Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3776 to 3800 of 4490 results

3776. A Rod For The Back Of Fools

Proverbs 25:1-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom, a collection of pithy expressions of practical advise. As I am contending in the theme for this sermon series, it is a compendium of guidance for daily living. Because it is a book of wisdom, it shouldn't surprise us that a lot is said about fools and foolishness. The word fool as singular or plural appears at least fifty five times in the book, and foolish or foolishness at least twenty one times. In this 26th chapter from which we have read our text, fool and ...

3777. The Baby Leaped

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Jerry Schmallengberger, former president of Pacific Lutheran Seminary in Berkeley, CA, tells a hilarious story about a Christmas program that went awry. The story concerned a Pastor Paul Dahlrimple who had a great scheme to illustrate baby Jesus coming down from heaven. Pastor Dahlrimple asked Elder Fred to help. In preparation, he carefully rigged a baby doll to an invisible fishing line, stringing it through hooks in the ceiling and across to Elder Fred’s fishing pole in the wings. This baby doll was ...

3778. A Church Shaped By The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Last words are important. Let that truth sink in. Last words are important. East Side Baptist Church is a little country church down in Perry County, Mississippi. It is the church in which I was converted under the preaching of Brother Wiley Grissom, a fifth-grade educated pastor who preached the Gospel with power. The church is about 200 yards up the hill from our old home place. Behind it is a cemetery where I’ll be buried someday. Mom and Dad—whom in my adult life I affectionately called, “Mutt” and “Co ...

3779. On Level Ground

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A Sunday School teacher was checking with her students one day to see if they knew the people with whom Jesus lived. "How many of you know who Matthew was?", she asked. Not one kid raised a hand. "Well, then," she said, "what about Luke? How many of you know who Luke was?", she asked. And again, the class just sat there and no one said a thing. She tried again. "How about John? Do you know who St. John was?" And still the children just sat there in dead silence. Finally the teacher said, "Well, what about ...

3780. Strategic Planning

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

"Suppose you were on a nonstop flight to Asia,” says the motivational speaker, “and heard this announcement: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’re traveling west across the Pacific Ocean. In a few hours, you will be able to look down and see land. When that happens, we are going to start looking for a big city with an airport. If we find one before our fuel runs out, we will land. Then we will figure out where we are and decide where we want to go next. In the meantime folks, just sit ...

3781. The Paraclete Is Not a Bird

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Mark Trotter

The reason the title of this sermon is, "The Paraclete Is Not a Bird," is because I never met a pun I didn't use. But it needs explanation. A parakeet, you know. It's a cute, little bird. But the word "paraclete" is probably a word you are not familiar with. It is a rather esoteric word. It is a technical term found mostly in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John. We read only a portion of that chapter this morning, but the word "paraclete" appears there several times. It is a Greek word. The New ...

3782. Proper 4

Genesis 6:1-8:22, Deuteronomy 11:1-32, Matthew 7:15-23, Matthew 7:24-29, Romans 3:21-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19 We begin today a series of twelve readings from Genesis. It is a story of the Patriarchs from Noah to Joseph. The series lends itself to narrative and biographical sermons. The disadvantage is the length of the series. It may be difficult to maintain interest over twelve weeks. Old Testament: Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28 Life or death depends on obedience to God's laws. Epistle: Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28 (29-31) The righteousness of God is not received ...

3783. Proper 20

Exodus 16:1-36, Isaiah 55:1-13, Jonah 3:1-10, Jonah 4:1-11, Philippians 1:12-30, Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 16:2-15 Yahweh provides food for the Israelites in the wilderness. Only a few weeks after deliverance from Egypt, the people complain about the lack of food. They murmur against Moses and Aaron, but God knows that they complain about him. They doubt whether Yahweh cares about them and his ability to provide for them. In response to their complaints, Yahweh sends quail in the evening and bread, "manna," in the morning. To this day the manna is a mystery - "What is it?" Moses ...

