Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3876 to 3900 of 4936 results

3876. Christian The King

Ezekiel 34:1-31

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

"And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken." "And he made us kings and priests unto God and his Father." (Revelation 1:6a [KJV]) A four-year-old boy was about to have a birthday. His mother told him he could have any kind of party he wanted. He asked for a party where everyone would be a king or queen. In preparation for his big day, ...

3877. "When E. F. Hutton Talks"

Jeremiah 26:1-24

Sermon

Peter Rudowski

There are a number of ways that the financial community calls upon us to check and reexamine our investments. How secure are we for the future, they ask. Are we getting the best return for our dollars or are there other ways to invest of which we are not even aware? No investment plan is right for everyone; therefore, we should seek an expert to help us. Magazines, television, and newspapers continually raise the issue with us. One way that we are challenged by an investment firm is through a very catchy ...

3878. Journey to the Cross I: Jesus And The Demon-Possessed Man

Mark 5:1-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

The noted author, John Killinger, tells a powerful story about a man who is all-alone in a hotel room in Canada. The man is in a state of deep depression. He is so depressed that he can’t even bring himself to go downstairs to the restaurant to eat. He is a powerful man usually the chairman of a large shipping company… but at this moment, he is absolutely overwhelmed by the pressures and demands of life… and he lies there on a lonely hotel bed far from home wallowing in self-pity. All of his life, he has ...

3879. Resurrection: From Burn-Out to New Vision

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

Elijah’s feet pounded on the trail. His legs stretched out to cover the miles. He outran the king’s chariot. He outran the wind blowing up the storm-clouds overhead. Strength to run like this after the day he had been through was a gift from God. God had been giving him strength like that all along; strength that had always amazed him. There had been the strength to tell King Ahab that he was a fool and a blasphemer. There had been the strength to prophesy that there would be no more rain until Israel ...

3880. Look Carefully How You Walk

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

The El Cortez is a well-known hotel in San Diego, California. The charm of it is comparable to the more famous hotels around the world. There is an intriguing story connected with it. "Years ago, the elevator in the hotel couldn't handle the expanding traffic of people. It was just not adequate for all of the people who were going and coming, and who needed to get up to or down from their rooms. And so the management called in some experts to solve the problem. They assembled together a high-powered team ...

3881. The Trance Of Non-renewal

Zechariah 9:9-13, Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In John Gardiner's book on leadership, he uses a marvelous phrase: "The trance of non- renewal." He uses it in relation to institutions and organizations. He says that members of these institutions can get into what he calls "the trance of non-renewal," which means they get so accustomed to a flaw in the organization that they just stare right past it. They don't even see it. They get accustomed to living with it. That's called "the trance of non-renewal." You see it everywhere, and I've seen it in the ...

3882. Plain Talk

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Some months ago when Dan Burton and I were planning the order of worship for this Sunday, he suggested that he write an anthem on the Beatitudes for this service, since the gospel lesson for this morning, as you heard, is from the Gospel of Luke, and Luke's version of the Beatitudes. The only problem is that Luke's version of the Beatitudes is not the one that we are familiar with. The much more popular version of the Beatitudes is to be found in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew, the Beatitudes serve as ...

3883. What Kind of Name Is That?

Luke 1:26-31

Sermon

Mark Trotter

It is always interesting to discover the origin of names. I suppose most of you were named for a relative. Some are named for saints, or heroes, and some just bear the names that were chosen because they sound distinguished. Some names are unfortunate. I heard about a man who joined the Navy. His name was Tonsillitis Jackson. The Navy couldn't believe it, so they did a check on him, and discovered that indeed his name really was Tonsillitis Jackson. What's more, he had brothers and sisters who were named: ...

3884. A Trip to God's Woodshed

Hebrews 12: 5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

I heard about a young boy that went off to one of these extremely expensive universities. The bills were coming in monthly to these parents, and they were struggling to keep their head above water. One day his mother received a letter from him that read like this: Dear Mom: I'm writing to inform you that I have flunked all of my courses. I had an accident and totally wrecked my car. I owe the clothing store in town $2000, and I have been suspended for the next semester because of misconduct. I am coming ...

3885. Being and Doing as the People of God

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

One of the most single television presentations during this decade, I believe, was the television series based on Alex Haley’s best-selling book, Roots. Millions of people read the book, and millions more saw the television drama. It was a moving presentation of a two-century epic of Kunta Kinte and the six generations who came after him. You will recall that Kunta Kinte was the great-great-great-great-great grandfather of Alex Haley, the author. If you did not read the book, you may have missed one of the ...

3886. God Deep In The Flesh

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Marc Kolden

Our gospel reading today from Matthew 28 is both famous and familiar. Most of us have heard it many times. It is Jesus' "Great Commission" to the eleven disciples shortly after his resurrection. The disciples go to the mountaintop and the risen Christ comes to them in the midst of their doubts and astonishment and speaks those amazing words: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." What an incredible claim! But here, of course, the point is that it is the one to whom all authority has ...

3887. Peter's Confession, Christ's Prediction

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon Aid

Richard A. Jensen

We will treat these texts as one. In examining them we have entered what many commentators believe is the central section of Mark's story: 8:22--10:52. The immediate context for this central section of material is the climax of the section that precedes it: Mark 6:35--8:21. We need to say a few words about 8:1-21, as it is omitted from the lectionary. Mark 8:1-9 is the story of the Gentile feeding of the multitude with bread which we have discussed in an earlier chapter. The response to Jesus' feeding of ...

