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Showing 3951 to 3975 of 4939 results

3951. Proper 16

Exodus 1:1-22, Matthew 16:13-20, Romans 12:1-8, Psalm 124:1-8

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 1:8-2:10 contains three stories that explore the power of salvation, while Psalm 124 turns the insights gained from the introductory stories in Exodus into the language of praise. Exodus 1:8--2:10 - "The Salvation of the Savior" Setting. Moses is the central human character in the book of Exodus and, indeed, in the remainder of the Pentateuch. He is the one called by God to be the savior. With this knowledge as background, it is easy to conclude that the central event in the Old ...

3952. The Sword of the Lord

Hebrews 4:12-13

Sermon

James Merritt

I want you to listen to this description of a book and see if you can guess which book is described: This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's ...

3953. The Church: The Health of a Godly Family

Hebrews 10:22-25

Sermon

James Merritt

The church is taking a beating. On the outside the picture looks bright. Its affluence is at an all-time high. The church is taking in more money and spending out more money than ever before in all of her glorious history. Just take for example the Southern Baptist Convention. Last year 40,000 Southern Baptist churches took in $6 billion, and now owns property valued at $30 billion. The same could be said for practically every major denomination in America. But a closer look reveals a darker picture. First ...

3954. Apostolic Instruction

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

Saint Paul is "on a roll!" He keeps on coming with what he expects of the followers of Christ, as he has nurtured them. It is as though in a breathtaking fashion he wants to be sure his dear people are instructed properly. The words ring with excitement. Today's readers also feel the holy heat that is generated. The words are not theologically demanding as the same found in some of the passages from both Galatians and Romans. The elementary way we can experience the passage is very helpful. In short, it is ...

3955. I’M with the I AM

1 John 5:14-15

Sermon

James Merritt

How many of you have a computer at home? How many of you ever surfed the net? If you do, you know there is an entirely new language to learn when you get involved with computers. I thought I would give us a little quiz just to see how well we are "with it" when it comes to talking computer lingo. I'll show you the word then you tell me the definition. ASAP – As soon as possible FYI – For Your Information LOL – Laughing Out Loud KIT – Keep In Touch TTYL – Talk To You Later BCNU – Be Seeing You G2G – Got To ...

3956. Great Expectations

1 Peter 1:3-5

Sermon

James Merritt

Easter, without question, is the greatest event that has ever happened that is the focal point of all history. Every time you write down a date you are using the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the reference point. When you write down the year 2003, you mean 2,003 years from what? Well, you obviously mean 2,003 years from the very event that we are celebrating today—the fact that the tomb is empty and Jesus is alive. But we still have to ask the question—Why is Easter so special? Why do over one billion ...

3957. God's Call for All

Acts 9:35-43

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

A church in Pennsylvania reported the death of one of their members recently. Though this woman and her husband, who had died a few years before, had been immensely wealthy, people spoke not of their wealth, although they were very generous, but of what this woman did. They talked about the cookies she would bake for church functions, the in-home visiting she did, the leadership she provided for the youth, and the soapsuds that lathered her arms as she did dishes after every church dinner. People felt the ...

3958. Thanks for Receiving Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

This wonderful chapter of Deuteronomy speaks to us on this Thanksgiving Day of the forms for the presentation of the abundance of a good harvest. The verses suggest that only those who are in communion with the giver can present the gift with a clean heart. It was the custom at the time of the telling of this story that each year, a basket containing firstfruits of the soil was to be brought to the central sanctuary and presented to God. The Bible tells us that firstfruits for the people described in ...

3959. The Charge Against Israel

Hosea 4:1-19

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

God’s Court Case with People and Priests (4:1-10): The redactor of Hosea’s book summarized the prophet’s message for us by collecting together the material in chapters 1–3 and placing it at the beginning of the work. The redactor’s intention with such a collection was that we read chapters 4–14 in the light of that introductory summary. With chapter 4, however, we begin an examination of the separate oracles delivered by the prophet. But they too have been arranged by a redactor, and that constitutes a ...

3960. Devour And Conquer

Mark 12:38-44

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

In recent decades, archaeologists have turned their attention to ancient cooking pits and trash heaps because these reveal what ordinary people were doing a long, long time ago. Instead of assuming history is what the rich and powerful rulers were doing in ancient empires, the trash heaps and cooking pits of so-called ordinary people tell us what real life was like. They tell us about what matters to people. They give us insight into value, which may have very little with price. Trash heaps often include ...

3961. Miracle Nine: Healing A Deaf-Mute

Mark 7:31-37, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

BACKGROUND MATERIAL It is rather strange that Mark is the only Evangelist to record this particular miracle of Jesus. It is believed that the other Gospel writers had Mark's writings in hand when they wrote their Gospels. And this was a double miracle, a healing of both deafness and of a speech impediment. All the more wonder that Mark is the only one to relate this action. Another area of conjecture concerns the man's speech impediment. Although he is often called a deaf-mute, the scriptures refer to his ...

3962. The Assumption Of Discipline

Matthew 6:1-4, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

John N. Brittain

You don't need to be told that we live in a superficial society. We (at least men) surf the channels on the television, catching a glimpse of multiple shows without really watching any one in depth. Increasing numbers of us are doing the same with the internet, confusing access to multiple sources of information for comprehension of it. We are obsessed with physical appearance, creating a massive cosmetic surgery industry while many Americans lack basic health care. It used to be a joke when Billy Crystal' ...

3963. How Not To Throw A Party

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Alex Gondola

When I prepare a sermon, I usually begin by reading the assigned Bible passage for that day, often in several translations. Then I free associate, writing down, as fast as I can, my thoughts about the passage as they come. Next I consult commentaries, the writings of learned Bible scholars, about the verses in question. I did all those things as groundwork for today's sermon. But, I also consulted Emily Post. Not the actual Emily Post, the Baltimore-born socialite who used to summer on Martha's Vineyard. ...

