Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3676 to 3700 of 4914 results

3676. Saved by the Bell

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's one of the most powerful images in the history of Christianity: Jesus on the cross, flanked on either side by two thieves. Or if you were a first-century gawker at Golgotha, here are three criminals lifted up for humiliation on three crosses. In the final hours of their lives, these three criminals formed a community of the dying. They entered into relationships with each other, shared intimacies, and conversed with each other about matters of life and death. If you listen carefully to this dialog of ...

3677. I've Got Your Back Covered

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's sad, but true. We live in a world where even elementary school kids understand and resonate with battle-ground analogies. In a conflict where sudden skirmishes, guerilla tactics, sneak attacks, and suicide bombers are the battlefield, there's no advancing front to keep our eye upon. The battles are all around us: whether we're a soldier in Afghanistan or Iran, a train-traveler in Spain, or an office worker in New York. Those ulcer-inducing, color-coded alert status warnings are the Department of ...

3678. Wherever You Are, You Are Always at Home

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In just a few days we will all be faced with the annual challenge: learning to write a new year date on all our important papers, letters, checks. '07 will become '08. I don't know about you, but my neurons are still not comfortable with whole "0" thing. Every now and again I have a brain fritz (as opposed to an ice induced brain freeze) and find myself writing 1996 or 1987 or some other decade-deleting date. Its as if occasionally my mind simply cannot fathom the incredibly swift passage of time that ...

3679. The Whole Shebang in Six Words

John 11:38-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The more complex our world becomes, the more simplicity it needs. This quest for simplicity has become the holy grail of science, whether in the form of physicist Stephen Hawking's TOE and his lifetime pursuit of a Theory of Everything (TOE), or theoretical physicist Stephen Wolfram's "A New Kind of Science" (the title of his 2002 book). Wolfram, a Ph.D. at 20 from Caltech, proposes that instead of looking for more and more complex theories to creation, we should be looking for simpler ones (primitives, he ...

3680. Proper 21

Exodus 17:1-7, Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew 21:28-32, Philippians 2:1-11, Psalm 78:1-72

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 17:1-7 is the first account of God providing Israel with water from a rock. Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 is a historical psalm that recounts God's merciful guidance during Israel's wilderness wandering. Exodus 17:1-7 - "Is the Lord in Our Midst or Not?" Setting. Exodus 17:1-7 is one of the early wilderness stories. The Lord has delivered Israel from Egypt in Exodus 15 and the once enslaved people now have the responsibility of political freedom without the benefit of a country, because ...

3681. Proper 25

Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 22:41-46, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16, Psalm 90:1-17

Sermon Aid

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

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Deuteronomy 34:1-12 is the account of Moses' death on Mount Nebo, his burial by God, and the passing on of his leadership to Joshua. Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 is a prayer ascribed to Moses. The lectionary does not include v. 13, but it is included here since it introduces the prayer ascribed to Moses. Deuteronomy 34:1-12 - "Standing Tiptoe on Mount Nebo" Setting. Deuteronomy 34 is the account of Moses' death. The chapter consists of careful to graps location in Moab and includes a reference ...

3682. To Be a Christian

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

James McCormick

In the earliest days of the Christian movement, the followers of Jesus were not called Christians. They were called “followers of the way”. Jesus had said, “I am the way”, so they were followers of “the way”. The book of Acts tells us that the disciples were called Christians for the first time in Antioch. We use that term, “Christian” a lot. But what does it mean? That’s what this sermon is about. First, let’s talk about what it does not mean. It does not mean simply that you have been baptized and you ...

3683. After the Casket Is Closed

Luke 23:46

Sermon

James Merritt

I recently read a letter from the South Carolina Department of Social Services that gives great insight into how the government can sometimes look upon death. Dear Sir: Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992, because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may re-apply if there is a change in your circumstances.1 Circumstances do not change death, but death does change circumstances. We saw that this past week when John McSherry, a 51 year old umpire, collapsed and ...

