Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4226 to 4250 of 4963 results

4226. Eating in the Echoing Hall

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... them looked at what their father had done and decided that they too could do whatever they wanted to. Today's account involves David's son, Absalom, whose name meant "father of peace." It is likely that David gave this son that name as a kind of prayer, hoping that in this child, God would bring peace to David's family and nation. That was not to be, however. David had children by several of his wives. One of his sons, Amnon, David's eldest, forced himself on his half-sister Tamar. In response, Absalom, who ...

4227. The Spiritual Gateway

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... to the airport, you have only minutes left to check in. Unfortunately, there's a long line at the airline desk and you know there is no hope of getting to the front of the line in time. Do you: A. give up and say, "Oh well, they'll just have to go on ... strives for involvement in life and not escape into death ... He believes that we cannot rely on God, channel action into prayer, or hope for an end of troubles in a hereafter....2 Obviously, O'Hair denied belief in God, prayer, and heaven, but her words ...

4228. First Things First

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... failed them. I apologized to them, for in a day when fanatical fundamentalism is on the rise everywhere, we do our children no service at all to send them out like sheep among wolves with no interpretive tools whatsoever. I hope what I belatedly shared with them helped some, and I hope this sharing has served to clarify and enlighten you about this concern. There is something to the doctrine of the Second Coming — something very crucial. It is part of a vision of reality that says that creation is not a ...

4229. The Two Prodigals

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... time of planting pernicious seed and now the harvest was being grievously gathered. He had learned internally and externally that whatever we do in life has a result to it. Yes, he was reaping what he had sown. There was nothing pretty about the picture but there was hope. Why? Because he knew what fatherly goodness was and prepared to go back to it. In a way, his story is one of all of us. We may not have been promiscuous, sexually or otherwise, but we were far from knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord. There ...

4230. History Hangs in the Balance

Luke 23:1-49

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... lost in their sins. It is a no-holds-barred moment in history and failure means eternal gloom and doom. There is something about such a defining instant — brief in anyone's measurement — that penetrates our eternal souls. It is so personal we gasp for breath and hope in painful pangs, bordering on panic. The message is to you and me, isn't it? There is no need to look around and see to whom it applies. Brothers and sisters, we are the ones crying out for a salvation that conquers death, even the worst ...

4231. So, Are You The Messiah?

John 10:22-30

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... voices that Christ has come. How do we know? We know because he lives in us! So, it is an old, old story of Jesus and his love. In countless forms, the ages confirm all that we have said. In a priceless and unbroken chain, Christian soldiers march on! Our hope is summarized in a few words of the text. Gone are the days of rejection. Gone are the days of uncertainty. Gone are the days of cross-purpose. Gone are the days of empty living and fear of dying. You and I know beyond any shadow of doubt that we ...

4232. Recognizing His Disciples

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... thousand years ago belong to them as children. It is also just as true for you and me right now! A standard has been set in place to be permanent. The body of Christ will seek to practice it among themselves. The world will observe and survey. We hope and pray that our act of loving each other will be a divine program of salesmanship, leading to many conversions. Christ has set the example in stone and it shall neither be moved nor crushed by the forces of evil. Let the fury of hell be unleashed and witness ...

4233. Keeping His Word

John 14:23-29

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... followers, according to holy scripture, witnessed him living, dying, and resurrected among them. If he would just stay as the risen Lord and minister to them, it would be a miraculous blessing! Don't you imagine there were many who not only wished for this but desperately hoped he would physically stay with them? All of them had already been through so much. Admittedly, not many of them seem to entertain the notion that he would arise from the dead. But he did, so that all would be as it should be. Some may ...

4234. Call to Oneness

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... . We may be assured the Holy Spirit is at work, coaxing and cajoling, or should we simply say inspirationally wooing? We may also be assured we will not be telling the Holy Spirit what to do and what not to do. As we have traveled the road of ecumenicity, hopefully we have learned that. If some have not, maybe that is why they become so disappointed and defeated. In a few cases, some of us can point out disillusionment. But let us not be downcast and doubt our God's Word to us! With chins up and head high ...

4235. Welcome, Rich and Poor

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). That verse is in our second lesson for the day. Paul urges his young protégé, Timothy, to help his rich church members and friends not to be haughty and not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches but rather to focus on God and be generous with their resources (1 Timothy 6:17-19). A rich businessman in Muncie, Indiana, had family members who encouraged him to attend worship at the local Lutheran church. He attended and said that he ...

4236. Faithquakes

Luke 17:5-10

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... tells us that there are consequences to our sins. A murderer told a pastor, "I have been converted. I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I have repented for my terrible sins and I hope that God will forgive me and that someday I can go to heaven. But I know I must pay the penalty for my sins. My hope is that I will not die in the electric chair, but that I will be allowed to pay my debt to society by a life-long sentence in the penitentiary." This murderer distinguished properly between the ...

4237. Putting Eternity to the Test

Luke 20:27-38

Sermon

John Wayne Clarke

... life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Then, again, in 1 Corinthians 13:12: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love." One way to look at these verses is to understand that with God, every generation is present tense and once God is your God, that fact remains for eternity. When Jesus comes, he connects himself to the ...

4238. Building God’s Kingdom: The Christian Challenge

Romans 10:8-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... like the tsunami, to drown out our voice. This should be no surprise, however. Jesus told his followers, "You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22). Thus we must persevere and never lose hope. Building God's kingdom in our world is not for the faint of heart. It is a task that takes courage, strength, and persistence. Let us never think that if the task is too difficult we can relax and let others take the lead. No, Jesus the foundation of ...

