Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 3901 to 3925 of 4939 results

3901. Afraid No More

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

There are many things in life you and I may not understand. For some people, it’s modern art. A young woman goes to her first show at an art gallery. She studies the paintings carefully. One is a huge canvas that has black with yellow blobs of paint splattered all over it. The next painting is a murky gray color that has drips of purple paint streaked across it. She walks over to the artist and says, “I don’t understand your paintings.” “I paint what I feel inside me,” explains the artist. She looks at the ...

3902. A Time for Opportunity

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

Some of you are familiar with a 26-year-old blogger in Montreal, Canada named Kyle MacDonald. Kyle is the ultimate modern day horse trader. He has become famous for trading a red paper clip for a house. Yes, you heard right. A paper clip for a house. How did he accomplish this remarkable exchange? Well, he didn’t have a job, but one day he looked at a red paper clip on his desk and decided to trade it on the barter section of the popular website Craigslist. He asked people to trade with him anything of ...

3903. The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

James Merritt

Country singer Darryl Worley once wrote a song about meeting the girl of his dreams and proposing to her. I couldn't help but think of my wife Teresa and my feelings for her when I listened to the song it goes like this: Big brown eyes, soft red lips I'm thinkin' I could get use to this This could be the opportunity of a lifetime My heart melts when you whisper my name I've got a feeling if you're feeling the same This could be the opportunity of a lifetime We've got a chance at real true love We'd have to ...

3904. What Shall We Become?

Luke 3:7-18

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

More than forty years ago a play titled, Mourning Pictures, opened off-Broadway. Written by Honor Moore, it is the moving account of the last six months of her mother's life. Jenny Moore was no ordinary human being. She was the wife of the Episcopal Bishop of New York and the mother of nine vivacious children and an author in her own right. About a year before her death, she was in an automobile accident that led to a partial nervous breakdown, and just when she was about to recover from this ordeal, she ...

3905. The Intimate Gospel: The Word became Flesh

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

We’re beginning today a series of sermons on the Gospel of John. Earl Palmer rightly calls this gospel, the intimate gospel. Because that’s what it is. It’s the personal story of John of the personal Christ. We’re going to be doing during the next few weeks, maybe more than a few weeks, we’re going to be doing what I call ‘preaching through this gospel.’ Now this will not be a verse-by-verse or a chapter-by-chapter study of the gospel, but rather we will hit the high spots. In fact, I have an idea that we ...

3906. Climbing the Right Ladder

Genesis 28:10-19a

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

How do you define success? I would like to talk about that today. Robert Raines says, “Success is a moving target. Every time I make my mark, somebody paints the wall,” go the lyrics of a country song. Oliver Wendell Holmes at age 90 said, “The secret to my success is that at an early age, I discovered I was not God.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To leave the world a bit better, to know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived, that is to have succeeded.” We catch up with our Old Testament ...

3907. What Would Jesus Say About War?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Once more we Americans gather for worship amidst the imminent danger of war. This week our government officials told us to gather supplies of food and water, make emergency communication plans with our families, and buy duct tape. Many of our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters have been deployed to military alert positions. Today we wait for yet another United Nations resolution. In one sense, there is nothing new about wars and rumors of wars. In my lifetime alone, there have been over a ...

3908. From Greed to Generosity

Mark 10:17-27

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Author and spiritual director Richard Foster says, “The great moral question of our time is how to move from greed to generosity." That's what we would like to talk about today. A. GREED: the Bible calls it avarice, or covetousness. Greed is the gratification of my desires often at the expense of the common good. We all have a need for greed. We are born to be greedy. It would be easy today to talk about the greediness of Enron executives who are on trial for pocketing millions of dollars. It would be ...

3909. Righting Wrong

Romans 9:1-5

Sermon

Larry Lange

To Jim it seemed like an opportunity to right decades of wrongs. As Jim learned more and more about the congregation he had joined, he began to discover it languished from a festering tumor lodged deep within it. The previous two pastors, over their fifty-plus-year tenure, had never made much headway trying to move people from merely being members of the big fancy downtown church to being disciples, to committing their lives and loyalty fully to mission and ministry. The last pastor had, in fact, resorted ...

