Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 401 to 425 of 1131 results

401. Is Christianity Practical?

Jeremiah 17:19-27

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... withdraw from drug addiction. We have tried every method - cold turkey withdrawal, imprisonment, counseling, psychiatric treatment, group therapy, and even the use of substitute drugs like Methadone. And then some people began to use a practical way. They tried to get the addicts to surrender their lives to Christ. And we now have the testimony of scores of former addicts. As one man put it: "I tried every way known to kick the habit; and then I gave my life to Jesus, and I was cured in an hour." That ...

402. Learning to Walk on the Water

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

... , too, can be water-walkers, buoyed and borne up. For, after all, it is the victorious Christ who calls to us across the stormy sea saying, "Come, "saying, "Come unto me. "He stands triumphant; he has proved himself in storm. By some he was hated, but he did not surrender to their hatred. He was "put down," but did not go under. He was dead, yet he lives. And across the winds that blow and the storms that rage, if we listen, we can hear his voice speaking still: "Take heart, it is I: do not be afraid." And ...

403. The Lord's People Together

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

... individual bears a responsibility to the body. If a hand puts poison into the stomach, the whole body will die. The hand cannot always behave by direction of its own whim; it must do what is best for the body of which it is part. So it must surrender all notions of doing as it jolly well pleases. At the inception of the American Revolution, Patrick Henry stirred the fervor of Virginia's patriots by shouting, "Give me liberty or give me death!" A noble sentiment this is; but you cannot run a baseball team on ...

404. The Freedom To Be Wrong

Luke 18:9-14

Sermon

... , you’ll be tossing in bed all night, testing out one alibi after another. Here’s a husband fighting with his wife. It’s plain he’s in the wrong, and he may even realize that. But he’s the macho type and John Wayne would never surrender, would he? So he just hollers louder. Here’s a set of parents concerned about keeping their children’s respect. They may believe they should never admit a mistake. When I was in the seminary, we had a form of this problem in our preaching classes. After the ...

405. Advancers Over Decliners

Luke 19:11-27

Sermon

... servants in the parable we are not told, but there were citizens who sent an embassy to tell the nobleman that they would not accept his rule. They would be gainers, go their own way, do their own thing. The lordship of our lives is never easily surrendered. Enslaved by sin and trapped by self, life is reserved as our domain, no interference tolerated. But there is nothing more disastrous to be heard from human lips than this, that "I intend to take control of my own life." In the end, at Christ’s return ...

406. Counsel for Discouraged Disciples

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Sermon

... them suffering; makes them want to join Jesus in cross-bearing efforts to bring about redemptive change. Regardless of the sincerity of their dedication, however, they are never emancipated from the pain and frustration in cross-bearing. Evil never surrenders without a fight. The wrongs that are resisted often seem to grow more monstrous the more they are opposed. Lifetimes of tears, prayers, and strenuous involvement may pass without seeming to make much difference. The risk of discouragement, therefore ...

407. How Was Jesus' Death Different?

John 19:28-37, John 19:17-27

Sermon

... . If Jesus is God on the cross suffering and dying for us, there comes a deep sense of gratitude that calls us to follow and be his slave forever. Such love demands all we have and are. Gratitude wells up within us and we cannot be satisfied until we surrender all. Count Zinzendorf was not a "holy" youth, but one time he visited a palace where a large painting of the crucifix hung on the entrance wall. It captivated him, and he looked and looked at it a long time. On the base of the picture was the question ...

408. Fixing The Fox!

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

... do that. They say you can't beat city hall. You may just as well go along with the times. Use the methods that the enemy uses. Go along with the crowd, because "everybody's doing it." That is not resisting the enemy with courage. That is cowardice by surrendering to the enemy. A true follower of Christ will have none of that! The Christian thing to do about this deadly enemy is to take courage and take a stand against the enemy. This is what Jesus did regarding Herod. He said, "Go and tell that fox." He was ...

