Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3726 to 3750 of 4957 results

3726. Time to Come Home

Jeremiah 31:7-14

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... endless night, God comes with the people into a new time. The one who scattered the people (Jeremiah 31:10b) will now call them back together. This is a time of redemption, a time of healing, a time of returning to walk by soothing brooks, and to claim a straight path upon which there will be no stumbling (Jeremiah 31:9). It is nearly impossible to imagine the joy of such a return as this; such a reconciliation with God. As we share the words of the prophet, I cannot help but wonder about the place ...

3727. It’s Good to Know Who Is Calling

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... , as they say, is history. God announces to Samuel that he's going to do a new thing in Israel that will "make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle." Indeed, it really is good to know who's calling. I wonder if any of us would lay claim to hearing God like that? Scripture points out that the word of God was rare, and visions were few. I have to wonder, though, if that's the case. Could it be that perhaps God's Word was present, and the ability to see visions was there, but people weren ...

3728. Doing a New Thing

Isaiah 43:18-25

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... their way; to cause rivers to flow in the desert, to give succor to God’s children so that they might finally sing God's praise (Isaiah 43:19-21).God has sprung forth in newness right in front of us, offering us a chance to begin anew as we claim the forgiveness that is ours in what happened on that cross. Of course, the question comes: How often do we respond to God in the way that Robert’s friends responded to him? How often do we turn away and continue doing what we have been doing all along? How ...

3729. Setting All the Idols Down

Hosea 2:14-20

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... yet governments throughout history have tried to usurp that power; often taking God's name in vain to do so. How many armies have marched to the slaughter in the name of Jesus Christ? Far, far too many. Another historic form of idolatry has to do with claiming other gods before our God. In many churches today, for example, the influence of so-called New Age thinking has shifted and changed the focus of our worship of God. Now, I can hear the questions coming. Is pastor against New Age religions? Well, I don ...

3730. A Double Share of the Spirit

2 Kings 2:1-12

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... . "What's so astonishing about that?" I asked. "Well for one," said my friend, "he says I was an inspiration, and for two, I know nothing of mathematics." This young man had his own gifts, and took the spiritual clarity and depth of faith given by this pastor and claimed it for his own. Finally, of course, we can receive these gifts and then turn around and offer them out again. We can make it a point to work with young people, to mentor and guide them. We can be the heroes we had when we were younger. We ...

3731. It’s All about Jesus

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... the good news of Easter. During World War II, a pastor was standing next to a gaping hole made by a bomb. He was contemplating the horrors of death and destruction. Suddenly, a member of his church appeared and looked at the havoc that had recently claimed her husband. “I’m so sorry,” the pastor said. “I wish I could have done more to help you and your husband.” “You did more than you know,” the widow replied. “You prepared my husband for eternity.” That’s what we do as God’s witnesses ...

3732. Lord of All!

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... . That's the good news of Easter. During World War II, a pastor was standing next to a gaping hole made by a bomb. He was contemplating the horrors of death and destruction. Suddenly, a member of his church appeared and looked at the havoc that had recently claimed her husband. "I'm so sorry," the pastor said. "I wish I could have done more to help you and your husband." "You did more than you know," the widow replied. "You prepared my husband for eternity." That's what we do as God's witnesses: prepare one ...

3733. With Friends Like These ...

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... gift is to take care of mundane things for another. Get the mail, answer the phone, and take out the garbage. Make a list of the people they will want to thank later. Chauffeur the griever on necessary errands. In her book, Necessary Losses, Judith Viorst claims that the people we are and the lives we lead are determined by our loss experiences. We learn to live as we learn to grieve. Smaller losses need to be acknowledged and grieved along the way also, even when we fear others will not understand. Job ...

3734. Having the Last Word

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... and municipalities, as well. But, voting to select one's own governing officials is a relatively recent development on the horizon of civilization. For millennia peoples of the world have been ruled by monarchs or emperors who have come onto the scene claiming "divine rights." Historically, nations have long believed that kings ruled because they were chosen by God to do so. Some nations even considered their kings to be divine. Kings were accountable only to God; therefore, it was sinful for their subjects ...

3735. The Complexity of the Situation

Matthew 22:34-46

Illustration

... 't it? Try following all those laws in order to be considered faithful and righteous, and you probably thought the original ten was hard enough. For the lawyer and the Pharisees there was certainly a complex issue at stake. The Israelites were under assault from a man who claimed to be God, and who did God-like things. But this man was a Jew; he should have known better, no one is God, but God. Yet, he was a man who knew and quoted the Hebrew scripture, who knew the laws and commandments better than any ...

3736. Moses’ Seat

Matthew 23:1-12

Illustration

Brett Blair

... philosophy or the chair of history. The chair is reserved for the most esteemed person in any given subject. Well, Moses' seat was, in essence, the chair of philosophy in ancient Israel. So Jesus is attacking the highest symbol of religious authority. Well, that's what the Pharisees and scribes claimed. He actually wasn't attacking the chair; rather, he was attacking those who occupied the chair. He was saying they were unworthy of the chair.

3737. Second Coming Nonsense

Matthew 25:1-13

Illustration

Staff

The first perversion of the doctrine of the second coming of Christ is perpetrated by those I'm going to call "prophecy mongers." You know these people. They come with their charts and graphs, with their predictions and projections, claiming to have special insight into the workings of God in the world, so that they're able to cue us in on just where we are in the divine timetable. And somehow, every political event of the past fifty years fits neatly into their scheme of things. But Jesus said ...

