Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3826 to 3850 of 5000 results

John 21:15-25

Sermon

Ewart E. Turner

... a movement that resulted in Sundays off. The church began to take Jesus seriously. 3. Infant mortality rates are decreasing due to wider medical care, and this offsets in Asia and Africa the increased food production. This Christian concern for children marked the Wesleyan revival in England. When John Wesley was born a chief cause of infant mortality was drunken mothers rolling over on their babies and suffocating them. By the time of Wesley’s death, this had almost disappeared. 4. Inflation handicaps ...

3827. Recognizing The Hidden

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... of Christ had taken place. This too, is an account of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In the days following the Second World War, life in the small, conquered, demolished towns of Europe took on new character. It was marked by search. Humans, like ants, swarmed over the piles of rubble that had once been buildings and streets and parks and stores. Those human ants were searching. Some searched for people for loved ones, parents, children, friends, neighbors. Others searched for things ...

3828. Extended Light

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Sermon

William F. Dunkle

... crucify Jesus. He was a professional military man. In Caesar’s legions he had served in campaigns all over the world and was thoroughly familiar with killing. What do you imagine were the Roman army’s equivalent to campaign ribbons on his tunic? Did he have "hash marks" on his sleeve for long service? Only one thing is recorded. He watched Jesus die and whispered in awe, "Truly this man was the son of God!" War began to go out of business in that very moment. Oh yes, nations still have vast armaments to ...

3829. OUR LORD TORMENTED

Sermon

E. Jerry Walker

... gold and crimson. Now there was loud shouting, not of single voices, but of the entire mob in the courtyard. They could see the crowds moving out through the porticoes, then circling toward the Antonio, their torches still burning, black plumes of smoke marking their approach. "Shall I bar the way?" the Centurion asked. Pilate considered carefully. How they had so much influence in Rome he did not understand, but he must not at this point in his career offend them further. It could mean his own destruction ...

3830. OUR LORD RISEN

Sermon

E. Jerry Walker

... sundown Saturday, the world had stood still for Mary of Magdala. These were the holy hours of the Sabbath when the faithful praised God for the goodness of life, but for Mary they were an eternity of sorrow. The widow Mary of Jerusalem and her young son, John Mark, had urged her to come with them to the temple. "It is not good for you to stay alone and grieve," she had said. "Come with us. The ceremonials for the holy day will bring peace to your mind." But Mary of Magdala had not answered. Instead, she ...

3831. THE JOY OF CHRISTIAN LIVING

Galatians 4:21-31

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

... live in slavery and bondage? And he takes up the old refrain of scripture, "Rejoice ... break forth and shout!" We may not be impressed with Paul’s reading of history (though it is authentic New Testament reading). But there can be no doubt that one of the marks of Christian living is to be found in the quality and quantity of our joy. As someone has said, "In the New Testament music is so persistent that reading the New Testament is like being in a bird sanctuary on a spring morning." But - is it true ...

3832. THE LIFE OF UTTER OBEDIENCE

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

... to accompany that procession. Truly a scene unforgotten, unforgettable. But what does it all mean? Human life has often been likened to a parabola, beginning in obscurity, weakness, little influence. Then it moves to the years when a man makes his mark followed by his declining years, retirement and then death and oblivion. But the life of Jesus followed the reverse order. The Galilean springtime of popularity with thousands of followers was succeeded by declining influence until at last our Lord asked the ...

3833. LIFE! LIFE! ETERNAL LIFE!

1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

... difficulty am I got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. ‘My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me to be a witness for me that I have fought his battles, who now will be my rewarder.’ "When the day that he must go hence was come, many accompanied him to the riverside, into which as he went he said, ‘Death, where is ...

3834. HERE O MY LORD, I SEE THEE FACE TO FACE

John 6:1-15

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

... . They greeted one another, and the poet asked the preacher, Ill and o’erworked, how fare you in this scene? "Bravely!" said he, for I of late have been Much cheered with thoughts of Christ, THE LIVING BREAD. Oh human soul! As long as thou canst so Set up a mark of everlasting light, Above the howling senses’ ebb and flow, To cheer thee and to right thee if thou roam, Not with lost toil thou labourest through the night! Thou mak’st the heaven thou hop’st indeed thy home.