3910. Tears, Perfume and Forgiveness

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There was a certain young woman who was nervous about meeting her boyfriend's parents for the first time. As she checked out her appearance one last time, she noticed that her shoes looked dingy. So she gave them a fast swipe with the paper towel she had used to blot the bacon she had for breakfast. Arriving at the impressive home of her potential in-laws, she was greeted by the parents and their much-beloved, but rotten-tempered, poodle, Cleo. Well, the dog got a whiff of the bacon grease on the young ...

3911. A Child Will Be Born

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

King Duncan

It was a cold December afternoon. Rain mixed with snow splashed against the windshield. Overhead dark clouds hovered seemingly just above the treetops. All day long two men, a pastor named Jerry and a layman named Jim, had been delivering Christmas boxes. Many of the families who would receive these boxes would get nothing else for Christmas that year. The pickup truck had been loaded when the two men started out on their journey but now, only one box remained. It was covered with an old piece of tarp to ...

3912. Counting Our Spiritual Blessings

John 6:25-59

Sermon

King Duncan

One of my favorite Peanuts comic strips is the one that came out some years ago just a few days before Thanksgiving. Lucy’s feeling sorry for herself and she laments, “My life is a drag. I’m completely fed up. I’ve never felt so low in my life.” Her little brother Linus tries to console her and he says, “Lucy, when you’re in a mood like this, you should try to think of things you have to be thankful for; in other words, count your blessings.” To that, Lucy says, “Ha! That’s a good one! I could count my ...

3913. What Does It Mean to Be Blessed?

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

“‘I’m so blessed.’ You hear it more and more these days,” notes Pastor Richard Allen. “Most noticeably . . . from famous people, and often in acceptance speeches. Clutching a golden statue they say, ‘I’m so blessed to be here today’ . . . My issue,” continues Allen, “with such usage is not that it is flippant, or even untrue. Actors and politicians can be deeply sincere about feeling blessed. My issue with such usage is that it is so easy. It requires little effort, in a moment of victory, to know oneself ...

3914. Enemies of the Cross

Philippians 3:17 - 4:1

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Whenever I lead an inquiry class for those who want to learn more about my congregation and the faith we confess, I try to keep things very simple and boiled down to the basics. I call it an inquiry class because by exploring their questions I hope to help them to see what is at the heart and core of the Christian faith. What is that heart and core? It is revealed by a shocking answer to a simple question. It is a question that every human being asks: What do I have to do to be saved? It is a question that ...

3915. Looking for Ducklings: Kissing the Sidewalk

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

Tony Everett

Poor Daryl. One moment he was enjoying a beautiful springtime walk looking for ducklings along a lakeside nature trail. The next moment he was lying face down on the sidewalk, wondering where all the blood came from. As he was struggling to his feet a park ranger rushed over with a towel and first aid kit. After cleaning blood from Daryl’s face and making sure that Daryl was not seriously injured, the ranger said, “I noticed that when you tripped you were looking out at the lake instead of at the path. ...

3916. Paul's Concern for the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

The third and last section of 2 Corinthians 10–13 prepares the way for Paul’s third visit to Corinth. His first visit was to found the church (Acts 18); his second visit was to check the church (2 Cor. 2:1); and now his third visit will be to judge the church. If Paul’s ministry of the Spirit is convincing evidence for the legitimacy of his apostolic authority and ministry, a ministry that he attributes directly to God (cf. 2:14, 17; 3:5–6; 10:17), then the Corinthians’ decision to reject that ministry ...

3917. Jephthah

Jud 10:6–11:40

Understanding Series

Cheryl A. Brown

Jephthah: Ammonite Oppression · Jephthah is not mentioned by name, but this section sets the stage, both generally and specifically, for his entrance on the scene. The author describes Israel’s deteriorating spiritual condition and interaction with God about their circumstances (vv. 6–16); more specifically, he begins to focus attention upon the events that directly led to Jephthah’s rise to leadership (vv. 17–18). The obvious emphasis in this section is upon the general, spanning as it does eleven verses ...