4239. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... the solution; his name is Jesus. John the Baptist heralded him, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29b). Jesus was the light who came to dispel the sin, the darkness, of our world. We must place our hope and faith in the Lord, confident as he promised, "In the world you [will] face persecution. But take courage; I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33b). Christianity calls us to stand against the forces which threaten the message of Jesus. The Lord warned us that this ...

4240. Minding the Store of Our Lives

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... its very silence said something about continuity, community, and interrelatedness. It had become a part of the local imagination and without ever really thinking about it, the people knew, with a sound instinct, that it was very important. It had something to say about what they hoped to be. It has something to do with the coming of the kingdom. The man from the cottage, who was a stonecutter, went up to the cross one dark night. One of those stone arcs, he thought, would fit exactly the hole in his wall ...

4241. Jesus Rewards the Just

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... . It must be awful to be dead." But the angel said, "You are dead." And he truly was.1 Jesus is coming but we do not know the day nor the hour. Nonetheless, we can be completely confident of God's promise. Therefore, let us entrust our lives and our hopes and fears to the Lord. Let us remember Jesus' promise and follow his lead: "Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift" (Revelation 22:17c). If we can, our reward in heaven will be great. 1. Summary of "The Boy Who Was Scared of Dying," in ...

4242. Unlocking the Power of God

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... certain death. Today many people are into "reality" television shows where individuals are put to extreme tests. We watch them because we like to see others battle against great odds and come out victorious. When an underdog comes out on top, we garner a sense of hope that we, too, can defy the odds and win out in the challenges that come our way. The more improbable the success, the more excited we become as we watch someone triumph over all the odds. The author of the book of Hebrews understands human ...

4243. God Is Rock Solid

Hebrews 12:18-29

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... we have over the last few years and have come face-to-face with the devastation of terrorist acts, you might lose all hope for any stability in the future. At that moment, our writer here says, "At that time his voice shook the earth; but now ... unlike anything they had ever known and it is often lost on us. Nonetheless, it is important to us because God is still the source of our hope and our grace. As long as God is in control we know that we have an advocate in high places. We have someone who cares for us ...

4244. The Promise that Won’t Be Broken

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

Clayton A. Lord

... hardships, but actually we are given hours and days — sometimes weeks and months — of joy, blessing, peace, excitement, and adventure. That is due to the mercies of God. That is what allowed Paul to sing God's praises even when he was stuck in prison with little hope of a future. He saw God's mercy and realized how blessed he was in spite of his circumstances. Wow! A sixth promise is that we will have God's peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Peace is that inner sense of well-being. It is ...

4245. Flying Coach to Nirvana

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... , and wants, all of us to get there, too. Some of us just get afraid when we are spent. Others know that to empty is to fill. We know that life's trip to heaven and eternal life involves a lot of coach-class flying. We approach the airport "hoping for an upgrade" but know that we could get stuck in a middle seat. We are not always comfortable. Sometimes we are downright exhausted. But still we empty and risk emptying by an array of commitments that amaze all of us. We make commitments, we try to love each ...

4246. The Light of Christ

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... of this present age."1 Long ago, several prophets had given clues that the Messiah would not be just an earthly king, and not an extraordinary human, but truly God. The prophet Isaiah is preaching to prepare us for the arrival of the light. Isaiah is expressing hope and expectation for the one who is to come. The words of Isaiah remind us again that the light which shines in the darkness is the Christ Child. The light of Emmanuel, God with us, is more brilliant than any light we can imagine. Jesus is the ...

4247. What's in a Name?

Isaiah 43:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... for those who live in God. Isaiah opened the floodgates for a thirsty world so people could feel the splash of God's grace and forgiveness. God's people were again given hope in a world that had seemed ready to self-destruct. In her spiritual autobiography, Holy the Firm, Annie Dillard is surrounded by waters as she describes her vision of Christ being baptized. The setting is an island in Puget Sound, where several spectators are gathered to watch. Jesus and John ...

4248. Risky Business

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... older. Jeremiah delivers God's message to a people who had not kept covenant faith with God. God wants his people to repent, to turn from their evildoing, and return to the ways of the covenant. Jeremiah has a message of doom, which is followed by hope. The Hebrew people will be defeated and carried away to Babylon, but a remnant will return to rebuild the promised land, with God's help. The prophet Jeremiah was called to address an audience that thought of itself as religious, even though it had failed to ...

4249. Like a Tree Planted

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... toward the ground. He is weeping, for he hears God tell him of the destruction of the nation with a long march toward enslavement in Babylon (Jeremiah 27:12-15). Today's scripture lesson comes from Jeremiah's "Book of Consolation," where he is giving hope and encouragement to the people. Jeremiah's message for us today is quite simple and clear: Trust in God rather than in humans. Those who place their trust in humanity will exist merely as shrubs in the desert, a less than desirable environment undeniably ...

4250. Past, Present, Future

Isaiah 43:16-21

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... Mount and which he himself practiced, loving and forgiving his executioners even as they nailed him to a cross? Are we ready to change the world by following his nonviolent path? Martin Luther King, Jr., said that one reason he practiced nonviolence was that he hoped not only to free his people, but to save his enemies. Jesus called us to love our enemies, and to work for their salvation, not their eradication. That is our real heritage. Claiming the past, present, and future of our faith is expressed best ...

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