Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4051 to 4075 of 4963 results

4051. Foundations for the Future

1 Corinthians 3:9-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... a house. I find it to be at the same time fascinating and frustrating, but with the hope it will ultimately be fulfilling. I am learning things that I never knew before and never realized ... budget is the foundation of everything that we do in this church. Let me give you this illustration. Those of us who run a household know that when we get our paycheck, hopefully after we have written a tithe to the Lord, the first thing we have got to do is take care of the essentials. We've got to pay the light bill, the ...

4052. Science and the Bible

John 17:17, 1 Timothy 3:16

Sermon

James Merritt

... for an answer. Others, however, myself included, would attempt to sort out the surviving less probably scientific explanation in the hope of selecting one that was still more likely than the remainder.8 That is an incredible admission. The scientists will ... going to do tomorrow," if he'll tell you the truth he'll say, "Only God knows." III. The Specific Aim of the Bible Now I hope I have proven something to you today. That is, that though the Bible is not a scientific textbook if it does deal with science it ...

4053. Easter and a Lost World

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move ... at Billy Graham and said this: "So do I." If Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead there is not one glimmer of hope for the human race. When I leave office I'm going to spend the rest of my life studying and writing about the resurrection ...

4054. Just a Closer Walk With Thee

James 4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... your religion, and yet distant in your relationship. We ought to consciously, conscientiously, and constantly be drawing near to God, and hopefully on a daily basis. Many Christians are like a little boy I heard about who returned home from his very ... today?" The little boy thought for a moment and said, "It was fine, but it's not something you'd want to do every day." Well, I hope to motivate all of us to take one step higher, and go one step closer in our walk with God. If not now, sometime in the future ...

4055. The Prosecutor Perry Mason Can't Beat

John 16:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... know that you are a sinner who needs the righteousness of Christ, without which you will face the judgment of God, you have no hope of going to heaven. Only the Holy Spirit can bring that truth to your heart. There is an old saying that "What you don' ... you and almost everybody else really bombed a test, and the teacher would throw a curve on those grades, which is what you were hoping for? Did you ever have those times when there was that one smart student, that Mr. or Miss "know-it-all" that would mess ...

4056. The Perfect Storm

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

James Merritt

... . But the disciples had forgotten that Jesus was right beside them. There is no panic in heaven, just plans. But these disciples had to learn there is no need to fear when Jesus is near. Your ship is safe in any storm if the Savior is in the boat. I hope you will learn a great truth today. Safety is not the absence of problems; safety is the presence of Jesus. The next time you are buffeted by the tornado of trouble, or the hurricane of hurt, just remember Jesus is right beside you, and there is no storm He ...

4057. With Malice toward None, With Charity for All

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

James Merritt

... to me today that in all of my years I have never prepared a meal for you, and I just wanted to give this to you and hope you enjoy it." It broke that man's heart. He invited her in and she led him to Jesus. You see, love has both x-ray ... Jesus comes into your heart and you become a true child of God, and therefore, like your Father, you have that love. Rom. 5:5 says, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Don't tell ...

4058. God's Way or the Highway

Matthew 7:13-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... problem. How would he get back out of this maze? How would he take the right turns and pass through the right gates in this maze? Everyone who saw him enter into this deadly chasm was sure he would never come back. There was one person, however, who never stopped hoping. She loved Theseus and knew that he would return. She knew it because before he left she gave him a rope and to her own waist she tied the end of that rope. After he destroyed the monster, all he had to do to get back through that maze was ...

4059. Why You Should Be Afraid of Sin

Numbers 32:23

Sermon

James Merritt

... will be chills, fevers, whelps, sores, and death. So if you are one of those people who are living in sin, and you think you are getting away with it just because nothing has happened to you at this point, let me share with you one verse of Scripture I hope you will never forget. 1 Tim. 5:24, "Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later." I read a story years ago about a little boy who got a fingerprinting set for Christmas. He came into a room one day ...

4060. Gospel Partners

Philippians 1:3-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... for the world is true for those of you here right now. Jesus is the only Master that can allow you to go to heaven. The Gospel, which is that Jesus died, He was buried, and He was raised from the dead for our justification, is the only message of hope that can give you eternal life. Evangelism is the only mission that we can carry out that will bring souls into the kingdom of God and have an eternal impact. So I want to ask you today, would you be a partner in the gospel of Jesus Christ? OFFERING Touching ...

4061. The Most Exciting Moment of Your Life

1 Cor 5:1-13, Rev 21:1-27, Rev 6:1-17, Heb 12:14-29, Rev 22:7-21, Phil 1:12-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... and he became dreadfully seasick. Well, a cheerful person, who always seems to show up at times like that, came over to him with a big smile on his face and said, "Cheer up man, seasickness never killed anybody." The man said, "Don't tell me that. It's the hope of dying that's kept me alive this long." One of the worst things we can do sometimes for people who are desperately ill is to pray for God to keep them here. In a small town in England, a young mother was dying of cancer. She believed God wanted ...

4062. Power in the Pulpit

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... fathers come up with that idea? From the Bible. Isa. 33:22 says, "For the Lord is our judge (the judicial), the Lord is our lawgiver (the legislative), the Lord is our King (the executive). e. THE PULPIT AND LEADERSHIP I have shared all of this to hopefully illustrate that the power of the pulpit and the preaching of the Bible extends to our daily lives in ways that we do not even realize. But let me close by discussing the ultimate power of the pulpit. An event occurred on January 21, 1930, which offers ...

4063. Why You Should Study the Bible

Psalm 119:105

Sermon

James Merritt

... they would inherit his fortune when he died. Well, on his deathbed he told his sons that the secret of his wealth was to be found in that vineyard. After he died the boys went out to that vineyard immediately and began to dig, hoping to find the treasure they believed to be hidden under the vines. They toiled for months being careful not to damage the vines. They dug over every inch of that vineyard. They pulled up every weed. They cleaned off all of the grass, but they discovered nothing. But that Fall ...

