Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4251 to 4275 of 4946 results

4251. THE MARK

Drama

Jerome W. Nilssen

A woman in black, calling. It is dusk, and imperceptibly the lights dim, until the last four or five speeches are given in almost total darkness. A single pool of light may be used. EVE Cain! Cain! Ca-a-a-i-n! (No answer) That’s all right - I know you can hear me. That’s perfectly all right. Well, they rip you to pieces when they’re born, and they keep at it until you’re dead - it’s the natural, inborn ingratitude of children. They watch out for themselves. Cain! You watch out for yourself! You do, don’t ...

4252. I Believe In Heaven

John 14:1-4

Sermon

Robert Allen

In 1816, Lord Byron wrote a narrative poem that has become a classic. The poem is titled, "The Prisoner of Chillon," and it is the story of a man incarcerated in the dungeon at the Castle of Chillon near Lake Geneva, Switzerland. The prisoner was in a narrow, cramped dungeon cell for such a long time that he began to think of it as home. He made friends with the spiders, insects, and mice that shared his cell. They were all inmates of the same dungeon and he was monarch of each race. The years in the dark ...

4253. We Know Jonah

Jonah 3:1-10

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

In the spring and summer of 1992, the world was shocked by reports of atrocities and pictures of concentration camps populated by emaciated captives in the strife-torn lands that had been Yugoslavia. No longer held together by a totalitarian regime, ancient feuds and animosities flared into violence and then full-scale war. Heinous acts were committed by Serbian government forces against people of other ethnic and religious groups, under the euphemistic term, ethnic cleansing. People were uprooted from ...

4254. Wade In The Water

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

The lives of the rich and famous hold a strange fascination for those of us who do not find ourselves in that category. From a very surface view it is easy to envy their glamorous and opulent lifestyles. How we’d like to be like them. We could really enjoy having their money, or their influence, or the adulation of the people who crowd around them. How nice it would be to have the athletic prowess of Michael Jordan, or the good looks and acting talent of a Tom Cruise or Geena Davis, the voice of Luciano ...

4255. "The Sawdust and the Circus"

Numbers 27:12-23

Sermon

This being Evangelism Sunday in our church, I made the flip remark to someone last week that I was going to preach about the "sawdust trail." And the answer I received really stopped me. "Oh," this person said, "going to talk about the circus, huh? What’s so theological about that?" I had thought that the "sawdust trail" was an expression that was so much of a cliche that everyone knew just what it meant - but apparently that was not the case. The sawdust trail, of course, got its name from the old tent ...

4256. All I Need Is A Little Rest!

Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

Daniel G. Mueller

One of the most effective sermons I have ever preached was shared ten years ago when I was just beginning to preach. I didn’t expect it to be good because I was tired when I wrote it and tired when I preached it. In fact, I was afraid I was failing the people that day because I thought the sermon wasn’t much good at all. In the sermon I shared with the folks why I was so tired, all the things that had happened to me that week. A child had died in City Hospital. The parents had no friends, no family, no one ...

4257. Twenty-First Century Reformation

John 8:31-41

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (v. 36) On October 31, 1517, the eve of All-Saints’ Day, at high noon, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg. (We acknowledge that some scholars consider the story to be a pious legend.) It is easy to over-dramatize the event, but one cannot be unmindful of those hammer blows which echoed around the world. The Reformation had begun! Precisely, what was Luther doing? Existentially, he was listing 95 reasons ...

4258. Called to Be Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." (v. 12) Who is a saint? The historic definition is one whose life is worthy of imitation by all of Christendom. Some add that a sense of humor is a prerequisite, along with having performed miracles. "She is a saint," we say. What do we mean? We usually have in mind a person whose goodness, unselfishness, love, is unmistakable. Ah, but ask that one, "Are you a saint?" The answer: "Of course ...

