Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3776 to 3800 of 4935 results

3776. The Love of the Harvest

John 4:34-38

Sermon

James Merritt

We all know the name Billy Graham. He has spoken publicly about Jesus Christ, and preached the gospel to more people than any person in human history. He is easily one of the most recognizable and famous people on the face of planet earth. If anybody knows anything about the harvest, it is Billy Graham. Billy Graham said this: The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men, and of nations, is always being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation ...

3777. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

John 16:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

I heard about a pastor who left the pastorate after twenty years, and decided to become a funeral director. Somebody asked him, "Why did you do that?" He said, "Well, I spent about twelve years trying to straighten out John. He never did get straightened out. I spent fourteen months trying to straighten out the marriage of the Smiths, and it never did get straightened out. I spent three years trying to straighten out Susan, and she never did get straightened out. Now when I straighten them out, they stay ...

3778. How to Lower Your Temper (-ature)

Proverbs 16:32

Sermon

James Merritt

"When anger enters the mind, wisdom departs." Thomas a Kempis(1) Respiration deepens; the heart beats more rapidly; the arterial pressure rises; the blood is shifted from the stomach and intestines to the heart, central nervous system and the muscles; the processes of the alimentary canal cease; sugar is freed from the reserves in the liver; the spleen contracts and discharges its contents of concentrated corpuscles, and adrenaline is secreted. What does this describe? It is the physiological ...

3779. It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Matthew 5:31-32

Sermon

James Merritt

If you have any reason to wonder why this message is important, maybe this letter will show you better than I could tell you. About four years ago I got a letter from a little girl in Macon, Georgia. Here's what she wrote me: Dear Dr. Merritt, Hello! I was just wondering can you help me? My Mother wants to move to Sweden. I am supposed to go, but I don't trust her. She says I'll come back. I don't know. My Daddy lives here, Georgia, USA. He's American. He is not going. What should I do? If I say Sweden, my ...

3780. O Holy Night

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

All of us know the beautiful Christmas hymn "O Holy Night." This carol was written by Adolphe Charles Adam, a French composer. Ironically, it was frowned upon by church authorities who denounced it for poor taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." In that first stanza the writer invites us to close our eyes and imagine the world before the birth of Jesus. He says it is a world that lay "in sin and error pining." The word pining refers to the wasting away of the human spirit as it grieves and ...

3781. The Family Ideal, Not Idol

Genesis 12:1-4a

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The church must lead in protecting and valuing the family without letting "family values" become an idol. The family in America is in crisis. The American family is at risk. Don't believe me? Or tired of hearing it? Then listen once more to one of America's leading political philosophers and public intellectuals, Jean Bethke Elshtain, the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Ethics at the University of Chicago. In her widely touted new book Democracy on Trial (New York: HarperCollins, 1995), she explores ...

3782. Did You Know You Can Know You Have Eternal Life?

1 John 5:11-13

Sermon

James Merritt

Did you know, you can KNOW you have eternal life? Even if you are the oldest person on earth, at some point you are going to die. Let's see how you did on the question I asked earlier… The average human life span is 82 years with women living 6-7 years longer then men on average. Did you know that the oldest people in the modern era live in the Dominican Republic? The oldest person died last October. Do you know how old she was? The answer is 128 years. Born January 27, 1875, Elizabeth "Ma Pompo" Israel, ...

3783. Sex and the City

Exodus 20:14

Sermon

James Merritt

I believe the Bible is the Word of God and I know that many of you do as well. Let me ask you this question, "Would you give $89,500 for one Bible?" Well, you just might if it was "the wicked bible". There is a reason why it is not only called the "wicked bible", but it is so valuable. It is because it has probably the mother of all misprints of any book ever published in history. In 1631, King Charles I ordered one-thousand Bibles from an English printer, named Robert Barker. It was almost flawlessly done ...

