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Showing 3851 to 3875 of 4944 results

3851. The Lord’s Anger Against Nineveh

Nahum 1:1-15

Understanding Series

John Goldingay

Yahweh’s Commitment to Exact Redress: After the introduction in verse 1, Nahum begins by expounding the theological truths that undergird his message. Verses 2–8 are rather like a psalm of praise, though in form and content there is a significant difference between verses 2–3a and 3b–8. The significant principle asserted in verses 2–8 is that Yahweh is active in the world punishing nations that behave as his foes . . . his enemies (v. 2). After the opening description of Yahweh, Nahum goes on to describe ...

3852. Paul's Chains Advance the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-30

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

Paul’s Present Situation The Christians of Philippi were deeply concerned about Paul. They cherished a warm affection for him; they knew that he was now in custody awaiting trial and that his case was due to come up for hearing soon before the supreme tribunal of the empire. How was he faring right now? And what would be the outcome of the hearing when once it took place? How, moreover, would its outcome serve to advance the gospel throughout the Roman world? Paul knows what is in their minds, and he ...

3853. The Trajectory of God’s Grace

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

Robert C. Cochran

When I was in junior high, I “inherited” a winter coat from my Uncle George (who is only three years older than I am). It was a very expensive coat and looked practically new, so I knew George hadn’t worn it. The reason was obvious: it was an extremely thick, long ski jacket that made the wearer look like a pregnant, black polar bear. The fur that covered the whole coat had to be four or five inches long. The really sad thing was that the satin lining had a terrific embroidered snow eagle. I would have ...

3854. Driven to Complete

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

King Duncan

Would you consider yourself a competitive person? Or maybe I should ask, in what area are you most competitive? Maybe you’re competitive in getting the best grades in your class or the best parking spot at work. Maybe you compete to make the best pancakes in your family or tell the funniest knock-knock joke or to get up the earliest on Christmas morning. Humans are naturally competitive. We like to have an edge over those around us. Rabbi Harold Kushner tells the story of a driven young man in the pre-med ...

3855. Pulling Our Punches

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature Robert Allan Zimmerman — more popularly known as Bob Dylan — has written many memorable lyrics. He has a good ear for the rhythms of speech, poetry, and the Bible. In his song “The Times They Are A-Changin’” Dylan listed a number of factors that should prove to those who stand in the way of truth that “Your order is rapidly fadin’.” He concluded with words that echo Jesus — “For the first one now will later be last, for the times, they are a-changin’.” In the gospels it ...

3856. Veiled Glimpses of God's Glory

Exodus 33:12-23

Sermon

Robert S. Crilley

I've read that in one of Von Schlegel's avant-garde plays, the curtain rises to show the dimly-lit interior of a theater. There on the stage sit a group of people waiting for a curtain to rise. A ripple of amused laughter washes across the auditorium at the obvious irony of watching actors engage in the very activity which had occupied the audience only moments earlier. However, when this second curtain is lifted, it displays still another group sitting in front of yet another curtain. People begin to grow ...

3857. Trinity Sunday

Jn 3:1-17 · Mt 28:16-21 · Rom 8:12-17 · Isa 6:1-8 · Ps 29

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Isaiah 6:1-8 · Romans 8:12-17 · John 3:1-17 Roman Catholic: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 · Romans 8:14-17 · Matthew 28:16-21 Episcopal: Exodus 3:1-6 · Romans 8:12-17 · John 3:1-16 COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 6:1-8 The story of Isaiah's call by God in the temple, 742 B.C., probably while he was officiating at worship. As Isaiah is viewing the Ark of the Covenant, enshrined in the Most Holy Place, he sees the Lord in all of his majestic glory on his throne, attended by the ...

3858. The Road To Samaria

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

When I was growing up we had a joke in our family about my father's shortcuts. Whenever we were off on a trip somewhere he always knew a quicker way to get there, or back home. I remember one time when I was about 10 years old we were on the way home one night. My father decided to take one of his shortcuts. He made a turn to the left, went around a curve, took the first right, then back to the left, and we wound up in the middle of a cornfield. At one point in his ministry Jesus was in the area of Judea. ...

3859. Surprise! Surprise!

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Michael L. Sherer

A wealthy architect, whose self-designed rambling lake home was the envy of the entire city, was given to hosting lavish dinner parties. They were always the event of the social season, and the folks who were invited always knew they were on a special list. One year the architect changed tactics. Instead of mailing special invitations, he simply ran an advertisement in the personals column of the Sunday classifieds in the metropolitan newspaper. "Masquerade Party!" the heading read, in type no larger - and ...

3860. Nag, Nag, Nag!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost XIII And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And ...

3861. Face To Face With The Tempter

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

This morning we want to deal with a theme that applies to all of us. Temptation. None of us is too old or too young, too sophisticated or too naive, to escape the tempter. Temptation can lead us into all kinds of problems. For example, the newspapers recently carried a story about an Alabama man who planned to profit from a simple burglary. He entered a house and began clearing out the valuables. He came across a .44 Magnum and accidentally shot himself in the calf with it. However, despite the fact that a ...

3862. Be Careful How You Walk

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

A prosperous executive whose work required frequent travel decided to buy his own plane. He took flying lessons and was soon quite comfortable with his more convenient transportation. After a few years he decided to purchase a pontoon plane so he could fly back and forth from his beautiful summer home on the lake. On his first flight in his new plane, he forgetfully started to head for the airport landing strip, just as he had always done. Luckily, his wife was with him and when she saw what he was doing, ...

3863. Thankless Jobs

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

A family of five were enjoying their day at the beach. The children were bathing in the ocean and making castles in the sand when in the distance a little old lady appeared. Her gray hair was blowing in the wind and her clothes were dirty and ragged. She was muttering something to herself as she picked up things from the beach and put them into a bag. The parents called the children to their side and told them to stay away from the old lady. As she passed by, bending down every now and then to pick things ...

