Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4001 to 4025 of 4934 results

4001. Men in Black

Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

Sermon

James Merritt

Have you ever wondered why Lie Detectors are not allowed as evidence in a Court of Law? Well according to one of the top criminal hunters in America, they are too easy to manipulate. First of all, they don't detect lies; they detect stress through pulse, blood pressure and perspiration. But if the subject is not particularly stressed out by fear of punishment, he can beat the machine. He goes on to point out that even if a person is stressed there are still other ways to disguise stress. One is to coat the ...

4002. He Will Abundantly Pardon

Isaiah 55:1-13

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

Perhaps you have taken a vacation with the intention of seeking out some historical or national monument. Some of the favorites are probably Mount Rushmore, the Liberty Bell, the Gettysburg Battlefield, or Valley Forge. Indeed, this may have been the point of the whole vacation, to take in an important site that ties the past to the present, and on into the future. Certainly, if you have been to Valley Forge, for instance, even on a warm summer's day, it is hard not to shiver as you consider the horrific ...

4003. Simeon and Anna: The Quiet of the Country

Luke 2:21-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In the movie, “A Patch of Blue”, the blind girl asks her grandfather, “Old Paw, what’s green like?” The irritated man answers: “Green is green, stupid. Now stop asking questions.” There follows a poignant scene in which the young girl claws the grass with her hands and gently rubs a leaf against her cheek, trying to experience the reality of “greenness”. That is a parable of the human situation. We want to experience reality. We try to dissect it, claw at it, analyze it, explain it. God helps us here. When ...

4004. Blessed To Be A Blessing

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Once there was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it would be a long trip to where God lived, so he packed a suitcase full of Twinkies and cans of root beer (his two favorite foods) and set off on his journey. He had only gone a few blocks when he passed an older woman, sitting on a park bench and just staring at some pigeons. She looked sad and lonely, so the boy went over and sat down next to her. He opened his suitcase, took out a package of the Twinkies and offered it to her. She gratefully ...

4005. Lean Thine Arm on the Windowsill of Heaven (Growing Old Gracefully)

Psalm 90:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In my last sermon, I talked about Parent Burnout. I told some of you that you would get equal time. Today, I’m talking about “growing old”. Next to dying, the recognition that we are aging is the most profound shock of our lifetime. The truth is that the sermon is not just for one segment of the congregation; it’s for all of us. We’re all growing old. And as someone has said, “growing old is not so bad when you consider the alternative.” A 90-year-old was asked what he felt like when he woke up in the ...

4006. Set Free for Life

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Lee Griess

When the famous agnostic, Robert Ingersoll, died, the printed funeral program left this solemn instruction. It read: "There will be no singing." For without faith, few feel like singing in the face of death. Running, perhaps. Crying, certainly. But not singing. Not in the face of death. For without faith, death steals our reason to sing. Death takes the song off our lips and leaves in its place stilled tongues and tear-stained cheeks. We know that is true, not only because we have experienced it, but also ...

4007. and Forgiveness Come Easy When You’re Filled with The Spirit

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

It's Pentecost Sunday, a day when we celebrate the birth of the Church and the giving of the Holy Spirit, as our lesson from Acts (2:1-21) reports. But the Bible makes it clear that it was not just on that first Pentecost that the Holy Spirit was given. It happened to some in Old Testament times (Judges 6:34; 1 Samuel 11:6; 16:13). However, the Spirit was also given during Jesus' own life on earth. Here's the story. The disciples were still pretty much in despair that Sunday evening over the events of Good ...

4008. We Wish to See Jesus

John 12:20-33

Sermon

John Smylie

"Sir, we wish to see Jesus" (v. 21). This was the request of the Greeks who had come to worship at a festival in Jerusalem. These were Gentiles, non-Jews, who likely showed up at the Jewish Passover and other festivals because they intuitively felt that the God of Israel was the true God. Their own philosophies and religious systems must not have been satisfying to them for it seems they knew that there was more to be found. It appears they felt that Israel desired to discover answers to their deepest ...

