Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4076 to 4100 of 4972 results

4076. MIRIAM’S BABY BROTHER

Drama

Marcia Miller

... But where is the baby now? MIRIAM: Well, I placed him into the water, just like you said. MOTHER: And I asked you not to take your eye off of that basket. MIRIAM: I’m coming to that part. I was standing there, watching him. MOTHER: You didn’t leave him there did you? MIRIAM: When all of a sudden, I heard voices ... MOTHER: Oh, no! MIRIAM: As I reached for the basket, a wind began blowing ... MOTHER: My baby! My poor, sweet baby! [She begins to weep.] MIRIAM: The basket blew out into the deep part of the ...

4077. The Gift Of The Breeze

John 3:1-17

Illustration

Johnny Dean

... for another day, the weeds chopped from between the cotton plants, in the evening everyone would gather on the front porch. We would rock and talk and laugh in a futile attempt to escape the ever-present heat and humidity. And sometimes, on a really good day, the leaves of the trees would begin to rustle. And the conversation would die down, and everyone would just sit back and enjoy the summer breeze, the gift of the breeze. We didn't know where it came from. We didn't know where it was going. But we knew ...

4078. The Guy With The Donkey

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

There is an old story about a pastor who was having problems and decided to leave the ministry. But he ran into trouble finding another job. Finally, in desperation, he took a job at the local zoo. The gorilla had died, and since it had been the children's favorite animal, the zoo officials decided to put someone in a gorilla costume until a real replacement ...

4079. Can We Really Get Along?

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... the Messiah, God's Son. Jesus made this awesome revelation, not to the High Priest, not to some pious Jew, but to a half-breed Samaritan adulteress. Verse 28 tells us that the woman was so shocked that she ran off without her bucket. That would be akin to leaving your credit card at the shopping mall. She ran into the village and told everyone that she had met a Jewish man at the well who had prophetic power and may be the Messiah. The Samaritans came to meet this strange Jew. They detected in him no proud ...

4080. Easter Headlines

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... out in California. The Evil One who is the world's greatest liar led them away from the scripture and the church. Then he sold them this bodacious lie about securing eternal life by a suicidal transit to some space ship tied to a comet. If you leave God's word and the fellowship of the church, you become easy prey for most any slick salesman who comes along. This is the first Easter in heaven for Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, formerly the Roman Catholic leader in Chicago. What a man in Christ he was! Accused ...

4081. Lazarus Rising

John 11:17-37, John 11:38-44

Sermon

... it is still hard for me to accept not knowing why. How true were the words of the Apostle Paul when he wrote: In this life we look through a mirror dimly. If we had all the answers then we would not need faith, for faith picks up where sight leaves off. The Book of Hebrews reads: “Faith is the evidence of things not seen.” In my mind I understand that but I still cannot get out of my mind the thought of Martha looking down the road that first night waiting for Jesus to come. Every time she sees someone ...

4082. Camping Life

Romans 8:6

Children's Sermon

Tim Carpenter

... Hmm, nothing happened. I wonder what’s wrong? (response) Let’s check the batteries. Open the flashlight. Yep, it needs batteries! Put the batteries in and turn on the flashlight. Without its batteries the flashlight is dead, isn’t it? (response) Now bring out the radio, but leave it unplugged. Whenever you go camping, it’s good to have a radio. Turn the switch on. What’s going on? There’s no sound? (response) Oh, you’re right. I need to plug it in. Plug in the radio. Now it’s working. I’ll ...

4083. Can a Christian Go to Hell?

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... fig tree that was supposed to have fruit and did not have any, he cursed it for its fruitlessness. This is a parable of what we can expect for our lack of putting our religion into life. Our record in putting faith into practice is not good and leaves much to be desired. Many times we church people do not act like children of God. We are more like wolves than sheep. Will we as nominal Christians have to face the judgment of exclusion because of our lack of Christian morality? Pierre von Paassen in his book ...

