Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3851 to 3875 of 4884 results

Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... and trust his promises. It is a song that celebrates the value of all the living and pledges to preserve and bless it through righteousness and justice. It is a song each of us can sing, no matter how weak or strong our voices may be, or how perfect or out-of-tune our pitch. Friends, may your lives sing a song for your beloved God — a song celebrating this wondrous creation and the gift of our lives. May your lives point to Jesus — and sing of the life we have through his life, death, and resurrection ...

3852. In the Potter's Hands

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... , is reshaped by God's promises into a people more closely resembling God's original intent for them. Even the experience of exile and return could not fully form God's people for life with God. So in the fullness of time, a child is born who is God's perfect plan in every way. This child, born in Bethlehem of Judah and named Jesus, is truly the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Jesus reveals the will of his Father as he takes clay into his hands and places it on the eyes of the blind man ...

3853. Earth, Wind, and Fire

Joel 2:23-32

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

... wait to see if more rains will come. That precipitation is needed for a replacement crop or even for next year's planting. One crop failure is bad enough, but two in a row could spell disaster for an area. Verse 23 of Joel chapter 2 perfectly captures the level of joy that accompanies the arrival of that desperately needed and looked-for rain in areas impacted by locust swarms. God's message through the prophet Joel acknowledges the harsh reality the people continued to experience in the land of Judah after ...

3854. When Your Parents Don't Understand

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... . They were concerned about him and felt that perhaps he was going off the deep end (Mark 3:20-34). Anybody in your family ever think you were getting a little too far out there? It happens. If it could happen to Jesus, the only perfect man who ever lived, it could happen to anyone. People worry about their children, regardless of their age. As time passes, children worry about their parents, particularly aging parents. That’s part of life together in families. Jesus’ family finally did come around, of ...

3855. A Baby Changes Everything

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... scene is only possible, however, if the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke are whirled together in a blender along with some artificial sweeteners. Matthew’s gospel steeps the events of Jesus’ birth in scriptural traditions, proving how Jesus perfectly fit the mold for the expected Messiah. Having offered an extensive genealogy to trace the Davidic roots, Matthew turns from the question of “who” Jesus was to “where” he came from. Matthew is primarily concerned with informing his first century ...

3856. Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

3857. The Bride of Jesus

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... SAW his beautiful bride. All of his frustration melted away as he finally beheld the joy of his life. That got her crying,” Barnes concludes, “which made me cry as well.” (2) There is something about a wedding, isn’t there? Whether things are perfect, or even very imperfect, there is something about weddings that touch us. Throughout the Bible the relationship which God has with His people is compared to the love a bridegroom has for his bride. It is the predominant theme of the book of Hosea. In ...

3858. Extreme Love

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). Did you hear that? This is how the world will know that you follow Jesus not by how many Bible verses you can quote; not by your perfect attendance in worship; not by giving a million dollars to the church well, you could always try that one. These are wonderful acts of devotion, but none of them matter if you have let your life be taken over with malice and resentment and hate. This is to say ...

3859. When We Don't Know God

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Ten Commandments when I was six. I memorized the Beatitudes when I was seven. I memorized the Sermon on the Mount when I was ten. I not only knew the rules at an early age, I kept them. No drinking, no chewing, no dancing. I had perfect Sunday school attendance for seventeen straight years, and it would have been longer if the doctor hadn’t insisted that the flu was not something I needed to share with my sisters and brothers in Christ. “(But) I woke up one day and realized that . . . my strict ...

3860. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... place where people from all different countries and cultures have come together for over two centuries to form a (somewhat) coherent new whole, a new national identity. But the “E Pluribus Unum” or “Out of Many, One” model was initiated and perfected two millennia ago in the first century, when the creative new entity known as the “ecclesia” or “church” was called into being. For the first time Jews and Gentiles, peoples from Asia, Africa and Europe, people from vastly different communities ...

3861. In the Service

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3862. Face to Face

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... is what every believer does for every other member of the Body of Christ. We “reflect,” we “mirror image,” Christ’s presence, the very face of God, to each other and to the world. Like mirrors, the Christbody community is not a perfect representation. There are always ripples and wrinkles, distortions and disjunctions. But the reflection is still there and shows the world what might be. As disciples each of us has been “transfigured” by our holy encounter with the Holy Spirit and by the person ...

3863. The 5 Worst Things Christians Say After A Tragedy

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . It’s a variation of #2: 5) “God has a plan for your life.” Really? Only one? Do I get a say? Do I find it by trial and error? Is finding that “plan” like hunting for a needle in the haystack? Want to know “God’s Plan?” God’s “Perfect Plan” has a name: Jesus, who came to show us how much God loves us and wants to share the divine life with us. This is God’s plan for you. This is God’s plan for your life. Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you ...

