Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4376 to 4400 of 4914 results

4376. Don't Sweat the Sin Debt

John 19:30

Sermon

James Merritt

It was a crisp May morning in a small pastorium of a small rural community called Buck Grove, Kentucky. I had been living, eating, sleeping, and breathing with a document called a dissertation. I had read from hundreds of books, articles, and journals in English, French, and German. Hardly a day went by for three years that I did not work on this thesis. It was midnight on that May morning, and I wasn't just tired, I was, as they used to say in the country, "all tuckered out." I started to put my pen down ...

4377. A Streetcar Named Desire

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

This message is the first of a four-part series I am calling "Four Steps to Greatness." I believe within each one of us separately, and all of us corporately, there is the God-given potential for greatness. Over three decades ago Newsweek magazine ran an article entitled "Advice to a (bored) Young Man." It is good counsel for all of us, man or woman, young or old: Died, aged twenty; buried, age sixty; the sad epitaph of too many Americans. Mummification sets in on too many young men at an age when they ...

4378. Are You Going to Fish or Cut Bait?

Mark 1:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

There was a young boy who wanted to go down to the lake and fish, and his mother asked him to take his little sister along. Well, he protested vigorously. He said, "Mama, the last time she came with me I didn't catch a single fish." The mother said, "Well, I will talk to her and I promise this time she won't make any noise." The boy said, "It wasn't the noise Mom, she ate all my bait." I have come to the conclusion that there are basically four reasons why people do not catch fish: (1) Some people are ...

4379. Do You See the Light?

Romans 1:16-20

Sermon

James Merritt

From the time you get up in the morning until you go to sleep at night you see many things. You see computer graphics, sunrises and sunsets, a blue sky with white clouds, sparkling stars, maybe even a rainbow or two. You look into the mirror to make sure you are presentable. You see a beautiful diamond ring on the finger of some lady. But did you ever stop to think that when you look at any of those things what you are really seeing is light. Light that somehow has left those objects and reached your eye. ...

4380. The Compassionate Christ

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

A few years ago, flight attendants for Southwest Airlines began spicing up their pre-flight instructions to passengers with humor. Soon other airlines followed suit. After all, why talk to passengers when they’re not listening? Here are a couple of classics: One flight attendant began her routine this way, “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your ...

4381. Almost Persuaded

Matthew 19:16-30

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The word "almost"...It's a sad word in anybody's dictionary. It keeps company with expressions like "if only," and (in the South) "near 'bout.” “Almost” is a word that smacks of missed opportunities and fumbled chances. Tim KcKee was edged out for first place in the Olympic 400 meter race by two/thousandth of a second. He almost won a gold medal. Max Lucado, that inspired writer out in Texas, gives us these sad statements which revolve around "almost": "He almost got it together." "We were almost able to ...

4382. Our Logo the Cross

Matt 16:21-28, 27:32-44; Mar 15:21-32; Lu 23:26-43; Jo 19:17-27

Illustration

Brett Blair

Marketing experts are always quick to tell start-up businesses how important it is to develop a corporate logo. "Brand identity" they call it. Think about it. One symbol can readily identity a billion dollar organization. The ultimate goal of any designer when creating a logo is to develop a mark that identifies the company but also persuade viewers to respond in a specified manner. Logos. So what makes a good logo? Here are the five things that most marketing agencies agree makes a good logo: Simplicity. ...

4383. Floating on Your Back

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

Peter Hiett in his book Eternity Now! tells a wonderful story about a little girl named Mary who, against all odds, survived a hurricane. In October 1991, weather fronts over New England combined with the remains of a hurricane coming up the eastern seaboard to form what has become known as the Perfect Storm. A small boat, the Andrea Gail, carrying a father named John and his six‑year‑old daughter named Mary were caught in the storm. John had not checked the weather report when he and Mary sailed off the ...

4384. A Lovehope Faith

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A nuclear explosion is the result of a high-speed collision between atomic particles. The resulting blast can erase the landscape. But these technologically orchestrated smash-ups are a pale imitation of what happens when God brings together the most powerful entities that exist and allows them to explode within our lives. This sermon arranges and argues for a collision between your people and the greatest forces in the universe: faith, hope and love. At his retirement, a college professor was asked what ...

4385. Rags and Robes

Micah 1:1-7; 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Disciples of Jesus Christ are in the business of making rags into robes. We need to clothe people with integrity (a robe) even when they are dressed in rags. In the "affluent '80s" the rich got richer at a rapacious rate, while our increasingly stratified society saw the poor get much poorer at an equally alarming speed. Slowly, we became aware that our economic system was producing a growing underclass that had nowhere to go, nowhere to live except the streets. Even the most career-obsessed, social- ...

4386. Was Jesus the First Buster?

Matthew 21:23-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

As the first, in-your-face Buster, Jesus said: "Don't listen to people's WORDS; look at their DEEDS." 1996 is a very significant year for baby boomers because it is the year the first wave of boomers hit 50. Boomers like rocker Bruce Springsteen and actor Diane Keaton, director Steven Spielberg, basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and singer Dolly Parton (to name a few) are squinting into the sun of their golden years with a mixture of joy, fear and modulated anticipation. Boosters, the GI generation born ...

4387. The Kingdom of God Has Come Close

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The Bible says there are many for whom "the Kingdom of God has come close." Close is not good enough. What is preventing us from experiencing the presence and power of God in our midst? Winston Churchill had just delivered his tremendous "Blood, Sweat and Tears" speech. Harold Nicholson heard it, went home and wrote in his diary: "Winston makes a very short statement, but to the point." (Harold Nicholson, Diaries and Letters 1930-64, ed. Stanley Olson [New York: Atheneum, 1980], 83.) A newspaper editor in ...

