Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3576 to 3600 of 4997 results

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... . But it’s now. This is the time of our visitation. A little while ago, writing in The Upper Room, a lady named Hazel Hughes told a story which has meant much to me. While a student, she had as her botany teacher a wonderful, kindly, elderly gentleman. She wrote that one day during his lecture she must have mentally wandered away, for later she could remember nothing that he had said. But suddenly, as he spoke, she was aware that his soft voice was patiently and compassionately directed to her personally ...

3577. Pilgrim Living in a Vagabond World

Matthew 7:13-14

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). Much of our world, however, is pretty much the vagabond kind. This is not a new development on the human scene. In his day the Apostle Peter found it necessary to say to the people to ... something plumb somewhere around, all things can be leaning and out of kilter and you scarcely know it. Once I visited a kind of "fun house" in which nothing was level and nothing was straight up and down. Everything tilted or leaned - floors, walls, ...

3578. Trumpets in Church on Easter, The Very Idea!

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Jon L. Joyce

... To coin the terrible contradiction - we live with death. And so we have come to celebrate the resurrection. This is the normal thing to do! We need to see the Risen Christ standing before us. What would you have me do this morning? Build some kind of a solid, skilled, scholarly statement and documentation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ? You wouldn’t want that, even if I could. Your presence here is proof enough of that resurrection. I remember asking a young widow if there was anything in particular ...

3579. Getting Under Your Neighbor's Skin

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... our next dog case." "What in the world is a dog case?" I asked. He smiled and replied, "Periodically a person is charged with having a dog which because of its incessant barking is a public nuisance." "But what," I asked, "could be interesting about that kind of case?" "It's more than interesting," he said. "It's fascinating. I will have five or six neighbors present sworn testimony that the dog is driving them crazy with its barking. Then, five or six other neighbors plus the owner will swear that the dog ...

3580. Needed: Fidelity Insurance

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... the receptionist replied. "May I help you?" The caller said, "I hope so. I want to talk with someone about having my husband's fidelity insured." The surprised receptionist tried to explain that this was not the kind of insurance that Fidelity handled. Not even Lloyds of London offers that kind of policy. But wouldn't it be wonderful if marital fidelity could be guaranteed or insured? Building great marriages is one of the biggest challenges of a lifetime. 50 percent of all marriages fail. An additional 30 ...

3581. The Level Ground Beneath The Cross

Romans 3:21-31, Romans 3:9-20

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of one-track mind. No matter what he talked or wrote about, it seemed to lead back to the Cross. "I determined to know nothing," he said, "but Christ and Him crucified." I share that kind of obsession with the Cross. My main mission as a Christian minister is to introduce people to Jesus Christ, their crucified Savior, and to help them claim him by faith as Lord, so that they can experience abundant life in this world and eternal life in the next. Therefore, with ...

3582. The Unknown Hero

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... what Jesus means to us...just think! 6000 persons would hear the Good News! Imagine what God could do with that kind of holy networking! If I may borrow Dean Witter's slogan: "We measure success one disciple at a time." There are persons ... hopeless. Some anonymous hero had prepared Bartimaeus for the day he would encounter Jesus face to face. You and I are called to be that kind of hero. Jesus said to his followers of every age, "You shall be my witnesses." That is not an invitation; that is a command. What ...

3583. That Hallowed Name (The Third Commandment)

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... like that, and until I hear him talk like that, I'm not going to do it either." Bill Hinson says that as soon as he got a few moments, he found a private place of prayer. There he made a commitment that even though his son might hear every kind of foul speech in this secular society, he would never hear it from his Dad. The world is waiting for Christians to set an example in their speech and in their conduct. The only distinctiveness that sets us apart from other religions is that we believe our God loved ...

3584. Because He Lives

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... be with him soon...So much to say and so little time. I can't see. Bye. I love you." How can anybody face death with that kind of faith and peace? It's because of the assurance of resurrection! The Bible declares that if I repent of my sin and claim Jesus by faith ... happened. More likely, they say, Jesus' body was disposed of by his crucifiers, not his followers. When confronted by that kind of heresy, it is vital that we stand firm for the resurrection. Without the bodily resurrection of Jesus, there would ...

3585. Reverence For Life

Exodus 20:1-21, Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer." Jesus did not mean that one should allow an evildoer to run rampant. He meant that we are not to retaliate in kind. We are not to hate back. We are not to seek revenge. Part of the reason for the popularity of capital punishment is the failure of our judicial system. In America there are more than 20,000 homicides each year which are potentially punishable by the death penalty. Yet ...

3586. "Hands Off!"

Exodus 20:1-21, Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... steal from Uncle Sam, but such stealing is almost a national sport. Most people stay clear of major infractions, the kind that could send you to jail. Just little abuses, minor excursions from absolute honesty. The savings are really small; a ... what is discreditable to others. Before repeating anything negative about another person, we should ask three questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? In the Eighth Commandment, God is calling us to a strict and scrupulous honesty. If with God's help ...

3587. Controlling Our Cravings

Luke 12:13-21, Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to satisfy his lust and covetousness. One day a man asked a favor of Jesus: "Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But Jesus did not do as the man asked. Instead, he gave him a warning, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed or covetousness; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Dr. James W. Moore, Methodist pastor in Houston, wrote a book entitled, "You Can Get Bitter or Better." In it he talks about the three miles of love. In the first ...

3588. You Have Been Subpoenaed!

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... said, "Well I want you to find out. And if he is not, I want you to lead him to Christ. That is your church job." The engineer shuffled uncomfortably and said, "Sir, that's not exactly the kind of job I had in mind. I thought you would put me to work on some church board or committee." Spurgeon replied kindly but firmly, "No Christian is ready to serve on a church board until he knows how to lead another person to Christ." My friends, the most important work we can do for Christ is to lead another person ...

