Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4251 to 4275 of 5000 results

4251. Living with the Aches and Alleluias

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... parts for which she easily qualified. It was only after she went to Europe and won the hearts of tough-to-please European audiences that stateside opinion leaders acknowledged her talent. "Not only has her professional life been a battle, her personal life has been marked by challenge. She is the mother of two handicapped children, one of whom is severely retarded. Years ago, in order to escape the pace of New York City, she purchased a home on Martha''s Vineyard. It burned to the ground two days before she ...

4252. Three Modern Meanings of the Ancient Christmas Story

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... and hug before rushing out to the next engagement. The mother tried to interest her in the newest toy she had brought. Through tears the child cried, "Mommy, I want you!" Yes, at Christmas our greatest need is to hang onto God. God is with us to stay! Mark Connelly tells in his writing, Green Pastures, how the angel Gabriel walks on the stage with his horn under his arm, and approaches the Lord who is in deep thought about what He sees happening among his people on earth. God is troubled because he has sent ...

4253. Biblical Insights for Being a Christian Father

Deuteronomy 1:1-8

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Medical School, summarized findings from his own study of this phenomenon: "About ten years ago, I began to study several hundred young men who had dropped out of Harvard for psychiatric reasons. Three predominant items were consistently observed." 1. Marked isolation from their parents--especially the father. 2. An overwhelming apathy and lack of motivation. 3. An inability to control sexual drive and impulses. Then Dr. Nicholi adds this very significant statement. "People in my field relate this lack ...

4254. Worry Wart or Winning Warrior

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... grip. Many of the problems we cannot eliminate instantly can be moved one piece at a time, one day at a time. Our scripture lesson read a few moments ago stated, "So do not be anxious about tomorrow, tomorrow will be anxious for itself." A colleague, Dr. Mark Miller, recently commented that so many in our society live by Murphy''s Law rather than the sound advice for living that Jesus shared in our lesson today from the Sermon on the Mount. There are many variations on that law, such as "your line will ...

4255. Waiting

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Brett Blair

... Testament. Look at them with me: - Matthew (1:21-23) says the virgin conception of Jesus is found in Isaiah 7:14 - John (7:42) says his birth in Bethlehem is found in Micah 5:2 - Matthew (2:15) points the family’s flight to Egypt in Hosea 11:1 - Mark (1:2) finds the ministry of John the Baptist in Malachi 3:1 - Luke (18:32) recognizes the suffering messiah in Isaiah 53:3ff. - John (19:24,28,36,37) shows us that the casting of lots for the clothes of Jesus, his thirst on the cross, his bones not ...

4256. Preparing for Something Big

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... early as Halloween. While that may seem out of place, I suspect they are merely following that traditional advice, "One can never start too early to get ready for something big." How are we getting ready for Christmas in the church? Let's allow the Gospel lesson from Mark 13 to set the stage for us. "But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will ...

4257. Turn on the Lights

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... a visit from a head of state. He's not checking out parade routes to assure their safety. He is telling us to get ready for a visit from the most important person in human history. His name is John the Baptist, who was introduced to us last week in Mark's Gospel, and we are told today that "he came as a witness to testify to the light." That statement may not seem to mean as much 2,000 years later as it did back then. That's because we already know the ending to the story, which they didn ...

4258. Making a Difference

John 1:43-51

Sermon

Paul E. Flesner

... piece of cloth whose beauty and appearance is affected by who each one of us is! This introduction is prompted by this morning's Gospel story about Nathaniel. He is mentioned only twice in the Bible, and then, only in the Gospel of John. Matthew, Mark, and Luke never talk about him. They do talk about Bartholomew in the places where John talks about Nathaniel. Since John never mentions Barthol-omew, our best guess is that the two are the same person. Nathaniel was the fourth disciple. According to John ...

4259. Heaven's Applause

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... you think you are saying privately is being broadcast. People who suffer from a misshapen piety make a conscious decision to leave the mike on because they want other people to know what they are doing. You may remember that old line from Mark Twain to the effect that when some people discharge their responsibilities, you can hear the report for miles around. That's what misshapen piety is all about. Jesus discusses this issue as it relates to three aspects of faith -- giving, praying, and fasting ...

4260. Life: From the Inside Out

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... put it. Then Jesus presses his case to a larger group nearby: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For ... those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it" (Mark 8:35). There we have the paradox. If you try really hard to find your life, you are going to lose it in the process. Remember the last time a simple tune began reverberating in your head and you couldn't seem to get rid of it? Every few minutes ...

4261. Holy Vexation

John 2:12-25

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... your attention. If you are any age and have had contact with violence in your personal and/or family life, this story gets your attention. Or, if you are familiar with the many times in the ministry of Jesus when his behavior is marked by patience, compassion, and gentleness, again, this story gets your attention. It has that stinging quality we associate with anyone who is on a tare. Considering Jesus' usual deportment, this episode from Jesus' life seems more acute than chronic, more an unusual explosion ...

4262. Extravagant Guestures in a Cost-Effective World

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... to labor for three hundred days. Talk about pricey! Her action evokes, on the part of some, a heated response. "Why was this ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii, and the money given to the poor" (Mark 14:4). The practical-minded folks then commence to scold her, but Jesus comes to her defense. She has honored Jesus, and his anointing is in anticipation of the dark hours that soon will befall him. Were all this happening in our day, the rebuke might ...

4263. A Friend in High Places

Luke 24:50-53

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... Jesus did, he did forever. The pattern of his life, the substance of his teachings, his role in bringing us closer to God -- all of that is permanent and will never change. People familiar with New England will remember seeing ruggedly beautiful stone walls that mark off property lines; they will also call to mind the rock-bound coast of Maine. Either image will convey the permanence of stone. A boulder is like a silent sentinel, guarding those in its shadow from the ravages of a tempest. Little wonder that ...

