Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 376 to 400 of 1522 results

Joel 2:18-27

Sermon

John A. Stroman

... attitude toward nature, to where we are incapable of perceiving the harmonious sounds of nature."2 Our deafness toward nature has tragically caused an enmity between humankind and nature, between nature and nature which makes thanksgiving, on our part, almost impossible. To the earth it's tough to sing those thanksgiving hymns when we realize what we have done through the greed of our commercialism and consumerism. Somehow we Christians have come to believe that creation and every created creature is ...

377. How To Treat Your Enemies

2 Samuel 18:1-18

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... But his company had fired him last August just a few years before he could retire with full benefits. It seems the company didn't want to pay full retirement benefits, so they singled out those who'd be getting it soon, pressured them with relocations and impossible responsibilities, hoped they'd quit, but fired them for incompetency when they didn't. No, the world has not changed all that much since Nabal sheared his sheep. Revenge! Back to the text. What's David going to do? He's done right. But he's been ...

378. Mirror, Mirror ON The Wall . . .!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... themselves with fig leaves. Gone was their self-assurance. Missing was their self-worth. \n This break is still within us today. And one's inability to love himself affects nearly every area of his life. It affects one's relationship with God. If you hate yourself, it is impossible to love the Lord. The logic usually runs like this: "I don't like me. And God is my creator. Therefore, I will have nothing more to do with God. He messed me up the first time. I won't give him a chance to foul me up again ...

379. The Waiting Place

Isaiah 63:7--64:12

Sermon

William L. Self

... with a new patience that very difficult state of being, Advent."2 Advent is the waiting place. All of us have been called to spend more time than we want to in the waiting place. The children of Israel were caught there as slaves in Egypt for an impossible length of time. They were longing to be set free from Pharaoh's taskmasters. But their freedom would have meant nothing if they had not had the incubation of the long wait. Or fast forward to Moses leading them out of bondage. Instead of being able to go ...

380. Famous Last Words

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

William L. Self

Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible." -- Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895 "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." -- Western Union internal memo, 1876 "Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction." -- Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at ...

381. Failure Is Not Final

Hosea 2:2-23

Sermon

William L. Self

... first came to Atlanta, the dean of the Textile School at Georgia Tech was in our church, and he asked if I would like to meet Coach Bobby Dodd. Of course, I wanted to meet him; any red-blooded American boy wants to meet a legendary coach who has won impossible football games. So the dean and I went out to Rose Bowl Field to meet Coach Dodd. It was a great day. This tall, lanky Tennessean said, "Do you know why we call this Rose Bowl Field? We bought this field with the money that Georgia Tech made when they ...

382. All Dressed Up And Somewhere To Go!

Isaiah 62:1-12, Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... , the mood changed. Life became very bleak. Their optimism was abruptly challenged by tremendous economic difficulties. With few financial resources, meager food supplies, and harsh weather conditions, the people found the task of rebuilding their once proud homeland next to impossible. They had come home to a forsaken and abandoned city in ruins. God seemed silent. God had made promises and the people had believed in them, but what had been promised had not materialized. God had, indeed, brought them back ...

383. Hear, Hear

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... do you have a grudge?" the lawyer questioned. "No, just a carport." Then the lawyer asked, "Does he beat you up?" "No," the woman replied, "I get up before he does." Exasperated, the attorney demanded, "Madam, why do you want a divorce from your husband?" "Because it is impossible to communicate with that man!" Question: How well do we hear God's voice? This text is a call to get the earwax out of our ears, perhaps to get a hearing aid, cup our hand over our ears at least, and listen intently to what God is ...

384. To Have And To Hold (Your Tongue)

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

... malicious and gather strength with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed. I flourish at every level of society. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me, for I have no face or no name. To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobody's friend. Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never quite the same. I topple governments and wreck marriages. I ruin careers, cause sleepless nights, heartaches, and grief. I make innocent people cry ...

385. So Much To Say, So Little Time

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

... this point, they were struggling just to understand what he had been trying to tell them. They were still stumbling over the meaning of the parables, attempting to put some flesh on stories that seemed to be like a gossamer cloth spun with gold thread, yet impossible to grasp even when they had their hands on it. They were constantly bickering with each other, trying to get a more prominent place in the order of things, a little like first graders lining up at the water fountain at school. For twelve grown ...

386. The Other Resurrection

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

... there. Why, some of those small one-horse towns have to close down when the horse dies! Perhaps, Jesus saw his own mother in that widow -- someone whose life had been centered around her children, who had faced the world alone, and who would have to face impossible pain at the death of her child. Maybe in this one instance, he could respond to the anguish that he saw so often in the world around him. He could not always deal with each individual's pain during his earthly ministry, but in this one instance ...

387. The Ash Account

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

Sermon

Charles M. Mills

... enticing a customer to buy a product in these inflationary times. Motivation is essential to healthy living. A good marriage flounders unless both partners are committed to remaining faithful to and interested in one another. A successful championship season is impossible unless coach and players are fortified in the fray of competition by being highly motivated. In the spiritual life our motivation is important if we are to serve Jesus with energy, intelligence, imagination and love. In our scripture text ...

388. Share Your Unique Story

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Richard Hasler

... something important is happening in their midst. But they do not really believe it. In time their skepticism shows. Years ago, a little church off the coast of England was all but destroyed in a hurricane. The congregation thought that it would be impossible for them to rebuild because of the lack of finances. Then one day a representative of the British admiralty came to the minister to ask about the reconstruction plans. The preacher explained their problem. "Well," said this officer of the British Navy ...

