Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4326 to 4350 of 5000 results

Luke 20:9-19

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... political favors so skillfully that two U. S. Presidents became his pawns. Yet this man concluded his earthly life emaciated and colorless; with a sunken chest; fingernails in grotesque, inches long corkscrews; rotting, black teeth; tumors; and innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction." He was frightened, obsessed, paranoid, morose. Howard Hughes was robbed. He was robbed by the deceiver who broke in and stole his abundant life. Howard Hughes made a not-ultimate ultimate! Howard Hughes mistakenly ...

4327. The Art Of Borrowing And Lending A Donkey

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... what you said, Preacher, and I tried it; I acted on it, and I want you to know it works." To be willing to explore new horizons because of the instructions that we receive from our master teacher, to embrace new truth, to be still learning, is the mark of mature persons. That's all in the art of borrowing a donkey -- you have to trust the instructor, and you have to follow the instructions precisely. II. Now that we have looked at the borrowers of the donkey, let's look at the lender -- the man who owned ...

4328. He Comes As He Came

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... may be proven right -- with all the advancement in technology. If he is right, love will no doubt be one of those levers we will be able to pull. And what sort of sensation of pleasure do you think will come when we pull that lever? That misses the mark more than a country mile. It misses it by a galaxy. Love is not a pleasure principle. It calls for compassion and compassion is often painful, bringing us to tears. Over against Mr. Kahn's machine, I think of a young woman who loved G. Campbell Morgan. I may ...

4329. The Stone Was Rolled Away (easter)

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... his family through divorce, and when the boom went bust, he lost it all. Before long he was back at it, raking in the millions...and lost it again. He (went) to Austin and again did very well in the real estate market, making his mark. But this time he was looking for something more. He became involved in this church, anchoring himself in Sunday School and faithful at worship, working behind the scenes. At some point, he translated Abraham Maslow's concept of "self-actualization" -- the fulfilling of life ...

4330. How Is It With Your Soul?

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... can't see a speck in somebody else's eye. In fact, most people don't care if there is a speck in somebody else's eye. But if you have a beam in your eye, you are probably going to look for a speck in somebody else's eye." (Mark Trotter, "Before You Say It"). So be careful. Earlier in this sixth chapter of Luke, Jesus warned in verse 37: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned." So we need to be careful. How is it with your soul ...

4331. Speak And It Will Be

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... shouting and singing and glorious celebration. The grandmother heard all of this and observed it, and when she was reflecting with her grandson about it, she made this observation: "Son, it's not how high you jump, but how you walk when you hit the ground again." There is a marked sense in which we are what we do, and I'm going to talk more about that next Sunday. But here is the place we are likely to err -- to think that our worthiness in God's sight is dependent upon what we do or what we achieve. That ...

4332. I've Been To The Mountain

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... with God, it will be visible in our life, and others will observe it. You've seen it, as I have -- what the Bible refers to as "the beauty of holiness." It happens in the opposite kind of way -- as someone has put it, "The Devil writes his mark upon people's faces. The world and the flesh do so. Go into the streets and look at the people that you meet. Care, envy, grasping, gripping avarice, discontent, unrest...and many other prints of black fingers are plain enough on many a face. And on the other ...

4333. More Tolerable For Sodom And Gomorrah

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" "Abraham believed that what was highest in his own heart was the right clue to the nature of God." (The Interpreter's Bible, Volume 1, p. 624) And isn't that one of the marks that made Abraham great? And isn't that a clue for you and me as we think about the nature of God? Since we are made in God's image, can we not settle on this fact--that God certainly could never be less than what we are at our ...

4334. The Road Less Traveled

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... is as narrow as they think it is, then I can’t get through it. And what’s more, I wouldn’t want to get through it. If the door is as narrow as they say, then the people on the other side of it can’t be much fun.” (Mark Trotter, “Take Hold Where You Are”). If that’s the only kind of people that are going to make it to Heaven, I’m not sure I want to go. Jesus is not talking about narrow-mindedness, either in terms of righteous conduct or correct doctrine. The fellow who asked ...

4335. Come To The Party!

Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... - - the people who didn't count for much in that day - - the people who didn't matter much in that place. And they came, the common and the ordinary- - the weak and the sick - - they all filled the master's house and it was a great party. In another place, Mark 2:17, Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." I don't know whether you had the opportunity to hear Tony Campolo when he was here in our church last year ...

4336. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Isaiah 1:1-31

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... be able to live together as brothers and sisters has its roots in an intimate companion with intimate communion with God and with God's creation. For him, there is no creature that does not bear the creator's living and evident mark on it. When he was active, he spent his days being completely available to others, to all and sundry, great and small, by appointment or unannounced, he listened, advised, listened, gave decisions, listened, helped. Unfailingly present, available, attentive. Ever since he was ...

4337. When Being Good Is Bad For You Or Breaking The Chains Of Co-dependency

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... the Twelve Steps of recovery until that has been said, out loud, in public. "I am an alcoholic." "The co-dependent is the person who helps the addict maintain his or her lie, by covering up, cleaning up, and supporting the "conspiracy of silence" which is the mark of most alcoholic homes. "Daddy had a bad weekend, but we mustn't let on to Grandma or Grandpa." "Here are a few of the things that have been written about co-dependency in the few short years the concept has been around: "Co-dependents need to ...

