Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3676 to 3700 of 4946 results

3676. Coping With Heartache

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Robert P. Hines

On the very first page of his book The Road Less Traveled, psychiatrist Scott Peck tells us something we know is true, but wish were not true, when he says, "Life is difficult."1 Life is hard, and no matter how much we wish that life was easy, our wishing doesn't change it. Life is hard, and it is full of heartache. Just this past week I received a mailing from a Christian organization that does mission work in Latin America. The director was sharing his troubles with the readers. The agency began the ...

3677. Summer Fruit

Amos 8:1-14

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

Charles Swindoll says, "... it's a mad, bad, sad world."1 You knew that already? He quotes Barbara Johnson who writes in her book Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life: "The rain falls on the just and also on the unjust, but chiefly on the just, because the unjust steals the just's umbrella."2 The Prophet Amos, who lived and told it like it was about 750 years before the birth of Jesus, agreed with that assessment of life. There is a lot about this world that's mad or bad or sad or even "all of the ...

3678. Raised Voices

Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Drama

Pamela Urfer

Cast: Two women, HANNAH and REBECCA Length: 8 minutes REBECCA is seated on her stool when HANNAH rushes in, very excited, and takes the stool next to her. REBECCA: Hannah! Hannah! Have you heard the news? HANNAH: What news? REBECCA: Then you haven't heard. We're to get packed and ready. We're leaving. Immediately. HANNAH: Leaving? Leaving for where? Why should we be leaving? REBECCA: Leaving for the Promised Land, silly! Of course you knew this. You're just teasing me. HANNAH: I don't know anything about ...

3679. The Peace That Jesus Gives

John 14:15-31

Sermon

Lee Griess

There is a road in southern Italy that begins in the city of Eboli and ends in the mountain village of Gagliano. To anyone who makes that journey, it is an ascent to hell. Gagliano is no more than a scattered cluster of fallen down whitewashed old buildings, hanging desperately to barren slopes near a rocky cliff. The village has been there for centuries and for as far back as the oldest person can remember, it has always been a place of severe poverty, unrelenting disease, frightening superstition, ...

3680. The Compelling Call

Drama

Karren Boehr

Theme: Paul: Apostle To The Early Church This set of four scenes is especially suitable to accompany a series of sermons or studies on the early church. The scenes carefully follow the scripture text while making the struggles of the early church, and particularly those of the apostle Paul, come alive. This drama is very useful for teaching profound Biblical truths, as God's plan for his church powerfully unfolds. These scenes can easily be produced on consecutive Sundays or used individually as stand- ...

3681. Be About It

Matthew 5:1-12

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

Theme: The beatitudes -- they sound good -- blessed this and blessed that, but sometimes they sound like rules to follow -- and who can? Summary: A person wanting to make a complaint goes to the complaint department. The complaint concerns the person's church. The churchgoer thinks the beatitudes are rules and she doesn't feel she could live up to them. It is explained to her that they are things you can do and that will please God. Playing Time: 6 minutes Place: The complaint department in a major ...

3682. Proper 10

Colossians 1:1-14, Amos 7:10-17, Luke 10:25-37

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Amos 7:7-17 Amos was a prophet of the South in the eighth century. He wrote the earliest book in the Old Testament. Although he was from the South (Judah), God called him, ca. 750 B.C., to go to the North (Israel) to preach. He found the people prosperous, religious, but oppressive of the poor. His message was one of doom: death for the king and exile for the people. His preaching was not accepted. The chief priest told him to go home and preach to Judah. Epistle: Colossians 1:1- ...

3683. The Man From Galilee VI: The Tragedy Of His Victory

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Some of you experienced the victory of World War II. Others of us have at least seen on television old newsreel footage of the celebration of victory in Europe. Then came victory over Japan and other victory parades. There were no such celebrations after the wars in Korea and Vietnam. But after the Allied victory in the Persian Gulf we attempted to make up for all of that with tremendous celebrations and victory parades. The attention of the entire nation was fixed on General Norman Schwarzkopf, who was ...

