Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3701 to 3725 of 4943 results

3701. A Tale Of Two Cities

Micah 5:1-4

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). Now the contemporary Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem is to be destroyed. But God will make a new beginning and start over again. The origin of this king will be "from of old, from ancient days" (v. 2), in that it is a continuation of the promise made to David. The wonder of God's sovereignty is shown in the choice of the smallest and weakest clan of Judah as the source of the new king, just as it was the source of David. This birth of a new king will be the ...

3702. A Light In The Darkness

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... one, I have sworn to you my servant David: "I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations" (Psalm 89:3-4). I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:27). His line shall continue forever, and his throne endure before me like the sun. It shall be established forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies (Psalm 89:36-37). This king is expected to bring stability, prosperity, and peace. He will put an end to foreign rule ...

3703. Homecoming

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... . A reference to the Exodus is made: Thus says the Lord: "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you" (vv. 2-3; cf. Exodus 33:12-17). The Lord who brought them out of bondage in Egypt can bring them out of bondage in Babylon. Exile is not defeat or failure for God. Human impossibility becomes God's possibility. Homecoming is ...

3704. The Call Of The Tradition: Remember And Return

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... is high. The people had lost much of their religion, and they realized it when they heard the law read. They were deeply grieved and wanted to do better. The reading took place at a time of festival, the feast of booths, so the people were enjoined not to continue their grieving. Ezra said to the people: "This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep ..." Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for ...

3705. Kneeling And Redirection

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... the way we would most like to avoid. II. Different Way Of Small Victories On this day of Epiphany, which celebrates the light of Christ being spread into the world, it is a good time for us to make friends with the small victories that will be ours, rather than continue the myth that there are big deals that we must negotiate. On this day, it is good for us to take a Mother Teresa 101 course. Three things she said will help us. The first has to do with the time she came to her Bishop and asked that he ...

3706. Flatliners

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Richard A. Wing

... battered and complex book. What does it look like?" He would have to say, "God made the world in love, and for some unknown reason, the human family rejects that love and chooses to go in a different direction. God will not reject the world that rejects God. God continues a mysterious and relentless pursuit of us to the end of time." This is the "flat-out" bottom line of the Gospel. In the Gospel of Luke, it says that Jesus went down to the flats and began to speak to the people. The Gospel of Matthew would ...

3707. Why Did Pastor Hypnotize Jenny?

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

Tony Everett

... What preparations for the coming Christ child are happening in the depth of your soul? How much time and energy are you giving to the trimmings and frills of Christmas? How does that compare with the time and energy you are investing in beginning and continuing a right relationship with God? The days have come.The promise has been fulfilled. A righteous branch -- Jesus the Christ has Come, is coming, And will come again. No, Gary, Jenny was not hypnotized. She was baptized, bathed in the living water of the ...

3708. An Awesome Homecoming

Sermon

Tony Everett

... and school activities. And for some, homes that were lonely during Christmas and New Year's Day still remain lonely today. Routines begin again. Problems put on hold for a few weeks begin to surface anew. Visions of sugarplum fairies bringing continuing joy and everlasting peace are shattered and scattered, at least until next year, just like the Christmas decorations. Christmas trees, or those "previously live" ones, are carted out for curbside pick up. Christmas promises and expectations are not what we ...

3709. New Name, New Status

Isaiah 62:1-12

Sermon

Tony Everett

... in a desolate land. Where is God in all this now?" Most of the people may have given up. But Isaiah did not. "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest," he proclaims (v. 1). Isaiah promises that he will continue to declare the renewal of the Lord until the people perceive it for themselves. Here is the central focus of today's text. To demonstrate the reality of this new status in the Lord, Isaiah says to them, "You shall be called by a new name which the mouth of ...

