Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3801 to 3825 of 4884 results

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

... , the chasm that followed him even into the afterlife. What is remarkable to me is not that we see such examples of inhumanity — it is that we find places, like many of our churches, where we work so hard to see that it does not happen. We're not perfect — we fall short from time to time — but we get up and try again and again. We strive to keep our eyes open to those who are struggling and to see that the distance between people inside the church and outside the church, for instance, are not made ...

3802. Will He Find Faith?

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

Scott Bryte

... unanswered. It is true that some prayer is selfish. Some prayers treat God like a menu. Most people would agree that God is not Santa Claus and that praying for luxuries or for one's own glory is out of bounds. Most would agree that God is perfectly within his rights if he says, "No" to those prayers. But what about prayers said in love? What about the many just and kind and selfless prayers that don't seem to get an answer? "God please heal...." "God, please protect.... " "God, please don't let...." We ...

3803. Getting Back into Shape

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Scott Bryte

... in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free' " (vv. 31-32). This is the truth of the gospel: Our salvation is free. We can't buy it with money or perfect church attendance or good deeds or good intentions or anything else. The death and resurrection of Jesus is our only hope. We can rely on Jesus Christ alone, even if we may want to rely on ourselves, our own efforts, our own will, and our own good character. Reformation ...

3804. Just Deal with It

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

Scott Bryte

... most rigorously. They thought about and pondered God day and night. They dealt with life's big questions. It's pretty much all they did. So here is the opportunity of a lifetime. Here is God in the flesh walking around among them. Here is Jesus, perfectly willing to talk about the meaning of scripture. Here is Jesus, eager to shed light on the will of God. The opportunity of a lifetime and they blew it. Some Sadducees came up to Jesus and told him this big, long hypothetical story: an elaborate and ...

3805. Quitters

John 6:60-71

Sermon

King Duncan

... , Simon Peter who spoke up, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” What a magnificent statement of faith! No wonder Jesus loved Simon Peter. Simon wasn’t perfect. There would come a time when he would let Christ down. But isn’t that true of all of us? No matter how intent we are on following Christ, no matter how hard we try to keep crickets from distracting us, there will be times when we will falter. We ...

3806. The Speed Bump On the Road to Bethlehem

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

David E. Leininger

In the movie Life Or Something Like It,[1] every day at the corner of Fourth and Sanders in downtown Seattle, homeless Prophet Jack (played perfectly by Tony Shaloub) would scramble onto his crate,thrust his arms into the air, arch his back, throw back his head, gaze into the sky, and then prophesy: "I see and I say." One day television reporter Lanie Kerrigan (played by Angelina Jolie) happened by Jack's pulpit. She tossed ...

3807. God's Picture

John 1:10-18

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... shoulder and says, "You don't belong to the pigsty; you belong to me." Then he stoops over and lifts us from the dirt and tells us that he left his home beyond the skies, he was willing to go through all the things we go through and do it perfectly to show us that it can indeed be done, and then stretched himself on that cross at last to rescue us from the butcher. Is that the truth about me? About you? Were we that important to God for him to be born ... to die? If that is the truth ...

3808. The Gospel By Starlight

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2). Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.[1] The annual observance of the birth of our Savior is almost over - Epiphany, recalling the visit of the wise men, is commemorated on January 6 and ends the liturgical celebration following the "Twelve Days of Christmas." No gifts of turtle doves, French hens ...

3809. The Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... team. There are differences in the way they prepare for a game: the quarterbacks practice passing, the receivers practice receiving, the kickers practice kicking, the linemen practice blocking. But all have gotten their instructions from the same coaching staff, which is perfectly happy to have them practicing different skills with an eye to performing different functions in the game. Still, there is an essential unity among them: the same game plan, the same playbook and, to be sure, the same head coach ...

3810. The Jump To Judgment

Luke 6:39-49

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... way of bringing the point home. But cute or not, the point was one with eternal validity. "Don't tell him his troubles; you've got troubles of your own." Clearly, we are to be most careful in condemning anyone if for no other reason than we are not perfect ourselves. We remember that when we point the finger of judgment at someone else, the other three fingers folded back in secret in our own hand are pointing right back at us. As that little poem from childhood has it, There is so much good in the worst of ...

3811. Going For the Gold

Philippians 3:4-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... the desire! For that desire to take flesh requires a sense of discipline — anything worth doing is worth working at. Real excellence, not being content with the silver or the bronze or anything else, will involve dedication — pressing on toward the goal even when things are not perfect. Do you want to "go for the gold"? Would you like to know all of the Ten Commandments? Would you like to be able to discuss faith on a more than superficial level? Would you like to "be all that you can be" as a Christian ...

3812. Is It True?

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... crucifixion in this world than we do about resurrection, especially in a post-9/11 world. And there are the day-to-day tragedies that never make the news. Yes, we know the horrors of life — crucifixion, but resurrection is unfamiliar territory. To wonder is perfectly normal. Karl Barth was one of the very best theologians of the twentieth century — he was a deep thinker, but eminently down-to-earth. Barth once wrote that people come to church on Sunday with only one question in their minds: Is it true ...

3813. Dorcas

Acts 9:36-43

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me" (Psalm 23 cf). What a wonderful word of comfort in the midst of pain and distress! The passage speaking of preparing a table in the presence of enemies would lead perfectly into the theme of Peter's recent preaching, the terrible crucifixion and subsequent miraculous resurrection of Jesus. That could lead equally well into Jesus' promise that Peter had heard with his own ears: "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). Here lay ...