3864. Who Is Your Hero?

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Much has been written since the death of Princess Diana about the burden of being a celebrity. Studies show that most Americans don't even want to be famous. The loss of personal freedom that celebrities must endure can be costly. Singer Olivia Newton-John wanted to buy her husband a birthday present while she was visiting an old friend named Faye in Portland, Oregon. They went to the mall, knowing that if the famous singer were recognized things could get really hectic. Olivia said, "Don't worry, we'll ...

3865. What Would Bill Do?

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to tell you a simple, but moving story about a man named Bill. When Bill was born in the 1930s he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The doctor predicted that he would be mentally retarded and urged Bill’s parents to have him institutionalized. Fortunately, they ignored the doctor’s advice. At first, Bill attended a school for children with disabilities. Later he gained entrance to a mainstream high school. This was an unusual accomplishment for a physically challenged person of that era. Then, with ...

3866. Sine Qua Non

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

I read somewhere that a new Guinness World Record has been set for the world’s shortest sermon. An Episcopal priest stood up one Sunday morning, walked to his pulpit, stood there for a moment, and said one word: “LOVE.” Then he sat down. I know, some of you would like me to attempt a sermon like that one day. But it is not that easy. The word “love” is capable of many different meanings. Love is what a mother gives to her children. Love is what a thrice-divorced Hollywood actress is supposed to have for a ...

3867. Healing the Pain from the Past

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

A pastor friend and his wife once adopted a young cat that bounced up to his parsonage looking hungry and friendless. From the beginning of the relationship, the cat readily came to them and blissfully stroked her whiskers against their outstretched hands. She was comfortable with people. My friends were quite willing to provide for the cat's few needs: food, fresh water, a potent flea collar, and some affection. For the most part, the cat stayed outside, springing up to greet them when they returned from ...

3868. In the Darkness of Uncertainty, There Is the Light of Wonder

Luke 2:8-20

Sermon

Thomas A. Pilgrim

William Sloane Coffin, Jr., was, for several years, the pastor at Riverside Church in New York City. In his autobiography, he told of going back to France and visiting some of the places where he had been in World War II. One of those places was the town of Sainte-Mère-Eglise. The 82nd Airborn Division had dropped into that town. While there for his visit, the mayor showed William around. They went inside the village church. The mayor pointed to a beautiful stained-glass window that depicted the 82nd ...

3869. Obstacles as Popsicles

Exodus 1:1-22

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Lake Junaluska is a conference center for United Methodists in the mountains of North Carolina. The first thing any visitor notices is the giant cross on top of a hill. When it's illuminated at night, it shines for miles, a beacon that draws Christians from the southeast and from all over North America every summer. A few years ago, I went to bed one night at Lake Junaluska with the resolve to climb the hill early the next morning as both physical exercise and spiritual pilgrimage. When I got on my jogging ...

3870. Bridging the Generation Gap

Ephesians 6:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

I read something recently about childbirth that I had never thought about before. But when you think about it, it is extremely profound. The pain of childbirth is twofold: there is the pain of bringing the child into the world, and there is the pain of bringing that child up in the world, and the latter is greater. The physical pain of bearing a child is tremendous, but usually lasts only a few hours. But the pain of rearing that same child lasts a lifetime and never lessens.1 Every time I preach on the ...

3871. The Law of the Harvest

Psalm 126:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

Recently while being on a mission trip in Romania, I had the privilege of staying overnight in London, England. While touring that beautiful city, I was standing in front of Westminster Abbey, the beautiful church where all of the monarchs of England are crowned, and the site of the funeral of Princess Diana. I thought about an elderly lady who was in a group of tourists visiting London, and the guide was explaining the history behind Westminster Abbey. She interrupted him and said, "Young man! young man! ...

3872. Murder in the First Degree

Matthew 5: 21-26

Sermon

James Merritt

We are in the middle of a series of messages I've entitled "The Only Way to Live." It is based on the greatest sermon ever preached in history – the Sermon on the Mount. Up to this point in the sermon, Jesus has been very general in his comments but now he gets very specific. He addresses six critical areas where what goes on in the inside of a person is far more important than what occurs on the outside of a person. He is going to be dealing with murder, adultery, divorce, honesty, revenge, and loving ...

3873. A Burden or a Song

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

James McCormick

Is your religion a load or a lift? That was a popular sermon topic during my growing up years. Preachers were fascinated with alliteration: load/lift, and they thought the idea was a catchy one, so I heard more sermons on the subject than I wanted to hear. Frankly, I never cared much for them. Do you have ideas, like that, that turn you off sometimes? I thought it was a pointless question. I thought the preachers were just setting up straw men only to knock them down again. After all, the answer to the ...

3874. Explore the Evidence

Acts 1:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

I heard a story the other day about a man that went on vacation to the Holy Land with his wife and mother-in-law. Half way through their trip, the mother-in-law dies, so this guy goes to an undertaker who explains that they can ship the body home, but it will cost $5,000 or they can bury her in the Holy Land for $150. The son-in-law says, "Let's just go ahead and ship her home." The undertaker said, "Are you sure? That is an awfully big expense and I can assure you we do a very nice burial here." The son- ...

3875. Am I a Real Christian?

Acts 11:26

Sermon

James Merritt

How would you answer this question? "Do You Consider Yourself a Christian?" That question was asked recently in a nationwide survey and 77% of men and 86% of women in America answered “Yes.” [[1]] The question remains however, what did these people understand the term “Christian” to mean? The term “Christian” is used more today than any other term to describe a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ. People talk about the Christian church and the Christian faith. There is a debate always raging as to whether ...

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