Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3801 to 3825 of 4490 results

3801. Nothing but the Blood

1 John 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

The greatest evangelist of the Twentieth Century, without question, was Billy Graham. The greatest evangelist before him of the Nineteenth Century undoubtedly was Dwight L. Moody. Both shared a common trait. They were criticized because of a particular subject they preached about. When Billy Graham was getting started, a professor from Cornell University wrote him a letter and said, "Mr. Graham, you have great talent, and you have what it takes to be a successful minister. But if you want to continue to be ...

3802. The Sin of Silence

1 John 1:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights?" If you've ever seen a TV show, or a movie, or if you've unfortunately been arrested, you are familiar with what is known as the Miranda warning. Now where does this warning come from? Well, many believe it's not from the Constitution or common law, but it was simply a ...

3803. A Peculiar People

1 Peter 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Last week we looked at one image of the church, that of a circle of grace—God seeking, claiming and sustaining us. Today, another image, taken from St. Peter's letter to the early Christians of what is now Turkey, Asia Minor—a "peculiar people." A dictionary definition of "peculiar" says: "Out of the ordinary, strange, odd, unusual." You might say "just plain weird." I preached a sermon by that title in Ann Arbor in the fall. Little did I know that we had visitors from Birmingham, and I suppose I will ...

3804. Looking in All the Wrong Places

Romans 3:19-28

Sermon

Lee Ann Dunlap

The song has long been relegated to the "Golden Oldies" category, but occasionally it can be heard on the airwaves. Long before one-name singers like Cher, Blondie, or Madonna made their mark in pop music, a little-known and even less-remembered singer named "Charlene" topped the charts. The song was addressed within the lyrics to the "frustrated mother" and "unappreciated wife" from the perspective of a woman who has been everywhere and "seen a thousand things a woman ain't s'posed to see." Yet for all ...

3805. Why We Need to Forgive

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan

A certain married couple had many sharp disagreements. Yet somehow the wife always stayed calm and collected. One day her husband commented on his wife’s restraint. “When I get mad at you,” he said, “you never fight back. How do you control your anger?” The wife said: “I work it off by cleaning the toilet.” The husband asked: “How does that help?” She said: “I use your toothbrush!” A motorcycle patrolman suffered a minor accident that put him in the hospital for a couple of days. His injuries had been to ...

3806. Philippians 3:4b-14

Philippians 3:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

One thing about Paul’s letter to the Philippians is certain: he is cautioning Christians to resist the arguments and enticements of “Judaizers.” The “Judaizers” were Jewish disciples of Jesus who insisted that new converts to Christ must first become converts to Judaism. For example, the Judaizers taught that circumcision and obedience to Torah laws, all 613 of them, were prerequisites to a life lived in Christ. Paul perceived this Judaizing influence to do nothing less than undermine the lordship of Jesus ...

3807. Our Hope, Our Terror

Matthew 22:1-14

Illustration

Barbara Brown Taylor

Several summers ago I spent three days on a barrier island where loggerhead turtles were laying their eggs. One night while the tide was out, I watched a huge female heave herself up on the beach to dig her nest and empty her eggs into it. Afraid of disturbing her, I left before she had finished. The next morning I returned to see if I could find the spot where her eggs lay hidden in the sand. What I found were her tracks leading in the wrong direction. Instead of heading back out to sea, she had wandered ...

3808. This Little Light of Mine

John 1:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

We’re getting closer to Christmas. Our boys and girls are excited about the presents they will be receiving. Maybe some of us adults are excited, too. I don’t know if you heard about a mother and daughter who were shopping at the mall. The mother spied an expensive fur coat. “This year,” she said, “I think that I will buy my own present instead of making you and dad shop for me.” Her daughter nodded in agreement. “And I think this fur coat would be perfect,” the mother concluded. The daughter began to ...

3809. Having the Last Word

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

The Wizard of Id comic strip characterizes a feisty little fellow as the despotic ruler of the Land of Id. In one strip, the king opens his mail and reads aloud, "This is to notify you that you have been chosen to be presiding king at the kings' conference this year." The king begins to jump up and down, excitedly proclaiming, "Hallelujah! I'm the king of kings! I'm the king of kings!" In the next frame a fiery bolt of lightning descends from on high. In the final frame, a charred and frizzled little king ...

3810. The Dawn's Early Light

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What makes a Christian patriot? How does an American church conduct itself? Can the church have a theology of patriotism without slipping into narrow triumphalism? In order to be an effective witness of the power and love of God, the church must be both a part of the culture and country in which it lives, without becoming part of them. One of Doug Marlette's "Kudzu" cartoons portrayed the seldom puckish pastor Will B. Dunn preaching on "What are some of the tough issues facing the church, you ask? Should ...

3811. Unum Humanum

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Oned in Christ is the work of the Spirit in this wonder-ful time and this one-derful world. In the last few years, through the technology of instantaneous satellite transfer, television has brought some of the most remarkable images from around the world directly into our living rooms. We have wept over Tiananmen Square, rejoiced over the dismantled Berlin Wall, bitten our fingernails and prayed during the unfolding of the Gulf War and sat open-mouthed at the systematic dismemberment of the Soviet Union. ...

3812. Thunder in the Mountains, Silence in the Soul

1 Kings 19:9-18

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

God is both inside and outside - in the mountains and their thunder and in the quiet caves of our souls. To Moses God spoke through the mountains with a roar. To Elijah God spoke through the cave in a still small voice. God still speaks in various ways today. The multifaceted nature of God's presence before human beings is demonstrated dramatically in this week's text from 1 Kings. While the redactors have taken tremendous pains to set up a correlation between Moses and Elijah, the experience of God is ...