3814. Would A Loving God Really Let Anyone Go To Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... But when King Josiah ascended the throne, he ordered that it be desecrated. It was turned into a rubbish heap where fire burned continuously. Everything there had been consigned for destruction. Thus, the "city dump" came to be identified in the Jewish mind as the perfect symbol of God's final rejection of wickedness. This was Jesus' description. Of the twelve times in the New Testament that we run across the word Gehenna, eleven of them are on the lips of Jesus. How much of the descriptions Jesus gave are ...

3815. The Most Dangerous Verse In the Bible

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Which verse is the most dangerous? It is this one that says, "All scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 2:16) or "All scripture is inspired," depending on which version or translation you use. To be perfectly honest, perhaps this is not the most dangerous verse, but as one writer says it is the mother of all proof texts. As the bumper sticker has it, "The Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it." After all, this is God's word we are talking about. As ...

3816. What Is Truly Important?

Psalm 149

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... . They are the ones that care. All Saints - conclude it with a silly, old story. Once there were two evil brothers. They were rich and used their money to keep their ways from the public eye. They even attended the same church and looked to be perfect Christians. Then their pastor retired and a new one was hired. Not only could he see right through the brothers' deception, but he also spoke well and true, and the church started to swell in numbers. A fundraising campaign was started to build a new assembly ...

3817. A Religion That Shows

Haggai 1:15, 2:9

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... along the way, they got side-tracked: Their enemies were giving them anxious moments, so they had to defend themselves; they had to eat, so crops had to be planted and tended; they had to survive the elements, so houses had to be constructed - all perfectly legitimate undertakings, but they kept the people from finishing their work on God's house. Not just for a little while but for almost twenty years. Those were hard years for those Jewish pioneers. They might have thought that they were going back to a ...

3818. The Incomparable Christ

Colossians 1:15-20

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... have the supremacy" (Colossians 1:18). Finally, Paul describes Christ's relation to the universe. He says, "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him." "Fullness" was a theological term that had its roots in Greek philosophy — pleroma — this was ultimate perfection, and it was the goal of the faithful, not to go to heaven (if there were such a place) but rather finally to be absorbed into the pleroma. Paul says, "No" — the pleroma has come to be with us, "to reconcile" — break barriers ...

3819. You're a Treasure!

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... be in a unique and personal relationship with God. One-on-one. God to A-dam. The face-to-face presence of one person — that was God’s final creative desire. As the incarnate divine, it is this special connection that Jesus represents in complete perfection. And when Jesus himself needed to re-boot that connection, he went apart — so that he would not come a-part. Jesus did not seek solitude to shut out the world. Jesus did not seek solitude to be solitary. Jesus sought solitude to be in solidarity ...

3820. Good Gossip

James 3:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... James offers for so few who qualify as “teachers” is the most common of human conditions — the weakness of mis-speaking, of failing (“patio”) to keep the tongue in check. Nothing less than the inevitable human failure to achieve perfection is at the root of this weakness. The front and center presence and influence of a “teacher” lends increased repercussions to both their failures and successes — their words can influence “the whole body” (“holon to soma”). James calls attention to ...

3821. James 3:1-12

James 3:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3822. Epiphany 2

Psalm 36:5-10, Isaiah 62:1-5, John 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

... thinking; inspire our actions; free us from last year’s errors. Let us exhibit your presence wherever we are. Amen. Sermon Idea In the Isaiah text, we can recognize our roots in Judaism. We have prayed for Jerusalem — Jerusalem as an image of a perfect community and as a contemporary city claimed by Jews, Muslims, and Christians. We are still praying for peace as did the prophets before Jesus himself grieved over its divisions. We can anticipate Passover as we look at the psalm and prophet; the sermon ...

3823. What Does the Bible Really Say about Divorce?

Mark 10:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... of reduced‑price items. Among these items was a little figurine of a man and woman, their heads lovingly tilted toward one another. The figurine was obviously designed to be a gift. “HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY” read the inscription. It appeared to be in perfect condition, yet there was a tag on it which said, “DAMAGED.” Examining it more closely, he found another tag underneath this tag that explained what was damaged. The tag said simply, “WIFE IS COMING UNGLUED.” (1) Well, it’s evident in our ...

3824. No More Tears

John 11:17-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... and in defiance of medical knowledge and materialistic common sense, that patient LIVED!” (6) It doesn’t happen often, such literal healing. And why should it? Even Lazarus wasn’t resurrected in the same way Jesus was. He wasn’t given that new perfect spiritual body that we all one day will be given. Lazarus was simply restored to this life temporarily. Eventually his body would wear out and he would die again. But Christ demonstrated his compassion for all who suffer, and he demonstrated his power ...

3825. Mark 10:35-45

Mark 10:35-45

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... (“katakyrienien”), literally “lording” over others. This is the accepted way of the world. But Jesus then offers an about face: “But it is not so among you” (v.43). Jesus’ “not so among you” directive is not to some future oriented age of perfection. It is a call to the missional order his disciples here and now must embrace. The world’s top-down directive is not now, nor ever shall be, the way of Jesus’ disciples. Instead Jesus offers what his listeners may have heard as another ...

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