Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 376 to 400 of 832 results

John 4:1-26

Sermon

King Duncan

... A Mercedes-Benz TV commercial shows one of their cars colliding with a concrete wall during a safety test. Someone then asks a Mercedes engineer why their company does not enforce their patent on their car's energy-absorbing car body. The Mercedes' design has been copied by almost every other car maker in the world in spite of the fact that they have an exclusive patent. The engineer replies in a clipped German accent, "Because in life, some things are just too important not to share." (1) Wow! What a great ...

377. Focusing On The Possibilities

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... FROM DANTZING HIMSELF WHICH CONTAINS SOME CORRECTIONS TO SCHULLER'S ACCOUNT : "It happened because during my first year at Berkeley I arrived late one day at one of [Jerzy] Neyman's classes. On the blackboard there were two problems that I assumed had been assigned for homework. I copied them down. A few days later I apologized to Neyman for taking so long to do the homework — the problems seemed to be a little harder than usual. I asked him if he still wanted it. He told me to throw it on his desk. I did ...

378. The Appearance of Love

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... at school could have given Eli the number as a joke. Maybe even his older brother, Josh. Certainly Eli was too young to be interested in such things. But, try as he might, Phil could not shake the idea that his 9-year-old son might really have copied the number down for himself and, horror of horrors, might have already used it. He and Connie would have to get to the bottom of this right away. That evening after supper, Phil and Connie called young Eli into the family room and produced the note. "What is ...

379. Be Careful What You Call Me

Matthew 23:1-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... ARE PEOPLE. PRIDE IS PRIDE. There was once a scientist who discovered the art of cloning himself so perfectly that it was impossible to tell the reproduction from the original. One day, he learned that the Angel of Death was searching for him, so he produced a dozen copies of himself. The angel was at a loss to know which of the thirteen specimens before him was the scientist, so he left them all alone and returned to heaven. But not for long, for being an expert in human nature, the angel came up with a ...

380. Future Tense

Luke 12:54-59

Sermon

King Duncan

... wise and loving advice to him before Jimmy went off to fight in World War II. In a letter, Alex Stewart wrote, "My dear Jim boy, Soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to the worst sort of danger . . . I am banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm. The thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise of these words . . . I can say no more . . . I love you more than I can tell you. Dad." Part of the 91st Psalm reads, "For he shall give his angels charge over thee ...

381. Living With Pizzazz

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... Jesus going to give a moral to this story? What does he want to say to his disciples? Well, obviously he's not telling people to be dishonest. He's not just saying: Go and do likewise! He's probably got some attitude in mind which he wants people to copy. And if there's one thing that holds the story together, if there's one idea around which everything revolves, if there's one quality of character on which all the details hinge, IT HAS TO BE THE GENEROSITY OF THE MASTER. Think of it! It was the generosity ...

382. What Would Jesus Really Do?

1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon

King Duncan

... the congregation makes is based on this question, "What would Jesus do?" It's not an easy year for the congregation, but they stay true to their commitment, and in the end have a powerful influence on the surrounding community. IN HIS STEPS sold many millions of copies in its day, is still in publication, and is considered to be one of the most read books in the world. It is a haunting question. What WOULD Jesus do if he were in our place, confronting the dilemmas you and I face each day? Some people ...

383. Straight Backs And Rekindled Dreams

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... slate. Then, his memory returned. Lorne's marriage also returned to its previous state. He entered counseling to help him cope with his relationship problems. The counselor suggested that there was a way to return his marriage to its amnesia-induced bliss. Then she handed him a copy of I Corinthians 13 and told him to live by its teachings. Do you remember how St. Paul described love in that chapter? "œLove does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or rude . . ." That's what it's like to live the ...

384. Building A Life

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... WE ALSO BEGIN WITH HIM AS OUR MENTOR. That is, Christ is not only a dead, historical figure whom we admire. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ is alive in our lives here and now. So the foundation of our lives is not only a model that we copy, but a Mentor who dwells within us, guiding us and encouraging us daily. Max Lucado, in his book IN THE GRIP OF GRACE, tells of his boyhood days when he and his friends would gather on the street each afternoon to play football. One dad in the neighborhood, a ...

385. People Who Inspire Us

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... to have discussed on the evening of April 20th. But Cassie did not make it to the Bible study that night. She was one of the victims of the tragic shootings at Littleton's Columbine High School. After the shooting, Cassie's parents showed Arnold her copy of Seeking Peace, with its handwritten notes for the study session that was never held. Cassie had boldly underlined King's thoughts on death. “Why did these words speak to her at such a young age?" asks Johann Arnold. “It is such a great mystery. But ...

386. Where Can I Be Safe?

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... to play one of the songs featured in the film: WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF? Disney hadn't even arranged to publish the music, and to meet demands for sheet music, he had to send musicians with flashlights into darkened theaters to copy down words and music from the screen. The song soon swept the country as a plucky response to the grinding economic times. Even President Roosevelt said the movie was one of his favorites. (5) Of course, this was during the time when Roosevelt was telling Americans ...

387. The Idiot's Guide To Christianity

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

A substitute Sunday School teacher couldn't open the combination lock on the supply cabinet. So she went to the pastor for help. The pastor started turning the dial of the combination lock, stopped after the first two numbers, looked up serenely toward heaven, began moving his lips silently, turned to the final number, and opened the lock. The teacher gasped, "I'm in awe of your faith, pastor." "Really," he said, "it's nothing. The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling." (1) I wish the answers to all ...

