Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4351 to 4375 of 4943 results

4351. Dealing with Depression

1 Kings 19:9-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

One of the reasons I love the Bible is that it is not afraid of the truth, even the sometimes sordid truth about its heroes. Abraham was a liar. Jacob was a thief. Moses had a murderous temper. King David was an adulterer. Heroes of the faith, everyone of them, but the Bible refuses to gloss over their shortcomings. It shows them "warts and all." We find another "wart" in our lesson from I Kings - one of the greatest of the prophets - Elijah. To briefly recount the background of the story, three years ...

4352. John the Baptist

Matthew 3:1-12, Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A time to put your imagination to work this morning. The scene is a large, ornate room in the palace of Herod the king. In it, you and others who comprise the best and the brightest in all of Judea - religious leaders, politicians, courtiers. There is an air of expectation in the hall, for you are about to meet a man whose reputation has spread across the land. The king's men have arrested him after reports that he has denounced Herod's marriage to Herodias, until recently the wife of Herod's brother ...

4353. "Weird People" Everywhere

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

A member of the British Parliament appeared one day at the Gates of Heaven and demanded entry. "Sorry, sir," said the Admitting Angel, "but sexism is a sin, and our records show you to be a Male Chauvinist Pig. There is no room for you here." "Humph," said the MP, "I suppose you got that nonsense from Maggie Thatcher! I see her over there, gloating at me." "More bad news, I'm afraid," said the Angel. "That's not Mrs. Thatcher. That's God." (1) Susan B. Anthony called on editor Horace Greeley one day in ...

4354. 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." ...

4355. The God Of Peace

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

The NEW YORK TIMES one Christmas carried a picture of a priest walking through a metal detector manned by Israeli troops on the occupied West Bank. As soldiers looked on, the elderly priest, cane in hand, walked solemnly through the security device. As paradoxical as this picture is, one is inclined to say that some things never change. The imagination would say that this is perhaps something like it was on the first Christmas morn. The caption for the TIMES picture read like this: "In Bethlehem, Christmas ...

4356. Love In Action

1 John 3:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a ridiculous old story about a fisherman who was enormously successful. Each morning he would take his small boat out on the lake and within a few hours he would return with a boat loaded with fish. People wondered, how did he do it? One day a stranger showed up and asked the man if he could go along the next time the man went out fishing. The man said, "Sure. Meet me here tomorrow morning at 5:00 and we will go out." The next morning the two of them made their way through the early morning mist ...

4357. Something Is Missing

John 6:24-35

Sermon

King Duncan

Somerset Maugham was described by TIME magazine at the time of his death in 1978 as "the most famous author in the world." Eighty million copies of his books had been sold, his plays were performed worldwide, his work had led to several good films, and 80 of his short stories had been adapted for television. At his famous home in Europe he employed one of the best cooks on the Riviera, dined on silver plates and entertained royalty. He also was one of the unhappiest men to walk the planet. What was wrong ...

4358. In The Valley Of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

"The toe bone's connected to the foot bone, the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone's connected to the shin bone...now hear the word of the Lord." That delightful little spiritual brings to mind one of the most dynamic, hopeful images in all the Old Testament. It is Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. "By the Spirit of the Lord," Ezekiel testifies, "I was set down in the midst of a valley; it was full of bones." Perhaps these were the bones of an army that had been trapped in ...

4359. From The Rubble Of Life

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

King Duncan

Carlton Fletcher tells about his Uncle Walter who lived in Waldorf, Germany, during the Second World War. Uncle Walter was the descendant of Huguenots that had run away from France during the persecution of the Protestants in the 1600's. During the war he wanted to build himself a house, but all the necessary materials were reserved for the army. You couldn't build a house for yourself. To a member of Germany's middleclass, a house is most important. Building a house and getting out of an apartment is a ...

4360. A Remedy For Anger

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever noticed that anger can cause us to do some dumb things? Several years ago William F. Merten of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, wrote to Reader's Digest to tell about a memorable argument he had with his wife. The argument was well under way as they left a party one evening. Once they were in the car, words were flying. The area they were driving through was not the best, so they stopped arguing just long enough to lock the doors. Then they started again. Merton's wife had really worked up a storm, and ...

4361. Beyond Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a silly story out of the Jewish tradition about a rabbi who went on a journey with his servant named Jacob. Their cart was drawn by a lively horse of which the rabbi was very fond. When they came to a roadside inn, the rabbi went in to rest, leaving his horse in Jacob's care. In the meantime, a horse trader passed by and, seeing Jacob, soon made friends with him. He plied him with drink and Jacob soon was so intoxicated it was easy for the horse trader to induce him to sell him the horse for a ...

4362. Unlocking The Doors

John 20:19-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Sometime back, former talk show host Johnny Carson visited Harvard University to receive an award. After the ceremony he agreed to answer some questions from members of the press. One reporter asked, "What would you like to have inscribed on your tombstone?" Carson thought for just a second, then answered with the words he used before every commercial break on his television show. He wanted his tombstone to say, "I'll be right back." Throughout the pages of the gospels we see how much the disciples loved ...

4363. Standing On Your Head For God

2 Samuel 6:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

Nestled in the mountains of Vermont, in the town of Rupert, is a two-hundred-year-old church. A man named Howard Mudget has written a history of this church. In it he records that, in 1831, the citizens of Rupert first added a steeple and bell to their church. But something unusual happened. "When the steeple was added," Mudget writes, "one agile Lyman Woodard stood on his head in the belfry with his feet toward heaven." Not much else is known about Lyman Woodard. He is remembered only for the minor stunt ...

