Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3776 to 3800 of 5000 results

3776. Exercising Self-control

Illustration

Orien Johnson

... to his high expectations. So he went home and began a more intensive training program than he ever thought was possible. When the contests were held in Munich in 1972, the whole world was thrilled by the unbelievable series of record-breaking swimming events won by Mark Spitz, who went home with more gold medals than any individual had ever won in Olympic competition. It was the same young man! There has probably never been a lesson pounded home with such force as this: You cannot excel in sports unless you ...

3777. Blocking and Tackling

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

If you and I want the coming year to be marked by a real newness within, we would do well to review some of the ancient practices which good people have found helpful over the centuries. Vince Lombardi was coached the Packers to football immortality. Mr. Lombardi was often asked about trick plays and the secrets of coaching; he always answered ...

3778. The Wallenda Factor

Illustration

C. W. Bess

... that fateful day in 1978 when his show ended. Wallenda plunged 75 feet to his death before an audience of thousands in San Juan, Puerto Rico. What happened? His widow explained that Karl had never been one to know fear. Self-confidence marked his style until he started worrying. Little details of safety preoccupied his mind. He checked and double-checked the tightrope to make certain that everything was secure. This was a different Karl. For the first time, instead of putting his energies into walking ...

3779. Class

Illustration

Howard E. Ferguson

... can meet life head-on and handle whatever comes along. Jacob had it. Esau didn’t. Symbolically, we can look to Jacob’s wrestling match with the angel. Those who have class have wrestled with their own personal angel and won a victory that marks them thereafter. Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes. Class is considerate of others. It knows that good manners are nothing more than a series of petty sacrifices. Class bespeaks an aristocracy that has nothing to do with ...

3780. Send Me!

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... events that stick in our memory don’t need to be tragic ones. They may be joyful ones. Landing on the moon! The Berlin Wall coming down. The end of a war, and knowing that a loved one is coming home. A wedding. The birth of a child. We all mark our lives by key events of our history and by the fortunes or struggles, the triumphs or tragedies that we share together or in our families. Our lives are shaped to some degree by those events. The early life of the prophet Isaiah was shaped by the events of his ...

3781. Call Waiting

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... that were going on in our lives at that age. Those kinds of images are especially important to us when we are young, but we never get past needing someone to lead us into some new way, or the need to see an image in someone else to inspire us. Mark’s gospel tells us that one day John was standing with a couple of his disciples. He saw Jesus passing by, and told them, "Look, here is the Lamb of God." Probably not at all to John’s surprise the two disciples left him and followed Jesus. It was an ...

3782. Wade In The Water

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was ‘Wash, and be clean?’ " So Naaman swallowed his pride and bathed, and to his surprise his flesh became like that of a young child. He was cured. Mark’s gospel tells a much simpler story of a man, apparently of more humble means and demeanor than mighty Naaman. This man also was a leper and came and prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and implored him to be cured. And Jesus stretched out his hand and ...

3783. And Now For Something Completely Different

Isaiah 43:14-28

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... who heard him say that could not comprehend the new thing God was doing through Jesus in that new concept. They questioned, and Jesus explained, "Which is easier, to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say ‘Rise up and pick up your bed and walk?’ " (Mark 2:9). So he said it in the manner of a healer, which they could accept but which was equally valid! They understood the new equation. What difference does it make when a person is released from the devastating effects of this sinfulness they feel ...

3784. The Scandal Of Redeeming Love

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... to be restored again in the family, and the covenant renewed. That is the very theme that Jesus portrayed in the parable about a prodigal son. The socalled foolishness of God is love that knows no limits. Jesus portrayed in his life this loving and redeeming God. Mark’s gospel, in the reading for today, tells first of Jesus teaching by the sea, and then as he passed by the place where Levi the son of Alphaeus was sitting and collecting taxes, Jesus said to him, "Follow me," and Levi rose and followed him ...

3785. Judas

Luke 22:1-6

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... where there is no hope, no peace, no opportunity to find pardon. Oh, I am so sorry, now. But just being sorry is not enough. Surely that’s a lesson for everyone of you to learn. This is the day that you call Ash Wednesday. Some Christians even mark their foreheads with ashes, as an outward sign of repentance. But believe me, it’s not ashes on your head, but true repentance and faith in your heart that matters. I was filled with remorse, but never returned to Jesus in true repentance. Don’t you make ...

3786. Simon of Cyrene - Reluctant Reliever or Submissive Servant?

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Was I there? Yes, and I’m so glad that I was. Yes, I was there on that day when they crucified my Lord. My name is Simon of Cyrene, and what happened on that day marked a new beginning in my life. Oh, I wasn’t very happy about it at first, that’s for sure. The way things happened, I resented it deeply when I was compelled to pick up the cross-beam and carry it for Jesus. After all, I had just arrived at ...

3787. The Centurion - Arranging Death, Announcing Life

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

... Even though I wasn’t a Jew, I knew that the term Passover had something to do with the blood of lambs. Lambs were killed so their blood could be painted on the doorframes of the homes and then an angel of death had passed over the houses marked by the lamb’s blood. Well, lots of lambs were being sacrificed then, for that Passover festival, and I noticed how Jesus was like those lambs, being led to slaughter, innocent, yet silent. Still I didn’t have much time to think about it, because Pilate had made ...

3788. Peter’s Second Sermon

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... of the day. It provides the foundation for sermons that deal with issues you want to hear, rather than sermons answering questions that no one is asking. What does this mean? This question provided Peter with the only excuse he needed for his first sermon. One of the marks of a good sermon is that it challenges the listeners about who they are and what they are doing. In a powerful first sermon, Peter did this. Don’t forget, this is the same Peter who was hot and cold, up and down, on and off in his ...

