Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 351 to 375 of 662 results

351. Where Two or Three Are Gathered ...

Matthew 18:15-20

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... us together in community. Your law provides guidance, and the words of your Son bring life and light. We gather as one people, with our faults and flaws, seeking to forgive and be forgiven. Teach us in worship today the way we should act in imitation of your love. Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord Jesus, your forgiveness is boundless. Challenge us to ask for and accept forgiveness from each other, to forgive as we are forgiven, to come together in love when there are differences, to seek to be reconciled in ...

352. Living in Denial

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... , “If I believed what you Christians believed, I would crawl through a field of broken glass to tell others about it . . .” And, if we think about it, which we try not to do, it is an accurate statement of fact. Our commitment as Christians is a poor imitation of the real thing. Oh, in our mind, we make excuses. You may be familiar with the story of some GIs who were on furlough. A commanding officer was furious when nine of these soldiers failed to show up for morning roll call. The first man didn’t ...

353. Now Try Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Mark Trotter

... to nobody knew where. I believe that one of the reasons for the growing incivility of our time is that the "in your face" confrontation that is so much of our life together, is seen and encouraged in the Eastwood films, and in the torrent of films that imitate him, including those cartoons shown Saturday morning for the benefit of children. I read an op-ed editorial last week written by a woman who picked up her young girl at a preschool. She had a lot of errands to run before she went home to fix dinner ...

354. Now What Do We Do?

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Mark Trotter

355. Epiphany 7

Matthew 5:43-48, Matthew 5:33-37, 1 Corinthians 3:1-23, Leviticus 19:1-37

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... Diogenes, we must search for an honest person. Our morality is usually based on permissiveness, consensus, and popularity - "Everybody's doing it!" It is high time for the pulpit to point to God as the absolute standard for our behavior. If God is our God, we worship, adore, and imitate him. What he is we should be. Outline: Why be good? a. Because God says so - "And the Lord said ..." (v. 1). b. Because God is your God - "I am the Lord your God" (v. 2). c. Because God is good - "I the Lord your God am holy ...

356. Easter 6

Acts 17:16-34, 1 Peter 3:8-22, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... :13-22 (C); 1 Peter 3:15-18 (RC); 1 Peter 3:8-18 (E) The newly baptized, warned they may suffer for being Christians are reminded if the suffer for "well-doing rather than evil-doing," they will be blessed. In a non-Christian world, Christians are to imitate Jesus who suffered, died for our sins, rose and ascended to the Father. They are to revere Christ and to be prepared to give an account of their faith. As Noah was saved through water, really from water, baptismal water saves us not by a physical, but a ...

357. Proper 23

Exodus 32:1-33:6, Isaiah 25:1-12, Philippians 4:2-9, Philippians 4:10-20, Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... verse 1 we have a picture of the love affair between Paul and his people. The problem of disunity in the congregation still exists (vv. 2-3). Paul appeals to them to rejoice in Christ and not to have a worry. They are to think of beautiful values and to imitate him. Then the peace of God and the God of peace will be with them. Epistle: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 Dealing with life's tough times. Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14 The parable of the wedding feast and garment. Matthew gives us two parables in this Lesson ...

358. Proper 24

Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Isaiah 44:24--45:25, Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... deliverance from sin through the cross and resurrection, and to their hope for Jesus' return. In these opening verses, Paul thanks God for their faith, love, and hope. They prove that God has chosen them through the gospel which he preached. Moreover, they imitated the example of Paul and thus they became examples to the other churches. Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22 (C, E); Matthew 22:15-21 (RC) Religious leaders attempt to trap Jesus by asking him whether taxes should be paid to Rome. The religious leaders ...

359. Proper 26

Matthew 23:1-39, Joshua 3:1-4:24, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16, Malachi 2:1-9

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... , led an exemplary life, preached the Word, and longed to see his people again. Paul reminds his people in Thessalonica how he worked day and night in order not to be a financial burden on them. Also, he reminds them he lived a life that was worthy of imitation and, in a fatherly way he urged them to live a life worthy of God. Moreover, he is grateful that they accepted his preaching as the very Word of God. Because of this warm and close fellowship with them, Paul is anxious to visit them again, for they ...

