Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4276 to 4300 of 4977 results

4276. The Door of the Cross

John 10:1-21

Sermon

David O. Bales

... Rose clung to in a WWII Japanese military prison. Jesus tells us here in John 10 about a different aspect of faith. He’s not offering us a faith so we can escape from life, as do some religions. He’s also not granting a faith that always keeps us safe from the bad things in the world. Read the New Testament and see what happens to Jesus’ closest followers! Contrary to the popular understanding of eternal life, he’s not only giving us long-lasting life. He promises, “I came that they may have life ...

4277. Getting out of the Doldrums

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... a positive, propelling conviction that is eternally looking forward to the next new in-breaking of the Kingdom of God. Protestantism started as a “kick back” movement, but it can only continue as a “kick start” movement, forever looking to the Spirit to keep it heading down new roads and open to new expressions of the Spirit. Jesus was the original “Yes-man.” When those deemed the worst, the witless, and the worthless came to Jesus, he always said “Yes.” Yes, there is forgiveness. Yes, there ...

4278. A Faith that Will Bring You Alive

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... the family estate intact. Think about it. When a man dies, if he did not leave a male heir, his eldest brother was to marry his widow. This would continue the man’s name and keep his property “in the family.” In this scenario, the woman was passed among seven brothers. She outlives them all, but then she dies. “Whose bride will she be at the resurrection?” asked these Sadducees. It was, of course, a trick question. These Sadducees had no interest in the intricacies of ...

4279. Suffered under (Saint) Pontius Pilate

John 18:28-40

Sermon

David O. Bales

... irritation out, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (8:35-36). If this interrogation isn’t completely simple, it’s simple enough so that Pilate can end it by returning to where he started. This should clinch it. He ...

4280. Stargazing, Naval Gazing, and Other Waiting Games

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Tony Everett

... Kathy’s curiosity got the best of her. “Why in the world are you doing this over and over?” She asked Barbara. “Is there something wrong with your van?” “Nope,” replied Barbara? “It’s the best one-ton van I ever had.” “Well then, why do you keep whacking it with that two-by-four?” wondered her pastor. “You see pastor, today I have two tons of parakeets in back. Every so often I have to whack the side and get their attention so that half of them fly in the air. After a half mile or ...

4281. What Difference Does it Make?

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

Tony Everett

... God’s help. So here is the Easter difference. Today, God takes over. Today, God rolls back the stone from the tomb that keeps us helplessly trapped within our own sin. Today, God sets us free from prisons we have built for ourselves. Christ is risen. He ... religiosity. Christ rolled away the stone that separated pastor and people. Today, Christ rolls away the stone from tombs that keep us from seeing all people as clean and acceptable creatures of God who shows no partiality. Today, with Peter, and all ...

4282. Here's Mud in Your Eye

John 9:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... said, “and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mt. 5:45). God is no respecter of persons. The good guy gets raindrops on his head just like the bad guy. We live in a world of law. Laws govern when the sun rises in the morning. Laws keep our hearts beating through the night. We reach for the switch and throw light into the room. We are but exercising our God-given right to manipulate certain laws of nature. The lawful universe is God’s gift to us. It is good. Now suppose nature’s laws ...

4283. Around the Family Table

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... said, “we had shared a meal together.” (4) There is something about breaking bead with someone that cuts across the divides that normally separate us. This is why writer Will Willimon says that segregationists in the Old South were smart. They knew they had to keep blacks away from lunch counters because when you sit down to eat with someone, even at a lunch counter, you’ve got to admit they’re human beings. (5) Max Lucado in his book Outlive Your Life tells about his friend Buckner Fanning who was ...

4284. Remember the Rooster

John 18:25-27

Sermon

King Duncan

... duty there asked Peter a question: “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” Peter replied, “I am not.” That’s once. John tells us the night was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself. They asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” Peter denied it, saying, “I am not.” That’s twice. One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter ...

4285. Fear of Missing Out

Matthew 5:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the new social anxiety disorder, fostered and fed by our twenty-first century need to be constantly connected to everything that is going on via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, IM’s, and Instagram. FOMO keeps people tethered to their smart phones and tablets, lassoed to their laptops. FOMO keeps people from engaging in the “real world” because they are panicked at the possibility of “missing out” on the latest communication or excitement in the “virtual world.” In its extreme form, this “fear ...

4286. Right in Front of Our Eyes

Matthew 17:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... it to me.” Dr. Barnes was incredulous that such a priceless work of art could have been a gift. (3) You and I are equally incredulous that God could have given us the free gift of grace. But God did. In gratitude it is very important that we keep that faith alive. We are all in constant danger of backsliding, of slipping away from God. If Peter, James and John were in danger after their experiences with Christ, if Mother Teresa was in danger even after all her good works then how much more danger are you ...

4287. You Have a Friend (Memorial Day)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... them to do his dark deed. And Jesus is telling the disciples that he will be leaving them. Listen to his words: “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever the Spirit of ... . On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to ...

4288. Where the Church Gets Its Power

John 17:6-19

Sermon

King Duncan

... you kick the ball pretty well?” “Can I kick? I’ll have you know that I have to hold back on my punts to keep the ball from sailing into the stands.” The coach was thrilled. “Tell me, son,” he said, “do you have any weaknesses?” The ... must flow through us to others. As long as it is flowing we are fresh and alive. If we ever seek to dam up the flow and keep God’s blessings to ourselves, we will become like a stagnant pond. The church gets its power by meeting the world’s need. There’s a ...

