Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4126 to 4150 of 4977 results

4126. The Maybe Moment

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... palace. The final verb is "lay," and you know what that's about. Of course what David did was both wrong and sinful, but what interests me today is the intervals between the actions represented by those verbs. First David saw her. Now that was quite by accident, and the fact that she happened to be unclothed and bathing when David spotted her was nothing against David. If anything, it was her mistake for not making sure the curtains were closed. But between his seeing her and his inquiring about her, David ...

4127. Leaping from Recognition Point

2 Samuel 11:26—12:13a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... some other medium not targeted directly at us is often an invitation to grow or leap in faith or in compassion or in understanding or in wisdom or in grace. There's a song in our hymnbook that is about arriving at recognition point, though it doesn't say it quite that way. It's a spiritual that came out of the American slave community, and it says, "It's me, it's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer ... Not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer." Commenting ...

4128. The Spiritual Gateway

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... has some values, even if they are grossly distorted. Third, our spiritual nature is the place from which the recognition of higher power and the capacity to worship arises. Malcolm Muggeridge, the English satirist, was for years an agnostic and quite worldly. Eventually, however, he became a zealous Christian. In one of his books, he expresses the fact that even before his conversion he possessed a powerful conviction that there was more truth present when anyone worshiped, even if they were "animistic ...

4129. Passing by the Children

Mark 9:33-37

Illustration

Thomas Peterson

... want of the rider the battle was lost. It is still true. For want of a quiet, caring intimacy, a child's primary sense of self-worth is lost. And for want of security and self-worth, the child is lost. In most churches I've known, members find it quite easy to pass a youth by; they are more timid to engage a child than a stranger in conversation. Frequently, when youth are on committees, little sensitivity is expressed toward making them comfortable and enabling them to contribute.

4130. Can't We All Just Get Along?

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... Mennonite Church a few years ago. The Mennonites historically have been a church that advocates peace. Here was their proposal: Can’t we agree that as Christians we at least won’t kill other Christians? Now there was a time in history when Christians quite readily killed one another. A recent example, still fresh in our minds, is that of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. But this was the simple proposal of the Mennonites: Can’t we agree that as Christians we won’t kill other Christians ...

4131. Are We Askew, Too?

Mark 9:38-41

Illustration

King Duncan

... one. They based the third rafter on the second the fourth on the third and so on. What they didn't take into account was the width of the pencil mark. Each rafter was one pencil mark wider than the one before. After a while, this can add up to quite a difference. By lunch time they looked at the barn and discovered it was going up at a very strange angle because they had deviated from the original standard. Do you not sense that our barn is a little askew today, too?

4132. Feeding Sin

Mk 9:38-50

Illustration

King Duncan

In 1939, a coast guard vessel was cruising the Canadian Arctic when the men spotted a polar bear stranded on an ice floe. It was quite a novelty for the seamen, who threw the bear salami, peanut butter, and chocolate bars. Then they ran out of the food. Unfortunately, the polar bear hadn't run out of appetite, so he proceeded to board their vessel. The men on ship were terrified and opened the fire hoses ...

4133. Mary’s Magnificat

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... Italian nobleman. The host was curious as to the secret of Francis' remarkable vitality, so he arranged to have Francis spend the night in the chamber adjacent to his own. As soon as they retired, the nobleman watched to see what Francis would do, and it turned out to be quite simple. He knelt by his bed and prayed over and over again, "O Lord, who art thou, and who am I? Who art thou and who am I? Who art thou and who am I?" The biographer concludes that this is one of the clues of Francis' greatness. All ...

4134. Leaving Before the Invitation

Luke 5:1-11

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... she looks at her life with a sense of satisfaction and joy. She worked long and hard to help put John through medical school. Now that the schooling debts are almost paid off, they have a nice home, a savings account, and she has been able to quit work. Johnny and Susie, sixteen and fourteen, are happy in their school and neighborhood. Many of the things for which Mary has dreamed and worked all of her life are finally coming true for her. Life is good. John's medical practice is becoming firmly established ...

4135. More Time

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... upon them that God still loves them. One of the paramount lessons we can teach our children and grandchildren is to spot opportunities that will not only benefit them, but others as well. To put it in media is one thing but to give firsthand illustrations is quite another. Of course, it is not an either/or situation; it is a both/and full opportunity. We can be highly selective. That might play well at first. Then, we can move to showing them to live in our world is to have continual chances for doing ...

4136. Fish and Sheep

John 21:15-25, John 21:1-14

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... does not continue to spend time for very long in an area which is not profitable. But just maybe we should not be too hard on Christ's chosen leader. How often do you and I botch promising ventures? Do we need to elaborate further? It sounds like it was quite a catch of fish. In fact, we are told there were 153 large fish. By today's standards, this may sound small and modest. Yes, and isn't it fascinating the actual number is given? It adds credence to the whole event, doesn't it? There are those who ...

4137. Keeping His Word

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... the work of the Holy Spirit. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, is being sent by the Father in the name of the Son. The chief function will be to teach his disciples everything. Likewise, they will be reminded of all he has said to them. That is quite a tall order! While this precious Spirit would open the door to untold blessings, the abuse by the unscrupulous would wreak havoc among some of God's people. The purity of inspiration and guidance has been tested more times than anyone can count. Yet, our Lord's ...

