Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3651 to 3675 of 4957 results

3651. What Is A Christian?

Acts 11:26

Sermon

James Merritt

... ?" She said, "A Christian is someone who lives by the Golden Rule and treats other people the way they should be treated; tries to be honest and do the right thing." When I asked her if according to that definition a Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslim could also claim to be a Christian if they tried to live by the Golden Rule, she said, "Absolutely." Now, I want to go to what the Bible says a Christian is. I was amazed to learn that even though the term "believers" is used 80 times to describe Christians, "saints ...

3652. Saved to Share

Acts 26

Sermon

James Merritt

... for me being a woman….I can't embrace a male God who has persecuted female sexuality throughout the ages, and that persecution still goes on today all over the world."3 Now you may protest that you are not a Paul or an Amanda. Like Paul, you may claim your religious background. But Paul had to realize what you need to realize, which is being born into a religious family or raised in a church does not make you a Christian anymore than being born in a garage makes you an automobile. We are all born in ...

3653. Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... war. You cannot straddle the fence in this war. You cannot be like Switzerland; you cannot be neutral. You're either on one side or the other. C. S. Lewis once said, "There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan." So at every waking moment you had better be on your guard, because there is a war that's going on. II. Realize the Adversary You Fight I quoted General Douglas MacArthur, one of our great military leaders. He once ...

3654. Bitterness: How to Overcome What You Undergo

Hebrews 12:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... who had stolen all of his money. He said the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said, "Markham, if you do not deal with this thing it is going to ruin you. You cannot afford the price you are paying. You must forgive this man." This man, who is universally claimed as "The Dean of American Poetry" got on his knees and said, "Lord, by your grace and with your help, I will forgive him, and I do forgive him." At that exact moment Markham said he could feel the root of bitterness being pulled out and the river of joy ...

3655. Just a Closer Walk With Thee

James 4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... of the Bible you get into you. I would encourage you as you read it, to write it. What I mean by that is, keep that notebook open and keep it handy. As you read the Scripture you will see different things. Sometimes you will see a promise to claim. Sometimes you will see a lesson to learn. Sometimes you will see a command to obey. Sometimes you will see a blessing to enjoy. Sometimes you will see a sin to forsake. When God speaks to your heart through that Scripture, write it down. Because the weakest ink ...

3656. Why?

Job 3:11-12, 16, 20, 23

Sermon

James Merritt

... leader of the group said, "Every time a tragedy is reported our members must brace themselves for the inevitable. If there are survivors reporters will make sure ‘God' will get the credit, but never the blame…why don't they ask these religionists who claim ‘God' helped them, why ‘He' let tragedies happen in the first place?" Referring to the United crash she asked, "Why didn't their omnipotent ‘God' just fix the hydraulic system of United Flight 232 and save everybody?"1 This question goes all the ...

3657. For His Eyes Only

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... . The Lord says that kind of giving means nothing to God. I'm going to hit close to home when I say this. But how many of you have given money to a charity, or to the church, just to secure a tax break? Now there is nothing wrong in claiming all the legitimate deductions at tax time that you can take, but if your motive in giving is just to get a tax deductible receipt, then hold on to that receipt and treasure it because that's all you're going to get. That's the only reward you're ...

3658. It's Time to Go to Work

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... war. Nevertheless, doing what little he could each day, exercising his responsibility to take an opportunity to use an ability for the good of someone else, saved the lives of an entire crew on a B17 bomber. I stand before you today and say to every one of you who claim to know Jesus Christ, without exception, it is time to go to work. So ask not what your church can do for you. Ask what you can do for your church.

3659. The Most Exciting Moment of Your Life

1 Cor 5:1-13, Rev 21:1-27, Rev 6:1-17, Heb 12:14-29, Rev 22:7-21, Phil 1:12-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... desperately ill is to pray for God to keep them here. In a small town in England, a young mother was dying of cancer. She believed God wanted to heal her, and everyday people from her church gathered around her bed praying for her healing, and telling her to claim her healing. They would say, "Look up to God and say, ‘I am healed.'" Well, she agreed. One day a pastor who knew this young family ran into her husband and said, "How is your wife doing?" The husband dropped his head and said, "She's much much ...

3660. The Great Depression

Psalm 42:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... rightly said, “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Ps. 121:1-2) May I tell you I believe the greatest medicine of all for depression is the Word of God. Claim the promises of God. Believe in the providence of God. Rely on the provision of God. Cloak yourself in the presence of God and in His word. John MacArthur recently received a letter from a woman who listens to him on the radio. Here’s what she said: Dear Dr ...

3661. Why You Should Come Clean With God

Psalm 139:23-24

Sermon

James Merritt

... away with responsibility. When you do away with responsibility you do away with punishment. So a president can commit adultery, lie about it under oath, commit perjury in a court of law, blame it on a right wing conspiracy, avoid any punishment, and then claim he was defending the Constitution. I heard about a man that went to see a doctor one time, and he said, “Doctor, I have been misbehaving and my conscience is troubling me.” The doctor said, “Do you want something that will strengthen your will ...

3662. You Need 100 Points

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Illustration

Bill Bouknight

... !" There will be a final judgment. God's justice and our freedom of choice demand it. Every person will spend eternity in heaven or hell. Our passport to heaven is simple. It's just a matter of saying to God sincerely, "I am a sinner for whom Jesus died. I claim him by faith as Savior and Lord." If you haven't taken that step in faith, do it today! Do it now!

3663. Deal with It, Get over it, and Get Help

Romans 8:18-27

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... undefined future. I want to make the case this morning that one of the dominant sicknesses facing our world today is the “Stockholm Syndrome.” There are many of us who are suffering from a kind of cultural “Stockholm Syndrome,” blindly defending and claiming as good for ourselves the very things that keep us captive. Or to put it more philosophically, we embrace the powers to which we are so willingly enslaved. In 21st century America, the most abusive captors of our hearts and souls are consumerism ...