3918. Jacob Apprehension in Meeting Esau

Genesis 32:1-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Jacob’s Enigmatic Wrestling Match: Before Jacob’s wrestling match (vv. 24–30), he has a vision of angels at Mahanaim (vv. 1–2). On the surface this brief report seems to be disjunctive. Nevertheless, several terms tie these two passages into the flow of the Jacob narrative. Jacob meets the angels or messengers of God (mal’ake ’elohim), and he sends “messengers” (mal’akim) to meet Esau. There is a play on “camp” (makhaneh; 32:2, 8, 10, 21) and “gift” (minkhah; 32:13, 20; 33:8, 10). Two terms for grace ...

3919. Jacob Wrestles with God

Genesis 32:1-32

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

3920. Rain of Grace

Hosea 6:1--7:16

Sermon

Lori Wagner

[You may want to use the sound of rain….like you get from a rainstick; or if a rainy day, call attention to the sound of the rain outside.] The sound of rain. That steady, pattering on windows and spouting, sidewalks and cars. It can almost lull you to sleep. It’s a comforting sound. It’s almost a lullaby sound. If you’re a farmer or a gardener, you may keep rain barrels. Years ago, people would catch rain in buckets. Why? Because rainwater is gentle, free of chemicals, clean, and fresh. Plants and crops ...

3921. Formed by the Potter's Loving Hand

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, John 8:48-59, John 9:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Anyone here own an animal? A pet? Or let me put that better than “pet owner:” Any pet parents here? Pet partners? [Give people time to answer.] True pet lovers know that animals have a kind of freaky sense about people. They seem not only to sense if someone is afraid of them or not (they smell fear, we say). They can also instinctively sense a person’s spirit –whether that person is friend or foe, approachable or not, even happy or sad. Have you ever noticed how cats like to cuddle up to those strangers ...

3922. A Dirt Story

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

A Sunday school teacher had been teaching about how God created Adam from the dust of the earth. A little boy in the class—who happened to be the pastor’s son—said with alarm, “You mean I’m made out of dirt?” His teacher responded, “Well, in a sense, yes.” He thought for a moment, processing this information through his four-year-old brain, then stated wide-eyed, “My Mom is NOT going to be happy about that!” (1) Today I am telling a “Dirt Story” [as opposed to a dirty story which would not, of course, be ...

3923. The Heartbeat of a Christian

1 John 3:16-24

Sermon

King Duncan

We all know that there are certain physical characteristics that are totally unique to each individual. Your fingerprints, for example, are entirely unique—no one else has fingerprints exactly like yours. The pattern of your iris, the colored part of your eye, is totally unique. So is your DNA. But did you know that your heartbeat is completely unique too? Every person on earth has a different heartbeat pattern, or “cardiac signature.” Your cardiac signature cannot be altered or disguised. So, if someone ...

3924. For Men Only?

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

In the year 311 BC a marriage contract in Egypt was drawn up for Heraclides and Demetria, both from the town of Koan. The contract specified that the bride was bringing into the marriage clothing and bling worth a thousand drachmas. Heraclides, meanwhile, agreed to support Demetria according to what was fitting for a freeborn woman. As to where the two of them would live, that would be whatever they both agreed to after consulting with each other. This marriage, like some that we read about, also had ...

3925. Spirit Powered Anointing

Luke 4:14-21 · Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Anointing. This is a term that means that the Holy Spirit is with you, that the Holy Spirit has come upon you. When you are “anointed,” you are not only empowered but commissioned into action. The word comes from the Greek word echrisen, to anoint from the root chrio, also related to christos, anointed one, the word we call “messiah.” Jesus has been “contracted” by God with the power of the divine Holy Spirit to impart “good news” of God’s favor and grace. And what good news it was! This inauguration of ...

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