3964. Pentecost

1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Joel 2:28-32, John 7:25-44, Acts 2:14-41, Acts 2:1-13, John 20:19-23

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: The gift of the Holy Spirit, as told by Luke (Acts 2:1-11) and John (the Gospel). The Roman Catholic and Episcopal lectionaries have the Acts passage as the First Lesson, while the Lutheran lectionary has it as the Second Lesson. The 1 Corinthians 12 text has to do with the gifts of the Spirit in the Church and the Lutheran First Lesson (Joel 2:28-29) is the passage referred to by Peter in his Pentecost sermon. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Acts 2:1-21 (C); Acts 2:1-11 (RC, E) The promised Spirit comes upon ...

3965. I Want To Go South, Lord

Genesis 12:1-8

Drama

Jerry Eckert

Comment: One of the great figures of Genesis, Abraham, amazed me the first time I read the story of his argument with God over His plan to destroy Sodom. With that in mind, I got to wondering how Abraham might have handled his anxiety over how his obedience to God was paying off. I chose a time early in his career when that anxiety would have been high. The first time I did this story sermon, a friend let me use a classic old black telephone that dated from the early '40s. With it, I conducted a one-sided ...

3966. Spirit and Life

John 6:25-59, John 6:60-71

Bulletin Aid

RobertT D. Ingram

Note: "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life," Jesus says. How can we do anything but give our absolute total attention to every word from our Savior? GREETING Leader 1: Jesus said, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them." Leader 2: Because he said this, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. Leader 1: "Do you wish to go away also?" Jesus asks. Congregation: Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. Leader 2 ...

3967. Proper 11

Ephesians 2:11-22, 2 Samuel 7:1-17, Mark 6:45-56, Mark 6:30-44

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Building the kingdom of God. COMMENTARY Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Some scholars judge chapter 7 to be an insertion from a later period. The purpose of this text is to explain why King David did not construct the temple. The setting for this pericope finds David victorious over his enemies; he has built himself an ornate palace and wants to build the Lord a worthy dwelling. At that time, the Ark of the Covenant was housed in a tent. David reveals his plan to Nathan, the prophet, who initially ...

3968. Who Holds the Keys to the Kingdom?

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

Steven Burt

Not long ago I met with a student pastor whom I was supervising. He was serving a church in a nearby town. In our conversation we got to talking about who ought to be allowed to come up to the rail for Communion. It seems he had gotten into a disagreement with another pastor in that same town. The other pastor said that no children should be allowed to receive Communion. The pastor I supervised thought it was OK. I, being an astute supervisor, and knowing my supervisee was coming up for ordination ...

3969. Trial-and-Error or Grace

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Thomas Peterson

(This sermon was preached at the Windsor, N.J. United Methodist Church on the occasion of its 150th Anniversary.) Sometime ago I discovered that God wants us to be happy. Happiness, I already knew, is no simple matter. The Bible teaches much about it, but the Beatitudes, to me more than any other text strike to the heart of the working ground for true happiness. “Blessed are those who….” is translated into “Happy are those who….” Now, a great deal has been said and written about the Beatitudes. So I ...

3970. Another Tricky Question

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Johnny Dean

There is a scene in the movie Used People in which a mother/daughter confrontation occurs. In the movie, the daughter - rapidly approaching middle age (whatever that is), divorced, mother of two children - is leaving home and heading for California to make a new life for herself and her children. Naturally, Mother objects. And as mothers sometimes do, she tries to lay a load of guilt on her daughter in order to force her to reconsider this foolish notion. The daughter, however, has learned a few tricks ...

3971. Winning Isn't the Only Thing ... It's Irrelevant

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Carl Jech

Moses and Elijah ... appeared in glory and spoke of his departure which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" (Luke 13:34) The Green Bay Packer football coach, Vince Lombardi, is credited with the declaration: "Winning isn't everything ... It's the only thing!" Now from the very limited perspective of a professional football coach there may be an ...

3972. Life in the Community of Believers

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Peter gives a very dramatic and descriptive look at what it means to be the people of God. "You are a chosen race," he said, "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were no people, but now you are God’s people. . ." That is a significant and encouraging affirmation not only of who we are but of whose we are. It was a difficult and dangerous time for the early Christians when Peter ...

3973. A Desperate Question

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

George Bass

John the Baptizer was in trouble, and not knowing exactly what his fate would be, he suspected the worst. He was in for a long and uncomfortable imprisonment, at best, and he could expect to be executed, at worst. John was soon to lose his head, as you and I know very well, so Herod could save face. He knew he was in trouble. For some unexplained reason, he rather suddenly and unexpectantedly, after reports that his ministry was devoted to preparing the way of the Lord, became uncertain about Jesus’ ...

3974. Jacob’s Dream - A Dream Come True W. Dexter Moser

Genesis 27:1-40

Sermon

Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed ... Genesis 28:11-12 Jacob, with much patience, after many years finally married Rachel. In their nomadic life as shepherds, they, Jacob and Rachel, could have understood a song we sang around the campfire during a summer gathering at Lutheridge. I had a dream dear, you had one too mine was the best dream I ever knew; Come, sweetheart, tell me now is the time You tell me your dream and I will ...

3975. Proper 19

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: Green Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35 Theme: Forgiveness and seventy times seven - You've got to be kidding! Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "In the name of the Hidden One who reveals self through worship, study, prayer, fellowship, welcome to this celebration of the body of Christ. You may want to follow with this litany between pastor/ministers: Pastor: Have you thought about who you are as you come to worship today? Ministers: Some of us have; some of us ...

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