Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 401 to 425 of 4681 results

401. The Demanding Word

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

... as he goes out to sow the seed? He wants to have a good crop! That's his aim. A crop filled with tall, healthy, fruit-bearing plants. This brings up the question: Why does God want to get his Word out to you and me? Why are we here in church ... God wants for you and me this morning is a life filled with meaning and depth and happiness, a life filled with tall, healthy, fruit-bearing plants, as it were. This is what we want too, isn't it? A daily existence that has substance and fulfillment. We want a life ...

402. Fasting: Foolish or Fruitful?

Matthew 6:16-18

Sermon

... than nothing, isn't it? This points to the motive for fasting. Why do we fast? For self-benefits? That would be selfish, right? While fasting can be fruitful for those who fast, we really fast for Jesus. We do it for him because we love him. We can't bear to see Jesus suffer alone, especially when it is in our behalf. We want a part in it, and we sacrifice for Jesus. Do you love him enough to give up your candy or coffee for forty days? Love him enough to sacrifice your prejudice and gossiping? One way we ...

403. Good News for the Multitudes

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Thomas C. Short

Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, "If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of yon, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid afoundation, and is not able to finish ...

404. A Sermon for Passion Sunday

Matthew 27:45-56

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... welcome word of our victorious brother and Lord through his resurrection from the dead. Therefore Keep Christ Jesus in Life's Center I am not wanting to say that any ordeal is something to relish or look forward to, or that distress and suffering are pleasant and easy to bear. What I am wanting to say is that when you and I keep Christ our Lord at the center of our lives, then we may hold fast to the truth that all our troubles can no longer be the final and ultimate suffering. Before we ever lived, he took ...

405. That They May Be One

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Dean Lueking

... church to a new urgency for unity in response to Christ’s prayer, and mission to the world as the purpose of unity. Today we add new names to this number: Lesslie Newbiggen, Desmond Tutu, T. K. Ting, and Herbert Chilstrom. Each bears witness to the unity that must find expression amidst Christians who suffer persecution, who are led into new organizational expressions of unity, and who are participants in the world mission of the Gospel. Level Three: Congregation to Congregation Our Lord’s intercession ...

406. Proper 9

Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 · Gal 6:7-18 · 1 Ki 21:1-3, 17-21 · Isa 66:1-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... of the cross for what God has done in Christ on the cross in reconciling us to God, forgiving our sin, and granting us eternal life. 3. Body (v. I 7). As final proof that his gospel is the one and only true gospel, Paul says that he bears on his body the marks of Jesus. This does not necessarily mean physical marks even though Paul probably bore the scars of the beatings and stonings he endured. The Greek word used here for "body" is "soma," not "sarx" which is the physical body. "Soma" means the whole ...

407. It Takes More than Sun to Grow

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

... one who hears the Word and understands it. In other words, the test of the good ground is that it produces. Sounds simple. A musician does not simply talk about playing music - she plays it. A runner runs. A Christian of the good ground type is expected to bear fruit, to tell others about Jesus Christ - and to help bring in the harvest for the Kingdom. Can you imagine how large our church buildings would have to be if we all did this? We wouldn’t be able to build churches big enough. What a problem that ...

408. Proper 10 & Pentecost 8

Isaiah 55:1-13, Psalm 65:1-13, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:18-27, Exodus 2:11-25, Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon Aid

... , to all who accept his invitation. Second, there is a kind of postlude provided in verses 12 and 13 for those who have accepted the invitation and have received the Word: "Yes, you will leave with joy and be lead away in safety...." Indeed, the Word of the Lord will bear fruit and feed the hunger and thirst of people who will receive God's gracious invitation to them. Verses 10 and 11 remain as the heart of the first reading for this day. Romans 8:18-23 (R); 8:18-25 (L) Here is a powerful reminder that God ...

409. The First Council

Acts 15:1-21

Sermon Aid

CSS

... diverse opinions. Everybody was given a chance to speak. Then, as a consensus evidently began to emerge, Peter made a notable address in which he reviewed his own experiences in the case of Cornelius the Centurion. Generalizing from this case, he asked why God had chosen him to bear witness to Gentiles if there was to be any restriction on accepting Gentiles into the church. "Why are you now going to test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to ...

410. "I appeal to Caesar!"

Acts 24:1-27, Acts 25:1-12

Sermon Aid

CSS

... provinces bordering on the eastern Mediterranean. A deep-water harbor provided access by ships. Stone barracks and government buildings were scattered over a well-planned area. In the theater, a fragment of an inscribed plaque that was found in 1961 bears the name of Pontius Pilate, who had been governor or prefect of Judea at the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The inscription reads, "Tiberieum ... (Pont)ius Pilatus ... (Prae)fectus Iudicae." The first word would refer to Tiberias Caesar, who ...

411. You Figure It Out

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

... of them found themselves exterminating citizens of other countries which their government decreed they would invade. The conflict in that case was severe and ambiguous. - Some have accepted conscription, but on condition they be allowed to do non-violent service because bearing arms would violate their Christian conscience: It could lead to killing, something God forbids. In response to those who say to them, "But it’s kill or be killed," they answer, "Scripture says ‘Those who live by the sword will ...

412. No Longer Spectators - But Participants!

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

... Bryant, University of Alabama football coach. McKay and Bryant had been out shooting ducks for about three hours, and after a while, one lonely duck flew by. The Bear fired, and that duck is still flying today. But as Bear watched the duck flap out of sight, he looked at McKay and said, "John, you are witnessing a real miracle. There flies a dead duck!" So, all of us are witnesses to the Lord who has bent to our skepticism and made believers of us anyway. He did not argue ...