3784. The Dark Side Arrives

Sermon

James Merritt

As we left our story last week in galaxies beyond, we found Darth Vader kneeling before the hologrammed image of the Emperor pledging his loyalty to his evil master. In the meantime, the battle between the forces of light and darkness has intensified and the Jedi are gaining ground. The young, but powerful Jedi leader, Luke Skywalker, must be stopped and the Emperor is making a visit to insure his demise. Every day, in every way, when you walk out the door of your home, Satan is going to try to turn you to ...

3785. What's in a Name?

Isaiah 43:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

"What's in a name? A rose by any other name smells as sweet." Or does it? This well-known line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is true, but only up to a point. A rose named hydrogen sulfide might remind us of that unmistakable rotten-egg odor, causing us to avoid an otherwise lovely flower that emits a delicate fragrance. The names we are given carry a tremendous influence throughout our lives. The names we are called frequently become synonymous with our identity. A nineteenth-century governor of ...

3786. Like a Tree Planted

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

You have probably never thought seriously about tiptoeing through the treetops, but there is a place where you can do that very thing. A lush Brazilian rainforest is home to a spectacular "canopy walk." Tiptoeing through the tops of several hundred different kinds of trees, you will observe creation from an entirely different perspective. You can look a golden-headed lion tamarin in the eye as it jumps from tree to tree. You will see termite nests the size of pumpkins, hanging from rubber trees that are ...

3787. A Miracle Child

Exodus 2:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

I’m sure that our parents here today would identify at least with the sermon title today, A Miracle Child. The truth of the matter is that every child is a miracle. Where did you come from baby dear? Out of the everywhere into the here. Where did you get those eyes so blue? Out of the sky as I passed through. Whence that three cornered smile of bliss? Three angels gave me at once a kiss. Where did you get this pearly ear? God spoke and it came out to here. Where did you get those arms and hands? Love made ...

3788. Why Not Meet in the Middle? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

1 Peter 3:8-22

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Ours is an age of extremes—extreme sports, extreme make-overs, extreme politics. The best way to get your face on the evening news is to do something extreme—the weirder, the better. When extremism infiltrates religion we have a problem. We have war between the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland. We have ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. We have endless conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinian. We have radical Muslims assuming all Americas to be infidels. Our founder, John Wesley, knew about religious ...

3789. Am I My Brother’s Keeper? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teaming shore. Send these the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” As I read those words, once more, inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, I wondered if we Americans believe that any more. Do we really want the world’s huddled masses yearning to be free? Our founder, John Wesley, had a unique way of weaving personal holiness and social concern into religious conviction. ...

3790. Freedom to Set Free

Galatians 4:21-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

We are continuing our sermon series on Dynamic Discipleship. Last Sunday our theme was in the image of Charles Wesley’s hymn: “He breaks the power of cancelled sin.” The big word of that message was “Christ frees us from something - specifically, from meaninglessness, guilt, and death. Today, we pursue a variation on that theme. Christ not only frees us from something, He frees us to something. Let’s begin by exploring our scripture lesson. Verse 1 of Galatians 5 is Paul’s Magna Charta of spiritual freedom ...

3791. Samaria and Our Spiritual Journey

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Edward DeBono is a man who travels all over the world, giving seminars on how to think. He teaches what he calls “lateral thinking,” and he illustrates what he means by that from an experience in an early life. Some thirty years ago he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. One night he attended a party in London. The party lasted late, and he got back to Oxford after the gates were closed. Traditionally in that college the gates were locked at twenty minutes past midnight. So, in order to get to his room, he had ...

3792. The Shared Life of the People of God, Part 2

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The letter was written from The Broadmoor, one of America’s premier hotels out in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Yet, the writer lived in Indiana. Perhaps, being on vacation, relaxed and reflective, the man wanted to express himself. He did, and I share a portion of his letter with you. “Dear Dr. Dunnam, A little more than two years ago, out of sheer desperation, I began a spiritual journey that has transformed my life. Some of your work at The Upper Room, especially “The Workbook of Living Prayer” and “The ...