4259. Thomas Didymus: An Honest Skeptic

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Gregory J. Johanson

The reality of doubt and its relationship to faith is dealt with by HELEN TERKELSEN (see biographical note preceding Like Trees Walking) in her particular unique style in Thomas Didymus: An Honest Skeptic. Since Easter is a week behind us and the life everlasting is a long way out in front of us, I’m going to ask you to visit a little room in Jerusalem where there is a handful of frightened people from up country behind closed doors. They were afraid of the Jews. It is the evening of the day of ...

4260. Taking the Sting Out of Death

1 Chronicles 15:1-16:6

Sermon

Harold Warlick

One of the most lasting images in the New Testament is one from Saint Paul: O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The early Christians asserted that Jesus has taken the sting out of death by demonstrating that it is but a doorway into another realm. Have you ever been badly stung? If so, you will recognize the importance of removing the pain and being surrounded by a group of fellow laborers, just like the Bible says. A minister relates the earliest memory from his childhood when he ...

4261. The Dilemma (A Drama about Tithing)

Mark 10:17-31

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: The original everyman in church, trying to figure out what in the world tithing is all about. Pretty funny stuff if you ask me... I like to do pre-recorded voice over (V.O.) in some dramas. It's really effective because it allows us to hear what someone is really thinking. So, just record the actor speaking into a mic, add some reverb to it so it sounds like it's hollow and you're good to go. Cast: Dave: A normal guy at church Mark: An offering collector Props: Chairs Pre-recorded V.O. ...

4262. There Are Other Worlds To Sing In

John 3:1-21

Sermon

James W. Moore

His name was Paul. He lived in a small town in the Pacific Northwest some years ago. He was just a little boy when his family became the proud owners of one of the first telephones in the neighborhood. It was one of those wooden boxes attached to the wall with the shiny receiver hanging on the side of the box… and the mouthpiece attached to the front. Young Paul listened with fascination as his mom and dad used the phone… and he discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device called a telephone lived ...

4263. The View from Jesus' Pew

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

David E. Leininger

There is an old story of a father going to church with his three daughters and giving them each two quarters to put in the offering. When the offering came around the oldest put in her two quarters, the next did the same, but the last held onto hers. When she was going out of church, she pulled the pastor down to her level. "Sir, my daddy gave each of us kids two quarters to put in the offering. Sally put hers in the offering plate, and Julie put hers in, but I wanted to give mine to you." When the pastor ...

4264. Surprise!

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Do you like surprises? Some folks do. Not I. I do not like bad surprises at all and only tolerate good surprises. In general, I prefer NO surprises. I realize that life is full of surprises though, so they will come whether I want them or not. Some will be bigger than others, of course. Ask Mary. She surely got a MAJOR surprise. There she was, doing the dishes or sweeping the floor or sitting engrossed in the latest Harlequin Romance or whatever young Israelite girls did in those days when suddenly ...

4265. Is God Like Daddy? - Father's Day

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Kids are fun. A little girl came home from Sunday School. "What did you learn today?" her father asked. She responded, "All I heard was that the children of Israel did this and the children of Israel did that. Didn't the grown ups do anything?" Another one. The new baby came home from the hospital. The three-year-old met her new brother at the door and tagged along like a shadow as he was carried in and placed in the basinet. Big sister stood and watched in fascination and noticed that the new arrival was ...

4266. Sonny Moneybags

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

David E. Leininger

As most of you know, I am a golfer. I use the term loosely because I do not play very well and I do not get to play very often any more, but I still consider myself a golfer. There is an old expression in the game that says, "Every shot makes somebody happy," which means if you hit a good one, you are happy. If you hit a lousy one, your opponent is happy. Whoever came up with that line was not quite as charitable to the gentle folk who play the game as he or she might have been, but the point is well taken ...

4267. Last Words

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

King Duncan

[While King Duncan is enjoying a well deserved retirement we are going back to his earliest sermons and renewing them. The newly modernized sermon is shown first and below, for reference sake, is the old sermon. We will continue this updating throughout the year bringing fresh takes on King's best sermons.] Original Title: Last Words New Title: Before It's Too Late, Turn Around A lawyer was trying to console a weeping widow. Her husband had passed away without a will. "Did the deceased have any last words ...