3813. The Longest Journey Is the Shortest Distance

Acts 17:22-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The longest journey can be the shortest distance the journey around and within. A big reason God is not more real is that we look only at remote and distant places and not AROUND and WITHIN. Ever notice how the places that are celebrated as perfectly gifted with the qualities that raise consciousness, enlighten the mind, bring peace to the soul are located about as far away from where you are as possible? Popular spiritualities routinely tout the mountains of Tibet, the temples of India, the deserts of New ...

3814. Acts 10:44-48

Acts 10:44-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Luke's book of Acts has spent a long time building up to the astonishing events related in this week's text. Beginning with Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch, progressing through the conversion of a Gentile soldier, Paul's conversion, and Cornelius' and Peter's dreams, Luke's recitation of events has gradually widened the circle of believers. In this week's installment the circle is completed with the consummation of the mission to the Gentiles. As usual the Holy Spirit's timing is impeccable. ...

3815. John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

John 17 is what we should rightfully call "The Lord's Prayer." The prayer which we recite every week and call the Lord's Prayer is actually the Disciple's Prayer - the words Rabbi Jesus gave to his followers who yearned for some prayer of their own. But here in John 17 is Jesus' own prayer, prayed on the eve of his betrayal and death, prayed with all the hope and love and intensity and anguish of that moment in his life. This week's Gospel text focuses on the concluding sentences of this lengthy soliloquy ...

3816. Luke 14:1, 7-14

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Jesus' banquet discourse is directed at two separate audiences. In verses 7-11, he is speaking about and to his fellow guests at this meal. In verses 12-14, he turns away from these guests and focuses instead on the mandates that should guide the behavior of the host. Luke sets the scene and the tone of this long banquet scene in the opening verse of chapter 14. Jesus has been invited to dine at the house of a Pharisee. It was the Sabbath, and "they were watching him closely." The setting and seating that ...

3817. Acts 10:44-48

Acts 10:44-48

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3818. John 17:20-26

John 17:20-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3819. Mark 10:2-16

Mark 10:2-16

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The two Markan pericopes making up this week's text offer you a choice between a "safe bet" sermon and a "you'll be sorry" sermon sorry you ever opened your mouth. The "safe bet" sermon would, of course, focus on the second pericope, verses 13-16, where Jesus appears loving, accepting, gentle and non-threatening as he rebukes his disciples for not "letting the little children come" as he sweeps the small ones up into his arms. The "you'll be sorry" sermon is found in the first pericope of today's text, ...

3820. Revelation 7:9-17

Revelation 7:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The odd images and vivid visions that combine to make up the book of Revelation's three-tiered proclamation of judgments (using seals, trumpets and bowls) have made it a love-hate favorite. Depending upon one's denominational heritage, psychological disposition, and dispensational worldview, the book of Revelation has been used as a window to view the future, a rearview mirror for fatalistic excuses and explanations, or a mirror when immersed in personal turmoil and/or social tribulation. Within the old ...

3821. Luke 12:13-21

Luke 12:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Today's pericope, unique to this gospel, recounts Jesus' response to an interruption injected by a nameless individual in a question-and-answer session which takes place in the midst of a raucous crowd of thousands (12:1). The statement, in context, seems banal and hopelessly petty. Jesus has been encouraging the crowd to be fearless and faithful witnesses even in the face of persecution "before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities" (12:11). At this point, Jesus is interrupted with the words: " ...

3822. Mark 14:1-15:47

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

From the traditional, extensive gospel reading this Palm/Passion Sunday, we settled on that portion that tells of Peter's denial of Jesus (14:66-72), his darkest moment as a disciple. Many scholars believe that Mark's description of Peter's utter failure of nerve and spirit on the night of Jesus' arrest may be some of the most trustworthy biographical material we have about this disciple in the gospels. As evidence, commentators point out that it is unlikely such a weak and unflattering picture of the man ...

3823. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

To better understand the almost comical requests made by James and John this week, it helps to look at how Mark has crafted his text. As Jesus moves inevitably towards Jerusalem, he reveals more and more as the disciples seemingly comprehend less and less. Between Mark 8-10, the gospel writer has Jesus and his disciples play out a similar exchange three separate times. In 8:31; 9:30-32; and 10:33-34, Jesus articulates clear predictions of his approaching rejection, his debasement and death, and his ...

3824. A Very Different Top 10 List

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

I am a big sucker for lists. I love lists. Top 10 Lists. Bottom 10 Lists. David Letterman lists. Any list. In fact, there’s a book written for us list lovers called “The Incredible Book of Wacky Lists” by Patrick M. Reynolds (2001), where he has lists of “Plants That Eat Animals” (there are 4 of them: Venus’s flytrap, Butterwort, Sundew, Pitcher plant), “Seas Named After a Color” (Black, Red, White, Yellow Seas), 3 Tallest US Presidents (Abe Lincoln, 6'4", LBJ, 6'3", Thomas Jefferson, 6'2½”, now 4, with ...

3825. Tested, for God’s Sake

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Mike Ripski

You had those teachers, who were so susceptible to their students’ feigned interest that they could be enticed to use up the whole class period on some esoteric topic and run out of time for the intended the pop quiz. There’s something about a test that makes us anxious. We may fail. Our weakness, inadequacy, ignorance will be exposed. We know that every one of us can be given a test that we will fail. It all depends on the test. Whether it be naming all the state capitals or the books of the Bible or ...

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