3793. Why Do People Suffer?

John 9:1-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

There is an old story about a construction worker who attempted to lower a barrel of brick by means of a rope and pulley. The bricks however, were heavier than the worker. The man went up as the brick came down. The two collided in mid-air, injuring the worker's shoulder. Upon impact, the bottom of the barrel ripped open. The brick spilled out. Now, the worker was heavier than the brick. As the man came down at high speed, he collided with the barrel coming up, causing injury to his shins. This time the ...

3794. Singing With the Saints of Glory

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Sing with all the saints of glory, Sing the resurrection song. Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story, To the former days belong. All around the clouds are breaking, Soon the storms of time shall cease. In God’s likeness we awaking, Know the everlasting peace. Easter people have a song in their hearts that the world never gave. They have a peace it cannot take away. At least that’s the way the Apostle John perceived it as he unveils a glimpse of heaven for all to see. Come, let us take a closer look. I. WE ...

3795. Can the Rich Be Saved?

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

It’s been said of Jesus that whenever he met a person, it was as if that person were an island around which Jesus sailed until he found where the real problem was, and there he landed. He did that with the woman at the well and landed on the questions of marriage. He said to her, “Go call your husband.” In a luncheon conversation He landed on the question of integrity with Zaccheus and before lunch was over Zaccheus said, “If I have stolen anything from anybody, I will repay it four-fold.” Here in the ...

3796. This Little Light of Mine

Matthew 5:14-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Do you know how many T.V. evangelists it takes to change a light bulb? “One, but for the message to continue, send in your donation today." How many Episcopalians does it take to change a light bulb? “What? Change a light bulb? My grandmother donated that light bulb." How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? “At least 109, one to change the bulb, 100 to serve on various committees to decide what company should supply the bulb, and 8 to decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken." ...

3797. Behind Closed Doors

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Lee Griess

There are some jokes that are just too terrible to tell from the pulpit. A pastor would have to be nuts to try to slip such a story by his congregation. For example, there is a story of a man who went to a psychiatrist one time with a sleep disorder. "Doc," he says, "I've been having trouble sleeping because of weird dreams. For example, last night I dreamed that I was a wigwam." "Oh yes," the psychiatrist said. "That is terrible. Yes, yes indeed ... Please try very carefully to remember more and come back ...

3798. Personal Politics

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Thomas Browne said that "the vices we scoff at in others laugh at us from within ourselves." More than any other relational failure this is true of hurt and vengeance. When the great nineteenth-century Spanish General, Ramon Narvaez, lay dying in Madrid, a priest was called in to give him last rites. "Have you forgiven your enemies?" the padre asked. "Father," confessed Narvaez, "I have no enemies. I shot them all." Too often that is the story of our lives, and Jesus knows it. Lewis Smedes wrote a book we ...

3799. Are We There Yet?

James 5:7-10

Sermon

John N. Brittain

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" It's not just children of a certain age who ask that question, although they certainly do. I've been on a number of trips in the past few years with delayed flights, missed connections, and lost luggage, where I've been the one asking the question. Leading up to Christmas (or a birthday or wedding or trip to Disney World) the question becomes one of time rather than distance: "Is it here yet?" On such occasions, we give advice that sounds very much like that in James 5 ...

3800. The Armor of Light

Romans 13:8-14

Drama

Larry Lange

Characters Harry Christian Margaret Christian (Harry's wife) Fed-Up Express Man Accompanist (nonspeaking) Props Stuffed chair Newspaper Table Lamp Bible Dressing mirror Large box (containing the following items) Silver shirt Silver gloves Silver sunglasses Silver light saber Silver-wrapped instruction book Small box (containing the following item) Huge, foil-covered binoculars (Harry Christian is pacing. Margaret Christian is seated on the pulpit side of the sanctuary in a stuffed chair reading the ...

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