Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4101 to 4125 of 4986 results

4101. Characteristics of the Church

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... meaning of the Incarnation. So the word is an important one: reverence. The battle for the minds of persons is being waged in all of society. The Church must see itself in the thick of that conflict. Our most effective weapon is a humble spirit which stays reverent in awe of God. The Church, born at Pentecost, was a reverent church. Ours must also be, and that may be the greatest contribution we can make to this civilization gone mad. Finally, the Church that come to birth at Pentecost was a sharing church ...

4102. The Beginning of the Story

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... modern ring to it? Just one example. Suicide is the second cause of death among young adults today. One young man who took his life left a note which read, “Live fast, die young, and make a good-looking corpse.” How tragic! A character in the novel, The Stay of a Small Life, exclaimed, “Certainly I believe there is something bigger than myself. The question is, does it know that I’m here?” (J. B. Shute, The Story of a Small Life, p. 100, E. P. Dutton, New York, 1971.) The answer of the Gospel is ...

4103. John the Baptist: Parable and Prophet

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... us about success and ambition because he shows us our clear place in relation to Jesus: “One is coming after me those sandals thongs. I’m not worthy to until.” Remember this – If we are clear about our place in relation to Jesus, the chances are we will stay clear about our place in relation to others. II. That’s John the Baptist as a parable. Let’s look at him now as a prophet. Look at verses 2 and 3: As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who ...

4104. Led by the Spirit, Tempted by the Devil

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the temptation. Our intentions are so righteous, our aim so high, our ultimate desire so holy so we can cut the corner here, shave back at this point. When someone is being slandered, one malicious like are being told. Give in a little, stay quite. The operational dynamic is compromise. We settle for the temporary – convincing ourselves that the end justifies the moment. Do I have to convince you that Jesus’ story is our story? Temptation to satisfy the immediate, to do what is expedient, to settle ...

4105. Audacious Faith

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... descriptions of anatomy, “An eye in the middle of her nose”, and the crowds gathered in, spending money they could ill afford, attracted by the curiosity cultivated by the vaudeville charlatans. Curiosity is a strong force in our lives. Start looking intently into the sky - stay focused and amazed and see how many passers - by will join you in looking - then they’ll begin to ask questions about what you see the quieter you are, the more aroused they will be. Watch people in the midway of a fair or any ...

4106. Two for the Price of One

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , of course, and not an unquestioned truth, but the truth is there — and parents know it, I think, more than anyone else. It costs to love. It costs to be in a ministry of caring. We can minister to others without something going out from us. We can’t stay aloof. Our hands are going to get dirty and our heads are going to hurt. II Let’s move now to Jairus. He is desperate, too. His little daughter was ill to the point of death. But, unlike the woman, he made a deliberate faith decision. She had come ...

4107. Peter, Our Folk Hero

Mark 14:27-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... comes Peter, trying to take over again. So moved by all of this, Peter immediately wanted to grab hold of the situation. “Lord,” he said, “Let’s build three tabernacles here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. We just stay here forever. Impetuous Peter! Now here we are with him out on the Mount of Olives. Jesus had celebrated Passover with them – His last supper – they sang a hymn together and moved toward Gethsemane – out there on the Mt. of Olives, Jesus spoke that shocking ...

4108. Judas, A Person Like Us

Mark 14:43-52

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... person who is called to decide and is responsible for the choices he makes. II I titled the sermon Judas: a person like us? That’s a question. I put it that way because Judas is not a person with whom most of us easily identify. The reason is we stay focused on his dastardly deed – his betrayal of our Lord – not on Judas as a person and how he came to his point of betrayal. I believe that what led Judas to this extreme act is an issue in all out lives. I believe Judas’ core sin was that of ...

4109. Simon

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... did for Christ alone, What all of Rome could not have wrought by bruise or lash or stone. That’s the way it is, isn’t it? If we get too close to the cross, we’ll end up carrying it. Christianity is not a spectator sport. We can’t stay on the sidelines. Yet I suspect that most of us start out that way. We come to Christianity to be spectators. “We expect to dress up the way Christians do every week and join the millions of other Christians who come to church to hear all the great exploits of ...

4110. Chaos or Christ: Dreams Which Calm our Fears

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... imagination. I ate one piece and gave another piece to my brother so I have 14 pieces left in my hand." That may not get you through math class, but it will get you through life. Find in every moment, the possibilities that are yours. When life is difficult, stay open because God might be ready to do the most important thing he has ever wanted to do in your life. III. WHEN LIFE IS DIFFICULT, BE FAITHFUL. Verse 24: When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded and took her as ...

4111. Should America Repent?

Matthew 3:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... foul line at the end of the game and missed two free throws, which cost Michigan the game. Robinson felt awful. But, he did more than just feel awful. He did something about it. Every day after practice for the rest of the season, Robinson stayed and shot an extra 100 free throws. Some might remember the National Championship game of 1989. With three seconds left in overtime, Robinson stepped to the line and sunk two free throws, which gave Michigan the National Championship. You see, he was sorry, but he ...

4112. The Christ Connection

Colossians 1:9-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the whole universe together. He is the creative force of all creation. He keeps it united one with another. That is why we do not dare, as Christians, go off in some corner to nurse our own theology and be our own persons. We have to stay in community together. Instead of separating ourselves, we need to join hands with Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and New Agers. Let us meet at the Round Table of Dialogue where we can face common problems and perplexities together. E. Stanley Jones was one of the great Christian ...

