Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4251 to 4275 of 4972 results

4251. Resurrection: From Lesser to Higher Morality

Matthew 5:17-20

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... and higher than those around them in the foreign villages. But now Jesus was teaching something new - a morality more inward than they had known before. It was a morality that affected the mind as well as the act, the will as well as the doing. Before leaving the village in mid-afternoon, Jesus had said, "Think not that I have come to abolish the Law and the prophets; I have come to fulfill them!" Sarah remembered that so very well for it was the keystone of decisions that she was making within her own ...

4252. Resurrection: From Brokenness to Wholeness

Matthew 15:29-39

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... makes you complete, whole, that guards you well." Some of the folks nearby gave out a cry, for they had never seen Jahmai stand so tall, never hold his head so erect. "It is a miracle," they said to one another. "It is another miracle." I WILL LEAVE THE STORY somewhat vague, for the mists of 2,000 years are hard to penetrate. There were some that day who said that Jahmai’s leg was straightened out just like your leg and mine. "It happened just like that," they reported with snapping fingers. Others said ...

4253. Resurrection: From Slave to Child

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

... "God sent and redeemed his people; God decreed that his covenant should always endure. Holy is God’s name, inspiring awe. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and they who live by it grow in understanding." In this faithful blessing we leave now to share the Good News of the family of faith (Psalm 111). Study Suggestions for Chapter Seven Group Builder In a small group ask each person to share his or her answers to the question, "What is one freedom that you especially cherish?" This ...

4254. A Shepherd Who Became a Sovereign

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... penitent. He said, "I have sinned." He admitted his guilt. And he prayed for forgiveness. Forgiveness was granted. The Lord was merciful. But the sin that was so desperate, the sin that was so despicable, required its punishment. Nathan predicted, "The sword will never leave your house; from now until the day you die, you’re going to have trouble within your own family." And this is precisely what happened. David had shouted that the man who had taken the pet ewe lamb should restore it fourfold (2 Samuel ...

4255. A Man Who Lost His Head

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... kingdom ought to live: in holiness ... in purity ... in justice ... in righteousness." He would still point to Jesus and say, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). This is the heart of the Gospel. Wherever we leave out the Lamb of God, offering himself at Calvary, as a sacrificial substitute for our sins, we omit the nucleus of the Christian Gospel. And wherever this is presented, we have God’s eternal truth: whether at the high altar of a large cathedral or ...

4256. A Reed Who Became a Rock

John 1:35-42

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... the wind blowing up the waves ... realized how boisterous the water was ... and began to sink. Just in time, Jesus reached out and held him up (Matthew 14:22-33). Let us not be too hasty to criticize Peter. Would you or I have dared even to leave the boat? Peter was courageous. Yet, once he was walking on the water, he looked away from Jesus, and started to sink. He was a reed - fluctuating, wavering. It was at Caesarea Philippi, a beautiful spot in northern Israel, that Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do ...

4257. A Citizen of Three Worlds

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... privilege. Paul was a Roman citizen, a great privilege. But actually his true citizenship lay in heaven. He was reJected by the Jews. He was martyred by the Romans. But his heavenly King never forsook him. We still have the same assurance and promise: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ... Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). There is a parallel for you, today. You have a national heritage, a great privilege; you have much for which to be thankful ...

4258. Francis of Assisi: a Faith for Every Day

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... to Rome he exchanged clothes with a beggar and spent the day begging. When he returned to Assisi, after being disowned by his father, he devoted himself to repairing a ruined church. In 1208, Francis heard read in church his Lord’s words bidding his disciples to leave all (Matthew 10:7-19) and understood them as a personal call to save souls. He soon gathered a band of followers. He drew up a simple rule of life based on sayings from the Gospels for himself and this group. In 1212, his ideals were ...

4259. William Booth and His Hallelujah Army

Sermon

Jerry L. Schmalemberger

... success bringing religion to the masses of people. That very success caused considerable jealousy among other Methodist clergy. In 1861, he left the Methodists because of their unwillingness to let him reach out with the Gospel to all sorts of people. The reasons he gave for leaving the Methodist organization were three: 1. The poor and down-and-out would not go where he sent them. 2. They were not wanted when they did go. 3. He soon discovered that he wanted them to assist him in winning others who were of ...