3684. How Much Sin Is Too Much?

Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

Of all the pressing questions of the day, a sign on one person's desk asks, "How much can I sin and still go to heaven?" The question seems amusing until we stop to think about it. Inherent in this question is a bold-faced confession that there is no interest at all in pursuing a life shaped wholly by the spirit of God, but at the same time we do not want to be so recklessly sacrilegious that we forfeit completely the rewards of the hereafter. The late Southern humorist Lewis Grizzard said thinking about ...

3685. Will We Enjoy Heaven?

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

Harold Warlick

Many characters in the Bible prove identifiable in our contemporary world. As we sit here today on the downhill side of winter and contemplate the meaning of our lives, one biblical character especially leaps out at us: the prophet Jonah. Most of us associate Jonah with being swallowed by a legendary whale or giant fish. The book of Jonah, however, is actually a poignant parable about the relation of Israel to other nations. The book skillfully and forcefully calls Israel back to her universal mission of ...

3686. The Wisemen

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

I hate it when Christmas is over. There's so much good music, such tasty foods, so much color and warmth. And presents! I love presents! I wish we celebrated all twelve days of Christmas. I could be dissuaded from that last enthusiasm if it meant that I would be given all the presents from that funny Christmas carol: 22 turtle doves 30 French hens 36 calling birds 40 gold rings 42 geese a'laying 42 swans a'swimming 40 maids a'milking 36 ladies dancing 30 lords a'leaping 22 pipers piping 12 drummers ...

3687. Fifth Sunday of Lent

John 12:20-36

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Greeting Leader: Jesus said, "Whoever serves me must follow me." Congregation: Lead me, Lord, lead me in righteousness; make thy way plain before my face. For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only, that makest me dwell in safety. Leader: And Jesus said, "Where I am, there will my servant be also." Congregation: Lead me, Lord, lead me in righteousness; make thy way plain before my face. For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only, that makest me dwell in safety. Leader: And Jesus said, "Whoever serves me, the Father ...

3688. Epiphany 6

1 Corinthians 10:23--11:1, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Leviticus 13:1-46, 2 Kings 5:1-27, Mark 1:40-45

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: God's cleansing presence and power, with or without water. In the First Lesson Elisha cleansed Namaan, the Syrian, by telling him to wash in the Jordan River. In the Gospel Jesus cleansed a leper who requested healing by touching him. COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Kings 5:1-15 Namaan, a general from the army of the Syrians, was sent to the king of Israel by his own king, asking that he be healed of his leprosy. An Israeli girl, absconded in war, informed her master of a prophet in Samaria who could do ...

3689. Sermon In A Word

John 20:10-18, John 20:1-9

Drama

Jerry Eckert

Comment: "The Disciples' Tenebrae" was a perfect set-up for the sunrise service. As people entered the church Easter Sunday, the worship room was bare of decorations. The rough cross made of old Christmas tree trunks still stood at the front of the church, draped with the black cloth from the Maundy Thursday service three nights before. There were no lights on in the church. All was very quiet as the people gathered. To begin the service, the liturgist went up to the cross, pulled the black cloth off of it ...

3690. But God Can

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Larry Powell

She was all alone now, this widow of Nain. The Scriptures make no mention that she had brothers or sisters or other family members. They surely would have been with her, consoling her, moving slowly along in the sad procession. A "large crowd from the city was with her." We are grateful for that. Sometime before, we don't know how long, she had stood by the grave of her husband and now the lifeless body of her only son was being carried out of the city. Only a widowed parent can know the grief that poor ...

3691. Preaching The Miracles

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Discipline (v. 7) - Who is "the disciple whom Jesus loved?" In John's gospel, John never mentions his name, but describes himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." It was not that John only was loved by Jesus, but apparently there was an exceptional closeness to their relationship, akin to David and Jonathon. In this instance, John was the only disciple who recognized that it was Jesus standing on the beach. Love has the power of vision and insight into the nature of people. Love lets you see who a ...

