Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 4001 to 4025 of 4942 results

4001. Proper 24

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40, 2 Timothy 3:10--4:8, Luke 18:1-8, Psalm 119:1-176

Bulletin Aid

William E. Keeney

A Widow And A Bad Judge Recent news articles have reported accounts of judges who have misbehaved. One told of a judge who showed erratic actions on the bench. He scolded persons before him with abusive language and handed down peculiar sentences for those whom he found guilty. Another is suspended from his office and people have called for his impeachment. People charge that he engaged in sexual harassment of a court employee. A third changed the sentence, making it harsher, after he conferred with the ...

4002. God On His Knees

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

The scene is the upper room. Jesus and his 12 close followers are gathered for this, the last time. Only two of them know that fact. The meal begins. Small talk flows, but then the volume and intensity of feeling rise. John tells us that a dispute has broken out among the disciples. The question surfaces: "Who is the greatest disciple?" All join in, "I am the greatest." You can bet that Peter has his say and Matthew, for he is vocal also, and Bartholomew and John. Each in turn extols his own virtue, ...

4003. Tempted By Good

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Have you ever noticed that almost every mountaintop experience in life is followed by a valley experience? You graduate from school with the great expectation of making your mark in the world, but you find out that the world doesn't exactly welcome you with open arms. You get married with the full expectation that your new spouse will relieve your loneliness and solve your problems, but you find out you are still you. Life's high moments are often followed by low times -- depression and bewilderment. If we ...

4004. Blessed Betrayal

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Don M. Aycock

Have you ever noticed how some things in life sometimes just don't seem to go together? I've always marveled at an expensive Cadillac with a squirrel tail tied to the antenna. It looks absurd. I heard recently of a fellow who saw this bumper sticker: "A WOMAN WITHOUT A MAN IS LIKE A FISH WITHOUT A BICYCLE." Well, you understand what I mean. Paul brings together some words like that, words that do not seem to fit. Listen to them again: The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread .... What a ...

4005. Expanding The Boundaries

Ruth 3:1-18

Sermon

John A. Stroman

The Book of Ruth is a family story. It is an old story, possibly over three thousand years old. It is a story about a family in trouble. Let me briefly summarize the story. Elimelech flees with his wife and two sons from the famine in Israel and heads for Moab because they heard that things were better there. In desperation they move to Moab, an out-of-the-way sort of place. You would have to be desperate, really hungry to move your family to Moab. Soon after their arrival Naomi's husband dies and she is ...

4006. God Remembers

1 Samuel 1:1-20

Sermon

John A. Stroman

On these opening pages of 1 Samuel we are introduced to a family drama. Here is the story of Elkanah and his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Immediately, we encounter the tension in this family which is a result of Hannah's barrenness. Hannah's husband loves her and treats her with kindness. When they traveled to Shiloh on the day of sacrifice, Elkanah would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to her sons and daughters, but he would give a double portion to Hannah, and the text tells us he did this ...

4007. Friendship? Yes, Please!

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

According to a recent poll only about ten percent of American males say they have a good friend. And while women fare somewhat better, neither do they set a record. Why is this? I believe it is because we place such an emphasis on doing, producing, and having that we have very little time and energy left for developing relationships. In short, we'd rather have things than people. Actually, the Bible predicts this is how it will be in the end of times. Revelation 18:11-13 describes the economy of Babylon, ...

4008. How To Treat Your Enemies

2 Samuel 18:1-18

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Did you hear about the man who went into the preaching ministry, worked for seven years, then resigned to go back to medical school and become a doctor? "People," he explained, "don't want spiritual health. They just want to feel good." But after working as a physician for seven years, he again resigned, this time to go back to school. "I'm going to become a lawyer," he explained, "because, in the end, people don't want spiritual health. They don't even want physical health. They just want to get even." I ...

4009. Mirror, Mirror ON The Wall . . .!

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Do you remember the fairy tale "Snow White"? Recall how the wicked witch peered into her magic looking glass and said, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"\n The mirror's answer was quite disappointing. "It's certainly not you, Ugly!"\n Does your mirror ever do that to you? Sad to say, but thousands of people's mirrors disappoint them each day.\n Have you ever known someone to look at a photograph of himself in his high school yearbook and say, "Golly, I take an awful picture. ...

4010. Miracle Five: Healing A Withered Hand

Mark 3:1-6

Sermon Aid

Harold H. Lentz

Background Material Jesus and his disciples traveled about on foot. They would naturally take advantage of shortcuts. So this day they walked across some farmland that had been planted with wheat. As they were hungry, they reached out and plucked some of the kernels of wheat to satisfy their hunger. But they were seen doing so by some of Jesus' critics who immediately called him to account. But as they were stout defenders of the law, and of the scriptures, Jesus answered them out of their own religious ...

4011. When God Steps Out Of Shadows

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

William L. Self

Our daughter-in-law designs stage sets for the German theatre. I had always taken this sort of thing for granted until she came into our family. Through Birgit, I was exposed to the subtleties of mood and nuance, of color and properties, of fabric and dimension, and how it all blends with the writer and director to bring the audience to a special point. After seeing one production of a deeply moving play, the writer and director came from the wings to interact with the audience. Their purpose was to ...

4012. In The Beginning God

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

William L. Self

I like the story of the Middle Eastern prince who fell in love with a beautiful peasant girl. Eventually he proposed marriage and she accepted. Such an event should be marked by a gift of rare beauty, so he searched the empire for the most beautiful diamond to give to her. Obviously, the most beautiful diamond demanded a specific box of rare beauty for the presentation of the precious gem. For this he commissioned the royal cabinetmakers to make the most beautiful box in the kingdom for the diamond. On the ...