3835. WHEN MORNING GILDS THE EASTER SKIES

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon Aid

John W. Rilling

... EASTER SKIES, "it from the grave and gilds the bed of death with light." In the great fire of London three centuries ago old St. Paul’s was burned to the ground. Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of the new cathedral sent a workman for a stone to mark the spot in the fireblackened ruins where the new and more glorious dome should rise. The stone picked up by chance had once been a grave marker in St. Paul’s churchyard. Still legible on the worn stone was the word "Resurgam" (I shall arise). Over our ...

3836. Reinforced With Joy

John 15:1-17

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

... they were not alone and that God was with them. Now let us jump in our thinking to another banquet table in Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago. The city was crowded with people who came from all areas to celebrate a Jewish festival. It was the Passover, marking that day when the angel of death passed over the Hebrew homes saving the life of the eldest child and delivering them from slavery under the Egyptians. In the Upper Room, the most talked-about man of his day, the man most loved and most hated, met with ...

3837. Crowned With Victory

John 14:15-31

Sermon

O. Garfield Beckstrand, II

... greatest of all holidays. It is the greatest because it celebrates the most outstanding event which ever happened in this world. There has been nothing in all history which has been more significant, more meaningful to people than Christ’s victory over death. Today marks the birthday of our eternal hope. Today is the anniversary of the victory of the human soul over death. It was on that first Easter morning, when the angel calmly and briefly announced, "He is not here, he is risen," that human history ...

3838. Prepare The Way

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Brett Blair

... know it themselves. That’s how John prepared. He lived a godly life. Let me ask you, is God preparing the way this Advent through the influence of your life? II Secondly, John the Baptist prepared the way by challenging the people’s sins. One of the towering marks of this age is the absence of guilt. Not many people would deny that fact. Some are pleased the guilt has been dethroned; others see it as a bad sign. The absence of guilt in today’s society makes it very difficult to talk about sin and the ...

3839. Waiting

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Testament. Look at them with me: · Matthew (1:21-23) says the virgin conception of Jesus is found in Isaiah 7:14 · John (7:42) says his birth in Bethlehem is found in Micah 5:2 · Matthew (2:15) points the family’s flight to Egypt in Hosea 11:1 · Mark (1:2) finds the ministry of John the Baptist in Malachi 3:1 · Luke (18:32) recognizes the suffering messiah in Isaiah 53:3ff. · John (19:24,28,36,37) shows us that the casting of lots for the clothes of Jesus, his thirst on the cross, his bones not ...

3840. Jesus' Visit

John 20:24-31, John 20:19-23

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... I could touch Jesus. NANCE: You really mean that. What about faith? CARL: Faith? I need some right now. (THE SCENE SWITCHES TO PETER AND THOMAS AS NANCE AND CARL WATCH) PETER: We have seen the Lord! He was here with us. THOMAS: Unless I see in his hands the marks made by the nails, and put my fingers into them and place my hand into his side, where the spear was thrust, I will never believe that he is alive. JESUS: (ENTERS) Thomas, reach out your finger here and touch my hands and place your hand in my side ...

3841. Search for The Treasure

John 17:6-19

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... ) Look here. This might be something. (HANDING IT TO AILY) What does it say? AILY: This has been inscribed. It's an important declaration of some kind. I can just make out the inscription, or at least some of it. Some of the markings are faded. "Pledge -- something -- city -- something -- something -- put on a garment -- something -- height power." BEA: "Pledge -- city -- put on a garment -- height power." What language is it written in? AILY: A very ancient language. Let's see. From the arrangement of the ...

