Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3776 to 3800 of 4884 results

Acts 8:26-40

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... this text is obvious. Jesus had claimed the identity of the suffering servant for himself and had personally fulfilled Isaiah’s words through his sacrificial and atoning death. The eunuch’s question “About whom . . . does the prophet say this . . .?” perfectly open the door for Philip to declare “The good news about Jesus” (v.35). All that Isaiah’s suffering servant encounters and endures is found in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Despite the desert conditions through which they are ...

3777. Whistling Jesus

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... in contemporary speech but need to reclaim, is not some form of passive acquiescence. Rather, it requires disciples to take a specific course of action — to “keep my commandments” (v.10). Just as Jesus’ love for the Father was demonstrated by his perfect obedience to God’s will, even to the cross, so Jesus’ disciples are to demonstrate their love for him by remaining obedient to his commandment. This obedience, Jesus asserts, is not a burden. It is not some nonstop series of trials and tests ...

3778. John 15:9-17

John 15:1-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3779. Johnny Cornflakes Comes to Dinner

Mark 3:20-30

Illustration

King Duncan

... Johnny Cornflakes food and clothes and tried to see that he had a place to spend the night. One Sunday after church Timothy George and his wife held their first dinner party in Chelsea for out-of-town guests. They had worked very hard to make everything perfect: they had brought out their best linen and their finest dishes in order to make a good impression. But right in the middle of the main course the front door of the parsonage burst open. Into their dining room in all of his inebriated glory sauntered ...

3780. The Awesome Power of a Mustard Seed (Father's Day)

Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... . B Be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, as God also in Christ has forgiven you. C Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden. D Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. E Every good and perfect gift . . . F For God so loved the world . . .” He says he can still remember those verses. Miss Emma didn’t explain what the verses meant. She just sowed those seeds of Scripture from the King James Bible in their hearts. They learned those verses and then recited ...

3781. Walking in Faith

Mark 6:1-13

Illustration

Mark Trotter

... says, "But I'm going to keep on going anyway. I'm going to go right up to the end. And I'm not afraid." I stand there, and I watch her ride through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil, sitting there, straight and tall, perfect balance in her life, no hands. She is at that point in her journey when she is traveling on faith alone. She is taking nothing with her now, but faith. I stand there in awe, and I give thanks.

3782. Walls, Walls, Everywhere Walls

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... . It is said that enough stone was used in that 1,700‑year project to build an 8‑foot wall girdling the globe at the equator. The Great Wall snakes its way over more than one‑twentieth of the earth’s circumference. (1) It is the perfect metaphor for humanity’s obsession of building walls to separate one people from another. The Great Wall of China was built to keep out foreigners. Many of us can remember another famous wall that was built to keep people from fleeing their homeland. It was known ...

3783. Zombie Zone or Beulah Land?

Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is a definite “tongue-in-cheek” tweak that underlies the gore and the guts. Killing zombies doesn’t present any big moral dilemma because — hey, zombies are by definition already dead. One popular “shoot-‘em-up” video game offers the perfect guilty-free target: you are fighting off hordes of “Nazi-zombies.” Zombies are easily expendable because they have no place in our world. They are the ultimate outsiders. The “aliens and strangers” Paul highlights in today’s epistle text weren ...

3784. Screaming at the Television

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... water not a person or an animal, mind you but a narrow body of water 300 lashes with whips and then, as if that weren’t enough, he branded the body of water with red-hot irons. We say, “How stupid! What a dumb thing to do!” Meanwhile we perfectly rational people yell at our television set when a football coach makes what we regard as a dumb call and our team loses yardage. We scream at the television as if somehow the coach will hear us and change his strategy for the game. I know, nobody in this room ...

3785. Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... takes up residence in the heart, offers a potential place (“topos”) for the devil to take up residence. The sacred space that is the community of faith must avoid offering the powers of darkness any foothold within their midst. The next directive sounds perfectly Pauline. It is an admonition to thieves: turn from stealing to working “with their own hands” in order to be able to share the fruit of their labors “with the needy.” Paul, the disciple who never gave up his craft of sewing leather and ...

3786. Are You a Beaver or an Otter?

Eph 5:15-20

Illustration

King Duncan

... they need to survive, but also make time to chase after pebbles, slide down slopes, and tweak the tails of their more industrious neighbors. "Both animals live about the same length of time, but you have to believe that otters enjoy life just a bit more. Otters seem perfectly content if they have enough food and are happy to live in little mud holes along the river. Even in old age they never miss the opportunity to toss a stone in the water and catch it before it hits bottom." Are you a beaver or an otter ...

3787. Go, Johnny, Go, Go, Go!

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... they would see the end of the drama: the purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection. Advent — a time to prepare our hearts for Jesus' second coming. We will see the heavens open and Jesus appearing as a warrior on a white horse. John saw Jesus, God's perfect Lamb, the one who would be a sacrifice for our sins. John died before he saw that Lamb return as a conquering king, bringing judgment on those refusing to acknowledge him as Lord and Savior. In the last chapter of the Bible, in the book of Revelation ...

3788. The Coat Off Your Back

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... . The woman abruptly stopped. Embarrassed and confused, she turned to see a woman running toward her. Seeing her fearful expression, Nora halted. "Please, wait a minute," she said. Stopping by a table, Nora picked up a red and black crocheted hat. "This hat will go perfectly with your new coat." "But I ain't got no more money," she answered, with downcast eyes. "Consider it an early Christmas gift," Nora beamed and handed her the hat. "In fact, I think this scarf goes with the hat, too. Take them both." The ...

