Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4226 to 4250 of 4977 results

4226. Leaving ‘Last Chance’ Heading For ‘Needmore’

Romans 12:9-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... that says in Needmore they need more Bluebell Ice Cream. So, just where is Needmore, Texas? According to the Handbook of Texas, there are actually 4 Texas towns named Needmore. The oldest Needmore was established in 1850, Delta County. They couldn't quite decide what to call their town, which was also known as: Jernigan, Pecan, Pecan Branch, and Eureka. The town officially became Needmore when the post office was named in 1886. The next Needmore appeared around 1900 in East Texas, Nacogdoches County. This ...

4227. Settling In Celebration

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... God through Christ. We forget that sometimes. II. Life Is Celebration A. We need to remember that Life IS Celebration. Now, you might be asking yourself what have we got to celebrate? Or why should we celebrate? As you can see, the answer to "WHY?" is really quite simple. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's Image. We were created to be in relationship with God and when that relationship is broken, so are we. God loves us so much; desires to be in relationship with us so much that God sent Jesus ...

4228. Altar Your Witness

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

In the Disney/Pixar movie Up, Carl Fredricksen is a 78-year-old widower living alone in the home he and his childhood sweetheart, Ellie, had built as their lifelong love nest. Ellie has been dead now for quite a while and Carl's life is tied up with her memories. She was the fuel for his fire, and now he burns very low. Carl is alone on purpose, imprisoned in his home and his memories. Into his life comes Russell, a young Wilderness Scout who is looking for ...

4229. LOST? Pursuing Purpose

1 Peter 2:9-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... we've been talking about "Finding What We've Always Been Looking For." I started by saying that the only ay we can find meaning in our lives is through discovering the love of God, going back to the beginning and realizing that the meaning of life is really quite simple. As God's creations we are called to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. And to love our neighbors as our selves. Once we've focused on and discovered the meaning of life, it's almost like opening the door to the toy ...

4230. Monday: The Way Of The Cross: Figs & Fig Trees

Matthew 21:18-22

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... can be seen as an object lesson and parable for Israel with the Pharisees and Sadducees being the fig trees that didn't produce. Thus, the blessing and message of God was going to be taken away and given to the Gentiles. This passage is really about something quite different. II. Figs and Faith A. This passage is really about Figs and Faith. Jesus wasn't mad at the tree for not having figs. And being the Son of God, he could have made the tree blossom, bloom and produce fruit. But that would have been using ...

4231. By Right Paths

Psalm 23:3

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... like be a parent. This being Mother's Day, there are some attributes of the Good Shepherd that as parents we need to develop so we can be the best parents possible and keep our kids on "The Right Paths." I. Be the Parent A. The first one is really quite simple. Be the parent. The Shepherd can't be a sheep. The Shepherd has to be a Shepherd. That's the Shepherd's job and calling in life. It's the same with parenting. I think the greatest gift you can give to your children is to simply be their ...

4232. Followed By Mercy

Psalm 23:6

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... was going to follow me all the days of my life.' I don't know who Good Mrs. Murphy is, but if she's gong to follow me everywhere I go, then I'm not going back." A lot of us are just like that little boy. We don't quite get this part of the passage. We think it implies sort of a big brother relationship. Maybe we need to ask ourselves what it is that's following us. Are we being followed by the goodness and mercy of God. Or are we being chased and haunted by our past ...

4233. He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... nearby convent. One of the sisters would come out to hug her. Each time the sister held Flannery to her body, the cross that the nun was wearing around her chest would press into Flannery’s cheek and leave its imprint . . . That’s one cross that made quite an impression. Sometimes, however, you wonder if the cross has made any impression at all. Did you know that one of the few weekdays when no trading takes place on the New York Stock Exchange is Good Friday? If you go to the Visitor’s Center at the ...

4234. Jochebed: Save The Baby, Save The World

Exodus 2:1-10, Numbers 26:59

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... plan. Slowly but surely Pharaoh began to subjugate the Hebrew people by assigning them more and more strenuous and arduous tasks and putting taskmasters over them, until finally they were reduced to nothing more than slaves. Pharaoh thought that would cause them to quit reproducing. But as it turned out the more they were oppressed, the more they reproduced. Pharaoh was starting to get worried. So he solicited the help of the midwives and told them to terminate every male child when it was born. But the ...

4235. Jonah: Run!

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... into the boat, the storm picked back up. So they hung in water up to his waist and the storm got even quieter. When they pulled him out of the water, the storm pick up again. They dangled him in the water up to his neck and the storm nearly quit. But when they pulled him out, it sprang right back into action. When they saw that they finally had no choice, if they were going to survive, they even prayed to God asking God to save them and to forgive them for tossing Jonah overboard. Then they tossed him like ...

4236. A Chance To Help

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... the loaves and fishes offered the lunch he'd brought for the day and helped feed 5,000 people. And that was the real miracle, what Jesus did with that boy's unselfish act of sharing. Let's look at the story. I. The Story A. It's really quite simple, Jesus and the Disciples were headed from one place to another. They had just crossed the Sea of Galilee and gone through Tiberias. This is the height of Jesus popularity. People are coming out of the woodwork to see and hear him, hoping to see some sign, some ...

4237. A Chance To Dance

Luke 5:17-25

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... thinking about how good they must be to be getting that much attention. The focus moved from the main thing, the dance, to them. And when they did, they came up all wet. They same thing happens to us when we lose our focus on the faith. When we quit focusing on God through Christ we've danced too close to the edge. And in order NOT to lose that focus we have to continue in Worship, Prayer, Bible Study, fellowship, tithing, all of those things which keep us centered in and focused on the Lord of the Dance ...