409. If Only We Would Accept Responsibility ...

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... responsibility for itself. You and I are no exception. Five-hundred-fifty years before the birth of Jesus, the whole middle eastern world was ruled by Babylon, a ruthless and barbaric nation. The tiny kingdom of Judah fell when King Jehoiachin surrendered to the Babylonian armies of Nebuchadrezzer in 589 B.C. All her artists, her merchants, her prophets had been systematically removed from their beloved country and resettled along the Euphrates River. The chosen people were in exile. Among those deported ...

410. If Only We Could Remember ...

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

... what the prophet sees and declares: God will forgive. Like Gomer, Israel will be accepted again as a partner in marriage. Hosea has been called the prophet of grace. Long before he knew the generosity of God through Christ, he wrote: How can I give you up, Ephraim, how surrender you, Israel? How can I make you like Admah or treat you as Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me, my remorse kindles already. I will not let loose my fury, I will not turn round and destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the ...

411. Proper 5

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

... faith is an exclusive faith that will not share the worship of the hearts of its followers with anyone or anything. The believer's commitment belongs to God alone. The modern tendency is to rebel against this kind of unconditional surrender - even to God. We do not like terms which bind us. Words like slave, obedience, commitment, command, responsibility, discipline, are not popular among us. The prevailing tendency among people today is to assert their freedom, their independence, rather than emphasize ...

412. The Simplicity of God's Call

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

... me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my help and my God. PRAYER OF ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more. Amen.

413. Good News for the Multitudes

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

Thomas C. Short

... not ready to renounce all that I have to follow Christ. At times, I wish my heart was in that place, but it is not. I have a wife and children, and I am not ready to walk away from them. I have possessions that I am not ready to surrender. When I seriously count the cost for discipleship I realize that there is a great distance between the disciple, St. Francis, and me. He literally did what Jesus told him was required. He left it all, everything, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. There is a great distance ...

414. When God Says "Go"

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

... he is watching the sheep. An amazed little David is annointed the next king. God chooses us more than we choose him. In some, he puts a hunger for something - inner peace, perhaps, or a purpose to living. It's a hunger assuaged only when we surrender to a life of faithfully serving him. "Our hearts are restless," Augustine said, "until they rest in thee." For others, the choice is seemingly accidental. No one else was willing to be bishop of late fourth century Milan, so a stunned layman named Ambrose is ...

415. God's Passion

Acts 2:42-47

Sermon

... the Bible, divine love, agape love, holds center stage. Friendship love plays a strong supporting role. And romantic love? Well, it's no more than a bit actor. But this chapter of Acts is different. The contented joy of the church after Easter is the blissful self-surrender of new love. It was not spring fever the church felt; it was romance with God. For a change, God's love is not the quiet, respectful obedience of an Israelite nation to Yahweh after the Exodus. Nor is it the somber devotion of an Abraham ...

416. God in a Glimpse

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

... 't believe based solely on the evidence. God doesn't work this way. He'll never be so evident that belief is inevitable. It's always up to us to accept him or not. It's the leap of faith. Faithfulness is not assenting to beliefs, but surrendering to a person we call Lord and Savior. And the result of faith is commitment, not credence. Theologian Brooke Westcott wrote 100 years ago: "A Christian is essentially one who throws himself with absolute trust upon a living Lord, and not simply one who endeavors to ...

417. The Cost of Being Christian

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

... not feel fulfilled. He was still doing a lot of "stinking thinking." It was not until he followed the practice of daily praying to God to save him that he realized that he was talking to God about saving all of his life. He had not done that. When he surrendered all of his life to God, he said, "I finally felt a freedom I had never known and I am happier than I have ever been." That is why Jesus said that we must follow him all the way even if it means a cross. To refuse to commit our ...