413. Telling the Right Story

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

George Bass

... for us and for all people who will ever live upon the earth. And so Mark declares to all of us, "Believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the secret of life eternal and of a full life now." There is only one ancient church in Rome bearing the name of St. Mark, the Church of San Marco near the Palazzo di Venezia; it is overshadowed by more famous ecclesiastical structures in the Holy City, despite the fact that the body of St. Mark the Evangelist and the Pope who built the church in the fourth century ...

414. Men of Distinction

Acts 11:19-30

Sermon

Allan J. Weenink

... the other. A Christian is a person of distinction because what he believes motivates what he is. He faces decisions in the light of his faith, and makes them on the basis of inner direction. A Christian believes some things and in Someone. The name he bears comes from the title of the founder of the faith: Christ, meaning Messiah. He believes not only in what Christ taught and demonstrated, but in what Christ accomplished on the cross. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, laid down his life that all persons might be ...

415. Learning to Be Graceful

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... never preached the truth! He preached parables and stories which made people realize the truth. The crass, blunt truth is sometimes best left unsaid. Often as we ride on an interstate highway, we encounter a truck that takes up more than its share of the highway. The truck bears a sign, "wide load." These vehicles wear the sign to warn us that we have to make more room for them to pass in safety. In life, we all meet people who carry wide loads. I’m not referring to those of us who have weight problems. I ...

416. Here Comes Jesus

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

James Bjorge

... had prayed for years to have a child. In fact, this husband and wife had given up hope of producing a baby since they were well advanced in age. But one day an angel appeared to Zacharias and told him that in due time his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a baby boy and his name would be called John. So it happened. John developed into a rugged man who loved the outdoor life. His dress was comprised of a garment of camel hair with a leather girdle around his waist. His manner of speech was direct and convincing ...

417. Half-Price Crosses

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to make the trip anymore. And, catch this, you will follow this new lifestyle not because you have to but because you want to. And, by the way, in the process you'll have the time of your life! In verse 27 we read: "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Crosses involve suffering and sacrifice, and no one likes to suffer or sacrifice. In 1916, Georgia Tech played a football game against a team from the tiny law school of Cumberland University. Tech was a powerhouse ...

418. The Witness of the Spirit

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... ! The key Biblical verses for this doctrine are Romans 8:15,16: "When we cry 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God." The great Bishop and seminary dean who went to heaven last week ... even I, am reconciled to God." Wesley said of this doctrine, "It is one grand part of the testimony which God has given Methodists to bear." How sure can we be sure of our salvation? John Wesley said that God's Spirit gives the believer such an assurance of his adoption ...

419. To Our Heart’s Content

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

Susan Hedahl

... our prosperity continue? What resolutions have been forged in our hearts for the new year as we leave the child’s cradle? There are some here who will not see another Christmas. There are others yet to enjoy their first Christmas. And all of us bear in our hearts the desire for lives made meaningful by the Bethlehem Child. We leave with the gifts, accompanied by this Child, for adventures whose conclusions we know nothing of. What places will we journey to and through? Where will we choose to stay and ...

420. Blessed among Women

Luke 1:39-45, 1 Samuel 2:1-11

Sermon

Erskine White

... . Before she became a statue in a church or an object of adoration in peoples’ hearts, she was a woman and a person, and it is that part of Mary we want to recover this morning. What was she like? What kind of woman would be chosen by God to bear His Son, and what kind of woman would have the faith and grace to do it? There are the usual qualities we traditionally think of. For example, we think of Mary as someone who was willing to take risks. She risked rejection by Joseph and even stoning by the other ...

421. Comfort

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

... miracle. Comfort doesn’t mean the situation will become easy. The alcoholic will still have to take it one day at a time. Living the rest of our lives without a loved one who has died will not be easy. Coping with a disability, bearing pain, loving someone who is hard to love are all difficult to do. They require strength often beyond our limits. But there is reassurance - tender reassurance. "Don’t be afraid.... Behold, your God comes with strength, ... and reward ... and vindication. He will feed his ...

422. The Ten Commandments - Part 4

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Brett Blair

... you the King of the Jews. Jesus responds: Do you say this on your own or have you simply heard others say it about me? In other words: Are you making a profession or have you just picked up on the gossip? A half-truth can be just as much bearing false witness as the most overt lie. We need to remember that in God’s final court, there will be no 5th amendment. There, all lies will be exposed to the light of truth. X The Final Commandment reads: Thou shalt not covet. It would seem that with this commandment ...

423. What Is Caesar's and What Is God's?

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

Brett Blair

... the Divine Augustus, Pontifex Maximus.” The emperor was the high priest of Rome’s pagan religion. There is a bit of humor here. Standing on the Holiest ground in all of Israel, within the Temple walls, Jesus’ adversaries have quickly produced a coin that bears a graven image, an idol. The second of the Ten Commandments expressly warns against the use of idols. Their hypocrisy is exposed. And then Jesus answers, render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are God’s. George ...

424. Loved People, Love People

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... from John’s Gospel. This reading is really an extension and clarifiaction of John 15:5-8 where Jesus said: "I am the vine." We, as followers of Jesus, are admonished to abide in Jesus, to abide in the vine, so that as branches on the vine we might bear much fruit. The text for this message talks about the same reality, only it talks about it in terms of God’s love for us rather than using the figurative language of the vine and the branches. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide ...

425. "But, Lord, I Didn’t Want To Be Saved in That Way"

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... man of pride. He would not permit himself to be treated in a way beneath his status. Face was very important, and he could not bear to lose it. So long as he paid his way, he maintained a posture of superiority to whatever was going on. He knew a thing ... do not manage his visitation. Finally, we take away from the encounter a very simple commodity, fitted for everyday living, whereby we bear testimony to God’s gift - "two mules’ burdens of earth." It is enough for us to worship and serve him. To bend, ...

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