3842. Forced by the Spirit

Mark 1:9-13

Drama

Robert F. Crowley

... . KAREN: Maybe the Spirit led you there. SHARON: What? KAREN: The Holy Spirit. SHARON: What are you talking about? KAREN: Like Jesus. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. SHARON: Jesus? Where does it say that? KAREN: In my reading for today. Right here in Mark. SHARON: Listen, we have to get to work. We'll talk at lunch. KAREN: All right. SHARON: But wait: why would the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness? KAREN: I thought we were going to talk about it later. SHARON: Oh, come on, why would ...

3843. A New Kind of Teaching

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... the sensibilities and perceptions are greatly heightened, almost to the point of a divine madness. Consequently, upon seeing Jesus, he shrieked, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God" (Mark 1:24). Deeply conscious of the inner workings of the psyche, Jesus named the demon, establishing power over him, and ordered him out of the man. Thus the man was at peace. Some will remember William Golding's book, Lord of the Flies. A number ...

3844. The Need for A Community of Healing

Mark 1:29-34

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... the man born blind it was asked whether his or his parents' sin was the cause of his infirmity. Jesus regularly told those he healed to go their way and sin no more, implying their illness was associated with their sin. In the lesson from Mark, Jesus advises his critics and followers that healing and forgiveness of sins and casting out of demons somehow are connected. But is that true today? Do we understand sin and sickness that way? But equally important, how do we go about achieving wholeness and health ...

3845. Standing Room Only Religion

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Maurice A. Fetty

... an excitement in the air going along with being in the presence of a celebrity. I also have imagined the delightful scene of the four friends carrying the paralyzed man, trying to press through the crowd into the packed house where Jesus was "preaching the word," as Mark puts it. Frustrated in their efforts, they hit upon an idea. If they could not get through the crowd, they would go over the crowd. One can almost see the ideas click on in their minds as they focus on the outside stairway leading up to the ...

3846. Everyone Is Searching For You

Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Brett Blair

... , to apply yourself and accomplish that goal, there is no feeling like it. That’s what I see when I look at Jesus in this passage. Look at what kind of day he has: First, Jesus is just getting started on the job. It’s the beginning of his ministry. Mark tells us that after one of his first sermons he is thrown into the thick of it. They leave the synagogue and immediately he is confronted with the sickness of Peter’s mother-in-law. She has a fever and he heals her. He takes her by the hand and ...

3847. The Call of the Trumpet

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

George Bass

... extended, sooner or later we all have to die. Lent deals with the manner in which life is extended for all time through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s why we need to cock our ears and listen intently for the trumpet call that marks the beginning of this forty-day fast that spills over, through Good Friday and Easter, into the fifty-day celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and the new life. The traditional gospel for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, puts the notes of the trumpet’s ...

3848. In Quest of Fire

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

Sermon

Larry Powell

... their lives depended. Against this graphic illustration, Cuyler lays down the claim that Paul’s statement, "Quench not the Spirit," is the equivalent of his saying, "Put not out the fire which God’s Spirit is kindling in your heart." We are well within the mark to suggest that the Holy Spirit is analogous to the "one match." It is the one, crucial entity which stands between a world of darkness and a world with light. Should the light be allowed to go out, the ensuing darkness would be immeasurable ...

3849. On His Way

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Larry Powell

... will not be moved. There is another possibility. Arrow-points were frequently made of flint, and consequently, an arrow was commonly referred to as a flint. If Isaiah had in mind a servant who would follow a determined course as perfectly as an arrow seeking its mark, he had indeed captured the spirit of Christ. At any rate, the upshot of the phrase bespeaks of resolve and singleness of purpose. Let us say it again: "He could have turned back at Jericho, or Bethpage, or Bethany when he knew full well he was ...

3850. All Together

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Roger Prescott

... & Row, 1979, p. 101.) Yes, community can be difficult. It can be wonderful. And, finally, it is always broader than we think. 3. Community is always broader than we think The gift of the Spirit to all flesh (Acts 2:17), and not just to chosen individuals, is a mark of the Messianic age. Somehow Peter knows this, so in his sermon he recalls the words of that mysterious prophet, Joel: And in the last days it shall be, God declares, That I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ... - Acts 2:17 / Joel 2:28 We ...

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