Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3726 to 3750 of 4490 results

3726. JESUS: Liar, Lunatic, Legend, or Lord

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Brett Blair

Before we read the text for this morning I am going to ask you to do something a little different. I want you to listen to the reading not with a heart of faith but with a skeptical mind. If it helps, imagine that you do not know that Jesus is anything else but a teacher. You are a first century person who has just been introduced to him. [Read John 6:35, 41-51] Pretty incredible isn't it? For someone to make such claims. What if, later today, you were introduced to someone and that someone said, "Hi, I am ...

3727. You Are A Name!

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Today a name does not seem to mean much. We glibly ask, "What is a name?" As children we chanted, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt me." A person's name is only a label, a mark of identification. A name answers the question, "Who are you?" Because a name seems to mean little in our time, some give their children odd names. One had the name "Miss Ima Hogg." One mother named her daughter "Alpha Omega" because she was her first and hopefully her last child. A black child was ...

3728. The Unexpected Universe

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

It has already caused a stir in the minds of many. Long- held doubts have surfaced. A steady skepticism seems to be reinforced. The college cynic seems to be confirmed. And the village atheist smiles in self-congratulation. But there it was nevertheless. Time magazine's cover story asking whether the Bible really can be verified from an archeological point of view. Were the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, mere legendary characters with no real, historical existence? Was Moses pure myth, as my former ...

3729. In, But Not Of, The World

Jeremiah 29:1-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

“What’s important to me in my walk of faith is my relationship with God. Next comes my family. Christianity is about things of the spirit, not about the ways of the world.” Many American Christians (perhaps some in this parish) feel this way. How about you? Does a Christian have a responsibility for society? Should the Church play a role in trying to turn American society around? Let me try to answer those questions by asking you a question. Do you believe what the Bible teaches? If so, let’s see what our ...

3730. Plumb Line Prophecy

Amos 7:1-9, Amos 7:10-17

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It’s the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline ...

3731. Days of Promise

Jeremiah 33:1-26

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Without a doubt the most troubling time in the history of the United Sates was the Civil War era. Devastated by the ruins of war, the country was drained emotionally and spiritually. The hostility had developed not only between regions of the country, but it spilled over into families and institutions. At given moments of the war, people questioned whether they would ever be able to recover from the debacle that had been wrought upon the nation. The future was in grave doubt. People lost their perspective ...

3732. The Promise of Baptism

Isaiah 43:1-13

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

William F. Buckley, Jr., has earned the respect of some of his harshest critics with the publication of Nearer, My God. Many of his critics have been among the theologians who have had great difficulty with his rightist opinions. It is not that conservative viewpoints are not welcome, but Mr. Buckley has a penchant for delivering his thoughts in a cavalier style that betrays a snide manner of talking down to people. However, his book Nearer, My God is not offensive in its approach to Mr. Buckley’s ...

3733. His Triumphal Entry

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Brett Blair

Seven days changed the world. These seven days have been the topic of a million of publications, countless debates, and thousands of films. These seven days have inspired the greatest painters, the most skilled architects, and the most gifted musicians. To try and calculate the cultural impact of these seven days is impossible. But harder still would be an attempt to account for the lives of men and women who have been transformed by them. And yet these seven days as they played out in Jerusalem were of ...

3734. God Works From the Inside Out

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

James W. Moore

A little girl was visiting her grandmother one beautiful spring morning. They walked out into grandmother’s flower garden. As grandmother was inspecting the progress of her flowers the little girl decided to try to open a rosebud with her own two hands. But no luck! As she would pull the petals open, they would tear or bruise or wilt or break off completely. Finally, in frustration, she said, “Gramma, I just don’t understand it at all. When God opens a flower, it looks so beautiful but when I try, it just ...

3735. Real Religion

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Micah 6:8..."He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Familiar words. Perhaps you memorized them in Sunday School in years past, or perhaps you saw them on the wall of the Library of Congress. (They are inscribed there.) They are an ancient answer to the modern acronym that Christian youngsters wear on tee-shirts, bracelets, and necklaces: WWJD - What would Jesus do? These few words spell it ...

3736. A Story Worth Sharing

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

WATCH YOUR MOUTH! What a lesson. There is a classic story about a minister who comes to church one snowy Sunday morning to find that only one lady has been able to make it to worship. As it happens, the text and sermon for the day came from this third chapter of James and focused on the damage done by gossiping. It also turned out that, of all the people in the congregation, this one lady was more guilty of this particular sin than anybody! So, one-person congregation or not, the pastor proceeded as if ...

3737. Pentecostal Power

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Eugene Barron, Littleton, Colorado tells of driving down a two-lane highway where someone had thrown garbage onto the road. Most of it had been scattered off the road except one plastic cup. This cup was positioned right in the middle of road. In fact, it was in the center of the two yellow lines. The road was straight enough that Barron noticed the cup long before he got to it. Every time a car passed by the cup, it would simply roll to the opposite side without moving from the center. When another car ...

3738. No More Pain!

John 8:31-41

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a ridiculous story about a weight lifter who appeared at an agent's office. The muscle-bound performer was carrying a stone, a big hammer, and a huge suitcase. "This big stone," he explained to the agent, "is placed on my head, then my assistant takes the hammer and swings it as hard as he can, and breaks the stone." The agent's head nearly ached just from the description, but he was quite enthusiastic. "Sounds wonderful!" he shouted. "But if you need only the hammer and the big stone for the ...

3739. Running From God

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Every once in a while you run across a newspaper story that makes you think that the whole world is going bonkers. Here is one from a paper in Kentucky: A youth pastor was charged with calling in a bomb threat to a Western Kentucky church where he was scheduled to preach that night. The young pastor said he made the call on a Sunday evening because he was unprepared for the service that night. He told police he called 911 from the church about 6:30 p.m. CDT and told the dispatcher there was a bomb in the ...