3684. Is Your Conscience Clear?

1 Timothy 1:18-19

Sermon

James Merritt

It may surprise you to know that every year the Federal Government receives hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus items ranging from wrenches to silverware, from citizens with a guilty conscience who have cheated on their income taxes. In 1811, the U. S. Treasury established what is known as a Conscience Fund when an anonymous individual mailed the government $5. Since that time, over $4 million has been received from guilt-ridden citizens with a guilty conscience, with donations ranging from a single ...

3685. Doing Right When You Have Been Done Wrong

Ephesians 4:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

I have been ordered by Dr. Freddie Gage to speak on the topic of bitterness and forgiveness. Now like most preachers, I don't like to be told what to preach, but in Freddie's case I gladly acquiesce because I knew if I didn't, Freddie would get bitter and never forgive me. Now some people might think it strange to speak on a topic of bitterness to a bunch of Baptists. But bitterness is certainly no stranger to Baptist churches. I heard about a Baptist businessman that was taking a business trip on an ...

3686. Bridging the Generation Gap

Ephesians 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

I read something recently about childbirth that I had never thought about before. But when you think about it, it is extremely profound. The pain of childbirth is twofold: there is the pain of bringing the child into the world, and there is the pain of bringing that child up in the world, and the latter is greater. The physical pain of bearing a child is tremendous, but usually lasts only a few hours. But the pain of rearing that same child lasts a lifetime and never lessens.1 Every time I preach on the ...

3687. A Trip to God's Woodshed

Hebrews 12: 5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

I heard about a young boy that went off to one of these extremely expensive universities. The bills were coming in monthly to these parents, and they were struggling to keep their head above water. One day his mother received a letter from him that read like this: Dear Mom: I'm writing to inform you that I have flunked all of my courses. I had an accident and totally wrecked my car. I owe the clothing store in town $2000, and I have been suspended for the next semester because of misconduct. I am coming ...

3688. Repeat After Me

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

One thing a good teacher knows is that repetition is one of the best ways to teach, as well as one of the best ways to learn. If you think about it, we learn the alphabet by repetition, by saying the letters over and over. We learn how to count the same way. We learn the multiplication tables by repeating them over and over again until we could do them in our sleep. Paul begins this chapter by saying, "For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe." (3:1) Paul is about to ...

3689. Why You Should Spend Time with God

Psalm 37:4-7

Sermon

James Merritt

A man came home from a long day of work; he was totally exhausted. He entered into his son’s bedroom to tell him goodnight, and he was greatly irritated when his little boy began to badger him about money. The little boy said, “Daddy, how much money do you make?” The father grunted, “Enough!” Well, the boy pressed further and said, “I mean how much do you make an hour?” The man was not in the mood for any games, so he gave the boy a quick lecture and said, “They pay me $25 per hour.” The boy then said, “ ...

3690. The Great Depression

Psalm 42:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

I’m beginning a six-week series of messages that I am entitling “Dealing with Feelings.” I’m going to begin today with the most dominant destructive debilitating feeling of all. Have you ever awakened in the morning and somehow you just knew it was going to be a bad day? Somebody with a great sense of humor described a few clues to let us know that it’s “going to be a bad day” when: You wake up face down on the pavement. You call Suicide Prevention and they put you on hold. Your birthday cake collapses ...

3691. Hope In A Hostile World

Matthew 1:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

During these first two weeks of December, we are receiving lots of Christmas cards. Of course, many show photographs of the family sending the card. But others feature portraits of the holy family. A typical one shows the holy family in a peaceful stable surrounded by adoring shepherds and wise men. The entire scene is bathed in the heavenly light from a special star. Everything is so tranquil. This picture is reinforced by the songs we sing this time of year, like “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, ...

3692. I Believe In The Holy Spirit

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A few years ago in the Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena, a float stalled. Frustrations increased quickly because other floats could not move, and this event was televised around the world. Mechanics quickly descended upon the stalled float, searching all over for the problem. Finally, someone had the presence of mind to check on the fuel level of the vehicle. It was empty, out of gas. This became even more embarrassing when the crowd realized that the float’s sponsor was one of the major oil companies. (1) Did ...