4364. The Secrets Of His Success

Genesis 45:1-28

Sermon

King Duncan

This morning we are beginning at the climax of one of the best known and best loved stories of the Bible and working our way backwards. Joseph is the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. In front of him stand the very brothers who sold him into slavery years before. They are terrified that a brother whom they treated so unjustly now has the power of life and death over them. But Joseph says to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they are gathered around him he says to them, "Don't be distressed and ...

4365. How Do You Get To Heaven?

1 Thessalonians 4:13--5:11

Sermon

King Duncan

Martin Sparkman of McLean, VA tells about a friend of his son's whose grandmother died. Everyone tried to explain to this six-year-old what happened to his grandmother. The usual explanations were given. "Your grandmother," they said, "has gone to be with Jesus in heaven." Not having seen her leave and having no concept of travel without a car, his question should not have come as a surprise. Out of profound innocence he asked, "Did they build a road to heaven?" Good question. Is there a road to Heaven? ...

4366. The Rock

Mark 16:1-20

Sermon

King Duncan

Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, (the women) went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. Rocks are a hot commodity! I'm not talking pebbles and peagravel. I'm talking boulders. Refrigerator big chunks of stone. The price tag? Well, let's just say they're not cheap. But won't a shapely stone look ...

4367. Dogsleds And Dogged Determination

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

Beverly Masek is a Native American living in Alaska. Beverly was born and raised in Anvik, a very small village in the interior of Alaska with a population of about seventy people. Anvik is one of the sites on the legendary Iditarod. The Iditarod is a dog sled race where one person runs through blizzards, ice and wilderness for 1,029 miles! The racer is all alone with help from no other human being. Just the dog team. The musher, as they are called, has to provide for himself or herself as well as the dogs ...

4368. Sitting At God's Table

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Director D. W. Griffith was one of the legendary figures of the early days of Hollywood. Groundbreaking films as THE BIRTH OF A NATION and INTOLERANCE earned him recognition in the eyes of many as "the Father of the Movies." But Griffith was not wise in how he invested his money. When some friends wanted to throw a tribute in Griffith's honor, they found him living in a secondrate hotel on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Griffith was thrilled to receive this unexpected honor. There was only one problem. ...

4369. Bracing For The Rough Times

Luke 21:5-38

Sermon

King Duncan

This is the third Sunday in November--a day that will live in infamy for diehard football fans. The year was 1968. The exact date was November 17. Little did people know as they made their way home from church and prepared for an afternoon of professional football on television that this would be a day that would plunge a large portion of our population, mostly male into outrage. The New York Jets were playing the Oakland Raiders on the West Coast. It had been a long drawn-out game. The Jets were ahead by ...

4370. In The Middle Of The Night

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

King Duncan

Life has a way sometimes of slipping up behind and slapping us in the head. Sometimes it is a gentle slap. Other times it is not. A man was driving down the road. He passed a traffic camera and saw it flash. Astounded that he had been caught speeding when he was doing the speed limit, the man turned around and, going even slower, passed the camera again. It flashed once more. He couldn't believe it! He turned, going a snail's pace, and passed the camera one more time. Again, he saw the camera flash. He ...

4371. Dreaming Of Florida--awaking In Alaska

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Near the end of 1981 a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Lewenetz, took a flight from Moscow to the United States to visit his father. When they emerged from their airplane at the end of the trip, they expected to find warm, sunny Florida. Instead, they found themselves in frigid Alaska. The couple did not even realize their mistake, however, until they tried to get a cabdriver to take them to the address of Mr. Lewenetz's father. Later a resident of the town who spoke Russian helped straighten out the problem. An ...

4372. On "supersizing" Our Vision

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Siegfried S. Johnson

"SUPERSIZE IT!" Fast food operations hear that word thousands of times a day, giving the word "SUPERSIZE" a new meaning in the ever-expanding English lexicon. Why buy a regular combo meal when, for a few cents more, you can have it SUPERSIZED? More french fries to clog your veins. So much Coke that the colossal cup won't jam into the car's console holder. Perhaps nowhere is the American SUPERSIZED appetite for soda pop better evidenced than at 7-11. Thirsty on your way to work? Stop in and buy a 64-ounce ...

4373. The Servant-king

John 13:1-17

Sermon

Angela Akers

A few weeks into a new school year, Susan Moser, a mother from Pennsylvania, asked her young son what he thought of first grade. With enthusiasm, he replied, "Oh, I love school. It's great!" Then, after a brief hesitation, he added. "Well, except for one thing . . . I don't really like it when Mrs. Decker tries to teach us stuff." (1) Well, that's a problem, isn't it? Some of our students here can attest to the fact that learning isn't all fun and games. It can be frustrating for both the student and the ...

4374. Marks Of A Champion

1 Timothy 6:3-10

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the first things many young women have to do when embarking on a career in corporate America is to learn a new language--the language of metaphors from the world of sports--metaphors like "swing for the fences," "full-court press," "knock-out punch," etc. Let's face it. Men, for the most part, talk about sports. Surely you've read Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. Men talk about sports; women talk about relationships. At least, that's what the experts say. The Apostle Paul was a man. And so ...

4375. Like Parent, Like Child

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

A little boy was in church one Sunday morning with his grandmother. Everything went well until it was time for the offering. The grandmother began to frantically search through her purse, but she couldn’t find her offering envelope. Apparently she had left it at home. It was a most embarrassing moment for her as she kept looking through her purse for something to put in the collection plate. Her grandson sensed her dilemma. The little boy had a solution to her problem. “Here, Gramma,” he told her, “you ...

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