Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4201 to 4225 of 4963 results

4201. Teammates in Building The Kingdom

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... ; we have various likes and dislikes, different ways of operation. Thus, our methods and ideas will vary, which is actually helpful to the progress of the body. We can and must approach situations and problems with various solutions. What is essential, however, is to remain on the same page with respect to the goal. There are many ways to skin a cat; achieving the desired end is essential. Thus, the body can use all its members to gain its goal, not only a few who are prominent, influential, or noteworthy ...

4202. Raised to New Life Today

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... 's resurrection for our future hope. Without Jesus' resurrection there is no reason to have hope in him for the resurrection was the event that secured our release from bondage. It was the action that released us from our sins. If Christ is not raised, one remains in sin; we have no hope to break the bond of sin that our first parents brought to the world through their disobedience of God. Christ's resurrection is our ticket to eternal life. Paul tells the Corinthians that if our hope in Christ is only ...

4203. Did God Really Say...?

Romans 10:8-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... pride, your arrogance, the way you gossip and destroy the good name of others. Look at your love of money." Paul will not let the devil have the last word. "Yes, God really did say that! God really did say that we are special. The promise of your baptism remains. The forgiveness of sins you receive at his table will never be revoked. His desire to forgive is eternal." Paul, too, can quote God's word: "No one who believes in him will be put to shame" (Isaiah 28:16) and "Everyone who calls on the name of the ...

4204. The iPod Vs. The Larynx

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... thing we do as community every week: worship. We are gathered as a community to be a community. We come together not just as individuals, living in our own private space to have our own private needs met. We are a community that has been called together and remains glued together by the grace of God. Therefore, our worship ought to reflect that reality. That means worship is not merely "entertainment." We come not to just sit in seats to watch and listen to a "show" that is taking place before us on a stage ...

4205. Heaven on Earth

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... enemies have already been destroyed. Christ in his death and resurrection has already disarmed all the powers of this world. The day is coming when Christ will make visible to all the victory he achieved on the cross and at the empty tomb. Now that victory remains hidden, but the day is coming when it will be visible to all. In the meantime the Christians addressed by this book can live with hope. Even though they must endure great suffering, they can look forward to the day when God will finally deliver ...

4206. But When God ...

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being.... — Galatians 1:15-16 For all the drama of Paul's conversion, for all of the dramatic changes in his life, it is also very clear that for Paul some things actually remained the same as before. He was just as stubborn and independently minded as he was before. He was just as energetic and just as zealous and still going full speed ahead. Only now it was in a different direction. He was still a very passionate and headstrong ...

4207. Thicker Than Blood

Galatians 3:23-29

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... be, these were no longer the defining and dividing qualities they once were. Instead, all those who were baptized into Christ and clothed with Christ had received a new identity and a new way of life that brought them together in Christ Jesus. That ringing affirmation remains true for us also today: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). In our contemporary experience, we might well add ...

4208. For All the Saints

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

April Yamasaki

... face the kind of physical suffering that Christians would face some years later under Nero. At this point, their need for endurance was related more to overcoming false teaching. In Colossians 2:4-19, the apostle instructs his readers not to be deceived but to remain firm in their faith. That's the kind of endurance and patience he prayed for them. Yet in the book of Revelation, endurance and patience are applied also to situations of intense persecution (1:9; 3:10; 13:10). Today, saints around the world ...

4209. God as a Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... nineties were introduced to the faith this way. They heard judgment without grace. They adjusted their behavior to meet the expectations of the adults, they joined the church, but weighed down by the fear, they never learned to love God. God remained someone to fear. Love had trouble breaking through the shell of the fear. We cannot deny that the Bible consistently proclaims God's judgment. Throughout both testaments God judges sin, confronts our injuries and exploitation of others, calls us to faithfulness ...

4210. A Peaceful Life in an Unpeaceful World

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

... be that our prayers keep things from becoming even worse. Let us pray for our leaders because of what it does for us if we pray for them. If we pray for them, we might be less cynical. If we pray for our president and our leaders, we will remain engaged in current events. If we pray, we may be less likely to throw up our hands and give up. If Christians everywhere pray for the president and our elected officials, maybe we can keep the animosity and bickering to a minimum. Above all, it is hard entirely to ...

4211. Living in Chains

2 Timothy 2:8-13

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... not following orders. In fact, he had malicious intent! But as Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story of Jonathan Edwards. Unfortunately, the crowd eventually believed the rumors concerning Edwards, defrocked him, and kicked him out of town. He remained in exile for eight years until the other pastor, humbled by Edwards' example of mercy, stepped forward, and confessed that it was all a lie. Now what? I understand that I, as a mature Christian, am not to seek revenge. Vengeance is mine, says ...

4212. Rally or Rail?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a claim. The demands, dilemmas, and deferences ordered by this world were all Pilate and all the Pilates of this world could understand. Jesus’ kingship is decidedly quirky and unconventional in the eyes of the world. It was so in the first century. It remains so in the twenty-first century. Those of us who worship a “king” who never reigned, who was never powerful, who never brought opposing powers to their knees, and who died a dreadful death, crucified on a cross as a common criminal, necessarily ...

4213. To God Be The Glory!

Isaiah 60:1-6

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... people are welcoming and friendly, they have suffered great tragedy: Only women and girls reside there." Why only women and girls? Simple. All 800 of the men and boys were murdered by men who came into their village and massacred them. "The attackers' motivation remains unclear, but hundreds lost their lives in the slaughter." Sathurukondan is caught in the middle of Sri Lanka's civil war. More than 150,000 have fled the area, and most resettle elsewhere. It is difficult to know how to share God's love ...