3664. Sermon Opener - Deal with It, Get over It, Get Help

Romans 8:28-39

Illustration

Leonard Sweet

... better than facing the fear of an unknown, undefined future. I want to make the case this morning that one of the dominant sicknesses facing our world today is the "Stockholm Syndrome." There are many of us who are suffering from a kind of cultural "Stockholm Syndrome," blindly defending and claiming as good for ourselves the very things that keep us captive… Who shall set these people free?

3665. The Tiny O-Ring

Matthew 13:31-35

Illustration

... zinc putty used on them, any number of potential compression problems, or human error during manufacturing, these two miniature o-rings failed to do what they were designed to do, and the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded before the watching world, 73 seconds into her flight, claiming the lives of all seven crew members. It's the little things. Tiny viruses the size of a pin head, heart valves no larger than a man's thumbnail, single votes in an election, an ill-chosen word from a loved one - little things ...

3666. A Time for Penance and a Time for Partridge

Ps 100, Col 2:1-7

Sermon

... has a birthday….and that she is my wife. Do I deserve all of it….any of it….more of it….or none of it? Darned if I know. I don't go down that road, given that it won't get me anywhere. Concerning "deservedness," I'll make no claims. But I'll take it….enjoy it….give thanks for it (completely and utterly unprompted, thank you, Mother). And then I'll carve the fatted partridge, leaving an unbroken drumstick for me. To everything, a season. Happy Thanksgiving.

3667. An All-Night Wrestling Match

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... week Colson and his wife Patty vacationed in an insolated area on the coast of Maine. Every day he devoured the C.S. Lewis book, discussing it with Patty who was already a Christian. With his brilliant, legal mind, he struggled all week with God and the claims of the Bible. He battled through to God. By the end of the week he had prevailed, or rather he had surrendered. He really had prevailed by surrendering. He prayed, “Lord Jesus, I believe you. I accept you. Please come into my life. I commit it to ...

3668. Almost Persuaded

Matthew 19:16-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... young ruler." In terms of disciples, he was the big one that got away. He could have been the powerful establishment figure who might have won half the Jewish power structure to Jesus. One day he met Jesus and hovered on the brink of commitment. He almost claimed Jesus as the Lord of his life. But "almost" is not good enough. I call your attention to Matthew's gospel, chapter nineteen, beginning with verse 16. The story of the rich young ruler is in three of the four gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each ...

3669. From Selfishness to Servanthood

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... world’s definition of greatness? You know what that is. You outrun your competitors to the top. You become the lead rat in the rat-race. The higher you go, the more people serve you. Are you willing to forsake that kind of greatness and claim Jesus’ definition of greatness? Jesus said that the greatest among you must be your servant. The greatest disciple is the one who serves best the least, the lost, the lonely and the hurting. This message has implications far beyond Christ Church, Memphis, and the ...

3670. From Worry To Trust

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... given him taller genes. Yet, for all his worry, his actual height was not affected whatsoever. Worry is also IRRESPONSIBLE. It burns up psychic energy with only negative results. Worry is interest paid on trouble before it’s due. One renowned psychiatrist claimed that all of the following maladies are often related to worry: arthritis, asthma, ulcers, skin rash, and coronary thrombosis. There may be worse sins than worry but none is more disabling. When Jesus said, “Don’t worry,” he did not mean ...

3671. The Secret Of Our Confidence

2 Timothy 1:11-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... be executed within a month. Thanks a lot!” But that’s not what Paul said. Instead, he declared, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” Then he gives two reasons for his confidence, even in a dungeon, even face to face with death. If we can claim these same two reasons, we can celebrate real thanksgiving this week. First, said St. Paul, I am confident because I know God personally. There is a huge difference between knowing about God and knowing God. Even the devil knows about God, and trembles because of ...

3672. Do I Really Matter To God?

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... giant Goliath. Michelangelo created David from a huge block of marble that had been quarried 25 years earlier in northern Italy. Two other sculptors, di Duccio and Rossellino, had attempted to work on that block of marble, but they had given up, claiming that the quality of the marble was inferior. But when Michelangelo’s genius came to bear on this block of marble, it became “David.” Some people regard themselves as just plain inferior, incapable of becoming or doing anything significant. But when ...

3673. I Believe In Jesus Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , “Give Me Jesus.” As you listen to the words of the song, perhaps those words will become the desire of your heart. (Solo is sung- “Give Me Jesus.”) (1) Hunter, George G., III, How to Reach Secular People, (Abingdon: Nashville,1992), p. 94. (2) Howell, James C., The Life We Claim, (Abingdon: Nashville, 2005), p. 41. (3) Friedman, Thomas L., From Beirut to Jerusalem. (4) Jones, E. Stanley, a Song of Ascents, (Abingdon: Nashville, 1968), p. 93.

3674. A Defiant Response to a Dangerous Theology: Does God Desire to Wipe Us Out?

Gn 6:1-8. 9:6-17

Sermon

... do with it? We have to start by looking directly at it. In Genesis 19:24, "fire and brimstone" are said to have rained down upon an entire city, so much so that "the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace." And it was clearly claimed to have been God's doing. Which sounds, if you read between the lines, like some form of volcanic eruption. Leading to all kinds of questions: Was the volcano a one-of-a-kind experience in that region, or were volcanoes commonplace in that region? Was God's name ...

3675. Call Him God

Matt 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

C. S. Lewis

... say nice things about Jesus, but to stop short of calling him God. He wrote, "I am here trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he ...

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