4268. Mark Twain's Briefcase And A Great Mental Attitude

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Mark Twain was taking a train trip. He didn't want to carry his briefcase with him, so he asked a baggage handler if he thought the briefcase was strong enough to be checked and placed in the baggage compartment. The baggage handler shrugged, took Twain's case, and promptly hurled it to the pavement. "That, sir," he said, "is what she'll get in Philadelphia." Then he picked it up and struck it five or six times against the side of the train car. "And that," he continued, "is what she'll get in Chicago." ...

4269. Where Is Your Home?

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Children say the most outrageous things. Laurie and her husband, Ralph, have a little ritual they go through with their kids when one of their pet goldfish dies. The whole family gathers in the bathroom and around the commode. Little Anthony, the 3-year-old, holds the "deceased" while his sister says a little prayer. Then Anthony drops the fish in the bowl and Lexy, the 5-year-old, flushes it to heaven. One day, during one of these rituals, Lexy asked her dad if "Wito," her Grandpa who passed away a few ...

4270. Walk With Confidence

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Some years ago TIME magazine reported on a nervous motorist in Lambertville, New Jersey. This man, on being stopped by the police, explained that he had been driving on two hundred and twentyfour consecutive learner's permits over the last twentyfive years. He had flunked his first driver's test and had been unsure of himself ever since! (1) Our theme for today is "Walk With Confidence." Our Scripture lesson is St. Paul's famous admonition, "...Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on ...

4271. Fans or Followers

Matthew 4:18-22

Sermon

King Duncan

Someone named Kyle Idleman has written a very thoughtful essay titled “Why I’m Not a ‘Fan’ of Jesus.” He begins by noting that, according to a recent survey, the percentage of Americans who claim to be Christian is somewhere north of 75 percent. “Really?” he asks, “three out of four people are followers of Christ? “Let’s see, if the population of the United States is about 311 million and 75 per cent are Christians that brings the number of Christians to somewhere in the neighborhood of 233 million. That’s ...

4272. What Are You Afraid Of?

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

"You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear," writes St. Paul, "but you have received the spirit of sonship." The question for the morning is this: What is it that you are afraid of? Our little friend Charlie Brown in the comic strip "Peanuts" knows about fear. "I've developed a new philosophy," he said. "I only dread one day at a time." In the play YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, Charlie Brown explains why he hates lunchtime: I think lunchtime is about the worst time of the day for ...

4273. Resisting The Power Of Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

A silly story has been going around about a young man who was hitchhiking through one of our Southern states. A farmer driving an old pickup truck stopped to give him a lift. As they rode along, they got to talking about the local moonshine whiskey. The young man said he didn't drink very much. Moonshine would probably be too strong for his tastes. "Nonsense!" said the farmer. "You gotta try some." He fished around behind him and finally produced a small jug. "Here," he said, handing the jar to the lad. " ...

4274. A Journey To A New Life

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Danne and Jorge Martinez wanted to raise their eleven-year-old daughter Lizbet to do right. Unfortunately, they had no choice but to teach Lizbet to lie. You see, the Martinez family lived in Cuba. They were members of Castro's Communist Party. But inside their home, these devoted parents complained bitterly about the political situation that was destroying their country. And so, when Lizbet was old enough to attend school, her parents sat her down and explained the facts of life to her. She was never to ...

4275. Get Out Of That Boat!

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Gerald Hill, a Baptist pastor in Powderly, Texas, tells about a friend of his who was serving in a mission church in Alaska. The water was so bad in this particular Alaskan community that a thick red scum would appear over the top of it. This little mission congregation was in the process of building a new church building. Since this was a Baptist church, the baptistry [a small pool in the sanctuary] was installed and being used even though the building was not complete. On this particular occasion, the ...

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