4013. The Man With Two Umbrellas

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

William L. Self

The late Dr. J. Wallace Hamilton, who for many years preached at the Pasadena Community Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, tells a wonderful story about the man with two umbrellas. He said that when he crossed the Atlantic one summer he noticed a dark-skinned man sitting in a deck chair, reading the Bible. One day he sat beside him and said, "Forgive my curiosity, but I am a minister. I see you come here every day and read your Bible. I assume you are a Christian, and I am interested to know how it ...

4014. 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 Toulouse, 1872 "Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value." -- Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole ...

4015. Just What The Doctor Ordered

Numbers 21:4-9

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

A wealthy entrepreneur was consternated to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. "Why aren't you out there fishing?" he asked. "Because I've caught enough fish for today," said the fisherman. "Why not catch more than you need?" the rich man asked. "What would I do with them?" "You could earn more money," came the impatient reply, "and buy a bigger boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you'd have a fleet of ...

4016. What Are You Looking At?

Acts 3:11-26

Sermon

Paul W. Kummer

We are living in the days of the apostles again. We are the early Church all over again -- or, more precisely, we live in a similar spiritual environment in which the Church first grew. What do I mean? I don't say this because of miracles and prophecies being fulfilled in the same way they were back then. Nor because sin is so prevalent and accepted, even as it was in the Roman Empire. Nor do I say it because we, like the 5,000 plus who grew to millions and millions, are waiting eagerly and expecting Jesus ...

4017. Advent 1

Isaiah 63:7--64:12, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, Psalm 80:1-19, Mark 13:32-37, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The Fig Tree Lesson We were traveling in the dark. The route number told us to make a turn north as we merged with another major highway. Then we relaxed and in a very short time missed the sign that told us to turn east again. In the dark and not watching carefully on an unfamiliar road, we missed the sign. Sometime later we realized that we were not seeing signs for our route and the exit signs pointed toward unfamiliar towns. We realized that we had not read the signs carefully enough. It cost us an ...

4018. The Voice From Heaven

Luke 3:1-20, Luke 3:21-38

Drama

Dallas A. Brauninger

Interviewing A Woman Who Observes These Events Asker: You have been observing these events. Woman: I have been watching John. He is an unusual person. I am not sure if I am more drawn to his message or to his fascinating manner. He does stand out, you know. Asker: Stands out? Woman: Yes, I trust him. However, we must watch out for persons with intense charisma. They might be drawing you to them for the wrong reasons. You know that we are oppressed people. We are vulnerable to salvation. Among us has grown ...

4019. Close Quarters With A King

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

It was quite unusual for Susan to do something so frivolous. Perhaps it was the combination of depression and stress that prompted her to take a break from her daily responsibilities. There was quite a bit of tension in Susan's relationship with her husband. Also her teenage children seemed to have become almost completely out of her control. She felt frustrated and helpless. She felt that she needed something. In fact, when she tried to think of a word to describe how she was feeling, that was the word ...

4020. Invest In The Future

Jeremiah 32:1-44

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

Cynthia stood before a church group in a neighboring town. She had been invited to share the story of her faith in her successful struggle against death. She stood before the group with a candle in one hand and a pocket lighter in the other. She began, "Three years ago I went to the hospital for a series of tests and I was told that I had malignant cancer. I was also told that, although it was possible for me to take chemotherapy treatments, the chance of them offering any help at all was very slim. My ...

4021. Too Light A Thing

Isaiah 49:1-7

Sermon

Paul E. Robinson

A man by the name of Kevin Trudeau has marketed a memory course called "Mega-Memory." In the beginning of the course he quizzes the participants about their "teachability quotient." He says it consists of two parts. First, on a scale of one to ten "where would you put your motivation to learn?" Most people would put themselves pretty high, say about nine to ten, he says. Secondly, though, Kevin asks the listeners of the tape to put themselves on a scale of one to ten in terms of his or her willingness to ...

4022. You Can Be A Livesaver

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Michael B. Brown

Perhaps any who ever watched William Shatner's television show Rescue 911 share my feelings of inadequacy. Viewing makes you think that some guy hanging by his ankles off a 40-story building to rescue a stranded window washer is everyday stuff. One episode dealt with a three-year-old who saved his mother from a seizure. Someone told me of a dog who saved his entire family from a burning house. Me? I'm lucky once in a blue moon just to save somebody a parking space. There was one occasion when I physically ...

4023. Working In The Family Business

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

How everyone loves a newborn baby! We cannot help but turn when we hear the distinctive cry of a very new person. And when we see new babies, we almost always go over for a look, even if we don't talk to the parents. It's instinctive, really -- an inborn guarantee that this tiny infant, dependent for its every need on the goodwill of those around it, will get what it needs. So when the baby cries, mothers who are nursing find that their bodies automatically "let down" the milk, and even if they wanted not ...

4024. What's The Point?

Jeremiah 1:1-19

Sermon

Richard L. Sheffield

In the church we used to teach the Christian Faith in the form of a catechism. That's a question and answer format which when learned gives basic answers to basic questions about Christian belief and living a Christian life. The catechism was meant to be memorized like the multiplication table, so that at least some of life's questions might have answers as quickly as we know 2x2=4. Interestingly, the latest General Assembly has proposed writing a new Catechism to help us to ask the right questions and ...

4025. God Never Forgets

Psalm 103:13-18

Children's Sermon

Teresa L. Major

Concept: We use many methods to help us remember lots of things, but God never forgets. Preparation: A "To Do" list, a piece of string tied around your finger, and an activity calendar. What do you do to help you remember things? (Children respond.) I hate to forget appointments or commitments, but sometimes I have so many things to do and so many places to be, I cannot keep everything straight in my head. I have to do something to help me remember. Grown-ups have special ways of reminding themselves of ...

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