3710. Anything But Trivial

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Tony Everett

... losses. Each of us has experienced times of helplessness and hopelessness. Each of us has faced problems that appeared to be overwhelming, shattering our perception of who and whose we are. God in Christ is present during those times, giving us the courage to continue and to grow in renewed relationship. God did not abandon Paul Tiemeyer. God did not abandon the people of Israel. God does not abandon us. This passage in Nehemiah is a powerful message of that very fact. During this period in history, the ...

3711. Your Reflection In God's Mirror

Isaiah 1:1-31

Sermon

James McLemore

... Sodom and Gomorrah, I made this nation called Judah after my image. I told them to live righteous lives and to perform just acts. But every time I look down at Judah, and every time I look at Jerusalem, they look just like Sodom and Gomorrah. And if they continue to look like Sodom, and to act like Gomorrah, I will do to them what I did to Sodom and Gomorrah. I will wipe them off the face of the earth." America, oh America. You are beginning to look like Sodom, and you are beginning to act like Gomorrah ...

3712. Acting Bulletproof

Luke 13:1-9

Illustration

John R. Steward

... ways. However, there is the case of two brothers. One of the brothers had advanced symptoms of AIDS. The other brother was not infected at all with the deadly disease. Then one day the two brothers got into a very violent fight. The infected brother continuously smashed his head against his brother's head. Both men bled a great deal into each other's exposed wounds. Soon after this episode the non-infected brother tested positive for the virus. It is stories like these that have caused the medical community ...

3713. Divided They Fall

Hebrews 11:1-40

Illustration

John R. Steward

... became aggressive against the gods. Fearing that they would try to take over, the gods decided that they must punish the humans. They decided that they could not kill the humans, for then there would be no one to worship them. Finally, Zeus decided that humans would continue to live but that they would be cut in half. By cutting them into two parts they would no longer retain the power. Zeus carried out his plan. He cut the humans in two, asking Apollo to help so that the wounds would not be apparent. After ...

3714. A Python in the Hut

2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Illustration

John R. Steward

... and the missionary assumed that the snake was dead. When he went back into his hut he found the snake dead and his home in shambles. This is often the case with the enemies of God. The victory has been won in Jesus Christ and until his return the battle continues. Let us rejoice in the knowledge that Christ has won the battle. Adapted by Dr. James Dobson, When God Doesn't Make Sense (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.), p. 194.

3715. We Cut the Coal

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

Illustration

John R. Steward

... . He was willing to go almost anywhere to encourage people in the war effort. He would, of course, always visit the troops. But he also visited those who worked on the farms and in the factories. He knew that the odds against them were great and that he must continue to help keep the morale high. There was one group he had not yet seen. It was the coal miners. Someone asked him if he would be willing to see these men, who spend most of their time below the ground in such dangerous conditions. One man told ...

3716. Lent 3

Luke 13:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Psalm 63:1-11, Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... his chosen people in Palestine. God expects his people to be fruitful. 8. "For Three Years I have Come." (v. 7) God has worked with the people over a long period of time to look for the results of the planting. The results are disappointing. The chosen people continue to act contrary to God's will. 9. "Cut it Down ... Wasting the Soil." (v. 7) A judgment that the same thing will happen to the Jews in Jesus' day that happened in the disappearance of Israel in the eighth century B.C. and to Judah when taken ...

3717. Lent 4

Psalm 32:1-11, Joshua 5:1-12, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... to merit God's favor. 15. "This Son of Yours." (v. 30) The older son used a contemptuous phrase in referring to his younger brother. It implied that the father was responsible for the younger son's actions. 16. "Son, You are Always with Me." (v. 31) Continuous fellowship with the father is reward in itself. It is more a consequence of the grace of the father than the merit of the son. 17. "This Brother of Yours." (v. 32) When the father still says that the younger son is "your brother" he rejects the ...