4238. A Chance To Be Made Whole

Matthew 9:18-26

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... excited to talk much, herself. She'd been waiting all night to hear his special news. After the picnic, the couple drove around the park looking at the stars. The whole time, the young man spoke of how special and important this moment was. He didn't know quite how to share it with her. Then he smiled over at her with a beatific smile and said, "There, it's happened. My car just reached the 100,000 mile mark. 100,000 miles in this old beauty. Now the speedometer is starting over again. Everything is back ...

4239. A Chance To Hear

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... and the love of the One who sits upon the throne of heaven. But that's not the end of the story, for God and the Angels carried out God's plan. At the birth of every child, a Guardian Angel was assigned. The job of the Guardian Angels was quite simple, all they had to do was whisper in the baby's ear every moment of every day: "God loves you. God loves you." And so it was from that moment on that Guardian Angels began whispering in our ears, "God loves you. God loves you." Sometimes when a baby ...

4240. Choosing The Right Gift

John 1:1-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... smell fruitcake, do you break into a sweat? Well, then you're suffering from the seasonal illness which some doctors have labeled "Santa Claustrophobia." It's not fatal but if not taken care of can lead to a severe case of Yule Drool, which can be quite embarrassing, especially in public. And all this in the pursuit of "Choosing The Right Gift." The only cure for "Santa Claustrophobia" is a good strong dose of The Real Reason for the Season which refocuses the heart and mind. Listen to what the Gospel of ...

4241. The Character Of Christmas; Mary: Faith Filled

Luke 1:39-56

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to bring the tree to earlier. He loaded up his truck and drove to the address he was given and rang the doorbell. Who should answer the door but the couple who'd stopped to help him on the highway just weeks before? (2) Life does not always work out quite that neatly. But the story does point to what Mary teaches us. Life IS Hard but in the midst of all the hardship the world can throw our way, God Is Good. As you look under the tree surrounded by family and friends, tonight or in the morning, look for ...

4242. Digging Deeper

Philippians 3:12-16

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , whenever there was a time of testimony a certain man would always participate. Every time he'd testify, he'd conclude by saying, "Friends, I'm aiming to do better." After about 15 or 20 such testimonies the pastor finally said, "Friend, I think it's about time you quit aiming and started pulling the trigger!" (1) Study helps us not only aim better but it also helps us pull the trigger, so to speak. You see, the Scriptures were given to us as a guide book on of how to live the faith. And when we take time ...

4243. Be A Barnabas

Acts 4:33-37

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... do you think they are going to be sent into battle first?" We all need motivation from time to time, don't we. Well, this morning we begin a new series titled "Reaching Out Without Passing Out." Our first call, our marching orders, so to speak, are really quite simple and perfectly clear. You know them: They were Jesus last words and you could probably recite them by heart. Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the ...

4244. What's In A Name?

John 15:9-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... there for each other. Yes, they fought. Yes, they argued. Yes, they disagreed and got angry. But the hung together because they were friends and we all need that kind of relationship in our lives. I. Three Friends A. In my life I'd say I've had quite a few friends. Pastors get to meet lots of people and be their friends. And in the ministry, in college and seminary I've been close friends with a lot of people. But there are three friendships which standout as being formative and defining. First, there was ...

4245. Cross Eyed: Triumph

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Dan Brown's DaVinci Code. Both are great novels. Both are great works of fiction. Both authors used ancient gnostic gospels as sources for their ideas. Do you know what the gnostics believed? Or why the church rejected their versions of the gospel? It's really quite simple. First off, the books that contain these stories of Jesus and Mary, and even the now popular Gospel of Judas, that's in the news, were all written forty or fifty years after the latest date given by scholars to the writing of the actual ...

4246. Cross Eyed: Rebuke

Mark 8:31-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... s passage from Mark 8:31-38. [31] Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. [33] But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." [34] He called the crowd with ...

4247. Are You Plugged In?

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... prayer technique that I find very useful and fulfilling. I think we've done this before but I can't remember when. It's called a Breath Prayers. I really like Breath Prayers because Prayer is also part of the Breath of Life. Breath Prayers are really quite simple. Have you ever noticed that if you're nervous about doing something or saying something, that a deep breath right beforehand actually helps. Several of those slow deep breaths can put you in the right frame of mind and calm you down. Well, you can ...

4248. Luke 4: 21-30

Luke 4:14-30

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... v.23). Some commentators identify a slight faux pas here in Luke’s presentation of events. It is not until 4:31 that Jesus “went down to Capernaum.” Yes, Luke’s chronology might have gotten a bit ahead of itself here. But it is also quite possible that the gospel writer assumes a journey to Capernaum is part of the unspecified journeys around “Galilee” that are mentioned in 4:14. The focus of Jesus’ words are on the hometown crowd’s expectations. If he has done great things in the Gentile ...

4249. The Law of the Pendulum

Mt 14:22-36; Mk 6:45-56

Illustration

Brett Blair

... to demonstrate this fact by standing against a wall with a pendulum bob against his chin, then releasing the bob and allowing the pendulum to swing naturally through its arc. The professor reminded the class that the bob would return almost to, but not quite touching, the chin. No one volunteered. Although the science students “believed” that this law of physics was true, they were unwilling to put it to the test. How like many of us in our relationship with God! We know the facts, but are unwilling ...

4250. The Eighty-Yard Run

Luke 5:1-11

Illustration

James Garrett

Irwin Shaw wrote a short story called The Eighty-Yard Run. As a college freshman, at his first football practice, he broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run. His teammates looked at him with awe. His coach said, "You're going to have quite a future around here." His girlfriend awarded him with a kiss after the practice. Irwin Shaw has the feeling that life is completely satisfying and rewarding. But nothing in the rest of his life ever lives up to that day again. His football experience is equally ...

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