Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 3926 to 3950 of 5000 results

3926. Is Conscience the Best Guide?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... mind and spirit of Jesus Christ, what would Christ have me do?" I am confident that a revolution would follow if we were to ever really take that question seriously. But that is what we mean when we confess our faith that "Jesus Christ is Lord." "Lord," in the vernacular, means "Boss." What if Jesus Christ really were Boss around here? Lloyd C. Douglas, the author of the famous book "The Robe," was pastor of First Congregational Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for many years. He once told the following story ...

3927. On Panicking Close to Shore

John 6:16-24

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... s Gospel says that Jesus told them to do so. It seems that it was His intention to walk around the north end of the lake and join them when they docked at Capernaum. This would take Jesus through the “deserted places of Bethsaida” - an area where our Lord often went when he wanted to be alone. I have passed by this place many times, and it is rocky and desolate and forbidding. But it is just right for prayer and meditation, and it got Jesus away from the tumultuous crowds. Now, the disciples set out on ...

3928. Sine Qua Non

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... began by quoting the call to worship used in the Temple in His day, (Deut. 6:4-5) and the confession of faith used by every Jew in every synagogue down to our own day. “Shema y’isroel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai ehod.” “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one...” But Jesus went further to expound on the implications of that confession of faith. If God is one, then God’s people ought also to be one. It was probably Jesus who first brought together the two great commandments of Deut. 6:4 and ...

3929. Where Is My Guest Room?

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... they live as citizens of this world, their primary loyalty is to that realm of which Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords...and their primary purpose is to try to make this world conform to that heavenly one; And so they pray: “Thy kingdom come ... s Book of Remembrance. How much the Church owes to men and women like him: the unknown soldiers in the Army of the Lord. The unsung heroes of all the generations. Those who stand steadily in the background. The Church has bystanders and those who stand by. ...

3930. Sleeping through a Revolution

Mark 14:32-42

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... , agonizing over God’s will for His life, and how He was to accomplish it. Like us, He’d like to avoid the confrontation with evil, suffering, and death, but through it all He could say: “Not my will, but thine be done...” that petition from the Lord’s Prayer which we say so easily, and neglect so quickly. I imagine that in some sense, this scene in the Garden is a replay of that time on the mountain when Jesus’ began His ministry and faced the “temptations” - the questions as to just what ...

3931. Who Needs a Shepherd? (I am the good shepherd)

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... would be impoverished of the direction and guidance only he can give. Most Americans relish being independent rather than dependent on anyone or anything--especially authority figures. However, we know that it is tough sledding to go it alone. So when we declare, "The Lord is my shepherd . . ." we are simply admitting our need of Almighty God. We realize that we must give God the space he deserves to have in our soul and spirit. He created us--therefore this space belongs to him--but we must decide whom ...

3932. GIVE ME YOUR SINS: The First Word

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... ransom for many." The gospel of Saint Luke declares, "For to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." As we ponder the meaning of the cross, we can see why we are tempted to keep the baby in the manger and not allow Him ... incarnational love of God expressed in Jesus Christ. It is so easy to become cold and calculating to the point that the image of our Lord is also one that is very cool and cold. The greatest message that the church has to offer is that God has provided a ...

3933. Emptying and Exalting (Part XI)

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... this great text. The words are EMPTYING and EXALTING. I believe I find some of the same truths taught in this passage by Paul in our Lord Jesus Christ''s teaching in Luke 18:9-14 of the familiar story of two men who went to the temple to pray. It is not ... the bloody crown of thorns,The Cross and nails no more, For Hell itself falls at his feet, And all the heavens adore--Him! Yes, the Lord who humbled himself is now exalted above all things. Now, because he is lifted up, he is able to lift us up to be with him ...

3934. The Destructive Power of Dis-Unity

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... is what will work: When people stop sitting in the pew saying, `They''re not meeting my needs'' and start saying, `Whose needs can I meet?'' then needs will be met. When the servant spirit flourishes in a congregation, then they minister to each other as unto the Lord.''" (1) Yes, Euodia and Syntyche could have stood toe to toe, but sin prevented them from seeing eye to eye and from doing the greater work that God had for them to do. I know today many people in the church believe in the church in general ...

3935. Tackling the Tough Tasks

James 2:1-13

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... at least two more people showed up!" Remember, in the Christian faith, we all lean on the grace of God. We are all beggars--telling other beggars where we have found the bread of life. The word of God tells how "mortals look upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looks upon the heart." We who are Christ''s people must learn to see people as Christ sees them. Christ died for us all and lives in us all, and Christ does not play favorites! The cross is all the fame, fortune and favored status we will ever ...

3936. The Temptation to Talk Transformation

James 2:14-26

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... man can no more possess a private religion than he can possess a private sun, moon or stars." Every time we pray the Lord''s Prayer, we declare--give us this day OUR daily bread-- not give me this day MY daily bread. We are reminded that ... parishioners at the door of his meeting house on Easter Sunday. He said to one man, "I want you in the army of the Lord!" "I am in the army of the Lord," came the reply. "Then why do I only see you at Christmas and Easter?" With a twinkle in his eye, the man said, "Because ...

3937. Tired of Trying?

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... believers could pour out their cynicism and complaints about life in order that they may continue to be committed and courageous to do the work of God. This is a good thing to do. In Psalm 40, we see how David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord." We further read in the Galatians letter that "patience" is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Shakespeare was right on when he said in Othello, "How poor are they that have no patience." Someone else wrote that "patience, they say, is the capacity for ...