4084. Sinner to Saint

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... true face which had become that of a saint. As we live for Christ, as we daily practice doing good, as we spend time constantly with Christ, eventually and gradually we become like Christ, a changed person. But, this change will not take place until, like Matthew, we leave all and follow Jesus. It calls for complete and total surrender to Christ. Dwight L. Moody once heard a Christian teacher, Henry Varley, say to a group, "The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who ...

4085. What Do You Think You’re Worth?

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... violence? We allow ourselves to express our passion to the hurt of other people. This view of one’s self leads to a false self-sufficiency. Andre Gide advises, "Believe in your strength and your youth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself: It all depends on me." This leaves God out of the picture. You do not need God. You can take care of yourself. All you need do is discover your potential and there is no end to what you can accomplish. Who in his right mind can accept that trash? All of these forms of ...

4086. Holy Tares!

Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... for the offender, these good people will go with him to show their loyalty. A public trial of an offender stirs up the church, offends many, and people take sides. The church is left in turmoil, weaker than when the offender was in it. The offender leaves the church bitter and angry. You can be sure that he will never again come back to church. What has the church gained? It is like capital punishment: punish the criminal with death and you have no chance of rehabilitating him. Man may turn unsatisfactory ...

4087. Caiaphas and Pilate

Drama

Jon Joyce

... has gone] That priest must want the carpenter dead very much. Never before has he given me this much gold. Never before has he given me so much as one silver piece without a definite promise from me to do something he wanted. ANTONIUS: [Without leaving his station] It bodes ill, Excellency, when a man changes his pattern of operating so drastically. PILATE: [Holds the bag of gold, studies it briefly, then rises and paces, carrying the bag. Suddenly he turns to face ANTONIUS] I am weary of all this nonsense ...

4088. Herod and Jesus

Drama

Jon Joyce

... about him. WOMAN 2: Oh, if we could only be in there to listen. [HEROD stomps onto the set and is seated; simultaneously, JESUS enters, preferably from a front row seat, and takes his seat. HEROD will, from time to time, stand or pace; JESUS will not leave his seat and will not look in HEROD’S direction whenever HEROD is standing or sitting other than directly in front of JESUS.] HEROD: [Angry] So, you will not answer me! I have ways, you know, ways to break you, carpenter. JESUS: [Calm] I have nothing to ...

4089. Claudia Procula, Peter, and Centurion

Drama

Jon Joyce

... be deep and might well be magnified mechanically or by use of a megaphone. The VOICE speaks slowly] Suffered under Pontius Pilate. CLAUDIA: Did you hear that? CENTURION: Nothing, my lady, but the storm in the distance. [The LIGHTS are turned off, leaving just enough stage light to see the characters. There is again the sound of the storm, closer] CLAUDIA: This crucifixion is wrong, soldier. VOICE: Suffered under Pontius Pilate. CLAUDIA: No! I know what it said that time. CENTURION: What, my lady? CLAUDIA ...

4090. Annas, Caiaphas, and Judas

Drama

Jon Joyce

... distraught, he immediately acts and speaks normally] I want you to take back this money. I made a mistake. Can’t I be forgiven for one mistake? ANNAS: It is not up to us to forgive. CAIAPHAS: We are through with you. You have served our purpose. You may leave. JUDAS: [Again, off balance] No, no, no! You’ve got to take this. Kiss of death ... and he said ... he said one of us would ... why me? [Falls to his knees, folds his hands in prayer and cries in agony to the heavens] Why me, O God of Abraham ...

4091. The Bible, Your Mirror? by Dr. Lawrence L. Lacour

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... the mother sat up in bed, folded her hands, and announced, "Now I’m going to die." We sat by silently, waiting. After some time she looked up at us and smiled. "I guess I’m not going to make it just now. The two of you might as well leave me and get some sleep." She knew who she was, and she had faith about the person she would become. As she made the move into the next life several days later, she could say with the Apostle Paul, "... whether we live ... or die, we are the Lord’s." This ...