4138. Compassion Can Do More Than You May Think

Luke 7:11-17

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... son is not just a rerun of what Elijah did long, long ago. Jesus is most certainly a prophet of the order of Elijah, but he's much more than that. In the Elijah story in 1 Kings, Elijah restores a widow's son. In this story, the mother is quite distraught. She accuses Elijah of somehow having a part in the death of her son. After all, she has welcomed the prophet into her home, and through the power of God, Elijah has provided for her and her son with enough to eat and more. She has been grateful, but ...

4139. Reactions to Rejection

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... of Christ. When we look at these stories about Jesus and rejection, we can see a common thread running throughout. Jesus knew how to accept rejection and move on. When faced with opposition, he went to another village and preached there. He did not just say, "I quit." Jesus found a way to move on. While the rejections we experience are rarely as intense as the ones Jesus had to face, nonetheless, in our everyday lives, each of us has to decide what we're going to do with the rejections that come to us ...

4140. How Not to Become Distracted

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

David R. Cartwright

... one thing." And one thing only. Back when our daughter, Megan, was in high school, she was trying to write a paper for her English class. She was experiencing what is known as "writer's block." I watched her pace up and down the family room, working herself up into quite a frenzy. Finally, she came over to me and said, "Dad, I just can't think of anything to write. How do you do it week after week?" I looked at her and said, "Well, first of all, I've found that it's helpful to sit down in front ...

4141. Lean on Me

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... widow. Remember the "then and there" of our parable. A widow in this time in history was a defenseless human being. They were as a class of people without rights. It is one thing to stand before the judge as a person of privilege, it is quite another to stand there as someone who has no status in the world! Her persistence is our example. Throughout his ministry, Jesus cautioned his followers not to be misled. No person or group of people will have special, inside information denied to others. The coming of ...

4142. What Price Must We Pay?

Luke 6:20-31

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... and foremost, or others?" Jesus wants us to be sure that we know that it has nothing to do with the amount of assets or possessions we have. People will say, sure I'd be a giver if I had something to give. You have something to give, my friend. Quit using that excuse. God has given you talents, God has blessed you, God has made you unique and you have gifts to give. The issue is not do you have anything to give — the issue is, "Are you a giver or a taker?" Our nation has been built on encouraging ...

4143. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... go too far. We exalt our name, position, or accomplishments to the detriment of others. We become exclusive, in ideas, attitude, and action. Arrogance can be deadly in the way it kills others' ideas and hopes. The darkness of intolerance is also quite strong today. Business, in fact, every realm of society today, mandates that we perform. We are to do the job well, rapidly, and responsibly; error is almost not acceptable. We forget our humanness and expect others to perform flawlessly. We become intolerant ...

4144. Minding the Store of Our Lives

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:11-12). We must have confidence, as we have been told and have said to others quite frequently: "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 ...

4145. All Is New in Christ

John 11:4-6, Philippians 3:4-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... a new reaction, replacing fear with love, so we are called in this Lenten season to seek transformation in our lives. Today's powerful reading from Saint Paul provides both the challenge and the answer. Transformation is certainly a concept that Saint Paul knew quite well from his personal experience. In today's lesson, he tells us that he had every reason for confidence in his earlier life. The Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline corpus verify this claim. He was a zealous Pharisee who was educated at ...

4146. Carrying the Burdens of Others

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... with burnt palms from last year's Passion Sunday celebration. We were encouraged to fast, pray, and give alms. Even more, we were challenged to not only engage in these traditional practices, but actually to become them. To manifest these virtues in our lives is quite a challenge. We must be willing to give of ourselves, to live lives that are a prayer, that are holy and spiritually exemplary. We must be willing to downplay our own efforts to the exaltation of others. Next we went to the mountain with Jesus ...

4147. Repairing Our Lives

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... us how to live with limitations and restrictions, whether these be physical, psychological, or logistical. It is the power of Christ's resurrection that restores all things. The king felt all was lost, but then the old gem master came upon the scene quite unexpectedly and magically all was restored. Yes, things were different, the diamond was not as it was originally, but it was more beautiful. In a similar way, Jesus rose from the dead, destroying death and restoring life. When Jesus' friends had lost all ...

4148. Jesus Brings Hope

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... slave. He did his duty well; he was above all suspicion. On Restday (there no longer was Sunday), White many times left SC1, but where he went no one was certain. He often went to a rural section of the land where one day he found something quite remarkable, a piece of brown earth which had not been destroyed; it was his oasis. One Restday in the spring, Mr. White journeyed to this little plot of earth. He brought with him a packet which he emptied onto the soil. The moist earth gladly welcomed the offering ...

4149. Enduring the Trials of Faith

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... these children, whom he calls the "Clowns of God," have made the message crystal clear. Months later, in a remote mountain villa, Jean Marie joins his newfound friends, the Clowns of God, to celebrate the Christmas feast. To this isolated place, Mr. Atha comes quite unexpectedly. Jean Marie has endured the great trial of faith and discovered Jesus, who has returned to claim the world. Morris West's epic tale describes how one man was challenged to look beyond the obvious in order to find the presence of God ...

4150. New Creations in Christ

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Richard Gribble

There once was a very unhappy old man. For him, things were never right and, thus, he grumbled quite a bit. He complained that he had to get up in the morning, and when nightfall came it was too soon. He complained when he had to work, but found it boring when he did not work. He talked about how people paid insufficient attention to him, yet when others ...

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