418. Proper 14

Lk 12:32-48 · Gen 15:1-6 · Jer 18:1-11 · Heb 11:1-3, 8-19

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. He considered Babylonia to be an instrument of God to discipline and purify his people until they learned to be faithful to him. Consequently, he was a prophet of doom and was hated for it. Because he urged the people to surrender to Babylonia, he was considered a traitor and his life was threatened. Yet, he loved his people and Yahweh. Genesis 15:1-6 Abraham believed God's promise that he would have a son and heir. Wisdom 18:6-9 God tells his secret plans to his faithful ...

419. Ordinary 32

Lk 20:27-38 · Zech 7:1-10 · 2 Thess 2:13--3:5 · 1 Chron 29:10-13

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... for none other than God to choose us! 2. Called (v. 14). We have not only been chosen but we have been called by God to serve him. How does he call us today? Paul says God calls through the Gospel. When it is proclaimed, the Spirit calls us to surrender to God and to go out on a mission for God. What is that call? To be a preacher or teacher or candlestick maker? Each of us needs to learn what God calls us to be and do. 3. Pray (3:1). Think of Paul as a man of God ...

420. Advent 1

Mt 24:36-44 · Is 2:1-5 · Rom 13:11-14 · Ps 122

Bulletin Aid

Staff

... Prayer of Confession If we knew when Christ would return, Father; we would feel more comfortable. But we do not know; and we become careless in living responsible lives. Forgive us for weak commitment based on our manipulation of faith and hope. Give us the desire to surrender our total being without the necessity of knowing when the day of our Lord will come; but only that each day requires us to live our best. In our Savior's name we pray. Amen. Hymns Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus God of Our Life I Know ...

421. PROPER 11

Exodus 3:1-22

Bulletin Aid

... us in our daily lives; that we may know your will for us, and respond obediently to your call. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Prayer of Confession We often complain, O God, of all that we do not understand about you. What little we do know compels us to surrender ourselves to be in your service. But we excuse ourselves because we think we don't know enough. Forgive us when we turn our backs on the burning bush, and turn deaf ears to your call to service. Reveal your will to us, and send us forth in your ...

422. Proper 12

Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Bulletin Aid

... with being accepted into your Kingdom, Father. But we also enjoy the fine pleasures and possessions of this world. Forgive us when we take for granted our entrance into your Kingdom while we invest in this world's attractions. Convince us of the choice we must make of surrendering all for the sake of your Kingdom; that we may not be led astray, thinking we can have the best of two worlds. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. Hymns "Be Thou My Vision" "Come, Thou Almighty King" "Take My Life, and Let It Be ...

423. Proper 14

Matthew 14:22-33

Bulletin Aid

... We love your church, Father, because we enjoy its security in a life of insecurity. But even within your church we experience fear when we give thought to the tremendous forces which sweep over us as if we were defenseless. Forgive us when we have surrendered our faith to the forces of evil. Keep us mindful of your presence and power, that we may rejoice with you in the victory of your church. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. Hymns "Father, I Stretch My Hands to Thee" "Jesus, My Strength, My ...

424. PROPER 29

Ezekiel 34:1-31, Matthew 25:31-46, 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

Bulletin Aid

... on our part to live in your kingdom with Christ ruling our lives. We desire to be obedient children; but we are motivated by independence, with a strong urge to be in charge of our lives. Give us victory over the power of evil, by our surrender to Christ our King, in whose name we pray. Amen. Hymns "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" "All Praise to Thee, for Thou, O King Divine" "Crown Him with Many Crowns" "Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned" Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 Theme: The final judgment Call ...

425. Epiphany 2

Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-34, John 1:35-42

Bulletin Aid

... role, he did more than just say what God wanted him to say. People: He became the suffering servant whose suffering brings healing to others. Pastor: In his suffering he took away the sins of the world which neither man nor the Law could do. People: May God help us surrender to him, and lay all our sins at the foot of the cross. Collect Eternal God, who gave your only Son to suffer death on our behalf that we may be saved to new life: Draw us to you in humility and in penitence; that we may let Jesus take ...

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