389. Come To The Light

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... in which men were kept, and no oil lamp would be put in the hands of a man who might be desperate to escape his prison cell. So most of prison time was lived in dank, underground cells, in a darkness so thick as to be nearly impossible to penetrate, no matter how one might strain to see. Such sensory deprivation often led to madness, so that even when a person was released, their imprisonment might persist in their minds. Furthermore, first century city streets had no illumination either. To be out at night ...

390. Choosing Sides

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

... likely that we will excuse our behavior on the grounds that "I can't help it; I was -- __________ (fill in the blank: abandoned, abused, seduced, misled, drunk, addicted, sick, and so forth)." And then stop thinking, working, amending. "Obviously," we hint, "it's impossible for me to change; you'll just have to accept me as I am, warts and all!" Never dreaming that our "warts" look like volcanoes from the outside! This is not what the scriptures tell us. And if we continue to insist that people cannot ...

391. You Can Be Less Worried

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

... to me to title this segment of the series "You Can Be Worry Free," but I realized no one would believe it. The truth is, I don't believe it, either. To desire a life that is "worry free" is in all likelihood to dream the impossible dream. Between 20 and 30 percent of all Americans will live today under significant stress. Thirteen million will worry intensely for at least 90 minutes. It may be about our marriages, children, jobs, mortgages, health, grades, friends or a host of other issues. Whatever the ...

392. Week Four Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... Hebrews in exile needed the reassurance that God was there for them. The prophet says, God will release the prisoners; hunger and thirst will be dispelled. A road will be cut through the mountains; all highways will be made level. It might seem impossible that a mother would forget her child. If she should forget, however, God will never forget Israel. The oneness that the child and mother experience at the moment of birth is the reality of the relationship between God the Father and Son. Jesus describes ...

393. Make A Choice

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... ? Why couldn't he just wash his hands of the whole disturbing affair? But even though Pilate was the powerful Roman Governor, and Jesus but a humble carpenter from Galilee, Pilate stood confronted with an issue he could not dodge. Neutrality was impossible! Many years ago there was a colorful National League baseball umpire named Charlie Moran. Moran regarded himself and his baseball decisions highly. He was one of those umpires who took great personal pleasure in telling some high paid ballplayer, ''You're ...

394. Our Helper

Acts 8:26-40

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... community of faith we experience forgiveness, love, and all the fruits of the Spirit. Tradition has it that this Ethiopian went home and evangelized all of his country for Christ. If that is indeed true, then this man, like so many of us, simply found it impossible to keep from sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. It is the Helper that unites us with others who have experienced that same gift of amazing grace. One of the most remarkable testimonies to this aspect of the Spirit's work was given ...

395. Biography Of A Changed Person

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Robert Beringer

... out and take hold of the free gift of God's amazing grace, and start living a new life. Lots of people miss what God offers, because they still think that God's grace and forgiveness are something you earn like scouts earn merit badges! It is almost impossible to accept a gift we can never earn and will certainly never deserve. But when Zacchaeus came down out of the tree and went home with Jesus, he gladly accepted God's gift of grace. The novelist, A. J. Cronin, tells a story from his own experience as ...

396. From A Distance

Exodus 24:1-18

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... jump off the ski jump or leap into the air with skates on! It's remarkable what some people are able to do, and do it with grace and apparent ease. Can you do a back flip on a narrow beam of wood and leather? I still say it's impossible, even though I've seen it with my own eyes. Some of that hero stuff was going on in the story we heard read this morning. Here's Moses, who's already a hero from leading the Hebrews out of Egypt. Now we see him, with Joshua, climbing up a ...

397. Traveling Forgotten Mountains

Isaiah 49:8-26

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

... of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands ..." One of the ways students in school remind themselves of the assignment for the coming week is to write it on their hands! Impossible to forget. Perhaps this is the image to take with you: a loving God taking pen in hand and writing on the almighty palm your every need. With that confidence we all can travel our mountains of despair, of feeling forgotten, putting our hand in the hand of ...

398. Week Three Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... as we love ourselves. It is significant that when asked by the scribe to state the "first of all commandments," Jesus gives two laws, bound together with the common theme of love. Certainly Jesus is asking the scribe, and all of us as well, to see that it is impossible to separate the love of God from the love of neighbor. Love must be the binding force in the way we conduct our lives; it must be the glue that keeps us close to God and one another. Love is a complicated concept -- this is nothing new for ...

399. Week Five Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... you will see other informational signs, such as an advertisement for a new movie, a theatrical performance or the latest fad in dress. Some signs are far more powerful than merely providing information for they raise certain emotions. When one looks at a swastika it is impossible to look away without thinking of the Holocaust and the many other horrors of World War II. Different emotions are generated in us when we see the national flag. It is a sign of the nation, but it stands for so much more. In the ...

400. When Life Doesn't Go According To Plan

Genesis 21:8-21

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

... the centuries, multitudes have thought they could engage in a relationship outside marriage without harmful consequences. Almost 100 percent of the time, people discover that monogamous relationships are difficult enough. An uncomplicated menage a trois is all but impossible. Sure enough, things become problematic. When she becomes pregnant, Hagar ceases acting like Sarah's handmaiden and begins to act like the queen of the tent. Serious trouble ensues between the two women and Hagar finds herself out ...

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