3938. Three Modern Meanings of the Ancient Christmas Story

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... will receive Him, Still the dear Christ enters in. Oh Holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin, and enter in, Be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel! Dr. R. Maurice Boyd often shares in his writings the testimony of a great man, Dr. Julius Moldenhower who told how, as a child, he actually believed the Christmas story as written in St. Luke in the Bible. But there came a time in his journey that he ...

3939. The Marvelous Message of Easter

Mark 16:1-20, Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... the rock as a huge lump of gold. In fact, it proved to be the largest gold nugget ever found east of the Rocky Mountains. Like the man who failed to recognize gold when he held it in his hands, the disciples failed to recognize the true nature of our Lord after spending three full years with him. Jesus holds all the keys of life; He holds life and death, heaven and hell, the abundant life, the authentic life, all of them are in the hands of Christ. This is the most important truth that God has made known to ...

3940. What Is Your Response to the Resurrection?

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... were no longer bystanders but witnesses to the greatest news the world has ever heard or ever will hear. Yes, the day you believe in the resurrection is the day you change the world. I urge you not to look in all the wrong places this year. Look at the Lord, Jesus Christ! If your response to the Resurrection has been and is one of silence or fear, I plead with you to stay with the story and allow the truth of this glorious day to lead you from "fear" to "faith" in Jesus Christ. Because the day you believe ...

3941. The Impossible Option

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... youth group's Habitat for Humanity project. A family decides to simplify its lifestyle as a response to the Gospel, and to give more time and financial support to the ministry of its church. Small things? Maybe. But they may be the first fruits of a new life that our Lord raises up when the old dies. Who knows what sort of new life God will shape in us as we begin to take him at his word? Who knows what things that we "give up" in order to travel lightly and gracefully with him will be taken up and hallowed ...

3942. Will the Real Blind Beggar Please Stand Up?

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... on our own. Call him here! Go back to the ones you ignored, silenced, disdained, or insulted. Go back and see them with your Lord's eyes. Hear them with your Savior's ears. Speak to them with your Redeemer's very words. Your healing will come in the ... and live rightly on the strength of our Savior's unutterable love for us. And for all of us, as for Bartimaeus, our Lord stands still. He listens. He commands us -- or our neighbors -- with a word that begins to heal our unseen, unconfessed blindness: You call ...

3943. Hanging the Law on Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... happen in our neighbors' lives. We're already answering the question, "Why are these commandments linked so absolutely?" But there's more to why our Lord was so emphatic about that point, and backed it up with the authority of heaven itself. It has to do with who God is, ... we won't feel any exalted emotional response when we worship or pray. We may still doubt or wrestle with God. Even our Lord did that in Gethsemane! And yet in his next breath, he prayed, your will be done. Think of his anguished cry from ...

3944. The Face that Launched a Thousand Lives

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... the presence of love coming through his prayer, as he says, "Ah, thou hast heard me at last. Thou hast not forsaken me! Thou hast always loved me! I am forgiven! I can forgive myself -- through thee. I can believe! At last I see! I have always loved. O Lord of love, forgive thy blind fool! Thou art the Way, the Truth -- the Resurrection and the Life, and he that believeth in thy love, his love shall never die." For John and Elsa, only when love has had the final word could there be a new creation of their ...

3945. Lift High the Tree

John 12:20-36

Sermon

George Bass

... morning sun cast the shadow of the cross onto that arch and, later, it fell on the pews and the people in them. I wondered if it ever fell on the pulpit or the altar-table, and I realized that if and when it fell on the Table of the Lord, it would become an invisible crucifix and Christus Victor cross at once. That Tree and that Table bring us together as a believing community every week. And they invite the whole world to join us, in the name of Jesus Christ. Here is where people get to "see" Jesus - and ...

3946. Death Leads to Life

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... bears much fruit" (John 12:24). Again Jesus tells us, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, will save it" (Luke 9:24). The cross is not an option for those who wish to be disciples. The Lord makes this expressly clear as well, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). Thus, we know from scripture that there is one and only one way to enter into the eternal life promised us by ...

3947. A Guiding Presence

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... second scripture lesson which the sermon is based, comes from Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, the 8th chapter. I’m beginning with the first verse and reading through the 11th verses, and I’m reading from the Revised Standard Version. This is the word of the Lord, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not ...

3948. Servants Without Portfolio

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Not only is that a beautiful description of who Jesus is, it’s a call to you and me ... angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man, was I going to ask for me. Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand, I could not. I ...

3949. Living With The Nitty Gritty

1 Peter 1:13-2:3

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... My next trip to Paris! Why my next trip to the grocery store will be an event within self. Three sick babies, three rainy weeks, and I need a travel agent to make arrangements to that I may bring my food from afar.” And then she prays, “Dear Lord, let me know that this is just stage in the episode of growth with children. Imbue me with patience in the knowledge that this too shall pass, and keep me from growing irritable through this winter crisis. Thank you for the small blessing that my husband in his ...

3950. Who Are You Waiting For?

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, He gives power to the faint and to him who has not might, He increases strength. Even youth shall faint and grow weary and young men shall fall exhausted, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” This is an Advent shout. Long before Jesus arrived on the scene to flesh out this dream of Israel, the prophet had a ...

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