3718. Proper 12

Psalm 85:1-13, Colossians 2:6-23, Hosea 1:1-2:1, Luke 11:1-13

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... of the householder who has an unexpected midnight guest. He is without bread to feed the traveler. He goes to his neighbor to borrow bread but the neighbor is already in bed. The neighbor is reluctant to disturb the family to answer the door. The man continues to plead with the neighbor. Finally, to get rid of the nuisance at the door, the neighbor rouses from bed and gives him three loaves. A second saying compares the readiness of God to answer prayer. Jesus compares God to anyone who would not give a ...

3719. Proper 13

Luke 11:1-13, Hosea 11:1-11, Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 107:1-43

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... . The unwise farmer thought his security was found in plenty of goods. We hear a lot about national security, social security, owning securities. Some even find attraction in some eternal security based on the acceptance of some set of beliefs rather than in continued growth in attitudes and activities that accord with the life of Christ. The Christian lives with some awareness that nothing in this world gives us the status of absolute security. We rest in trust that in the changes and vicissitudes of life ...

3720. Proper 17

Psalm 81:1-16, Hebrews 13:1-25, Jeremiah 2:1-3:5, Luke 14:1-14

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... are no gods. The people of Israel have forsaken God and are creating their own source of values rather than accepting the real ones given by God. The Second Lesson. (Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16) The writer of the letter calls the Christians to continue to practice mutual love. What that means is spelled out in terms of hospitality, prison visitation, marriage, and love of money. Jesus is the constant standard of reference in ethical behavior. By following him and doing good they will show proper praise to God ...

3721. Proper 18

Psalm 139:1-24, Philemon 1:8-25, Philemon 1:1-7, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Luke 14:25-35

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... to be imperfect, he can shatter it, grind up the clay and rework it into a more satisfactory vessel. Jeremiah warns the people that in like manner the Lord can shatter and rework his people if they do not shape up according to the Lord's will. If they continue to do evil, they will have to be ground up by suffering until they are restored to a more perfect vessel for God's purposes. The Second Lesson. (Philemon 1-21) Paul writes to a rich Christian whom he had brought into the church. He writes on behalf of ...

3722. Proper 19

Psalm 14:1-7, 1 Timothy 1:12-20, Jeremiah 4:5-31, Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

... need to be searched for and recovered. Key Words in the Passage 1. "Were Grumbling." (v. 2) The Pharisees and scribes did not accuse Jesus directly. It was, however, obvious from their furtive conversations among themselves that they disapproved of his behavior. Jesus continued to violate their taboos about whom a religious person should fellowship with. 2. "Which One of You." (v. 4) Jesus tells a parable that asks the Pharisees and scribes to compare themselves with the major figure in the parable. It is a ...

3723. The Valley Of Judgment

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... him. This is the truth that the prophet Joel had perceived. Joel wrote during a time of crisis in his country, ancient Israel. He could see a time when his own people would have to wake up to the reality of what would happen to them if they continued on their path. Joel was probably a young and patriotic priest. He wanted his people to be faithful to God. The book of Joel was written when a terrible swarm of locusts had devastated Palestine. Most of Joel's fellow countrymen and women probably saw only the ...

3724. Blessed Betrayal

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... the perfume came as no surprise. It is typical of someone with the defect in moral character such as Judas had. But he couldn't seem to hear those words. Here was a warning, a chance, a roadblock on the road to destruction. But Judas ignored it all and continued on his petty little plot to deliver Jesus over to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread. Amazing isn't it? In the midst of such treachery Jesus acted from love and delivered to his disciples a sign of ...

3725. A Spear, A Nail, A Cross

Psalm 22:1-31

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

... -person was rejected, but far more than that. Jesus was not just ignored. He was pure, absolute unadulterated truth. He evoked the kind of reaction from various groups and individuals that caused them to shout, "Crucify him!" Jesus set off a chain reaction which continues to some degree even today. People wanted to smother his teaching with tradition or to exterminate it with hate. Some people are still shouting "Crucify him!" The one who was the object of such scorn was the one who came as the fulfillment ...

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