3864. Can you Hear “The Voice?”

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... , Lyle allowed his cheek to be swabbed to join a bone marrow registry. He was told at the time that there was a one in five million chance for a non‑family match. Well, a few months ago he learned that he had hit the jackpot. He was a perfect match for a stranger, a 28-year old young man with cancer. Without the bone marrow transplant, that young man only has six months to live. The kicker is that a bone marrow transplant leaves the donor in such a depleted condition that you can hardly raise your hands ...

3865. Filling the Hole in Our Hearts

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... day came for the class to give their recitation, they began beautifully. “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,” said the first child. “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord,” said the next. And so it went perfectly until they came to the child who said, “He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” At that point an embarrassed silence fell. The next line was ...

3866. Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Lord has more authority than the old law. The third individual to approach Jesus in this unit, like the first, spontaneously offers to follow Jesus. But even as the offer is made it is hedged with a “but.” Again the request seems perfectly reasonable and right. It honors family, friends, and community commitments and connections by taking time to say goodbye. But again Jesus distinguishes between the common conventions of the day and the new demands of the kingdom. This request to say goodbye also ...

3867. Jesus’ Four Surprising Road Rules for the Missional Highway

Luke 9:57-62, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

3868. But First...

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... first century, the Jews buried the dead almost immediately, usually the same day. There weren’t well-equipped mortuaries to handle such needs back then. He was obviously needed back home. And why does Jesus give him such a hard time? The man makes a perfectly normal request: “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus’ answer is a little harsh, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” What’s that about? Commentators differ over whether the man’s ...

3869. The Keys to Effective Praying

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... that our physical eyes can behold. This is not to say that daily bread is unimportant. Jesus taught us to pray for it. God’s will is for our physical needs to be met. How can we be effective servants if our daily physical needs are not met? It is perfectly legitimate for us to share with God the pressing concerns of our life whether it be making the house payment, or the baby’s fever, or our own aches and pains. It is God’s will that we share our physical concerns with Him. But our physical well-being ...

3870. Financial Planning

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman who lost her husband several years ago developed a friendship with a man who had also lost his spouse. They seemed a perfect match. All their children agreed they should get married. So a date was set and invitations were sent out. The invitations read like this: “Phil, Richard, Karen, Allison, John, Matt and Steve request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their mother and father. Because they are combining ...

3871. Your Home Page

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and drag them to our “home page.” For once they are brought to Jesus, those hurtful and harmful forces become subject to the transforming power and presence of Christ. Jesus isn’t just our “home page.” Jesus is God’s home page. Jesus is the perfect way God chose to connect and communicate with humanity, with the whole world. Jesus’ presence in our world incarnated God’s everlasting love in a home page that each one of us can make our home page. That’s why one of the most basic “functions ...

3872. Wake Up Call

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... that we have difficulty connecting with the themes of Advent. Advent is about waiting expectantly while longing for God to act. However, we must admit that we grow impatient and demand immediate satisfaction. The first Sunday of Advent finds us not dreaming of the perfect Christmas or searching for a gift for the person who has everything, but rather looking to the future — to the second coming of Christ. Advent begins not with a baby in a manger but rather, looking forward to the return of our Lord and ...

3873. Unity and Hope

Romans 14:1--15:13

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... to spend Christmas, let alone the remaining six months of my tour of duty, in a POW camp,” he explains. They kept traveling through the night. When they finally stopped the Vietnamese lieutenant gave him food to eat. “Merry Christmas” he said in perfect English. His captor told him it would be an honor to celebrate Christmas with him. His name was Nugent. He explained that he had been educated in Canada and that his family had been killed. “Silent Night” was Nugent’s favorite Christmas Carol ...

3874. The Best Gift of All

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... to “live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.” Elsewhere Paul teaches, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). It is easy to fall into the trap of “worldly passions,” and forget that Jesus calls us to “live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.” We do not follow the ways of the world as much as we live our lives ...

3875. Lost, But Not the TV Show!

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

... ,” he wrote. “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). He’s describing us. The Bible is very realistic about the nature of humanity: Abraham was the father of the Hebrew people, but he was far from perfect. Read the story and you will find him willing to give his wife to Pharaoh in order to save his own skin. Jacob found favor with God and his name was changed to Israel. That is well because his earlier name meant “conniver” or “supplanter,” and he lived ...

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