3888. Creative Preaching

Sermon

Michael Rogness

I would urge every preacher to attempt an experimental sermon occasionally, especially if he or she is normally a very routine, conventional person.51 -- John Killinger Change attracts attention. Every preacher knows this after watching people's attention shift to a child walking up the aisle and out the door to the bathroom. I was in a church once where a bird was flying around the sanctuary. The pastor could just as well have been reading out of the phone book for all the attention the sermon retained. A ...

3889. One Flock, One Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

One of the vital signs of an alive Christ with us here is whether this live body out of the grave is seeking unity, oneness with other members and other denominations and other families of God. Because our Lord prayed for it, because it was so evident during his earthly ministry, and because it is the very heart of the gospel, we know a vital sign of an alive Christ is an aggressive seeking after unity. It is the very nature of an alive group of his disciples. Let’s check the vital sign in our own church. ...

3890. The Focus of Fitness

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

"Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings." (v. 11) Prayer: Lord, you have made it plain that you care what we do with our lives. You are pleased when we seek to do your will, and you grieve for us when we ignore it. Speak to us in this time of worship and enable us to re-discover the joy and the blessing of doing it your way. Amen Has there been a more popular pastime in recent years, than that of "getting in shape"? One magazine called it "America’s Health and Fitness ...

3891. Is Repentance Necessary?

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Is repentance really necessary? If so, for whom? Whom does it satisfy? According to the teachings of the Bible, in the Old and New Testaments, which is the source book of authority for our faith and preaching, the answer is "yes;" repentance is necessary. It is not for God; God has not sinned. Repentance is for us. It satisfies God because God intends that we return to him that we might live and know salvation and peace. In the Old Testament repentance is largely associated with the whole nation of Israel ...

3892. 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 ...

3893. John the Baptist

Drama

Charles L. Koester

INTRODUCTION: [This portion is read from the lectern by the introducer or narrator.] Preaching can be dull. When that is true, it is normally the preacher who is dull. Preaching ought to be exciting. The ministry of John the Baptist offers proof that it can be. John the Baptizer burst into human history as God’s unconventional man; wild, rugged, fearless, and austere. Surviving in the wilderness on locusts and honey, his unconventional message was one of repentence, for the Kingdom of God was at hand; the ...

3894. Preparing for Christmas

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor John Ortberg was giving a bath to his three children. Johnny was still in the tub. Laura was out and safely in her pajamas. He was trying to get Mallory dried off. Mallory was out of the water, but was doing what has come to be known in their family as the Dee Dah Day dance. This dance consists of running around and around in circles, singing over and over again, "Dee dah day, dee dah day." It was a relatively simple dance expressing great joy. When Mallory is too happy to hold it in any longer, ...

3895. Heaping Coals and Virtues

Romans 12:9-21

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

A French writer and historian once wrote, "We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity - romantic love and gunpowder." While many people might be tempted to agree that gunpowder has been an invention which has caused many problems for humanity, it is the other item which is surprising to find on a list of the worst inventions of humanity, particularly on the very short list. Even though this isn't the time of year when people think especially about thoughts of love, this is only a few ...

3896. Scandalous News

Luke 4:16-30

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Much to my surprise the title of this sermon, "Scandalous News," has caused a lot of people this past week to take notice. They would ask me, "What are you going to say?" I said, "I don't do previews." I did say, though, "It's not what you think, but it's probably much better than you could ever imagine." Titles can be misleading, but I have to put something out there on the billboard that will catch the attention of people who are traveling 70 miles an hour. But I do have some standards, I want you to ...

3897. Finding Unity through Christ

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Nature is filled with examples of how the world functions better when things come together and act as one. Ancient philosophers understood this need for unity quite well. In their efforts to explain the world that they observed, they postulated, without the advantage of modern science, that all things were composed of four basic elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Everything that existed was a measured combination of these four elements and could exist in no other way. Earth was the "stuff" of the ...

3898. God’s Saving Righteousness and the Restoration of Israel

Romans 3:21-31

Teach the Text

C. Marvin Pate

Big Idea: Paul anticipates here in verses 21–26 Martin Luther's famous question, “How can I, a sinner, stand before a holy God?” The apostle's answer is that at the cross of Jesus Christ, the judging righteousness of God (his holiness) is reconciled to God's saving righteousness (his mercy) such that God is at once both just and the justifier of him whose faith is in Jesus. Understanding the Text Romans 1:17–18 signaled two aspects of divine righteousness: saving righteousness and judging righteousness. ...

3899. The Rights of an Apostle

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

This chapter may appear to be an intrusion into the discussion of idols and eating foods that were sacrificed to an idol, but Paul takes himself and the matter of his rights as an apostle as an illustration of a proper demeanor for Christians. W. Willis (“An Apostolic Apologia? The Form and Function of 1 Corinthians 9,” JSNT 24 [1985], pp. 33–48) is correct in observing that this section of the epistle is not about Paul’s claiming of his rights as an apostle, despite the titles given to this portion of the ...

3900. Don't Be Afraid

Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Don’t be afraid of the dark.” That’s what we tell our young children, even ourselves when night falls and we feel alone, vulnerable, isolated, or plagued by nightmares. And yet, the truth is that most human beings are far more fearful of the light. The light –that utterly visible and revealing place in which we cannot hide but stand entirely exposed and unveiled—makes us both warm and wobbly. When we stand too fully in the brightness of light, we allow ourselves to be seen in all of our flaws. We feel ...

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