3789. Christmas Grass and Easter Tinsel

Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... often depict those surroundings as warm, comfortable places, but in reality they were dark and dirty. Look at today's nativity scenes: a clean stable, clean sheep, clean donkey, a pious Joseph, reverent Mary, a visiting shepherd with a crook in his hand, and a picture-perfect baby Jesus lying upon a ceramic bed of hay. A neat decoration, but a sterile picture. Let's get down now to a reality picture. How could any of you as fathers register at the Stable Inn with a pregnant wife? Wouldn't you ask where ...

3790. Fit the Picture

Luke 4:21-30

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God.... - John 1:10-12 "And the Word became flesh and lived among us ..." (John 1:14). Almighty God took on human form, entering our sinful world in order to save it. God's time line was perfect: a child was born, he grew in wisdom, he was rejected by his own, he was received by those who hoped, he preached a gospel of love, and because of hate the world rejected and crucified him. Jesus took our sins upon himself. To those who believe, he gives ...

3791. Bridge Builders

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

... , the centurion believed that Jesus enjoyed a special relationship with God, but he did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Instead, he believed that Jesus had authority and power to make things happen. When he sent for Jesus he had perfect confidence that Jesus could heal his servant. Because of his own position of authority, the centurion was accustomed both to obeying and to being obeyed. His authority came from the Roman emperor. He saw that Jesus' power and authority must come from God ...

3792. Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... his obedience Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to fast for forty days, and after this he was tempted. Couldn't the temptation come at a time when he was stronger? Shouldn't Jesus get a break? The fact is that there is never a perfect time for us to face the temptations of this world. We're never ready. In this time of Lent let us make no mistake: We will be tested — and it will never be the right time. We will be tempted to do things according to the way of the world ...

3793. The Tower of Siloam

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... lives now. The apostle Paul speaks of righteousness, which is properly defined not as a standard of outward morality, but the state of seeking to live in God's peace, a shalom that was intended to include all nations, all individuals, all of creation in a perfect reflection of God's will for our lives. This peace is not strident or self-justifying. It is not achieved by isolation from the world. It does not put itself on a pedestal to condemn others. It does not bend to the whims of current events. As ...

3794. This Fellow Welcomes Sinners

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... church I wouldn't be caught dead in." It seems sometimes as if church members find it just as important to exclude others as they find it necessary to worship God. The older brother doesn't want to be in a family that accepts a prodigal that squandered perfectly good cash while others work hard all the day long. And sometimes it's hard not to think that the older brother is right — who wants to deal with a reformed younger brother who has spent all his money, puts on a good face, and is getting a party ...

3795. Believing Thomas

John 20:19-31

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... you get it. When Jesus tells Thomas he must move from unbelief to belief he's hoping he'll get it. This story takes place a week after the revelation of Easter. Jesus had appeared in the midst of the disciples and blessed them with peace — shalom — perfect wholeness in every aspect of their lives. They were all there — but Thomas. When the others enthused about the wonder of the resurrection, Thomas replies, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the ...

3796. Advocate and Redeemer

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... a signal, and no matter what your thoughts or fears, you take a long step forward — into thin air. Brethren, Mennonites, and Quakers served in Civilian Public Service Camp #103 in Missoula, Montana. By the time the war was over they had helped perfect the craft of smoke jumping: fighting remote fires by parachuting into danger. Before the war, the whole idea had been considered a pipe dream. Only crazy people jumped out of airplanes with parachutes. By the time some inside the forest service convinced ...

3797. The End of The Beginning

Acts 1:1-11, Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... dark. The full moon nearly creates a second day. It's not as bright as the real day of course, but in the fall the full moon extends the time you can be out in the harvester. In winter the full moon casts wonderfully long, blue shadows on a perfect bed of snow. The moon is the most visible and obvious object in the night sky. The sun is brighter of course, but we can't look directly at it. The downside is that the full moon obscures all but the brightest stars. Even when we can't see it ...

3798. Sister Act(s)

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... soon burn out if they do not center themselves and replenish their souls in prayer, worship, and meditation. On the other hand, to focus on only learning, worshiping, and omit the practical application of the gospel, can lead to a self-absorbed life. A perfect example of a Mary-Martha balance is in the ministry of the Mary musicians from Edison Lutheran Church of Bow, Washington. These Mary musicians are not Christmas carolers though they have that look about them. They are parishioners who pile into cars ...

3799. Forgive Us

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

... the street for hours. I can't tell you how much I wanted one of those. In my eleven-year-old mind I thought that I needed a go-cart. We lived in the country and there was a seldom-used road in front of our house that would be perfect. It would be safe since people could see us for miles. Oh, how I wanted a go-cart! As my birthday drew closer I finally got up the nerve to ask my dad if I was getting a go-cart. At first he would just stand there and grin at ...

3800. But I Really Like the Best Seat in the House!

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sermon

... to tell you that those good seats weren't for you but for someone more important than you." How different this is from what we see all too often in some of our churches. If you don't think so then just wait until a visitor, especially a less than perfectly dressed stranger, sits in a matriarch's pew! They won't get tossed out into the street — we're far too polite for that — but if looks could kill! I have seen this happen often enough to know that I'm not the only one who has had a problem ...

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