4113. The Miracle of Peace

Psalm 85:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A popular prayer on the e-mail circuit goes something like this: So far today God, I've done alright. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, overindulgent, or told anyone to mind their own business and to stay out of mine. I'm really glad about that. But in a few minutes God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a whole lot of help. In Jesus Name, Amen. Here we are just 17 days away from Christmas ...

4114. Unusual Joy

Psalm 126:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... volunteers from this church provide food and shelter for 12 homeless men in our ministry called Room in the Inn. Two weeks ago we had a guest whom I'll call Jim. Jim had taken a vow of silence so he uttered ne'er a mumblin' word in his overnight stay at our place. His friends said his mouth had gotten Jim in a lot of trouble, so he vowed to keep quiet. As Jim was leaving on Wednesday morning, warm, washed and well fed, he handed two dollars to one of our volunteers and wrote in a note that he ...

4115. Why Doesn’t God Do Away With Evil?

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... evil happens for a purpose." As a cancer survivor, let me tell you, I would be very angry with God if for one moment I thought God gave me a disease to teach me a lesson. What parent pours boiling water over a child in order to teach them to stay away from the stove? We put parents in jail for that. How dare we put at the feet of God some notion that He brings evil on us in order to teach us a Truth? God help us. Some say evil is a struggle. The force, Luke, the force. Listen ...

4116. Dreaming Impossible Dreams

Genesis 37:2-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... was given this thorn in the flesh which torments me. But for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, and persecutions, for when I am weak then I am strong.” God brought Joseph out of the miry clay, God set his feet on a rock to stay. He put a song in Joseph’s heart that day, A song of praise, hallelujah. You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream whose time has come. III. TO REACH THE UNREACHABLE STAR When Joseph was 30 years old, he was appointed governor of Egypt ...

4117. Hearing the Questions of Children

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... the young adolescent’s mind. The first question I would have asked is, “Where are we going? It is summer time. Years ago, about this time of the year, I remember loading our two boys into a borrowed station wagon and heading for Florida for a week’s stay in a loaned condominium. We were about 50 miles away from home when the questions started from the back seat. “Are we there yet? How much further? Can we stop now?” That is when our oldest son (back in the days before seat belts) leaned over the ...

4118. The Holy Spirit and You

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... what you think I'm saying, but what you think you are hearing is not what I am saying." As a society we are drowning in information but we are starving for communication. Are there spiritual answers to our communication problems? Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When the rushing winds and the flaming tongues of the Holy Spirit descended on the gathering, filling each one with his love, they were amazed and bewildered because each one heard them declaring ...

4119. Embracing an Endless Line of Servants

1 Corinthians 3:5-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... not all of this is me. When I number my friends, I am reminded that not all of this is me. We are surrounded by an endless line of servants who put our needs ahead of theirs. They are parents who made a way and spouses who decided to stay, mentors who taught us skills and friends who were around for more than a thrill. While some of their haloes were tilted and we might be hesitant to call them saints, nevertheless, they surround us today as a great cloud of witnesses on the grand stage of life cheering ...

4120. Finding Our Place In All Creation

Job 38:1-18

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... and thin of our existence. We can quarrel with God, we can fight with God, we can make up with God, but whatever we do, we are never without God. God can handle your arguments. God can live with us through our despair. God can deal with our arrogance, but stay in there with God until you know the communion between the Creator and the created in your life. Over the years we make a choice. I have been at this business long enough that I have watched people make the choice again and again. We curse God for the ...

4121. The Fellowship of Kindred Minds

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... wrong – you need somebody to lean on. - When you have lost your job and you have nobody to blame but yourself – you need somebody to lean on. - When you took a bad business gamble that has left you broke – you need somebody to lean on. - When you would rather stay high on drugs than face reality – you need somebody to lean on. I want to build a church that does not shoot its wounded. I want to build a church where sinners are welcomed. I want to build a church that can carry heavy loads. I want to ...

4122. A Very Present Help

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of God today. Learn the difference between justice and revenge today. We received a call Friday from a friend of ours. Asad came to this country twenty-three years ago as a refugee from Afghanistan. He was a student in Sandy’s elementary classes. We have stayed in touch through the years. When we threw a party a few months ago for Sandy’s retirement, Asad came to say a few words. Today he is a productive, patriotic, wage-earning American citizen. But, Friday he was full of fear. “Dr. Olds,” he said ...

4123. How to Make Heaven Our Home

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... good? Why I don’t care any more for your talk than I do for the bite of a flea.” Sojourner Truth looked the man in the eye and said, “Perhaps not, but the Lord willing, I plan to keep you scratching as long as you live.” I intend to stay in there with you reminding you of the wrong of this day. I keep on keeping on. That is heaven on earth. I pledge allegiance to the Kingdom of God and the principles for which it stands, one people, under God, indivisible with liberty and grace for all.

4124. Let Go of the Stone

Mark 16:1-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... has a way of returning. Some of you are on the third, fourth, and fifth rounds of chemotherapy. There are people in this congregation who got a letter from a spouse saying, “I don't love you anymore." There are parents who get phone calls from children saying, “Stay out of my life." I suspect all of us have spent some time in Heartbreak Hotel. While we wonder what we are going to do, God restores our hope. Ready or not, Easter happens. Easter is not of us; Easter is of God. Right out in the graveyard ...

4125. Convening A Construction Crew: Nobody Builds Alone

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... of cards and letters from each of you and countless friends around the world. Only one word can describe that experience—Awesome. I don’t know about tomorrow but I know that today you have brought us out of the miry clay and put our feet on a rock to stay. You have lifted us from the depths of despair and given us a reason to go on from there. You have reminded us that our living has not been in vain, and that life is more than any of us can explain. You have gently placed us in the everlasting ...

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