Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4226 to 4250 of 4884 results

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16). When temptation comes your way will it be Jesus or Niccolo? The Bible says that we should keep on "looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you ...

4227. The Womb of Amazing Grace

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... this Jewish man who spoke for God would step across the long-established social and religious fences erected in the minds of people on both sides of this divide. So here he is a sinless Savior meeting a woman whose life is, in some ways, a perfect demonstration of sin and its devastating effects on a life. That she comes out for water in the noontime heat tells us something about her. Historians record that the well was the early morning and late afternoon gathering place where women of that region came ...

4228. When Lazarus Leaped and Laughed

John 11:1-45

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... of B. Franklin, Printer Like the Cover of an old Book Its contents torn out, And stripped of all its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the work shall not be wholly lost, For it will, as he believed, Appear once more In a new and more perfect Edition, Corrected and amended by the Author. Although we know that death is universal and certain, many of us seem to make no plans for when it will come to us. One old story tells about a man who attempted to make a deal with Death. He told Death ...

4229. No Greater Love

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... no worry for the snakes or the long miles. I also felt sorry for her. Poor Miss Ellie, I thought, old and arthritic, having to walk all that way, pushing through the thick summer heat, not to mention the snakes. I felt sorry -- until I hit upon the perfect plan. I arranged with some men to help build a simple plank bridge across the stream near Miss Ellie's house. I scouted out the ideal place -- not too wide, but too deep to cross. I bought and helped carry the planks there myself. Our bridge was built ...

4230. Oh Say, Can You See by the Dawn’s Early Light?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... Jesus. The very reason Jesus died was that we are not good enough. He died in our place to make us good enough through his own goodness. So we must come to him not on our own merits but on his merits alone. He is not expecting us to reach perfection before we become disciples. All he asks is that we come saying, "Dear Lord, I'm not good enough and I have made a lot of mistakes but I am willing to try. I'll probably fail many times but I believe you make up for all my failures." Yet ...

4231. This Spirit Is Not Spooky

John 14:15-21

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... one like the first one." It stands in opposition to another Greek word that means "another that is a different from the one before." Jesus is telling them, and through them, us, that he and the Holy Spirit are one in design and ministry. That is, they are perfect partners. Jesus our first Advocate was gloriously and wonderfully committed to us all the way to the cross. Now Jesus is saying that we are to be ready to meet our other Advocate, God's Holy Spirit. Like Jesus, he is our proponent who wants what is ...

4232. The Time Is Now!

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... better even than that. There is a further practical implication in Jesus' ascension. His physical part in earthly ministry accomplished, he yet had a heavenly mission to fulfill. He left to prepare our place in the Father's house. Heaven is a promised, prepared, perfect, paid-for place for prepared people. The Lord of heaven himself prepares our place there. We get there as a gift simply by taking him at his word. In his ascension, our ascension is guaranteed. We shall reign with him in glory. Meanwhile, we ...

4233. The Biggest Prayer Ever Prayed Under Heaven

John 17:1-11

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

... this hour that now has come. Second, he prays to the Father about what he has achieved. "I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do" (v. 4). He has left his rightful place in heaven to set before the world an example of perfect living. He has not given in to Satan's temptations in the wilderness and he was tempted "in every respect... as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He has healed the sick and raised the dead. But now death looms, not any ordinary death but the cruelest ...

4234. Falling Into Faith

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... . Her work has become more truthful, unencumbered by decoration. Her condition gives her the ability to envision and paint only the essentials.[7] When we fall into faith, our wishes, expectations, and timetables for life become blurred and God’s vision for our lives comes into perfect focus. Our agendas move to the periphery to make room for God’s power, purpose, and plan for us. Soon we are able to see God’s will for our lives, and we begin to live out God’s promises. Haven’t you waited long ...

4235. A Happy Ending

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... and foolish to drift into spiritual stagnation and complacency. John Wesley knew this danger. That is why he directed the small bands and classes to ask each other when they met, “How is your soul? Are you growing? Are you moving on towards perfection?” The essence of Christianity is change. The outstanding preacher Wallace Hamilton makes this clear: “[Christianity] not only accepts change as part of God’s purpose for life, it demands it. That’s what it’s here to do, to change things, to change ...

4236. The Real Thing

Matthew 5:21-48

Sermon

James L. Killen

Once an amateur archeologist saw a man wearing a bolo tie on which was mounted what appeared to be an almost perfect Indian arrowhead chipped out of obsidian. His imagination began to run away with him. He imagined a time in the distant past when someone had quarried the stone from a place far to the north, where obsidian is to be found. He imagined it being crafted by an ancient artisan ...

4237. Elephants in the Room: Abuse – I Have a Secret

Matthew 11:28

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... .” America the Brutal Welcome to “America the Brutal!” We have a big ugly elephant that lives in many homes and that is the elephant of abuse – sexual, physical, and verbal abuse. It happens in the homes of people that live in your neighborhood. The lawn may be perfectly manicured, the SUV’s in the driveway may be washed and waxed, and they may wave to you as you go to the grocery store. But behind that big front door lives one of the worst evils in our society—abuse. In fact, this evil lives in ...

4238. Elephants in the Room: Sexploitation

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... done that is outside God’s love, forgiveness and redemption. Jesus understands temptation. He was a human being and faced temptation throughout his life. Jesus understands your struggles but his power and love can help you overcome and make all things new. None of us are perfect. We all sin and make mistakes. But the good news is that God’s grace covers all our weaknesses and gives us the strength to make wise decisions and live healthy lives. God’s love makes us whole. Christ came to set us free from ...

