a lemonade business if you have only one cup! But you know, this is something of a parable for what Jesus saw in the religious leaders of His day. When it came to love, they had only one cup. They taught people to ...

3575. Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

James W. Moore

... heals the ten lepers. Remember the story with me. Jesus was on the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village, he heard these 10 lepers screaming at him… begging for help. They had to scream out because by law, lepers were required to stay some 50 yards away from all other human beings. Half a football field away… they scream out, trying to get Jesus’ attention. Jesus gives them His attention and then some. He tells them to go show themselves to the priests… and as they go they ...

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