360. Two Harvests

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... and children. "How then has it weeds?" The fact that Satan sowed his cheat while men slept is no sign of negligence, but rather a sign of the devil's sneakiness and cowardice. It also is a hint of his evil ploy to deceive humanity. I call it "opposition by imitation." The next question the farm hands ask their boss is in verse 20: "Do you want us to gather them?" In short, "Shall we go fix it for now? Shall we pluck out the evil? Rid the field of tares today?" The wise boss says, "No, lest in gathering the ...

361. Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of the gift of grace, "not of works, lest any should boast." This hope of grace is a gift of God's love and kindness. Or as the early church father Ignatius put it, "Let us not be lacking in feeling for (God's) kindness, for if (God) were to imitate our way of action, then we would exist no more" (Magnesians 10.1). Our hope is in Christ. "Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." And it's because of what Christ has already done for us that we can have hearts of hope. Glorious ...

362. The CatWalk Church and the CrossLove Church

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... Sterling Cross Necklace, 3VC6130 $100.00, p. 80 in The Voyager's Collection catalog; 1-800-442-1150.) Too many churches have become catwalks for model necklaces. CatWalk churches wear the fad or fashion of the moment. CatWalk churches imitate and emulate the day's headlines. · CatWalk churches climb ladders. CrossLove churches lift crosses. · CatWalk churches lay it down for themselves. CrossLove churches lay down their lives for others. · CatWalk churches love Jesus. CrossLove churches do more than love ...

363. Maker's Mark

2 Corinthians 1:12--2:4

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... brands, especially among tweeners (witness the Avril Lavigne phenomenon), ask anyone with a trend-conscious member of their family and they will be able to tell you just how much more it costs to wear a hot name-brand than it does to get the imitation or knockoff. The maker's mark, the trendy cost-hiking logo, not only denotes brand but, as all kids can tell you, is synonymous with reputation. A brand is what people think of you. Ten years ago when the body-piercing, multiple-tattooing craze began, that ...

364. Catch the Fever

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

James Caldwell III

... To follow Jesus means to expect the unexpected; There's freedom in obedience to God and servanthood to our neighbor; Following him may not involve the conventional or the comfortable way; That following him means throwing out the instruction manual and starting fresh by imitating him. By catching the fever. His fever. An elevated spiritual temperature. A spirit so hot that we're on fire! The same fire that burned in Jeremiah's bones, that burned in the hearts of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The ...

365. Lifelong Disciples

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James McCormick

... grand-parents reading the Bible or other Christian literature. They see their parents and grand-parents being loyal members of the church. They see them becoming more caring about others, more loving, more giving. And they are encouraged to do likewise. Children are great imitators. There’s no doubt about it. They’re watching you. And the truth is, we do our most effective teaching when we are least aware of it. One of the greatest fears of my life has been that somehow my example would be a hindrance ...

366. The Lonesome George Church

Matthew 4:23-25, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... doing they weren’t: making stronger disciples. [If you’d like to show your people a brief video of the findings, here is the link. There is a 13-minute version and a 3-minute version: http://revealnow.com/story.asp?storyid=48. When the most imitated church in the world and one of the most financially successful churches in the world issues a public apology and admits a big “Oops!” or “We’ve gone down the wrong track” . . . . maybe it’s time to look at this text more carefully and what it ...

367. Proper 24

Exodus 33:12-23, Matthew 22:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Psalm 99:1-9

Sermon Aid

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

... Paul and his companions. (The latter matter, the missionaries' character, anticipates a later theme of the letter.) In vv. 6-7 the writers remind the Thessalonians of the origins and character of their faith from a human point of view: They faithfully imitated the apostles, and in turn, they themselves became faithful examples to other believers. Verses 8-10 recognize the striking results of the gospel finding its place among the Thessalonians. There has been a geographical spread of the word and the faith ...