4264. Time Out!

Mark 1:35-39

Sermon

King Duncan

... of conflict. Sometimes we may think we don’t have time to serve Christ. Too many family responsibilities. Christ has heard that excuse before. Anyway, Simon Peter had a mother-in-law, and that evening after sunset, after Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, Mark tells us, the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door. The next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed. Simon and ...

4265. With a Little Help from My Friends

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... a man on a stretcher. The man is paralyzed. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, the four men make an opening in the roof above Jesus, and then they lower the stretcher with the man on it. Notice what the Gospel of Mark says next, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” Some teachers of the law are present and they are shocked that Jesus presumed to forgive sins. Jesus knows what they are thinking and he says to them, “Which is ...

4266. Listen to Him

Mark 9:2-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... . . .” 1. Mack R. Douglas, Making a Habit of Success (New York: Galahad Books, 1999). 2. Dr. Henry Cloud, 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life (Nashville: Integrity, 2004), p. 93. 3. Pastor Mark Adams of the RedlandBaptistChurch in Rockville, Maryland, http://sermons.redlandbaptist.org/ what_does_christmas_teach_us_about_god/. 4. Don Friesen, http://www.ottawamennonite.ca/sermons/merrymakers.htm. 5. Linda Watkins, God Just Showed Up (Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 2001), pp. 83-94.

4267. The Darkness of the World

Matthew 6:16-18

Drama

Angela Akers

... God in us, To guide and bless--- Holiness. ‘Til we let sin Enter in And steal the life, and cause the strife that hid God’s face— and yet, there’s grace. To redeem our loss, God bore the cross. And Satan hissed, “Looks like they’ve missed The mark of holiness--- They’re mine! Only blood can pay the price. You made the rules: A sacrifice. This requires a life,” he said. The Lord spoke, and the darkness broke, “Let me give My life instead.” And He bled. For us, He bled. For us He gave His ...

4268. Keeping Sunday

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... the fact that she could not come to church to hear his sermons. The preacher, trying to console her, said "Mrs. Jones, you aren't missing anything." "Yes," she replied, "that's what everybody tells me." Well, even if the sermon sometimes misses the mark, somehow the fellowship of like-minded persons can provide us with strength for the long haul, inward reinforcement, clearer vision of duty, and restored faith and courage. I read recently about a strange custom in the British Navy. If there is a disaster ...

4269. Is Anything Unforgivable?

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... awareness is a sense of sin, and it is a healthy thing to have. It doesn't have to be the conviction that one is the worst person who ever lived, or that one is utterly unlovable. It is simply an awareness that we have, thus far, missed the mark, and that our relationships with our better self, with other people and with God, could be better than they are. When such an awareness exists, God has a channel through which to approach us. I am acquainted with two women who were good friends with each other until ...

4270. When the Boat Begins to Sink

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... over the towers at the corners of the city walls, and the visitors were compelled to seek shelter from the blinding spray, though they were 200 yards from the lakeside! Such was the experience of the disciples in our story. The day had been a busy one. Mark states that Jesus had preached his message to the people using many parables. Being exhausted, he left the crowd, took his disciples with him, and got into a boat. Jesus went to the back of the boat, stretched out on a pillow, and went to sleep. Suddenly ...

4271. You Are Free to Fail

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

David G. Rogne

... a virtue? W. C. Fields once said, "If at first you don't succeed, then quit. There's no use in being a fool about it." I think that the reality is somewhere between the two. In the passages we are looking at from the Gospel according to Mark, there are some useful lessons to be learned about failure. The first thing I learn from these verses is to accept the fact that sometimes we are going to fail. Some people give the impression that failure is unacceptable. They make it hard for us to live with failure ...

4272. A Landmark Event!

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... bearings. Why, if some villain came in one night and removed our signposts, the next day would become a bewildering jumble of uncertainties, and we'd all be lost. The text is about landmarks. It refers to the Jewish custom of setting boundary stones to mark out property. Just as we do today, so our Hebrew forefathers did then. Wells, fords, buildings, and stone sentinels were their guides. Hence the strict law: "Remove not the ancient landmark which your fathers have set." We live in a day of rapid change ...

4273. No Salt in the City?

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

... , he served up some pretty good wine! Jesus explained, "I am come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Yet how many Christians walk about looking like they've been weaned on a dill pickle? All of this prompted Mark Twain to comment, "I'll take heaven for climate and hell for society." Young Patrick is a college student and a strong Christian. He recently joined the Sigma Chi fraternity. "In this sign, conquer" is their brotherhood motto. It goes back to Constantine before the ...

4274. In the Hot Seat

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... . "Get Jesus off his cross and on his throne right quick. Fast forward us through suffering and give us our crown of glory." It's another thing altogether to see suffering and death -- especially the kind of godforsaken death that Mark portrays for Jesus -- as the actual shape of Jesus' power and authority. His betrayal, suffering, and death weren't merely the regrettably necessary precursors to his divine right to forgive, heal, and rule eternally. Instead, his suffering and death actually demonstrated ...

4275. Will the Real Blind Beggar Please Stand Up?

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... the sick and caring for the lowly. You'd think they'd have heard his words. At the very least, you'd think his disciples would have remembered what he'd so recently told them. "The Son of Man comes not to be served, but to serve ..." (Mark 10:45). You'd really think everybody would have known that as soon as he started yelling, Bartimaeus the beggar should have been helped to his feet and brought to Jesus' side! But "everybody" was blind, deaf -- and dumb. When they looked at Bartimaeus at all, they saw ...

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