3693. Abraham and Sarah: Backing Into the Future

Hebrews 11:1-3; 8-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

New York Times Dateline: New Orleans, September 2: They waited, and they waited, and then they waited some more in the 90-degree heat. As many as 5000 people huddled at a highway underpass on Interstate 10, waiting for buses that never arrived to take them away from a storm they could not escape. Babies cried. The sick huddled in the shade in wheelchairs or rested on cots. A few others, less patient, simply started walking west with nowhere to go. [1] Thousands…going out, not knowing where they are to go, ...

3694. Tongues, Ears, or Too Much to Drink

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

It wasn't planned this way, it just happened….but if you look at Jeff's sermon title for tonight and mine for this morning, they make a fascinating mix or menu: "Tongues, Ears, or Too Much to Drink—Everybody's Hungry for Something" 1. The story begins with "tongues." And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. In the context, it is obvious this has nothing to do with "speaking in tongues"—that is, unknown prayer languages, mystical ...

3695. Worship Like A Wesley

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Charles Wesley had returned from the Georgia Colony in complete despair, just like his brother, John—struggling, doubting, longing for a new relationship with God. Then on May 21, 1738, the day he would call his "conversion day," he discovered the amazing gift of God's love in Christ made known for him. He opened his scriptures to Psalm 43 and read: "God hath put a new song in my mouth." He picked up a pen and never put it down. By the time of his death, he had written no fewer than 8,989 poems, including ...

3696. Prayer: A Way of Life

James 5:13-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once there was a monastery in the woods that had fallen upon hard times. In the past it had been a thriving community that was well known and respected throughout the region, but over the last generation the monks had died one by one and there were no new vocations to replace them. Besides this, the monks did not seem to be as friendly to each other. Something just wasn't right. The Father Abbot was quite concerned about the future of his monastery, now consisting of himself and three brothers and, thus, ...

3697. What Part of “You Shall Not” Don’t You Understand?

Exodus 20:1-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Ethical relativists have moved into our lives like a horde of invading barbarians threatening to conquer the land. Increasingly, people seem to be succumbing to the enemy. Many today say, "Nothing is absolute, not God, not the Bible, not the Ten Commandments." The only absolute for many people today seems to be the statement, "There are no absolutes." Guess again. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) are biblical correctives for a society that too easily has been overcome by the ethical relativists who ...

3698. James 1:17-27

James 1:17-27

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The Epistle of James was unflatteringly dubbed "an Epistle of straw" by that forthright reformer Martin Luther. Luther felt that James focused entirely too much on works, to the detriment of the gift of God's grace. James does have a different agenda than Paul (or Luther for that matter). But that does not necessarily indicate that James disagrees with Paul's masterful articulation of the great gift of the gospel. If James' work is to be characterized as "straw," it should be qualified as builder's straw. ...

3699. Luke 1:26-38

Luke 1:26-38

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

For most of us, it just wouldn't be Christmas without reading Luke's eloquent words foretelling Jesus' birth. Tampa's James A. Harnish says that the difference between Luke's account of the Christmas story and Matthew's account is the difference between a Norman Rockwell painting in Saturday Evening Post and a tax collector's report. "If Luke reads like the Saturday Evening Post," Harnish writes, "then Matthew reads like the Wall Street Journal." In Luke's account, all the facets of this expertly crafted ...

3700. Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Galatians 5:1, 13-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Martin Luther may be most remembered for rediscovering Paul's message of "justification by faith through grace" in the epistle to the Romans, but Luther himself held a different letter of Paul's closest to his heart. Luther called Galatians "my own epistle, to which I have plighted my troth. It is my Katie von Bora." Clearly, Luther discerned something more in this epistle than just another of Paul's lectures to a fractious, fragmented congregation of would-be Christians. The whole of Galatians forms a ...

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