4092. Miracle On Main Street by Dr. George A. Buttrick

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Leonard Mann

... Please speak an altar call." Of course, as invitation, with the full honoring of your freedom. You can’t stand everywhere, no even if you twist and spin like a weathervane. You can’t stand nowhere; you have to live by some faith as soon as you leave this church. You can’t stand anywhere, for one faith obviously is not as fine as another. You and I have to stand somewhere. With Christ? Is there any braver place? Any other place where pardon becomes more sure? Any place where such love abounds? So come ...

4093. Men of Distinction

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

... of choice. One may choose to believe or not to believe. This is the exercise of human volition, which capacity God gave to man at creation. What will you believe? In whom will you believe? Ultimately it becomes an utterly personal matter. Life leaves no room for neutrality. One believes he is an atheist, a materialist, a hedonist, a skeptic, a Mohammedan, or a Christian. By accepting some things, an individual by the same token rejects other things. This is the point of particularity. One cannot be ...

4094. Only the Wounded Can Serve

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

... lived as man. God’s son lived as we live, in order that no one could ever say he knows absolutely nothing of the meaning and trials of human existence. In our humanness we find so many areas where we do what we know to be wrong and where we leave undone what we know to be right. We know so often the sense of sin and failure and frustration. Again and again we miss the mark. Can anyone know the utter futility and desolation that, at times, we feel? Yes! Jesus Christ has walked the same lonesome trail. Our ...

4095. Running With Patience

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

... late rains. So must you be patient, resting your hearts on the ultimate certainty." (James 5:7-8b, Phillips). The farmer first of all does his home work. He prepares the land: plowing, planting, and cultivating. He does as much as he can humanly do, leaving the rest in the hand of God. Running the race with patience means, for him, the slow laborious preparation, practicing the proper principles of farming, then both waiting and working to ready himself for the harvest. Note the life of our Lord. He lived ...

4096. Was Jesus a Magician?

John 16:17-33

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... see him and then see him again - and he wasn’t talking about magic. Do you know who I am talking about? [Let them answer.] That’s right, Jesus. Do you know what he was talking about? [Let them answer again.] Jesus was talking about the time when he would leave the earth and go back to live with his Father in heaven. When Jesus left the earth it ended the time when people could see Jesus here, but he knew that there would be another time when all of his friends and followers would be able to see him ...

4097. Boomerang Words

Luke 6:37-42

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A boomerang. Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever wished that people would mind their own business and leave you alone? Maybe that is too strong a way of saying it, but have you ever hoped that people would not notice what you did wrong, or stop picking on you for every little thing? I am sure that you have felt like this, but I wonder if you ever ...

4098. Shoestrings and God

Matthew 5:21-26

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... church and they know anything about the teachings of Jesus, they will remember something that Jesus taught them. Jesus said that if you get to church and you are ready to make an offering to God and remember the problem that you have with your friend, you should leave the offering and go and make up with the friend first and then come back to church and make your offering. That is the Christian thing to do, and it is the only way that God will accept your offering. We know that this works, because the same ...

4099. A Person on My Fishpole

Luke 5:1-11

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... is not all fun. It takes a lot of patience and hard work. Jesus went fishing with his disciples lots of times. One day while he was with them they got a huge catch of fish. They were so amazed at what had happened that they pleaded with Jesus to leave them because he was too good to be around them. But Jesus told them not to worry about that, for he had something special in mind for them. Now here is the point that you must think about. When you go fishing do you just take the pole and throw ...

4100. Tee-Shirts for Sinners

Luke 15:1-7

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

... lost and finally found. That’s the way Jesus explained it to us about God’s feeling toward us. When we sin and become separated from God, we are lost. Each one of us is lost. We are not lost together, but each of us is alone. God does not leave us alone because he is out searching for us and he keeps searching until he finds us. Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd because he was looking for lost people as a shepherd looks for lost sheep. Today he might say that he is like a search plane looking for ...

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