388. It's A Good Thing There Weren't Unions . . .

Matthew 20:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... the hall from his office to the newspaper's library where clippings of articles are filed away for future reference. He needed to look at an article he had written about a year earlier. The librarian took him over to a huge file cabinet. "We take one copy of every article," she said, "and we file it away under the name of the reporter who wrote it." She pulled out a broad, shallow file drawer, and inside were rows packed with yellow envelopes that were stamped 'Lee Strobel.' "Here you go," she said. "These ...

389. Are You Ready For Your Inheritance?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... . The recording ended up in an archive file. Forty years later, the producers of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou came across the recording and used "Po' Lazarus" as the opening song on their soundtrack. The soundtrack was a surprise hit, selling millions of copies. Imagine James Carter's surprise when, 41 years after his stint in prison, two men from a record company showed up at his door with a $20,000 royalty check for a song he didn't even remember. Since then, this obscure song from the prison ...

390. Faith-based Living

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

One of these days, at the end of a message, I am going to give you a pop quiz--just to see how many of you were really listening. That would be cruel, wouldn't it? Don't worry. I'm afraid of the results myself. Few people enjoy taking pop quizzes--or any kind of test for that matter. Some of our young people would give an "Amen" to that. Tests elevate our anxiety level, so people will do some crazy things to prepare themselves for tests. For the benefit of our high school and college students, I want to ...

391. No Plastic Easter

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... to his wife. Mrs. Nolan coordinates get-well gifts for members of their church who are in the hospital. A while back she visited a member who was recuperating from surgery to remove a kidney stone. Not knowing the nature of his illness, she presented him with a copy of a book from the church. It was Max Lucado's, "He Still Moves Stones." (4) Well, God does move stones-kidney stones, stones in front of graves, all kinds of stones. He is alive and at work in our world, comforting those who are in distress ...

392. About Marriage

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

The soloist had laryngitis. The flower girl was ill with pneumonia. The ring bearer had an accident in his blue-velvet pants just before the ceremony, and the mother-of-the-bride left her dress at home by mistake. Things continued to go downhill after the ceremony. It was the coldest day in Maryland in 20 years The newlyweds, Melissa and Tim Donnelly, had borrowed a 1941 Cadillac to ride away in. It got stuck in the ice in the church parking lot, so Melissa stuffed her gown into the back seat of a two-door ...

393. Something To Brag About

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

You already know the story, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded. The second and third Presidents of the United States were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. These men were good friends in their youth, but after Adams was replaced by Jefferson, political disagreements separated them and they never saw each other again. They were eventually reconciled in the last 14 years of their lives and exchanged many affectionate letters. When John Adams died at the age of 91, his last words were, "Thomas Jefferson still ...

394. The Grief Of God

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... OF THE MOST HORRIBLE THINGS THAT PEOPLE DO TO ONE ANOTHER IS SURELY WAR. I am an inveterate clipper. I have a stack of clippings which, despite all of my efforts to weed it out, still stands about two feet high. In that pile I came across a copy of an address which General Douglas MacArthur (hardly a dove) made to a joint session of Congress on April 19, 1951. (Mostly remembered because of his "old soldiers never die; they just fade away" conclusion.) But here is what he said before that: "I know war as few ...

395. A Victory For The Angels

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

Baseball, which used to be America's pastime, finally hit a home run this past week--a truly outstanding World Series. You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate the drama. In fact, with a little imagination, we can envision a conflict of biblical proportions--the Angels against the Giants. The Angels were characterized as a group of no-names, re-treads, journeymen ballplayers while the Giants had their very own Goliath--Barry Bonds, already a baseball legend. The Angels were so close to losing. ...

396. Hey, Gang, We're Moving!

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Over the years, a certain mythic status has been earned by White House telephone operators, who are rumored to be able to find anybody, anywhere, at any time. President John F. Kennedy once challenged a friend to name someone that the operators wouldn't be able to track down. The friend mentioned writer Truman Capote, who kept an unlisted number. Within thirty minutes, the operator had Capote on the line. The amazing thing about this feat is that Capote was not at his own home in New York at the time. He ...

397. Clearing Back The Jungle

Genesis 9:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you remember Kipling's classic story titled "Letting the Jungle In"? It is the story of a group of people who went into the jungle, made a clearing, brought their livestock, planted their crops, and built their homes. For awhile it was a veritable paradise, until the rain years came and the jungle crept back. Wild animals killed their stock. The prolific vegetation of the jungle moved in faster than they could cope with it. The jungle took back their paradise. Of course, Kipling wasn't writing about the ...

398. Mud Below, Stars Above

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever heard the little poem that goes something like this? Two prisoners there were who looked through bars, One saw mud, the other saw stars. Two basic attitudes toward life. What do you see when you look at life? Do you see mud? Or do you see stars? Of course, a lot of what we see is relative. A man went to his rabbi and complained, "Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?" The rabbi answered, "Bring your goat to live in the room with you." The man was ...

399. Son of Man; Son of God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... see much except for the ceiling, but what he hears sensitizes him to the level of service the hospital provides. (2) (I wonder if he wears one of those hospital gowns that are open at the back so he can really see what it’s like.) These executives are but copying what God did when God came into our world in the babe of Bethlehem. God came down to where we are. Evidently there was no other way to lift us up than for God to come down. God emptied Himself. That’s the significance of the babe in the manger ...

400. A Ministry of Encouragement

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... , Abraham Lincoln, needed tangible encouragement to spur his sometimes sagging confidence. When Lincoln was tragically killed, several items were found in his pockets: an embroidered handkerchief, a watch, and some confederate money. But most interesting of all was a ragged copy of a newspaper article. The article had been written during a time of great controversy and turmoil in the country. In the text of the article, the writer extolled Lincoln’s virtues, approving of the decisions he had made in ...

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