3789. The Church Reaches Out!

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Durwood L. Buchheim

... of teachers and it is an excellent way to learn. We do this because 2,000 years ago the "Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The early Christian church made a tremendous impact upon the world. We know from the book of Acts that this mark upon the world was made not because the Christians were numerically superior or that they were so popular and successful. They were neither. They were just a handful of ordinary, average folk who were anything but impressive. Yet, because they were with and under "that ...

3790. When God Was Nothing

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Brett Blair

... John and said, “Here is your mother.” In his greatest hour of distress, he was kindhearted. For you see, when God was nothing we learned that love is tender. III Finally we learned that love is self-emptying. That is perhaps the most dramatic and most distinctive mark of love. That it empties itself on behalf of another. Paul uses this image by saying that God poured himself out in Jesus Christ. God does not simply love us from some distant place in heaven. He loves us here by coming and serving us. The ...

3791. The Ten Commandments - Part 4

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... marches to the tune of a different drummer. We should expect anything from a sinful world. But Christ does require more for those who chose to follow him. Stealing, no matter how petty, no matter how impersonal, is wrong. But let’s go one better. The mark of the Christian is not simply in not stealing, but in giving. We may escape the eyes of an IRS audit, but we can never escape the eyes of God. IX The Ninth Commandment reads: Thou shalt not bear false testimony against your neighbor. This commandment ...

3792. Dual Citizenship II - What Do We Owe To God?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . St. Paul sent this admonition to the Colossians: "As you have therefore received Jesus Christ the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in thanksgiving." If love is the distinguishing mark of the church, her dominant mood is gratitude. Paul wrote, "In all things give thanks for that is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." This means that no matter how awful your situation, you can always find cause for thanksgiving. At least you ...

3793. Seven Words to Us - A Good Friday Tenebrae Service

Drama

Douglas W. Orbaker

... is your mother." Leader: To create a family, with new sons and daughters, (Woman) new mothers and fathers, all sisters and brothers. People: May we behold each other: brother, sister, mother and father with that love. Amen Hymn (Extinguish Third set of lights) Part 4 Scriptures: Mark 15:33-39; Psalm 22:1-11 and 19-31 Special Music (Extinguish Fourth set of lights) Part 5 Scripture: John 19:28-29 Dramatic Reading Reader 1: He was thirsty for God. Reader 2: He was thirsty for human souls. Reader 3: He was ...

3794. Out of Doors: Nature and Supernatural

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

J. Ellsworth Kalas

... that the Church of the Nativity is very possibly built at the spot where Jesus was born, but I felt his birth more deeply when I stood outside, looking over the hills of Bethlehem. Archaeologists make a better case for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as marking the spot where Jesus was crucified than for the place known as Gordon’s Calvary, which is still out-of-doors; but I felt closer to Calvary looking up at that rugged hillside than I did inside the ornamented church. So I tell you before you make ...

3795. A Man Whose Dreams Came True

Genesis 37:1-11

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... for our misdeeds, our foolish mistakes, our unwise choices, or our sinful acts. But he can - and does - take these damaging and painful circumstances and use them to accomplish his eternal purposes. This does not weaken or dilute his power. Rather, is not this a mark of his omnipotence - that he can take that which is contrary to his will and use it to fulfill his will? Truly, the Lord maketh even the wrath of men to praise him. (See Psalm 76:10.) The doctrine of divine providence teaches that the ...

3796. A Man Who Lost His Head

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... take that kind of a long look. Just a few months later, when news of the preaching of Jesus came to Herod, he cried out in anguish and remorse, "It must be John the Baptizer come back to life." Herod and his guilty conscience never did get rid of John (Mark 6:14-16). The Lamb of God But as this chapter draws to a close, let us turn from John - as I think he would desire - and speak of the One whom he presented to the people: the Master ... the Lord ... the Messiah ... the Savior. If John were to speak ...

3797. A Man With a Scalpel and a Pen

Acts 16:6-10

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... healing miracles on Melita (Acts 28). Gospel And when we turn to the Gospel, as it was recorded by Dr. Luke, it is even more amazing what stories would be lost if Luke had not included them. If we had only three records of the Gospel - according to Matthew, Mark, and John - much that we simply take for granted would be missing. For example, only Luke tells about the trip of Jesus to the temple when he was twelve years of age. Only Luke leaves us the message: "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s ...

3798. Shepherds and Bathrobes

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Thomas Long

... Hebrew slaves. Suddenly the once dry gap in the sea is invaded by a violent wall of water, foam filling the nostrils of horses, their eyes white with fear. Horsemen are thrown from their mounts. Charioteers are swept away by the swirling torrent. Then a death-marked stillness settles on the surface of the sea. Immense! Or again, the vision in the Book of Revelation of the saints in heaven gathered in a multitude greater than the eye can see, an ocean of faces and white robes larger than the mind can measure ...

3799. They Also Serve Who Wait

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Thomas Long

... alive by the sheer force of his will. "When God saved me from Hitler," he said, "I promised that in any country I come I will do something for God." The synagogue, like the tenements which fill the neighborhood in which it stands, is marked by peeling paint, deteriorating floors, and falling plaster. Morris, himself, is feeling the wearing effects of the passing days. "I’m broken down like this shul," he confesses. In the days before the war, Morris had been a promising young medical student, but now ...

3800. Party in Room 210 ... Everyone Invited

John 1:35-42

Sermon

Thomas Long

... across the street and they had no handy excuse not to say yes. There is the young woman who is there because of the music and who reads the hymnbook during the sermon. The point of all this is that the calling to follow Christ is a pathway which is marked "come and see." It is a pathway which is far more important because of where it leads than because of where it begins. It may begin, as it did for Muehl, as a pain in the body, or, as it has for others, as a longing in the heart, a ...

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