4289. Waking the Giant

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... me of a comment that Lawrence O. Richards once made. He noted that sponge diving is a major business in his area of the country. Divers are attached to an oxygen line in a boat, then they dive deep into the water to search for sponges. The only thing that keeps the diver alive is his or her connection to the boat above them. “In the same way,” he writes, “once we have died to this world and are alive through Christ, our life is being sustained by power from above. No matter how bad life may be ‘down ...

4290. Good News about Sparrows

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... noticed. Because if God takes note of each humble sparrow who they are, where they are, and what they are doing I know He keeps tabs on me.” (2) Sparrows are humble birds. That was true in Bible times. Sparrows were considered food for the poor, and because ... out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24) Maybe that’s your prayer. Your life is in turmoil. Fear keeps you awake at night. If only you could trust the God who watches over sparrows. And so you pray with complete sincerity, “I ...

4291. Be A Good Virus

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... together forever that which has so long been put asunder — the union of body and spirit. There are a couple of conditions necessary for you to be a “good virus” this week. First of all, you can’t be afraid of getting down and dirty. You can’t keep your hands clean and be a good virus. You can’t live in a bubble and be a good virus. When John Wesley’s lieutenants protested at having to go preach in the slums and prisons and miners’ pits, Wesley said: “You WILL go visit the poor in their ...

4292. Breaking News: The Middle East

Genesis 12:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.” (2 Samuel 7:23-24, NIV) The Middle East tells us something. God has a plan. God knows the problem and God keeps His promise. All of history is moving toward that time when one day the King of the Jews, the Jewish Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Lord of the Universe will fulfill that promise and be their King and our King forever and ever and the war ...

4293. Breaking News: God and Government

Romans 13:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... ?” Fortunately, we don’t have to wonder, because the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome, from the City of Corinth, gives what would have been in that day a rather shocking instruction on how they were to relate and to see the Roman government. Keep in mind, Paul was writing to Jews and Gentiles, both of which had one thing in common – they were no fans of the Roman government. There were a lot of advantages of living under the reign of Rome. There was a universal peace, people were safe, they ...

4294. God Is Not Dead

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

James Merritt

... call environmentalism is nothing more than the pagan worship of planet earth. If you doubt this, consider Earth’s Ten Commandments, by Ernest Callenbach: I. Thou shalt love and honor the earth, for it blesses thy life and governs thy survival. II. Thou shalt keep each day sacred to the earth, and celebrate the turning of its seasons. III. Thou shalt not hold thyself above other living things, nor drive them to extinction. IV. Thou shalt give thanks for thy food to the creatures and plants that nourish ...

4295. Ignite: Set On Fire!

Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... little boy shout down from the rafters, “Sir, a yellow cat just ate the Holy Spirit. Do you want me to throw down the yellow cat?” We will learn through this series there is no substitute for the Holy Spirit. As we study the beginnings of the early church keep this one thing in mind. Key Take Away: Because Jesus is alive we should be ignited and excited to share Him with the world. You are going to see we have everything we need to be set on fire for God. We have everything the early church had to be ...

4296. One Thing

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

James Merritt

... given potential to be what we ought to be, do what we ought to do and become what we ought to become. Why do people fail in keeping New Year’s resolutions? Why is it so many of us come to the end of one year with the same baggage we carried in the ... psychology professor at Florida State University did a study of this. He came up basically two reasons why people fail to keep New Year’s resolutions. (1) Resolutions are too general (2) There are too many resolutions This professor said, “Studies suggest ...

4297. All In: The Winning Hand

1 Corinthians 9:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... from the law. Remember that the Jew of Paul’s day was a person of legalism. They felt and were taught that they had to keep the law to be right with God. From the moment that Paul met Jesus Christ he realized he was no longer under law, but he ... to do that. To show compassion means we are going to take anything away that would unnecessarily offend other people, would unnecessarily keep people from coming to Christ, would unnecessarily cause people never to come back. Too often, we wait on people to come up ...

4298. Up Close & Personal: Open the Doors

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5, ESV) God is good all the time and all the time God is good. He loves us with an everlasting love that will never quit. He is faithful to us at all times and all places and never fails to keep His promises. No wonder we ought to want to be up close and personal with this unbelievable, magnificent God. We connect when we respect. Any time we want to we can not only enter into God’s presence, but we can stay there. We can live there. We can take ...

4299. Lost Baggage: Flying Standby

Matthew 7:1-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1, ESV) The word for “judge” is a Greek word “krino” which means literally, “to discriminate” or “to make a difference.” As you are going to see to judge here means to offer a criticism that is either unfair or unjustified. Keep in mind this is found on The Sermon on the Mount. These words were directed to His disciples. Jesus was talking to His followers. What He was saying was, “You ought to be the least judgmental of people and yet you’ll battle being the ...

4300. Do You Have Any Leftovers?

John 6:1-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... He used. There is one detail you cannot miss. That little boy gave all of his lunch to the Lord, because Jesus obviously asked for all of his lunch. He didn’t say, “Lord you can have one of the fish, but I’ll keep the other one. You take three of the loaves and I’ll keep the other two.” No, he gave Jesus everything Jesus asked for. What is the lesson? If you want to experience the law of the leftovers, if you want God to add to what He subtracts from you and multiple it and divide it so ...

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