3784. Call Waiting

John 1:29-42

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Chaim Potok was an intensely religious man; a Jew who explored the dimensions of faith in our lives. From an early age, Potok knew he wanted to be a writer. But his mother wasn't so sure. When he went away to college she said, "Son, now I know you want to be a writer. But I want you to think about brain surgery. You'll keep a lot of people from dying. And you'll make a lot of money." To which Potok responded, "No, Mama, I want to be a writer." But, "No," is not what Mama wanted to hear. So, every vacation ...

3785. Reevaluating Our Mission for Christ

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Once there was a village with a chief who had three sons, each of which possessed a special talent. The oldest was skilled in his ability to raise and care for olive trees. The second was a shepherd, but when the sheep got sick, he possessed special abilities to make them well. The third son was a great dancer. When there was a string of bad luck in his family or in the village or if anyone needed some cheer added to their lives, he would dance and bring them joy. One day the father told his sons that he ...

3786. The 4 LAWS of a Whole Personality

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Is there anyone who at some time hasn't had to suffer through the dozen, lengthy, tongue-twisting, memory-testing verses of one of this season's most annoying carols, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"? I confess. From one Christmas to another I keep forgetting what there were eleven of, or what those six geese were doing. But our consumer culture has forgotten that those twelve days don't start today, on December 12 and go through Christmas Eve day. The twelve days of Christmas start on Jesus' birthday, ...

3787. Confused as Pigeons

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It seems that every weekday morning, before tourists and schoolchildren descend on London's Trafalgar Square, city-authorized volunteers toss more than a hundred pounds of bird seed to a swarm of hungry pigeons. Then, four hours later, the city pays for a trained hawk to fly around the square and chase the pigeons away (Wall Street Journal, 11 February 2005). Anyone identify with those poor pigeons? Not since the first century has the Christian church faced a culture as confused and confusing as ours. Just ...

3788. Living Outside the Box

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In the 1950s and 60s the five-and-dime market was invented and then dominated by two entrepreneurial giants Woolworth's and Newberry's. Like the giants Wal-mart and K-mart today, both these marketing geniuses broke ground for the megastores that have now asphalted forests and farmlands. The idea both Woolworth's and Newberry's sold was that you could get virtually anything and get it cheap at their stores. It did seem that they stocked everything from dishes to dresses to tools and toys; from a hundred ...

3789. You're Fired!

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

There are some words that we go through our whole lives praying we'll never hear. "Hello, this is the IRS audit department and we need to see you as soon as possible" is one word group we all fear. Or how about "Yep, that's asbestos in your walls, all right." Even more devastating are the words, "I don't love you anymore" or sometimes it's just the single word "Good-bye" we can't bear to hear. But among all the fearful phrases we try to dodge and duck throughout our lives, the two most universally ...

3790. The Dash of Discipleship

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

So What? Give this assignment to a kid write an essay about some famous person (like Alexander the Great) and I can predict how the first sentence will read: "So-and-so was born in . . . and died in . . . " We adults write the same essay on our tombstone: Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968. The most grounding and grounded fact about those we want to know about is when they lived and how long they lived. Knowing when someone lived does give us an immediate handle on what some aspects of that individual's ...

3791. Loud and Clear

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What do you think of when you think of an interpreter? A tour guide on a trip, translating the language of another country? Someone who works at the United Nations in international diplomacy? Maybe someone interpreting for the hearing impaired at a public event? These are the kinds of things I used to envision whenever I heard the word "interpreter:" all are someone with whom I do not have regular contact. But I'm beginning to see the need for my own personal, full time interpreter. Our society, even in ...

3792. Our Sin Against God

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

The first thing we should realize about our texts from Genesis is that they are intended as depictions of our life with God. The Hebrew word for “Adam” means “humankind,” and the writer of Genesis 2-3 is telling us that this is our story, that this is the way we all have walked with our Lord. Thus we learn from Genesis 2 that while we were created in the most intimate fashion by God and given his breath of life that fills our lungs in their regular pumping (v. 7), God nevertheless set limits on our ...