4009. For the Life of Betsy D. I. Smylie

John 12:20-36

Sermon

John Smylie

4010. Ollie, Ollie, All In Free!

John 8:31-36

Sermon

Steven Molin

It is probably not theologically advisable to begin a sermon with a complaint, but I am going to defy that advice. I have a complaint, and it is this: Nobody plays the good, old, childhood games anymore! When leaves turn color, and temperatures turn cool, my thoughts turn to outdoor games we played as children. Remember those days? All the children in the neighborhood would gather in an empty field somewhere, and we would choose up sides, or decide who was "it" and then the game would begin. It might have ...

4011. Year-Round Christmas

1 Kings 17:1-24

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"When elephants fight, the grass suffers." So goes an old African proverb.[1] The elephants in question here, Yahweh and Baal — gods competing for a nation's allegiance with the original weapons of mass destruction. Drought and disaster, the grass, this widow and her son, were caught in this cosmic struggle between fertility and famine. We meet one of faith's greatest heroes as this story begins. With Elijah there is no question whose side he is on; his name means Yahweh is my God. He gets no introduction ...

4012. A Fool and His Money

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A fool and his money are soon parted, right? Someone has rewritten it to suggest that "A fool and his money are some party!" Of course, this link between a fool and money (or possessions) goes back at least as far as our gospel lesson. The story is prompted by a man from the crowd that has been surrounding Jesus: "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me" (Luke 12:13). Apparently the man's older brother refused to give him what he felt he was due. The laws of inheritance in that day ...

4013. At Points of Dispair

1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a

Sermon

Stephen P. McCutchan

It seems almost inevitable that people who experience the highs of life are also going to experience the lows in life. No one lives on a perpetual high. There are always peaks and valleys. The disciples accompanied Jesus to the mount to witness his transfiguration, but after that they descended into the valley below. Have you ever noticed how often the low comes right after the peaks? As a Christian you aren't called upon to always be on a high. Rather, you are called on to look for the presence of God in ...

4014. Paul’s Second Visit to the Jerusalem Church

Galatians 2:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

2:1–2 Paul says his next visit to Jerusalem was not for another fourteen years. We do not know if the fourteen years later refers to fourteen years after his conversion or after his first visit to Jerusalem. Paul says he and Barnabas went up together and that he took Titus with him. Barnabas and Paul had a functional partnership—Paul must have trusted Barnabas to share his views, or he would not have wanted him present at the Jerusalem meeting. At this stage of his ministry Paul identifies Barnabas as his ...

4015. Job's Third Reply to Bildad

Job 26:1--31:40

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

26:2–4 · Eliphaz, early on, was the first to praise Job for his past help and counsel (4:3–6). Bildad, having heard Job undermine traditional understanding and now indict God for cosmic negligence, shakes his head in disbelief. “How is it possible that this man ever helped the powerless and offered sound advice? How is it that he utters what he does?” 25:2–6 · Bildad now crafts his theme: the dominion, awe, and order of God. The second line of his thesis statement (25:2b) is literally “maker of peace in ...

4016. The Lord Rejects Saul as King

1 Samuel 15:1-35

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Saul Is Rejected: 15:1–3 Verse 1 recalls Samuel’s previous influence in Saul’s life. Whether there is discord between them or in spite of any criticism he may have made since, Samuel reminds Saul that he had been appointed to anoint Saul as king. Now Samuel has a further task from God for Saul to carry out. He is to be entrusted with the punitive destruction of the Amalekites in a holy war. The reason given for this severe treatment is the Amalekites’ attacks on the vulnerable Israelites coming out of ...

4017. David Spares Saul's Life

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

Saul’s First Escape: Saul, having returned from an encounter with the Philistines, takes up his preoccupation with destroying David. 24:1–7 He knows that David is located in En Gedi and can be looked for not too far away from the water source. With three battalions of crack soldiers Saul may expect to deal with David’s six hundred scratch troops. It is greatly ironic that the only time that Saul came within reach of David he was unaware of it and utterly vulnerable. The discussion between David and his men ...