4260. Knowing the Secret

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

Thomas Long

... to take care of the son of some wealthy and uncaring parents, takes the boy to a riverside baptismal service being led by a preacher named Bevel Summers. Standing on the river bank, they hear Summers warning the crowd that if they have come for an easy miracle, to leave their pain in the river, they have come for the wrong reason. "There ain’t but one river, and that’s the River of Life, made out of Jesus’ blood," he says. "It’s a river of pain itself ... to be washed away, slow, you people, slow ...

4261. What’s In It For Me?

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... today that emphasize exactly what Peter emphasized. They tell me what is in it for me. If I believe in Jesus, they tell me, I will experience a renewed and powerful sense of my own self-hood. If I believe in Jesus, they tell me, all my physical ailments will leave instantly. If I believe in Jesus, they tell me, all my enemies will be destroyed. If I believe in Jesus, they tell me, my financial needs shall be met. If I but make it a point to give money to their ministries, I will discover that I prosper. I ...

4262. The Glory and the Cross

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... stood out against a moonlit sky. The waves of the lake seemed to beat against the shore in perfect time with the music. Our hearts were united as we sang chorus after chorus. The Bible camp leader led us in prayer. We added our own prayers. No one wanted to leave the campfire. The moment was just too perfect. "It is well to be here," I thought to myself. I felt as if I had, at that very moment, a glimpse of God’s glory. I wanted to stay beside that campfire forever! Many of you have had a similar ...

4263. We Wish To See Jesus

John 12:20-36

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... we have seen, many, many ways to portray Jesus. The central portrait, however, the image of Jesus that is to control all the other images, is the portrait of Jesus dying on the cross. Do you seriously wish to see Jesus today? Look to the cross! But Jesus does not leave you and me suspended in mid-air with our wish to see him. "Why should we look to the cross?" we might well ask. "Look to the cross," Jesus says to us, "because this is where the judgment of this world takes place; this is where the ruler of ...

4264. Repentance and Forgiveness

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... his mouth: "I admit that I am powerless over alcohol and that my life has become unmanageable." The words of the "second step" brought some hope to his powerless situation. "I have come to believe that a power greater than myself can restore me to sanity." I want to leave Wendall Hayes for a few minutes. We will get back to him. Let us look again at the scripture story that this sermon is based on. It was Easter evening. Cleopas and a friend were joined on the road to Emmaus by a man they did not recognize ...

4265. I Am The Good Shepherd

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... known intimately by the very God who created us. "... even the hairs of your head are numbered," Jesus once said. (See Matthew 10:30.) It is great good news to be known and loved by the God who created the universe. And when God knows and loves us, God never leaves us alone. That old word from the book of Genesis remains true for us today. "It is not good that we should be alone ..." (Genesis 2:18). It is not good to be unknown people. It is not good to be merely a number in someone else’s counting ...

4266. Loved People, Love People

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Richard A. Jensen

... the rivers and the streams that we either ravage or protect. Pollution is not just a matter that concerns us today. It is a matter of life and breath for people yet unborn. What kind of natural world, what kind of environment shall we leave for our farthest neighbors, for our children yet unborn? Again, our individual acts of charity cannot begin to touch this problem. The problem of industrial pollution, for example, is a problem that goes beyond anything that we as individuals acting alone can solve. Here ...

4267. Blind Bartimaeus - Model For Healing

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... . For two years following his return home, the local high school sent three teachers several times a week to give Jim private lessons. That practice enabled him to gain his junior and senior high school education. Jim arose every morning at six o’clock to leave for his college classes. His father drove him to the campus, where students helped him take his son out of the car and put him into his chair; others wheeled him from class to class. After classes, students wheeled Jim to the nearby parking lot ...

4268. All-Out Love

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... and relatives shaved their heads to cheer up Garcia. His five-year-old son was bald, and his two older boys had gotten shaves or partial shaves. His wife and daughter had gotten their hair cut short. Some of the fifty friends and relatives had gotten partial shaves, leaving a Mohawk-like strip of hair down the center of the head, or a ducktail. "I cut my hair because I’ve known him for about fifteen years," said one 26-year-old. "I love him like a father. It made him feel better." An excellent example of ...