4338. Growing In Self-esteem

Psalm 81:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , but to give us a perspective on how we come to be as we are, but also to give us direction for relating to others -- especially to little ones. So, young parents, you listen listen especially well. What others said "you are" when we were children, to a marked degree becomes the "I am" as we grow older and claim our identity. David Seamands made it more specific. "The perceived 'you are's' of the parents become the inner "I am's " of the children. Shall I say that again? "The perceived 'you are's' of the ...

4339. Dealing With Guilt And Shame

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... and shame we're going to have to be patient. First, we're going to have to be patient with ourselves -- we're going to have to patient while we grow. We're going to have to be patient while we learn. Jesus referred to stages of growth. In Mark 4, verse 28, He said, "The earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head". Impatience results from expecting everything to happen at once. We need to learn all we can at our present level of growth -- then move on ...

4340. Getting Our Lives Out Of Hock

Psalm 105:1-45

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... to whatever negative forces may be controlling us. Earlier in the 16th Psalm from which we read our lesson is this word in verse 4: "Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god." Interestingly, in the Serenity Bible, this verse is shaded and marked Step One: We admitted we were powerless.... You see there are forces that control our life and these forces are presently the gods; and I put that word gods in small letters, these forces are the gods of our life. They control us. They have ...

4341. The Grace Question: Are You A Teacher...and Yet Do Not Understand?

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... had some sort of dramatic experience that confirmed for them their Christian faith. It's used to separate people who may have come into the Christian life in what some would call a "normal" kind of way. (and I put that word normal in quotation marks)...to separate those who may have grown into the Christian life from those who may have had a more dramatic, explicit kind of conversion experience. But the distinction is unfortunate. How we come into the Christian faith is not the issue -- that we come into ...

4342. The Wholeness Question: Do You Want To Be Made Well?

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... Jesus, "If you will, you can make me clean." Jesus answered, "of course I will. Be clean." The same verb used there where Jesus said "I will" is used in this story of the man by the pool. God will never save any one of us against our will. Now mark that down. Not only is that a significant question as it relates to our wholeness, it's a central theological question -- the matter of freedom. God will never save us against our will. Every person must say, "I will," to the Savior if they're to be the recipient ...

4343. The Discipleship Question: Do You Wish To Go Away?

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... , the kind he had never experienced before. His soul went cold with fear as he spoke the minds of the other eleven: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." Others have defected, but Peter is determined. So that is one essential mark of discipleship -- determination. A friend of mine, Norman Neaves, is the pastor of The Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City. He tells about a member of his congregation who wrote him a letter at 2:47 in the morning. She couldn't sleep that night, was ...

4344. The Medicine Of A Cheerful Heart

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... supposed to do but couldn't do. Laughter relaxed him so that he could sleep at night. Laughter changed his attitude so that he was optimistic about the future. And laughter seemed to encourage his body's own intrinsic recuperative powers." (Mark Trotter, "Laugh Until It Heals", Pulpit Digest) The evidence is becoming more and more convincing. The connection between mind and body. Our attitudes contribute to our sickness; our disease -- but also to our healing. But not only does laughter and cheerfulness ...

4345. You Can't Tell A Book By Its Cover

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... primary reasons for much of our unhappiness is that we focus our attention on what others have, never reflecting on what is ours. We miss the blessings that are offered, the blessings that would come, we miss them because we are envious of others. Mark Trotter tells a story of Ballard Smith, who was once the president of the San Diego Padres baseball team. He had no baseball experience and was hired by his father-in-law. Everybody watched him, hoping he would stumble. Almost everything he did was criticized ...

4346. A Rod For The Back Of Fools

Proverbs 25:1-28

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... what you have. A young lady filled out her college application. She was asked the question, "Are you a leader?" She looked at herself honestly and said, "No, I'm not a leader. I'm a follower. I don't feel comfortable in leading." She marked no to that question, "are you a leader," and dejectedly returned the application to the college. Several weeks later she was surprised when she received a letter of acceptance from the college. The comment by the registrar was this: "In applications for this college we ...

4347. Food That Is Needful

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... . Nothing worked. That is, nothing cured him of his arthritis. But he said this: "What helped me most is something I can't explain. I developed a personal relationship with God. I now think belief in God is healing!" (Story told by Mark Trotter, repeated by Bryan K. Bauknight, "Run the Great Race", November 4, 1990) Not only is belief in God healing, relationship with God, developed and expressed through Scripture study, worship and prayer, provides the spiritual resources we need to live life victoriously ...

4348. To Live Is To Grow

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... He was very indignant and He said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not try to stop them; for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." (Mark 10:13-15 NEV) Jesus is not only affirming children, He is showing us the possibility that is our when we take upon ourselves the character of a child and all that implies. "Pay attention to yourself", Paul urged Timothy in our Scripture lesson. So we must pay attention ...

4349. When the Doctors Can't Help You

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

King Duncan

... crowding against you," they said, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. The woman is mortified. She thought she could hide in the crowd, but it didn’t work. She’s been found out, exposed. Mark tells us, "Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.” We can feel for her, can’t we? Her condition was humiliating, and socially isolating. She’s probably kept it ...

4350. Adopted! (New)

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... eternal. 1. Western Morning News, 1994. Cited at The Funny! List 2. Kay Marshall Strom, Seeking Christ (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994), pp. 106-107. 3. George Dolan in Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul, 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Patty Hansen. 4. J. B. Fowler, Jr., Illustrating Great Words of the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1991). 5. Dr. Daniel Lioy, Tarbell's Lesson Commentary, Sept. 2004- August 2005 (Colorado Springs: Cook Communications). 6. Chuck Colson ...

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