4018. The Week

Mark 14:1-15:47

Sermon

John Jamison

[Note to the preacher: This message is not presented as a sermon with an introduction, three points, and a conclusion, though you are welcome to rewrite it that way if you wish. My goal for this message is to invite my listeners to experience the events of Jesus’ week, more as he and his disciples experienced them. This message takes us to the arrest in the orchard of Gethsemane. The messages for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday will complete the journey. My goal was not to explain the ...

4019. Let It Loose!

Mark 7:31-37, Exodus 4:1-17, Exodus 4:18-31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Let it loose! Let ‘er rip! Open up and give the best rip-roaring shout of praise you can muster up! Ready –shout! [Cock your ear to listen…] That was your shout of praise? Let’s try that again! [Invite people to whoop it up!] Well, that’s something that’s become hard for us to do in church these days, isn’t it? Here we are experiencing the most amazing, mind-blowing truth of all time –the resurrection of Jesus and the super-charged presence of the Holy Spirit blowing right through and among us here this ...

4020. The Phrase We Never Want to Hear

John 20:19-23, John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

I have a brain-teaser for you this morning. What is the one phrase that nobody likes to hear, but everybody likes to say? The phrase is, “I told you so.” When someone doesn’t listen to us, they ignore our advice and get themselves in trouble, we are quick to say, “I told you so.” But we absolutely hate it when others are right, and they throw those words at us. I read of two amazing “I told you so” moments recently. In the 1970s, the mayor of Fudai, Japan, pushed through a plan to build a ridiculously ...

4021. Graciousness and Grumbling

Matthew 20:1-15

Sermon

Will Willimon

Well, religion has suddenly become the burning concern of politicians. I can't remember when religion has been so important in a presidential campaign. It wasn't long ago that John Kennedy had to explain why, although he was a Catholic, his religion would not hinder him from being a good president. And a very short time ago, Jimmy Carter stood before the voters and admitted that, although he was a faithful Baptist, he would perform his presidential duties as if he were nothing at all -- or something like ...

4022. Investment Choices

Matthew 25:14-30

Sermon

Steve Molin

I started reading crime novels about fifteen years ago. Like any pastor, so much of what I read relates to theology or ministry that I needed to find some genre of reading that would take me away from what I do twelve hours a day; something to capture my imagination. I started with John Grisham and read everything he has written. Then I moved on to Swedish author Henning Mankell and read all of his stuff. More recently, I have been reading the murder mysteries of Lee Childs. There is nothing like a good “ ...

4023. When Did Jesus Pray?

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

John G. Lynn

Jesus, at those critical times when he had momentous decisions to make, withdrew to the hills to pray. In the sixth chapter of Luke's gospel, when he had healed that man's withered hand in the synagogue on the sabbath, he threw the gauntlet at the rules and regulations that for so long had choked out the kingdom of God. To the scribes and the Pharisees he offered this challenging question: "I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" Luke tells us these ...

4024. The Mark Upon Us

Sermon

Lee Griess

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 One of the most striking television movies made in the last few years was one called Helter Skelter. It was the story of the cult worship and murder spree by the Charles Manson family in California nearly three decades ago. In the closing moments of the movie, Charles Manson and the members of his so-called family are shown on the screen with their heads shaved and big "X" marks on their foreheads. The stark appearance of the members of that group which called itself a "family" and the ...

4025. Proper 28

Luke 21:5-19 · 2 Thess 3:6-13 · Is 12:2-6 · Is 65:17-25

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

CALL TO WORSHIP Sing praises to the Eternal One, who has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal priesthood, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel and the church. PRAYER OF CONFESSION Your work, Eternal Engineer, is beyond our understanding and we do not know what it means for you to rest from your work. We confess that we are often reluctant to work. We lose the satisfaction that comes with rest after a job well done. We are too willing to let ...

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