Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 3976 to 4000 of 4999 results

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... Family Circus cartoon: The family is leaving church, which has been packed with worshipers. The children are saying: "What a crowd, Daddy! Has our church been advertising?" One of them says, "I like it when the choir sings about that guy named Ollie Looya." Well, I'm kind of fond of old Ollie Looya myself. What would Easter be without music? OF COURSE THE MAIN REASON PASTORS GET EXCITED ON EASTER IS BECAUSE WE GET TO TELL ONCE AGAIN THE STORY OF THE FIRST EASTER. On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene ...

3977. Building On A Firm Foundation

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... young people, ages four to fifteen, who were asked to write their thoughts in Jack Handey's style. Some of them are hilarious in a bizarre kind of way. Here's one by a youngster aged 10: My young brother asked me what happens after we die. I told him we get buried ... , sacrifice, and heroism--a story with eternal value--was overshadowed by a story of greed and adultery. (5) There are all kinds of foundations from which to choose. And God has given us the freedom to choose whatever foundation we will. God will ...

3978. Counterfeit Christianity

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... . In my opinion it was a marvelous poster--with an even greater message. This is what the poster said: "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Jesus asks, "What kind of fruit are you bearing?" Are you bearing the fruits of love, kindness and justice? Or are you bearing the fruits of anger, hate and small-mindedness? You may remember the story of a dear woman who, with great sincerity and dedication, was leading a Vacation Bible School. A young lad ...

3979. Love Is Not Easy

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... was flung open, the guard automatically beat the new victim senseless. For weeks, a new man stepped forward each day to sit in that horrible chair, knowing full well what would happen. At last the guards gave up in exasperation. They were unable to overcome that kind of sacrificial love. (5) Christ wants us to be moral, decent people. Christ wants us to keep the law. But the greatest law is this: to love God and to love your neighbor. When you do those two things, everything else will fall into place. 1 ...

3980. Expectant Living

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... everyone to come to repentance. "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in ...

3981. Nothing Is Impossible With God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... clothes and grinding wheat and caring for children. Most likely, Mary was engaged in some boring domestic chore when the angel appeared to her. The Lord chose to enter an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Luke records, "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "˜Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will ...

3982. Stop Those Two Dear Women From Fighting

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

... s throats. And it is sad. It broke Paul’s heart to see two of his finest lay people hurting the witness of the church because of their enmity toward one another. And so he asks other members of the church to intervene. Every pastor has to face this kind of situation sooner or later. It is part of the human condition. The church isn’t a collection of saints, but of sinners redeemed by grace. Still, we should be able to do better. What causes us to strike out at one another? What causes us to be envious ...

3983. Casting Out Demons

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... once attended he found himself surrounded by an unusual number of tall actors. "Don't you feel rather small among all these big men?" somebody asked him. "Yes, I do," answered Levenson promptly. "I feel like a dime among a lot of pennies." Not many of us have that kind of good feeling about ourselves, do we? It is so important for us to realize that our lives really do matter. But there is yet another demon that troubles many of us. AND THAT IS THE DEMON OF EMPTINESS. At the center of our lives there is a ...

3984. Can We Really Trust God?

Romans 4:1-25

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... adults have questions about life just as you do. We have questions about the future, about what life will be like after we die, all kinds of questions. We don't know the answers. But God knows. All we can do is trust God. I have this branch from a tree with ... have blossoms by the time I reach the top." The slow-moving snail knew that blossoms would appear with the coming of spring. We're kind of like that snail creeping up the cherry tree. We don't have all the answers to life's questions, but we trust by ...

3985. Needed: Peacemakers

Ephesians 2:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... What a great Christian. But here's what we need to know: Kagawa's radical commitment to the least and lowest was but a pale reflection of his Lord's love for all humanity. Jesus broke down the barriers that separated people. Jesus was opposed to all kinds of injustice and oppression. But there is a final way Jesus lived out a lifestyle of peace. He gave his life to bring us peace with God. Listen to the prophet Isaiah's words as he predicted a "suffering servant" who would restore our relationship with God ...

3986. Faith-based Living

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... , 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 share with you a ...

3987. A Failure To Communicate

Hebrews 1:1-4, Hebrews 2:5-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... the shoppers with such authority? Because 18 years before that day, Larry had survived a more devastating tornado. He had been through the danger before, and he knew how to bring others through safely. (2) The writers of the New Testament vowed that Jesus spoke with that kind of authority. Jesus is the perfect revelation of God. "He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being . . ." You want to know what God is like, you want to know what God desires, you want to know what God ...

3988. Children Of Dust Or Children Of God?

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... enthusiasm to do that. The world's enthusiasm will do quite well. No, we're talking about power to become a child of God. Author Chuck Swindoll in his book, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, gives a beautiful example of a man who had that kind of power. Swindoll tells how as a little boy he attended church every Sunday at a big Gothic Presbyterian church in Chicago. The sermons were powerful and the music was great. But to young Chuck, the most awesome moment was the offertory, when twelve solemn, frock ...