3793. Easter 2

John 20:24-31, John 20:19-23, 1 Peter 1:1-12, Acts 2:14-41, Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon Aid

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

TEXTS FROM ACTS AND PSALMS In the weeks of Easter, readings from Acts replace the normal Old Testament lessons. Several of the Acts readings are closely related to one another. Thus, in the sections on "Setting" and "Structure" for the text from Acts, information is given that is relevant for this Sunday's reading from Acts, as well as the next two Sundays. The material will be given only in this chapter. Readers will be reminded in the subsequent two weeks to refer back to this information. A portion of ...

3794. Free! Free! Free!

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Gerald Whetstone

They say that when the slaves in Jamaica knew they were to be set free on a certain day, they spent all night getting ready. While it was yet dark they began moving by twos and threes out of their huts into village lanes, joined by others coming from the forests and the plains. They streamed toward the highest hill, climbing through the darkness and crowding together at the top, waiting for the day. As the first strands of dawn began to show on the horizon, a ripple of laughter spread through the crowd ...

3795. What Does It Really Mean to Be a Christian?

Mark 10:17-22

Sermon

James W. Moore

Recently, I ran across a fascinating list of unusual answers given by children on some tests at school. Let me share some of these with you. In answer to the question, “When was our nation founded?” One little boy wrote: “I didn’t even know it was losted!” Another said, “A myth is a female moth!” Still another said that Socrates died from an overdose of “wedlock”! Asked to describe the famous painting of Whistler’s mother, one student explained: “It shows a nice little lady sitting in a chair, waiting for ...

3796. That's What Jesus Does for Me

Psalm 139:7-12

Sermon

James W. Moore

Her name is Pascale. She is five years old. She is a very important part of our church family. She is here in the 8:30 service most every Sunday morning. One evening recently, Pascale was watching television with her mom and dad. Suddenly, a news flash showed President Bush walking to a meeting. The President was surrounded by a group of men in dark suits. Pascale asked her parents: “Who are those men with the President? Why are they with him?” Her parents answered: “They are members of the secret service ...

3797. My Mother Taught Me…

2 Timothy 1:5

Illustration

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning." My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that will come out of the carpet." My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!" My mother taught me LOGIC. "Because I said so, that's why." My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store ...

3798. Understanding the Trinity

Mt 28:16-20

Illustration

King Duncan

This is Trinity Sunday. God in three persons--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Do we fully understand this wonderful doctrine? No, but some of us will fight for it. You may remember that ancient story about St. Augustine. One day he took a break from writing about the Trinity to take a walk along the seashore. There he came across a child with a little pail, intently scooping up a pail full of water out of the ocean, then walking up the beach and dumping it out into the sand, then going back down to scoop out ...

3799. A Not So Simple Story of Demons and Pigs

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

"This is a strange story," declares J.M. Creed. "Fantastic and grotesque," adds Joseph Fitzmyer. "Unsophisticated, with enough preposterous material to invite the scorn of the skeptic," concludes J. Pesch. These men are all esteemed New Testament scholars. Their statements refer to the story I just read (Luke 8:26-39). If you want a more local opinion, take it from the lady who edits the church page. In response to hearing the title of this morning's sermon, she simply said: "Yuk." But it is a good story. ...

3800. The Other Side of Worship

1 John 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

I want you to turn to the person sitting next to you and do something you may have already done before, but I want you to do it again. I want you to shake hands with them. I tell you why you did that, though you didn't realize it. The custom of handshaking originated in primitive times. Men carried their weapons in their right hands, and when a man extended his empty right hand to take the hand of the other person, it meant he was coming in peace. Over the centuries the act of shaking hands, which prevents ...

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