3740. Marriages That Last

Ephesians 5:22-33

Sermon

King Duncan

Liz was sure her boyfriend Martin would make a great husband, especially when she met Martin's parents. "They're so nice to each other," Liz remarked. "It's great how your dad brings your mom coffee in bed every morning." Eventually, Martin and Liz got married. As they were heading for their honeymoon destination, Liz spoke of the loving home they would have, and mentioned once again Martin's father's habit of bringing his wife coffee in bed each morning. Liz asked jokingly, "And does this trait run in the ...

3741. A Distant Light

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

As we make our journey over the next four weeks toward the stable in Bethlehem one symbol of our faith will be preeminent “that is the symbol of light. Tree lights, candle lights and in the heavens the radiant light of the star the wise men followed on that holy night. It is perhaps a parable of our times that we are rarely without some form of light. We have Thomas Edison to thank for that I suppose. It is said that after thousands of experiments, when he finally achieved this monumental breakthrough that ...

3742. Why Do You Believe What You Believe?

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

King Duncan

You may have heard about the pilot for one of our major airlines. He's blind. I won't tell you which airline. People get nervous enough nowadays about flying. I know I do. I sympathize with the old fellow who says there are two things he will not dofly or swim. "I'm not going to do anything," he says, "that when you stop, you die." Someone asked the blind airplane pilot how he did it. He said, "No big dealjust a little help from my friends and the Good Lord." Then he explained. "A friend comes by my house ...

3743. Marriage: Agony Or Ecstasy

Matthew 5:31-32

Sermon

King Duncan

In a newspaper cartoon recently a woman with folded arms and a superior expression on her face says to her husband, "A good husband needs to be strong, caring and sensitive. You have all but three of those qualities." Then there is that classic story of the woman who hired a medium to bring back the spirit of her dead husband. When he appeared in a ghostly form, she asked, "Honey, is it really better up there?" Without hesitation he answered, "Oh, yes, it is much better. But I'm not up there!" Some of us ...

3744. Lost In America

Luke 15:8-10, Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

Bruce Kimball was a 1984 Silver Medalist in the Olympics. Bruce was involved in an accident many years ago. We are told he was intoxicated at the time. Two people were killed. Bruce withdrew from life because of that tragedy. He was depressed. He secluded himself in a trailer home with his father. He had the shades drawn. He turned inward. He was feeling sorry for himself. He could not sleep at night. Just to pass time he would sit and watch television all night long until he couldn’t hold his eyes open ...

3745. The Fourth Person In The Trinity

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

King Duncan

A man named Kenneth Gibble tells of spending his after-school hours as a child in the feed mill where his dad worked. He enjoyed playing in the section of the warehouse where the bags of feed were stacked in deep rows. "I loved playing games of pretend," he says, "with the feed bags becoming in my imagination hills and valleys, boulders to hide behind, dark caves to hide inside." Sometimes one of the workers would come into the warehouse where Kenneth was playing. He would delight in spying on the worker ...

3746. The Peace That Christ Gives

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

A couple was traveling out West. They stopped at a sign that said, "Echo Point." "Try it," the wife suggested. "I think it's silly," her husband said. Finally he agreed to try it. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Baloney!" After a moment, he said, "See, nothing happened." "Try it again," his wife said. This time he shouted, "I'm the best looking man in the world!" Then the echo came back ” "Baloney!" Is there anyone here this morning who is absolutely satisfied with everything you are and everything ...

3747. On Knowing What's Best For Your Kids

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A small boy, sitting on his grandfather's knee, noticed that Grandpa had a red mark on each side of his nose. After looking for some time, he asked, "What gave you those red marks on your nose?" "Glasses," was the reply. After further reflection, the little boy asked, "Glasses of what?" (1) Children can keep us off balance, can't they? One mother, writing about her toddler, was mystified that a child who can swallow three bottle caps and a paper clip can choke on a mouthful of mashed potatoes. (2) It doesn ...

3748. Lessons From The Locker Room

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

Lowell D. Streiker

Cathy and her boyfriend, Irving, who is a golfing fanatic, are on vacation. They are on the golf course. Cathy: Here's your ball, Irving! It was over in the weeds! Irving: AACK! You moved the ball! You're not allowed to move the ball, Cathy! Cathy: Who cares? We're the only ones out here! Irving: It's against the rules! You can't break the rules!! Cathy: You hate rules! Irving: But this is a SPORT! It's no fun without rules! It's pointless unless everyone plays by the exact same rules! As Irving walks away ...

3749. Pardon Me, But Do You Know God?

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

King Duncan

One summer night a young man in Scotland decided to take a shortcut across the moors on his way to the town where he had a job. The countryside was noted for its limestone quarries. That night he knew he would be passing near one of these quarries, but the young man thought he could avoid it. Though the night was starless and inky-black, he set out through the rock and heather. Suddenly he heard a voice call out with great urgency, "Peter!" A bit unnerved, he stopped and called back into the dark, "Yes, ...

3750. What Would Jesus Really Do?

1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon

King Duncan

One the fastest-selling items in religious bookstores over the past few years has been a little bracelet with the letters "W-W-J-D" engraved on it. Those letters stand for "What Would Jesus Do?" That question was the central focus of a small book written more than one hundred years ago titled IN HIS STEPS. IN HIS STEPS is the story of a somewhat complacent church congregation that is goaded by a tramp into taking seriously their mission in the world as followers of Jesus. When the tramp dies, the deeply ...

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