3989. I Am Forsaken

Psalm 29:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... to face the possible consequences of the surgery. The Williamsons had to undergo an interview with the university's ethicists. Among the questions the ethicists asked were these, "Do you believe in God?" and "What kind of benevolent God would do this to you?" That second one is a heavy question: "What kind of benevolent God would do this to you?" Have you ever asked yourself that question? How would you answer it? Fortunately, the surgery at Vanderbilt was a success. Ten weeks later, Anna Williamson was ...

3990. I Am Only . . .

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: Bring a pen, the kind that can be taken apart and has a small spring in it. Before you come to the children, take your pen apart, put ... tells us a story similar to the spring and pen. Jeremiah was just a boy, but the Lord told him that He wanted Jeremiah to be a prophet to all the nations. Being a prophet is kind of like being a preacher that travels around to all of the towns preaching. Now, what would you think if God told you to go around preaching to all the people? Jeremiah said, "Oh, God, I ...

3991. Needed: A Radiator Cap Solution

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross." See him as he kneels in the Garden of Gethsemane. Sweat falls from his forehead like great drops of blood as he prays, "Not my will but thine be done." Have you ever prayed that prayer with that kind of intensity? "Lord God, help me to be centered in your will. Help me be the husband or wife or single person or Mom or Dad or teenager or student you want me to be. Help me think as Jesus thought, love as Jesus loved, sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed ...

3992. What Love Looks Like

John 13:31-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... thing. What does it mean that Jesus washed his disciples' feet? Only the purest love can humble itself to that extent, and that kind of love can only come through Jesus' Spirit. Jesus wasn't just saying, "Do as I do." He was telling his disciples, "Be ... sacrificial, agape love; it demands too high a price. As Pastor Tony Evans writes in his book Who Is This King of Glory?, "God's kind of love is sacrificial. If you haven't loved someone to the point of paying a price for that person, you haven't fully loved ...

3993. No Plastic Easter

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... 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, healing hurting hearts and making life a glorious adventure for all who trust His power and His promises. In the words of that wonderful Gaither chorus, "Because He lives, I ...

3994. Begin With The End

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... of people we are here and now. If this world is but a prelude to a better one, then life itself matters. In light of eternity, nothing is inconsequential. It really does matter that we live authentically--that our lives reflect integrity, kindness, justice, and mercy. We aren't living just for today. Each day we are fashioning lives for eternity. Our actions are translated into habits. Our habits become our character, and our character becomes who we are. Living with the end in mind means that everything ...

3995. What Do You Really Know?

John 16:5-16

Sermon

King Duncan

... our faith. And that's good. If we were saved by the power of our intellect, some of us would be at a real disadvantage. Or would we? Sometimes brilliant people have a tendency to substitute their intellectual musings for simple faith--and they go off in all kinds of directions. Most of us would agree that Thomas Jefferson was one of the most brilliant men who ever lived, but it would be a mistake to buy into Jefferson's theology. Jefferson was a deist who believed that God created the world and then told it ...

3996. Bacon Grease And Abounding Grace

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... very good judge of character," the Pharisee thought to himself, "or he would have smelled the bacon grease. He would have known what kind of woman this is who is touching him. She is a sinner." Jesus knew what his host was thinking. "Simon," he said ... the grip of an obsession from which you did not seem to be able to free yourself? It is a miserable, helpless feeling. You make all kinds of resolutions that you just don't seem to be able to follow through on. It's like two men under the influence of liquor who ...

3997. Loved By The Father

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

... people--who are also miserable people because they have never experienced unconditional love. Friend, you are so valuable that Jesus died in your behalf. And Jesus has not called you to be a doormat. He has called you to be an honest, kind, generous person--not because you are afraid others won't like you--but out of the overflow of a heart filled with the love of God. That is what authentic faith does for us--it builds us up. There are some people who have a destructive faith. Some of these ...

3998. Trust Your Upbringing

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

King Duncan

... office is committed to serving Christ? How about among your friends? If a person is committed to living out his or her faith, you will know it. You will know it by the respect he shows his co-workers. You will know it by the acts of kindness in the community. You will know it when temptation is present. You will know it by how she comforts someone in distress. In truth, if you follow Jesus, you will have a difficult time being inconspicuous. The light shows through. It takes an inner strength, but still ...

3999. About Christ

Colossians 1:15-23

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... created everything. He holds all of creation together. He is the head of the church. Because of his blood, we can be at peace and be friends with God. I don't know about you, but I think this tells us that God loves us very much and is a kind caring God. [Pass out the pictures and say:] We really don't know what Jesus looked like but this picture will remind you that God is ...

4000. He Was Afflicted

Isaiah 63:7-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... and thrilling thing to see. That's why the faith has survived these 2,000 years--it is built on that kind of trust in God. In 1984, political commentator George Stephanopoulos traveled to the Sudan to work in the refugee camps with ... their ruler. One time he visited a very poor man who lived in a cellar. He ate the coarse food the poor man ate. He spoke cheerful, kind words to him. Then he left. Later he visited the poor man again and disclosed his identity by saying, "I am your king!" The king thought ...

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