4239. Nothing Is Impossible with God!

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... been a bad boy.” Or they will say, “You seem nice, but I could never go to church. Lightning would strike.” What does John 3:16 say? Hartsfield reminds us again to look at what this verse does not say. It does not say, “God so loved the perfect people.” It does not say, “God so loved the religious people.” It says, “For God so loved the world!” Receive God’s love today. God takes notice of you and cares for you. What do we think Christmas is all about? Love came down at Christmas to show ...

4240. Less Is More

John 1:(1-9) 10-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... myth. The myth is that more is better — the more we have, achieve, attain, or buy the happier we will be. This myth is no more powerful than during the Christmas season which has just come and gone. We saw all the ads promising utopia if we bought the perfect Christmas present. Many of us bought those presents and still no utopia. How long did it take those toys to break or lose their luster? Not long. Many of us have played the “if only game” — “If only I had a new car, then I would be happy ...

4241. Prayer Changes Things

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... uplifted from your words, but I remembered what it was like to truly feel God in my life again. I hadn’t felt that in years. In June of 2012 I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I am doing great and will beat this! My older sister was a perfect donor match and in seven days I find out if I’m in remission, which right now is looking pretty darn good! I have a lot to be thankful for and God has truly blessed me. He never gave up on me! After being diagnosed... for a while I couldn ...

4242. True North

Matthew 22:34-40

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... love for one another. In glory, God is not going to say, “Well done child, you were correct in the way you interpreted the book of Revelation… Well done child, you were part of a denomination that was my favorite... Well done child, your theology was perfect.” No, God is going to say, “Well done child, you loved me with all of your heart and you loved my children.” Love is the highest law! Can you imagine how much energy the church would save and could use for better purposes by embracing Jesus ...

4243. Pop Verses: John 3:16

John 3:16

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... event. On the cross God in Christ is saying, “You want to know how much I love you? I love you this much.” “Everyone” The verse says “everyone who believes in him.” God so loved the “world.” It doesn’t say “God so loved the perfect people” or “God so loved the religious people.” It doesn’t say “God so loved the United Methodists,” as wonderful as we are. It doesn’t say “God so loved the bold and the beautiful.” God loves everyone, the entire world he created. God loves ...

4244. The Visit of the Magi

Matthew 2:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... 2:1, 2, 15–16), and myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead (John 19:39), some writers have seen a special symbolism in the three gifts. Barclay writes, “Even at the cradle of Christ [the gifts] foretold that he was to be the true King, the perfect High Priest, and in the end the supreme Saviour” (vol. 1, p. 33). 2:12 After presenting their gifts to the Christ child, the wise men returned to their homeland. They did not report back to Herod as he had ordered, but having been warned by God in a ...

4245. Giving to the Needy

Matthew 6:1-4

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... case, the temptation was to keep one’s religious commitment private in order to avoid persecution; in the later, the tendency is to call attention to one’s act of devotion for personal gain. The biblical doctrine of rewards holds that, since God is absolutely and perfectly just, he must punish evil and reward what is good (cf. Prov. 24:12; 2 Thess. 1:5–10). It need not be thought of in some crassly material way: the reward for holiness is holiness itself. 6:2–4 The first example related to the ...

4246. Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-14

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... they would come to the aid of livestock on the Sabbath but would deprive one of their own countrymen of the miracle of healing. Jesus goes on to point out the obvious: How much more valuable is a man than a sheep (v. 12), and therefore it is perfectly appropriate to perform this act of mercy on the Sabbath. He then tells the man to stretch out his hand. The man stretched it out, and it was made as sound as the other hand. Instead of rejoicing over an act of human kindness, the Pharisees withdrew to plot ...

4247. The Demand for a Sign

Matthew 16:1-4

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... Testament the Sadducees are not found outside of Judea, some have questioned whether or not they would stray so far from Jerusalem and the temple. One’s response to such conjectures is determined by the larger question of textual reliability. It seems perfectly reasonable to accept the text as it stands and understand the two groups together as a sort of official representation of Judaism. Most English translations note that verses 2b–3 are missing in a number of early manuscripts. Some scholars see the ...

4248. Divorce

Matthew 19:1-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

... divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness is still married to her. If that’s the case between a man and his wife, respond the disciples, then it would be better not to marry at all. The difficulty of achieving a perfect marriage becomes an argument against marriage itself. Tasker writes that “this is the voice of the perfectionist, and the ascetic, who because the best is unlikely to be attained would avoid the second-best” (p. 183). 19:11–12 Jesus’ response to his disciples ...

4249. As You Go, Remember…

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... attain to "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." In the face of Jesus we see our species brought to its highest expression, and we know that if God has his final way, he will some day make each of us into that kind of perfection. I refer to the last verse in our text, which is usually translated as an imperative. In the original Greek, the future and the imperative are spelled exactly alike, so that on textual grounds it could just as well be translated as a promise rather than a command ...

4250. Giving and Receiving

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

Tom Garrison

... thus know what is appropriate to do or let be done in a given moment. My hunch is that all of us need a little bit of Peter in ourselves to step out into the unknown and walk to the one calling us. I do not know anyone who is perfectly developed in all of these areas, and one of the creative uses to which we can put this crisis is right at this point — we can allow it to teach us something about ourselves and where we need to do some growth — work in our journey toward becoming more functioning ...

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