3692. The Interview

Matthew 9:35-38, Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Larry Goodpaster

The young woman squirmed uncomfortably in the cushioned chair to which she had been directed by the receptionist. Not only was she nervous about the impending job interview, but the shuttle service which had provided transportation from the airport to this office building had been the worst of her life. The others who had been on the van seemed as upset as she was -- and just as captive. Now, because of the traffic, and because that driver had not known which building was hers, she was late for her ...

3693. In The Presence Of God

Exodus 17:1-7

Sermon

Walter Kimbrough

Have you ever wondered whether God was really present in your life? Times were hard and seemingly your misery was endless. You worked long and hard everyday and yet the need was always greater than your means. The pay raises never quite measured up to the escalation in the cost of living. You made more, were taxed more, but had less to spend. Then you cried, God where are you? The poem titled Footprints tells the story of a person on a long journey. Sometimes joy was felt along the way; things went well in ...

3694. The Road To Nazareth

Luke 4:14-30

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

Not long ago I was driving down the interstate. I saw standing by the road a young man, not very impressive in appearance, who seemed to have all he owned in two bags. As I went by he held up a sign with one word on it: "Home." I wanted to stop and help him get home and yet because of the way things are today I did not even slow down. But I have often wondered where home was - and if he got there and what happened when he arrived. Immediately after his baptism and his time in the wilderness the first thing ...

3695. Forgiving the Bully

Matthew 5:38-42, Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

John Jamison

I like the first part of this story about Jesus. All those blessings, and that neat parable about the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. It makes me feel good inside. But now it gets difficult. Let me put this in terms that I can understand. The first time I ever remember hating anyone was in the third grade. The kid's name was Les. Les moved into town part way through the year and from the beginning we had trouble. On the first day, I received a note during spelling. The note read, "After ...

3696. When Thomas Doubted

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

A German was the guest of a Frenchman who asked him how they distinguished between an optimist and a pessimist in Germany. “It is very simple,” replied the German. “The optimists are learning English and the pessimists are learning Russian!” Thomas would be learning Russian! One person has described a pessimist as someone who burns his bridges behind him and then crosses them before he gets to them. Another claims a pessimist is one who, of two evils, chooses them both! That may well describe Thomas. To ...

3697. Monday Morning Faith

Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32

Sermon

Johnny Dean

If we’re honest about it, we have to admit that just about the only place where we feel comfortable making bold statements about our religion and our allegiance to God is in church on Sunday mornings. In our hymns we sing, "All to Jesus I surrender All to Him I freely give." In our confession of faith, we say, "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept him as Lord of my life." And when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it ...

3698. Have You Talked to Jesus Lately?

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Johnny Dean

One evening as I was getting out of my car to go into the office of the church I was serving in Memphis, I saw a young man approaching me, cutting across the church yard from Highland Street. The young man had a backpack on his back, and he was wearing faded blue jeans, a dirty tee shirt, and tennis shoes that had seen their better days several months ago. In other words, he looked like any one of the many college students who lived in that neighborhood, since the University of Memphis was not far from the ...

3699. Death Stinks

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Johnny Dean

All of us have been there, or will be there someday – where Mary and Martha are in the story of the death of Lazarus. Having prayed as hard as we can for the recovery of someone we love, we find ourselves grieving their loss, wondering what we will do without them. Or we will find ourselves wondering where Jesus is, trying to comfort a sorrowing family member or friend, wondering what in the world we could possibly do or say to take away some of the pain this loss is causing them, to make their sorrow ...

3700. WHAT IS MAN?

Sermon

Larry Powell

Fascinations often come upon me from the strangest sources. For instance, two recent obituaries strike me as being peculiarly fascinating. The first is that of Vitaly Rubin, aged fifty-eight, a Soviet scholar. Rubin, a native of Moscow, was the former leader of the Soviet Jewish emigration movement. The intrigue here is that in 1976, Rubin, a Russian, was allowed to emigrate to Israel where he taught Chinese philosophy, of all things, at Hebrew University. The other obituary was David Wadell Guion's, aged ...

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