4064. Living By Faith In A Time of War

Judges 6:1-40

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... of these men, a young officer, was home on leave recently. When he returned he sent me this note - “I really felt honored when you had me to stand up in church. It’s great to know how much people back there support me and my fellow soldiers, and I hope they know how grateful I am for that love and support.” I respond to letters like that very often. I try to speak helpful words to young soldiers in places of great danger. But the Christians on the home front need a helpful word too. This morning it is ...

4065. Healed By The Great Physician

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... a fine job. She illustrates this truth from Scripture: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6) Naaman is willing to try anything because none of his doctors has given him any hope. So, Naaman asks King Ben-Hadad for permission to visit this Elisha in Israel. King Ben-Hadad agrees and even sends a letter about the matter to King Joram of Israel. Ben-Hadad assumed that Elisha was under King Joram’s command and control, so he sent a letter ...

4066. The Lost And Found Collection

Luke 15:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... , some 1.7 billion people have never even heard the gospel. (1) Even in a Bible belt city like Memphis, at least 50 percent of the population is lost. There are some pastors who never warn people that they are lost. I suppose these pastors hope that God is a permissive, indulgent grandfatherly type who will finally let everybody slide into heaven. But the Bible does not depict such a God. God does not grade on the curve; he grades on the cross. Do you remember Lewis Grizzard, the author and columnist ...

4067. Never Say What You Won't Do!

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... parents’ house because all of my Christmas memories are there. He might think-It is absolutely essential that I take several trips to Wyoming each year with my hunting and fishing buddies. It has been said that husbands marry wives hoping that they will never change, whereas wives marry husbands hoping that they will change. But I remind young brides-to-be that if the sign on the front of a Greyhound bus says “Chicago,” they should not think that by climbing aboard they can talk that driver into going ...

4068. The Love Triangle: Man-Woman-God

Psalm 127:1-5

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... their home. I would not advise you to say to your spouse, “I am God’s gift to you.” That would sound arrogant and presumptuous. But you really are. The Bible says so. In James, chapter 1, we read, “Every good and perfect gift comes from God.” I hope that you consider your spouse to be one of the best gifts God has given you (at least on most days). Perhaps you could agree that you both are God’s gifts to each other. Remember, every great marriage is a glorious triangle, a three-way relationship ...

4069. The Treasure Principles

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... day when your last will and testament is read. A Christian’s will ought to have a preamble that goes something like this -“My greatest discovery in life has been Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. He has been the Lord of my life and is my hope for eternity.” Just think of the impact of those words on your grieving family and friends! Then somewhere in that will the Christian should express his gratitude by leaving some part of his estate to the ongoing work of the Lord’s church. Make sure that your ...

4070. An Excellent Epitaph

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... .” He wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered between the hedges in Sanford Stadium. On a tombstone in Nova Scotia, we find these words: “Here lies Ezekiel Aikle, age 102, the good die young.” (1) I wonder who wrote that epitaph, hopefully not his wife. A far better epitaph is on the tombstone of James Lewis Pettigru in Charleston, South Carolina. It reads: “Unawed by opinion, unseduced by flattery, undismayed by disaster, he confronted life with antique courage and death with Christian ...

4071. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... was predicting that day on Calvary when Mary’s heart would break. The cross has been the symbol of Christianity even since Jesus died on a crude, wooden, Roman version. Jesus transformed the cross from a symbol of torture to the sign of forgiveness, salvation, and hope. Mary knew Jesus would save many people from their sins, but she did not know how he would do it. All mothers sacrifice for their children, but was there ever a mother who suffered as much as Mary? Mary actually watched her son die on that ...

4072. Set Free

Matthew 16:13-20

Illustration

Brett Blair

... the Helen Keller Moment, when she learned that a sign, a hand movement, could represent letters of the alphabet, learning that W A T E R could be represented by five distinct movements of the hands. Of that moment she said, "The living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free!" There's a word for that: Revelation. That's a Peter moment: [say out loud slowly and put your hands together as if you are making signs] C H R I S T. "You are the Christ. The son of the living God." That's the ...

4073. FEAR NOT! You've Got To Be Kidding!

Luke 1:26-37

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... , the eternal God is present, standing in the shadows, keeping watch above his own. "Mary, don't be afraid, the Lord is with you." God is still present and active in this world. 3. Mary, don't be afraid, because God keeps his promises. Here is the word of hope for tomorrow, the word which helps us to see beyond the present into God's good future. Faith for a time of fear looks beyond the immediate and the present and claims the assurance of God's kingdom coming, God's promise of a future. Remember the story ...

4074. The Song of an Awe-Filled Life

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... "ick factor." Let's call it the "awe factor." To live life with a sense of awe, wonder, amazement. To sing the song of an "awe-filled life." That's the stance of the Psalmist and the reoccurring melody of the Book of Psalms. In these weeks, I hope you will read through this incredible poetry, the powerful imagery and the glorious music of the Psalms. The songster touches on the depths of human sorrow. He cries out in anger and agony over grief and guilt, pain and loss. He acknowledges his own sin and doubt ...

4075. Keeping Shut About the Good News

Acts 3:1-10; Acts 4:13-20

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... . As this writer gazed into the ruined box, a feeling of incredible sadness overwhelmed me. Aware of how much planning and excitement had gone into our celebration, I can well imagine that same exhilaration in the hearts of our ancestors in 1887. How full of hope and joy and prayers they must have been as they placed in that strong metal box their precious hymnal, printed records and gleaming Sunday School coins. How disappointed they would be to know that in only a hundred years, it was reduced to nothing ...

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