4214. Lessons From a Hurricane

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... a grave responsibility. A man cannot go on living the life he lived before he met Jesus Christ. He must be clothed in a new purity and a new holiness and a new goodness. The door is open, but the door is not open for the sinner to come and remain a sinner, but for a sinner to come and become a saint. — William Barclay[4] To be "a saint" to live from the inside out means that we will: * listen to God's directions, * enjoy the fellowship of God, * master the world and not allow the world to master you ...

4215. Breaking The Cycle - God’s Answer In Forgiveness

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... more importantly — it frees you from the bondage of unforgiveness.[1] Forgiveness releases us from the bondage of an unforgiving spirit from anyone a mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, colleague, pastor, church member, or anyone else. The principles of forgiveness remain steady. Today's scripture text reveals some of those basic principles. I. God Helps Us Break The Cycle Of An Unforgiving Spirit As We Acknowledge Our Attitude Dr. Norman Wright states, "If we don't forgive, that means we are ...

4216. A Resume of Righteousness

Genesis 15:1-18

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... of our Old Testament reading today. Four thousand years after he lived and died, Abraham is remembered and honored by untold millions around the globe. So many of the pivotal promises of God trace back to him. And from him come nations and faiths that remain at the center of current events so many centuries after his sojourn in the holy land. Abraham is a towering figure on the world's stage. The particular episode that we read from the book of Genesis this morning is one of the watershed events ...

4217. Profile Of A Savior

Isaiah 50:4-9a

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... make. There is the word that deflates and discourages, the word that belittles or condemns. On the other hand, we have known the word that blesses and encourages, the word that refreshes and revives. For all of our culture's devaluation of words, they remain a surprisingly potent force. And the subject of this portrait understands that he has been gifted with a certain kind of a tongue, and that that tongue was meant to bless and edify, not to curse and destroy. "Morning by morning," he continues, "he ...

4218. Prelude To A Sacrament

Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... his first obedient steps, things got worse for the Israelites he sought to deliver. It was a most discouraging beginning to what seemed already to be a hopeless endeavor. God needed to reassure Moses and the people of his ultimate victory. That, incidentally, remains very much a part of the dynamic between God and his people in every generation. We are so inclined to assess the probability of success based upon circumstances. We instinctively extrapolate from how things are going so far, and we think that ...

4219. That’s Why We Call It Good

Isaiah 52:13--53:12

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... dition: a grim diagnosis, for which the only immediate prescription would be the flood. Then, some centuries later, in the passage we read from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, we encounter a quite different prescription. The human dilemma remains fundamentally the same as in the days of Noah. Writing on behalf of humanity, Isaiah speaks of "our infirmities," "our diseases," "our transgressions," and "our iniquities." Furthermore, he confesses, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned ...

4220. A Stupid Question

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... of God. He had portrayed it as a priceless treasure; as a thing that starts almost imperceptibly small, but then grows into a grand reality; and as an end-time harvest, judgment, and banquet. Still, for all that he had taught them about God's kingdom, they remained strangely fixated on Israel's kingdom. It's easy to find fault with the disciples in this passage. It's easy, but it's not very useful, unless I recognize myself in them. For I am disposed to the same brand of myopia and miscalculation ...

4221. The Place of Prayer

Acts 16:16-34

Sermon

David J. Kalas

... attention to just what kind of day it is — and it might be a very cold one in Green Bay — and still make the claim that it is a perfect day for grilling. Whether it's 70 degrees, 50 degrees, 30 degrees, 10 degrees, or worse, the article of faith remains the same: It's a perfect day for grilling. Clearly they were committed to the proposition that any day is a perfect day for grilling, and I have met some folks along the way who would concur. I had a good friend in another parish who embodied that ...

4222. Seeing A Chariot Of Fire

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

Sermon

Stephen P. McCutchan

... what will please people rather than what will please God. We are moving through a time of change and as it says in 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed." The question for Christians is how to remain faithful when it is hard to tell what it means to be faithful. I direct your attention to our lectionary passage about that great prophet Elijah. Elijah is only one of two people in the Hebrew scriptures that we are told did not die. We don't know much about ...

4223. Garden Gone Bad

Isaiah 5:1-7

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... . What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? — Isaiah 5:3-4 Can you feel the frustration of Isaiah's beloved as he hears this dirge? He simply cannot remain silent any longer. So he interrupts Isaiah's heartbreaking song: And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a ...

4224. From Death To Life To…

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

Sermon

Chrysanne Timm

... have been attacked with nuclear bombs during World War II, the memorials to those who died and those who survived are surrounded by pictures taken as the bombs detonated and in their aftermath. A burning hot wind ignited fire upon anything that remained standing after the massive blast. Entire neighborhoods were laid waste, all structures destroyed. The cities lay in ruins and the fruitful foothills looked like a desert. As I walked through the halls of the memorials in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there was ...

4225. Not Another Rerun!

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

... consist in a radical discontinuity with the content and structure of the old covenants. The covenant at Sinai in particular also emphasized the initiative of God and an intimate relationship between God and his people (Exodus 19:1-6). The point is that God's character remains constant and trustworthy; what changes is humanity and its desire to keep the law and the covenant. That change is represented in the words, "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God ...

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