Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3751 to 3775 of 4933 results

3751. How Much Faith Is Enough?

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

The angle from which we view things makes a big difference. Lord Chesterfield once pointed out that a horse looks pretty much like a horse when viewed from ground level, but when you climb up in the loft and look down on a horse from the top, it looks a good deal like a violin. Your perspective is the difference. It is not unusual, in the Gospels, for the same story to be told by two different authors from two different perspectives. The result is often a much richer interpretation. For example, in Matthew ...

3752. Being Christ

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Our scripture lesson for the message is found in Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. The 1st chapter, the 15th through the 23rd verses. This is the word of the Lord. “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give you a spirit of wisdom and a revelation in the knowledge of him. Having the eyes of your ...

3753. Gethsemane: Prelude To The Cross

Mark 14:32-42

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is a parable of three kings searching for truth. When asked how far they will go to discover what they seek, how deep they want to immerse themselves in its meaning, one of the answers, “Not too far, just far enough so we can say we’ve been there.” That’s the tourist attitude about life which prevails too often today. We say we want happiness in our home, health in our bodies, successes in our work. We say we want a peaceful world, less crime and violence in our streets. We say we want a higher moral ...

3754. Look Ma, No Hands

Mark 6:7-13

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Jesus charged the disciples to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and only one tunic. Not even a change of clothes. When I preached this text before, I ended up preaching a sermon about St. Francis, because this is what Francis used as the first rule for his order, the Franciscans. He just took the words of Jesus' instruction to his disciples on their first missionary journey, and said, we will do this. There would be other rules ...

3755. The Source of Self Esteem

Romans 8:14-25

Sermon

Mark Trotter

About ten years ago the California Legislature funded what they called the "Task Force on Self-Esteem." I remember it received a lot of recognition, a lot of satire and criticism as well. Doonesbury, the comic strip, took after it. For instance it had Boopsy, the actress who has out of body experiences, volunteer to be a part of the task force. Of course the national press jumped on this, and had a field day. Some of the members of the task force looked like the stereotype of the California New Age type. I ...

3756. Once More with Feeling!

Luke 17:11-19

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

It's that holiday season again. Friends and loved ones are making plans for a visit. Christmas decorations are out in the store windows. Once again people's hearts are swelling with optimism. Jack Frost has left his calling card. The smell of wood fires curls from the chimneys, and inside, mothers work their magic as fathers are heard to say, "Make some of those sugar cookies that you made last year, the ones with the sprinkles." Yes, it's Thanksgiving week, and I'm supposed to preach on gratitude. And you ...

3757. Don't Forget to Remember

Jude 1:5-7

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a young preacher who was going to preach his very first sermon, and he wanted to have a smashing introduction. So he went to an older pastor he knew, and said, "Do you know of any surefire introduction that is guaranteed to get everybody's attention?" The old preacher said, "As a matter of fact I have an illustration that works every single time." He said, "When you walk to the pulpit, make this statement: ‘Some of the greatest days of my life I spent in the arms of another man's wife.'" He said ...

3758. Focus on the Finish

Galatians 6:7-10

Sermon

James Merritt

You will be far down the road to success in life if you will look at life as a race. The Apostle Paul compared his life to a race. As he came to the end of his journey on earth, he said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim. 4:7) Every morning when you get up you have several choices concerning your race. First of all, you can choose not to run. But if you don't run you can't win. Secondly, you can choose to run, but not run your best. If you don't run ...

3759. Stilling Storms

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

A mother was out walking with her 4 year old daughter. The child picked up something off the ground and started to put it into her mouth. The mother took it away and said “Don’t do that!” “Why not?” asked the child. “Because it’s on the ground,” said her mother. “You don’t know where it’s been. It’s dirty, and it’s probably loaded with germs that could make you sick.” The child looked at her mother with total admiration and said, “Mommy, how do you know all this stuff? You’re so smart.” The mother said, “ ...

3760. Isaiah: The Prophet of Gloom and Glory

Isaiah 65:17-25

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

Of all the writing prophets of Israel, Isaiah stands out above them all. He uses the language like a poet to present to us incredible pictures that lift up God and how God will bring salvation to God's people. In fact, the name Isaiah means, "Yahweh is salvation." But just as the book of Isaiah stands out for its beautiful presentation and powerful message, it also stands out for the controversy surrounding who wrote what within its 66 chapters. One of the reasons for the question of authorship is the life ...

3761. Good News for Widows

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

King Duncan

I have some good news today for widows. [How many of you fall into that category?] Some of you have been widowed and remarried. Some of you still grieve the loss of your life’s partner. If you are a widow, you can probably use some good news. It’s not easy losing a spouse. Some of you have a void in life that nothing will ever fill. But here’s the good news. Jesus is aware of your situation, and Jesus is aware of your faithfulness to the church. Pastor James Love tells about a friend of his, a young ...

3762. No Partiality

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

John N. Brittain

You may be looking at the most fortunate person on the face of the earth. Let me explain. It seems that without even entering, I've won several lotteries based all over the world. I've supplied them with all my personal information — social security number, bank accounts, all of that — so, any day now, millions of pounds and rupees and doubloons will be flowing into my accounts. And if that's not enough, I have signed on to be the executor for a number of recently deceased international figures who need me ...

3763. Out Into The Deep Water

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

How many of you like to fish? It's a great sport isn't it? It's a great way to relax and if you like to eat fish like I do, it's a great way to get really fresh fish. But sometimes fishing has some different kinds of results. I'll never forget the time a friend and I went fishing. He was the former pastor of the church I was serving. We were in seminary and car pooled to classes when possible. He didn't have a whole lot of opportunity to go fishing where he was serving, so I invited him out to go fishing ...