368. What Does It Really Mean to Be a Christian?

Mark 10:17-22

Sermon

James W. Moore

... and zest and joy and power and excitement in your life.. then follow Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. You want a great formula for life, here it is: Life is worth living People are worth loving Jesus Christ is worth following. Follow Him. Imitate Him. Learn from Him. Serve Him. Trust Him. Some years ago, a fire broke out in a hotel in Chicago. Flames and smoke blocked the normal escape routes. Some people on the tenth floor went out on a balcony to escape the smoke, but they were trapped there ...

369. God Speaks and the Church Is Our Hearing Aid

Mark 4:1-9

Sermon

James W. Moore

... that… that God is with us, that God loves us, that He is our strength and He will see us through in this life and the next. God loves us… and the other side of that coin is that He wants us to be loving people… He wants us to imitate His loving ways. This is the point of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In this parable, we see One who needs love (The Prodigal) One who gives love (The Father) And, One who is unwilling to love (The Elder Brother) This great parable makes it dramatically clear that The ...

370. What Christmas Gives to Us

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

James W. Moore

... unselfish love. It was Love that came down at Christmas… not insults, not grudges, not pettiness, not hostility. Love came down at Christmas…what does that mean? Well, it means that God is love and He wants us to be loving… He wants us to imitate His gracious ways. That’s what I want for Christmas… First, the good sense to put first things first… and second the Christ-like spirit to always be gracious and loving. III. FINALLY, IPUT DOWN ON MY MOST-WANTED CHRISTMAS LIST… “THE GOOD SENSE TO ...

371. America in the Mirror

2 Kings 17:5-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... The point is, that today, like Israel of old, we have become a nation of idolaters. We worship the god of the stars, we worship the god of sports, we worship the god of sex, we worship the god of success, and we are idolizing pagan lords. b. Israel Imitated Lives In v.15 we are told that they "went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them." Their motto had become "When in Rome do like the Romans do." You remember the old saying ...

372. The Sword of the Lord

Hebrews 4:12-13

Sermon

James Merritt

... him, they derided his work, they made fun of his preaching. On one occasion, one of their ring leaders, a young man named Thorpe, was mimicking Whitfield, making fun of him. He was actually delivering one of his sermons with brilliant accuracy, perfectly imitating his tone and his facial expressions. They were laughing, having a wonderful time. Then all of a sudden, a strange thing happened. As this young man, Thorpe, was preaching Whitfield's sermon, his lips began to quiver, his eyes began to water, the ...

373. Bridging the Generation Gap

Ephesians 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... wait on themselves and to make decisions. Bless me with the bigness to grant them their reasonable requests, and the courage to deny them the privileges I know could do them harm. Make me fair, just and kind, and fit me, O Lord, to be loved, respected, and imitated by my children, and help me always remember that better parents raise better children. No parent can ever guarantee how his child will turn out, but I will tell you this, the best parent in the world will see to it, if he does nothing else, that ...

374. How to Live the Good Life (Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness)

Galatians 5:22

Sermon

James Merritt

... coin that many thought would revolutionize our monetary system, seemed like "chunked change", and fell out of circulation. My friend, the world expects believers who call themselves Christians, to be good and to be godly; to be the real thing and not a cheap imitation. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "I would have become a Christian if I had met more true Christians. This world is full of badness; what it desperately needs is goodness that is produced by knowing Jesus, loving God, and bearing the fruit of the ...

375. Manual Labor Is Not the President of Mexico

Proverbs 6:6-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... most of the ants in the colony, she is not the chief ruler. Instead, the work and survival of the colony is insured by "soldier" ants. These servant leaders are older ants who begin each new activity in the colony by doing the work themselves. Younger ants then imitate the servant-leaders and join in the work. There are no supervisors, chief, or officers among the ants.7 That explains Solomon's comment that ants "have no captain, overseer, or ruler..." (v.7) The ant is a self-starter. It is a picture of the ...

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