3738. Doomsday Prophets

Matthew 25:1-13

Illustration

Steven A. Peay

... the Bible for the "signs of the times" and decided that the second advent had occurred in 1874 and everything would come to an end in 1914. World War I almost gave some credence to Russell's "millennial dawn " and imminent Battle of Armageddon, but his claim that "millions now living will never die" just didn't hold. Russell died in 1916. His successors, now calling themselves Jehovah's Witnesses, have not been quite so specific about the end, but they'll still talk to you about it. By the way, they're ...

3739. Multiple Intelligences

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

King Duncan

... They know instinctively how to get along well with the people around them. These are our sales persons, counselors, teachers. Some are gifted in their ability to look within. These are our philosophers--our wise people. Some are gifted musically. Here is the important point. Gardner claims that everyone he has ever tested has scored high on at least one of these seven forms of intelligence. All of us are gifted in our own way. Many of us are smarter than we think we are. Don't you wish that someone had told ...

3740. Don’t Wait to Live

Matthew 25:14-30

Illustration

Eric Ritz

... strategy for life employed by the one talent servant. There was a very cautious man who never laughed or played. He never risked, he never tried. He never sang or prayed. And when he passed away, his insurance was denied. For since he never really lived, they claim he never died. You cannot reach your full potential with your efforts crippled by caution. Mark Twain once said, "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." The one talent servant in our lesson tonight sure ...

3741. Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... less than “his body.” As such the church, that is all who are “in Christ,” are invited to participate in the “fullness” of Christ’s power and presence. The exalted Christ, with dominion over all the powers of the universe, is also present in the midst of all those who claim Christ as their leader and follow him.

3742. Merry Christmas or Happy Kitschmas?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ” in anything, he says, In fact, they are richly blessed. But Paul also reminds them of a second thing: the neonatal status of the gifts these Corinthians enjoy. The fulfillment, the completion of our spiritual growth will not be accomplished until Christ himself claims his Lordship in the final “day of the Lord.” What does he mean by this, you say? Think of it like this. When children are small we praise their every accomplishment. Hey! You smiled! WOW! You rolled over! Look, look, look! You stood ...

3743. Jesus Is Coming!

Mark 13:24-37

Illustration

Edward S. Gleason

... Jesus has arrived there first. Wherever I go, Jesus is already there." The evaluator made no reply; he had no idea what to say, and the man was never offered the job. Was his response too theologically subtle? Jesus is not the Lord whom we discover or define or claim. Jesus comes to us. We do not summon Him by any action of our own. Jesus is God's gift. While we were yet sinners, he was born, died, and raised again for us that we might inherit new life. Advent announces that Jesus is coming and not through ...

3744. The Failure of God to Die

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

Paul Johnson

At the beginning of this century there were many learned people from all the disciplines of academia that were predicting the death of Christianity. Not only the death of Christianity but the doing away with religion in society all together. They claimed that God and belief in God would soon be a silly notion of the past. Paul Johnson, a biblical scholar, says in his book The Quest for God, "The most extraordinary thing about the 20th century was the failure of God to die. The collapse of mass religious ...

3745. Breaking into Our Lives

Mark 1:1-8

Illustration

King Duncan

... to him: home, his wife, his unseen infant child. In that moment as they tried to sing Christmas carols in the cold air he realized that Christmas does not depend on church architecture or fine clothing, expansive meals or expensive gifts. Instead Rex claimed, "Christmas is best celebrated as a voluntary act in which we replenish our personal faith in the company of others." Far from home and loved ones, Rex realized "that Christmas Day, in itself, is not important, but the faith it represents is." Let ...

3746. A Camel on the Roof

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . On top of it all, he still had his own camel left. Many of us try to find God and solve the problems of life by logical, calculating schemes that insure we receive our share. But God is to be found in receiving, not grasping; in giving, not claiming our rights. All of these texts are emphatic: God's ministers and prime ministers, the friends and fools of the world, have a light to shine in the darkness, an illumination from God that can raise the roof of the world's kings and princes, presidents and prime ...

3747. Thank You, Magic Dragon

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , but to serve. Following Christ's example, we are all called to be servants for others, servants to the world. How does servanthood translate into a way of living? How can we continue to embody the spirit that made Jesus a servant for others before he claimed his lordship over all? In 1983 the UPI released a poignant story of a young leukemia patient and the special friendship that he enjoyed during the course of his illness. P.J. Dragan was only five years old when he was diagnosed with leukemia. Soon ...

3748. The Bonds of Love

1 John 4:7-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... terms of sex and sports: an "intense affection and warm feeling for another person; strong sexual desire for another person) a strong fondness or enthusiasm; or a zero score in tennis." The sacrificial, incarnational nature of Christ-like love has been lost amid our claims that we "love" our favorite soft drink, baseball team, or partner-of-the-moment. Love has become such a nebulous, fuzzy, catch-all term that we resist thinking about what must be present for true love to exist and to flourish - for love ...

3749. Revitalizing the Lo-cal Church

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of Christian Perfection (Nashville: Abingdon, 1989), Robin Maas points out how, "Just as it makes no sense to tell someone, 'I love you more than anything in the world, but I just can't manage to find the time to be with you,' it makes no sense to claim that we have no time for prayer. When we love someone we naturally want to spend time together; and when we are 'in love' with someone, we make the time to be with our beloved." (49) In early Christianity, the monastics gave the best parts of their day ...

3750. Wrong!

John 3:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are a common humorous form used to reveal both sides of life's little complexities. Contrary to the traditional joke form, however, columnist L.M. Boyd reports that 63% of people prefer to hear bad news first when they are given "good news/bad news." Boyd claims this preference stems from our childhood training when we were told we must first eat all our broccoli before we could have our chocolate cake. The sixth chapter of Isaiah starts out like one of these inverted good news/bad news jokes: "In the year ...

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