3589. Failures Need Not Be Fatal!

Mark 14:66-72

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... light, and the driver stopped. The friend threw up his hands and asked, "Why in the world are you stopped?" The driver said, "My brother may be coming." Don't you just love it when brothers and sisters look out for one another? Andrew and Peter had that kind of relationship. Today at the beginning of Holy Week we consider the episode that was surely the lowest moment in Peter's life. So significant was it that all four Gospel writers record it. I am convinced that God has a message for us in Peter's most ...

3590. Put the Cross on Top

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... his special word for love, "agape," 28 times in chapter four. Verses 7 and 8 tell us that love is the distinguishing mark of a Christian. Jesus said, "This is how you will know that they are my disciples; they have love one for another." This is a peculiar kind of love. It is not romantic love or the love of a mother for a child or the love shared between friends. This love seeks what is best for all other persons, even our enemies, without regard to benefits or costs. Why? Because God has lavished upon us ...

3591. Night Fighters

Sermon

James Bjorge

... from despair to hope. Robert Frost wrote the lines, So when at times the mob is swayed To carry praise or blame too far, We may choose something like a star To stay our minds on and be stayed. We all need it ... some kind of guidepost or hitching post, some kind of assurance that the world and ourselves aren’t falling to pieces. And in the vague and groping darkness of our world the Star of Bethlehem is always there. Yet in the dark streets shineth The everlasting light; The hopes and fears of all ...

3592. God Is a Giver

Sermon

James Bjorge

... benefits from his reign in office, but also in the daily round of gift giving. Occasionally we bribe our children with the dangling of the carrot before his nose if he will practice his piano lesson or get a good grade in Latin. Now I am not saying that this kind of motivation is all bad. Not at all. But we had better not call it gift-giving. For if the child then does well, he has earned whatever we bribed him with and it is thus no longer a gift. We also succumb to the desire for power which manifests ...

3593. No Withdrawal

Sermon

James Bjorge

... fourteenth century Thomas Tusser wrote: At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year. So it does. Once a year we can crawl out of the dark caves of selfishness and blink our eyes at a day of cheer and good-will. We show kindness to those we might otherwise ignore, or at best tolerate. We drag through eleven months of dog-eat-dog policy and all of a sudden adopt the good neighbor policy for one month. The stabs in the back change to pats on the back for these fleeting days. It ...

3594. Samson, the Bully

Judges 16:1-22

Sermon

Don Yocom

... Divine Ruler over all. We do not have to be strong or successful or famous; we do have to obey God. We must forget ourselves for a greater cause. In the case of Samson, his death was greater than his life, though in his sacrifice he himself was destroyed. What kind of person are you? A youth? I urge you to dedicate your strength to God. Don’t make the mistakes Samson made. Give your life to God. An adult? Don’t put off your final "Yes" to God. You will not always have the material security you now hold ...

3595. Treasures You Can Share

1 Corinthians 14:13

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... that we could find out is if the painter were here and could tell us what he felt when he painted the picture. Even then I am sure that the artist would tell you that it could mean something different to each of us. That is one kind of painting. There are many different kinds of art and a favorite for most people is a picture like this one. [Hold up a piece of traditional art.] What does this look like to you? [Let them answer one at a time.] You all agree that the picture tells the same story to each ...

3596. Is This Bible a Paddle?

1 Corinthians 10:6

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... remember how it hurts and they don’t want to experience it again. This paddle just hangs on the wall as a reminder of what will happen if people forget where they are or who they are and how they are to behave. Sometimes we need that kind of reminder. Paul talked about the things that happened to men and women who called themselves followers of God but who decided to follow other idols and do wicked things. Paul told the people that they could read in their Bibles about the terrible punishment that God ...

3597. Yarn and Patience

Romans 5:3

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... You have to pay a lot of attention to what you are doing and you must have just so many stitches on each row and follow all kinds of directions. It doesn’t go very fast, either. You can knit and knit and knit and it still isn’t done. So there are a ... do whatever they want to do and tell you that they are not going to work on anything that is difficult or takes time. Those kinds of people have a very difficult time being Christians. But people who know that there are lots of problems, and take the time to ...

3598. Getting Untwisted

Galatians 5:1

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... until the next thing they know they are in trouble again. A long time ago people were like that about the laws men made. They were so mixed up in the law of eating the right kind of food or working the job in just the right way that they forgot what food was for, or why they were working. Jesus set them free from that kind of worry and they were glad. But the next thing you know they were so free from the worry about a certain food or work that they were in trouble about, something else. Jesus makes ...

3599. Jesus Is Like a Superhighway

Romans 3:21-22

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... you have ever looked at a map? Almost all of you. That is wonderful. I wonder if you noticed the different kinds of roads that are shown on the map? Some of them are pretty hard to tell, but I think I can ... travel very fast. The super highway is the new way and the best way. Jesus is like a super highway. Before Jesus, people had to reach God by the other kinds of roads. They had to stop often, and they had to wind around so many ways that they were forever getting lost. The old roads were like the old laws ...

3600. A Real Champion

2 Timothy 4:7

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... God in heaven. There are others like Timothy who must now fight the battle. They, too, must fight with love, patience, kindness and all the things that Paul fought with, but they must never give up until the end, or the 15th round. God looks for champions like ... Paul and Timothy, people who are ready to stay with him all the way. There are many different kinds of champions, but none of them is as rewarded as the champion of God. Imagine how Paul must have felt as he prepared to ...

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