4269. A Cup Running Over

John 11:17-37

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... of Lazarus. And a fascinating story it is. It holds us spellbound, because it is a literary cup running over with courage, feeling, faith, love, and life. I. Courage surfaces, in the story, in Jesus’ decision to return to the Jerusalem area. It meant leaving a safe shelter to defy the fury of a raging storm. A raging storm - a fierce typhoon - struck an isolated Pacific island where some Navy Seabees were stationed. First it leveled all the tents in the battalion area. Then it peeled the roofs from ...

4270. Happiness Is ... the Kingship of Jesus

John 18:28-40

Sermon

James W. Robinson

... further harm and humiliation. Jesus could easily have taken that route, for Pilate was the kingpin of the local Roman operation, and in a position to call the shots as to whether Jesus lived or died. But, oddly, the scene in the praetorium leaves us with the distinct impression that Jesus, not Pilate, was in control of the "trial." He dominates the scene. In May, 1986, a mayoral election was held in a large American city. The incumbent was resoundingly defeated in a stunning upset, after sixteen years ...

4271. What Makes People Great?

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Edward Chinn

... by being helpful. When David was a boy, he was taken to the palace of King Saul. David’s musical talents proved most helpful to the king. Scripture says: "Whenever the evil spirit came upon Saul, David would get his harp and play it. The evil spirit would leave and Saul would feel better again and be all right" (1 Samuel 16:23, TEV). The music of David helped Saul to get over his black moods. Furthermore, the boy David was helpful to Saul in another way. While he was taking food to his brothers who were ...

4272. A Streak of Common Sense

Deuteronomy 18:14-22

Sermon

Thomas D. Peterson

... in Jesus Christ, and do the good we can by obeying his word. This is, indeed, good news. When we do not get what we insist we must have from God we are not destitute. We have other resources which God has provided for our safety. God did not leave us helpless, but gave us these traditions as a sign of his covenant faithfulness and love. Moses spoke good news to his people. Tempted by the Golden Calf and frightened by the prospect of death, they turned to Moses. "Don’t let us hear God’s voice nor see ...

4273. Christmas 2

Isaiah 62:1-12, Titus 3:1-11, Luke 2:1-7, Luke 2:8-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... AND PRAISE GOD FOR THE GREAT GIFT OF THE CHRIST CHILD! Collect O Creator and Redeemer God, whose angelic good news makes glad our hearts whenever it is proclaimed: open our ears and hearts this hour to hear as though for the first time: that we may leave this place glorifying and praising you and witnessing to what we have seen and heard. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen Prayer of Confession Loving and merciful God, we know that like the shepherds of old, we usually live our mundane lives and go about our ...

4274. The Baptism of Our Lord

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Acts 19:1-22, Mark 1:1-8, Mark 1:9-13

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... , and the voice of God as a private, inner experience of Jesus alone, rather than a public event observable by the baptizer or onlookers. Call to Worship Leader: As John the Baptizer left the desert for the refreshing waters of the Jordan, People: LET US LIKEWISE LEAVE THE DESERT PLACES OF OUR LIVES FOR THE REFRESHING WORSHIP OF GOD. Leader: And as Jesus came up out of the waters to behold a heavenly vision, receive a spiritual blessing, and hear a divine voice, People: SO MAY WE EMERGE FROM WORSHIP WITH A ...

4275. Fourth Sunday in Lent

2 Chronicles 36:15-23, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:1-21

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

... God has compassionately sent to turn them to repentance. Call to Worship Leader: May the God who has sent prophets out of love for humanity be with us in this hour of worship. People: MAY THE GOD WHO CARES ENOUGH TO SHOW US THE WAY NEVER LEAVE US! Leader: May we for whom God cares always heed his compassionate urgings. People: MAY WE AS GOD’S CHILDREN BE OBEDIENT FOREVER! Collect Most compassionate God, who have sent great prophets in every generation for the good of your people, continue to send your ...

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