3764. No Pleasing Some People

John 12:1-8

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Secretly I'm on Judas' side on this one. You probably don't want to admit it, but so are you. He points out that 300 days' salary had just been cracked open and wasted on Jesus. Well, not wasted. Yeah, wasted. Because once that expensive perfume was used it couldn't be used again. It was a limited, one time resource. Can you imagine the good that could have been done for the poor? Try to imagine what our church could do if someone donated one year's worth of salary out of the blue! That's why I say that ...

3765. A One Sentence Legacy

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

I heard recently about a guy named Bob. Bob was single and lived with his father. Bob worked in the family business, a very successful family business. When it became apparent that his father would not live much longer, and that he would soon inherit quite a fortune, Bob decided to find a wife with whom to share his soon-to-be abundant wealth. One evening, at an investment meeting, Bob spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. “I may look like just an ...

3766. One-Way Street

John 14:5-14

Sermon

James Merritt

It is one of the most photographed streets in America. It is one of the most famous streets in America. Amazingly, it is only one block long, yet tourists will come from all over the world and rent a car just to drive on this street. You may not recognize the name of the street, but you will most probably recognize the picture of it. [Show photo of Lombard Street in San Francisco] This is Lombard Street in San Francisco. The hill is so steep that it would be too dangerous for most vehicles to travel in ...

3767. When Lazarus Leaped and Laughed

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

This gospel according to John is filled with a series of vivid verbal masterpieces of the genius, glory, and grace of Jesus Christ, God's Son. Bible scholars have long believed that each of the four New Testament gospels is targeted at a particular group. Matthew writes his gospel to the Jews. We see that in his frequent references to the Old Testament. Mark writes his gospel with the Romans as his primary target. Hence, Mark is succinct and to the point. His is the first written among the four gospels. ...

3768. Easter Power

Acts 14:8-18

Sermon

Will Willimon

We're now four Sundays beyond Easter. The Sunday crowd is smaller. We have no trumpets today and the music is not as stupendous as that we sang on Easter. Yet, if you put your ear to the ground, you can still hear it rumbling, even as the earth heaved on that first Easter mom. Beneath the somewhat sedate rhythms of today's service, you can still sense the throb of the Easter tempo when the stone was rolled away and the angels began to shout, when the power of God was unleashed, dead Jesus was unchained, ...

3769. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

It is difficult to find anyone who has a kind word to say about hypocrites. Nobody likes a hypocrite; no one wants to be around one; the last thing one would want to be called is a hypocrite. Hypocrites are, by definition, deceptive, two-faced and treacherous. If discovered, hypocritical politicians are defeated at the polls, hypocritical friends get dropped and hypocritical preachers lose the trusting ears of their congregations. It may well be that our age is particularly tough on hypocrisy. In some ways ...

3770. The Wisemen

Sermon

Jerry Eckert

January 8, 1984 Comment: This was the first story sermon for adultsthat I wrote and dramatized during worship. I had written anumber of story sermons for children, but the breakthoughcame because an old sermon I had been revising every half-dozen years was not taking shape. I started to write.Usually, I have just outlined sermons and "talked" them tothe congregation. When I got started on this one, I found atext forming with which I decided to stay. There were two major problems that I had with this one. ...

3771. Good Friday

John 19:28-37, Hebrews 10:1-18, Isaiah 52:13--53:12, John 18:1-11, John 19:38-42, John 19:17-27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Healing and eternal life through the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, God's suffering servant and our Savior. COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 52:13--53:12 This is the fourth Servant Song. The usual scholarly interpretation identifies the Servant with the nation of Israel. I must straight out confess that I have real problems with this interpretation. First of all, the images are intimately personal. "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief..." (v. 3). A ...

3772. Lent 4

Luke 15:1-7, Joshua 5:1-12, Isaiah 12:1-6, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, 2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Luke 15:11-32

Sermon Aid

George Bass

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Fourth Sunday in Lent used to go by two names. The first came from the Introit for the Day - Laetare, or "Rejoicing" Sunday; it meant that the faithful pilgrims, who were keeping Lent, were halfway to their goal, the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord. This Sunday also became known as "Refreshment" Sunday, because the Lenten fast was more than half completed and the two-week period of the Passion of our Lord was only one week away. It might have been called "Recharge" Sunday, ...

3773. Finding Our Roots

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

John M. Braaten

Ever since Alex Haley’s novel, Roots, hit the bookstands in the mid-70s, there has been an increasing number of people interested in their heritage. Many people buy computers and get on the internet primarily to keep track of their family tree. Parish secretaries are often called upon to do research for people investigating their family heritage. It is clear that many persons have been motivated to search through history in an attempt to find their roots. As one newspaper columnist wrote, "The once fabled ...

3774. Jesus And The Woman Of Samaria

John 4:39-42, John 4:27-38, John 4:1-26

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

Suggestions: Use as an anthem. Readers: 2 women 2 men (second storyteller should have a soft voice) Key: 1 = first storyteller 2 = second storyteller 3 = Jesus 4 = Samaritan woman 1: So [Jesus] came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, 3: "Give me a drink." (Speak as an aside.) 2: ( ...

3775. Was I Baptized Right?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Kendall K. McCabe

A billboard with letters of red on a yellow background screams the question: WERE YOU BAPTIZED RIGHT? And underneath is a phone number where both an answer and a remedy presumably may be found. It may seem a ridiculous question to many of us, but the fact that the question is there at all indicates someone takes it seriously. Questions about the form and practice of baptism have caused many divisions in the church through the years. Persons who were baptized in their infancy come requesting baptism by ...

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