4388. Acts 4:32-35

Acts 4:32-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The Book of Acts, Christianity's first book of church history, has variously been interpreted as an attempt to validate early Christianity as a viable religion in the eyes of Rome (Ernst Haenchen), as a salve to heal the internecine chafing between followers of Peter and Paul (F.C. Baur), and as the Christian community's theological response to an increasingly elusive eschaton (Hans Conzelman). More recently, William H. Willimon has suggested abandoning these defensive motivations behind the work of Acts ...

4389. Colossians 1:11-20

Colossians 1:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The epistle to the Colossians is typically Pauline in the style and nature of its discourse, and yet somehow reaches beyond Paul's usual theological parameters. Phrases of greeting and peace and farewell all echo Paul. But there are also numerous new words, unfamiliar phrases and a longer more complicated syntax, all of which raise doubts about the authorship of this letter. Doctrinally, Colossians presents a much more cosmic Christology than usual for Paul. Much of the portion read this week reflects that ...

4390. 1 Peter 2:2-10

1 Peter 2:2-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Community and Commitment are the two chief challenges facing the new, struggling church here in 1 Peter. The widely scattered Christian churches of Asia Minor had to learn how to live apart from the greater pagan society they existed in while living as part of that same culture. The author of 1 Peter knew that this was a balancing act not easy for anyone but even less so for such new and inexperienced Christians. Chapter 2 begins with a list of vices. This may be a recounting of some of the attitudes these ...

4391. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Paul cautions his new Thessalonian brothers and sisters not to be taken in by every rumor or report they may hear about the prophesied day of the Lord. Evidently these neophyte Christians had been duped by some such gossip, attributed to Paul himself, concerning both the Lord's coming and the in- "gathering" of all those connected to him. Paul's words here take for granted his audience's knowledge of what he had previously preached, both about Christ's return and about what they might expect as believers. ...

4392. Acts 4:32-35

Acts 4:32-35

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4393. Colossians 1:11-20

Colossians 1:11-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4394. Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42-47

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Explosive, dramatic events occur throughout Acts 2 - tongues of fire, wafts of wind, dazzling displays of language and discernment, Peter's vivid testimony, the conversion of thousands, etc. These stunning occurrences leave us breathless - for where there had been only a handful of halting believers before, there is suddenly a whole new community of enthusiastic, faithful Christians. If we had never before read Acts, if we knew nothing of the early history of the Christian church, we might expect one of ...

4395. John 12:20-33

John 12:20-33

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Preceding this week's gospel text is the stunning miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Yet as amazing as Jesus' ability to bring Lazarus back to life was, for John that event is simply an introduction to the real heart and power of the gospel. The climax of the Lazarus drama does not come when the bound figure stumbles out of the tomb. The punch line of that story is here in chapter 12, where the true miracle yet to come is disclosed and the scope of Jesus' mission is revealed. Ironically, it is in ...

4396. Was It Really Necessary?

John 19:17-27

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman was getting swamped with calls from strangers. The reason? A medical billing service had launched an 800 number that was identical to hers. When she called to complain, she was told to get a new number. “I’ve had my number for twenty years,” she pleaded. “Couldn’t you change yours?” The company refused, so the woman said, “Fine. From now on, I’m going to tell everyone who calls that their bill is paid in full.” The company got a new number the next day. This is the day on the church calendar when ...

4397. The Darkness of a Youniverse

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Of all the bad ideas that have come out of highly centralized government, one of the worst “bad ideas” has got to be Daylight Savings Time. Benjamin Franklin originally came up with this idea of a “Daylight Savings Time” in the first part of March. It may have been the dumbest idea of his brilliant mind. But it was Woodrow Wilson who implemented Franklin’s suggestion in 1918. After just barely beginning to be able to see to eat breakfast, for the past three weeks we have been plunged back into rising in ...

4398. Epiphany

Daniel 7:1-14, Psalm 111:1-10, Hebrews 13:1-25, Mark 13:1-31

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Daniel 7:9-10 The Ancient of Days takes his seat on the throne of judgment. Today's lesson is apocalyptic literature written at a time of persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes IV around 165 B.C. Chapter 7 tells of four beasts representing the Persian, Medean, Greek and Syrian empires. The most terrible beast is the last which led to the writing of Daniel and the Maccabbean revolt. Our pericope interrupts the account of the fourth beast. It consists of a vision of a heavenly court of ...

4399. Epiphany 2

John 1:43-51, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) In the temple at Shiloh, the boy Samuel is serving the priest Eli. He sleeps near the ark of the covenant, symbol of God's presence. One night Samuel is called. Twice he mistakes the voice of God for Eli's. Then Eli instructs the boy to say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." Samuel obeys and God speaks to him of future happenings in Israel. Epistle: 1 Corinthians 6:11b-20 People in the Corinthian church were sexually immoral for religious reasons. They ...

4400. Proper 5

Mark 3:20-30, 1 Samuel 8:1-22, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, Mark 3:31-35

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20; (11:14-15) Samuel became the religious and political leader of Israel. He cleared the country of pagan gods and defeated the Philistines. When Samuel became old and was not expected to live much longer, the elders came to Samuel and requested a king in order to be like other nations who had a king. Samuel took the request to Yahweh in prayer and he told Samuel to listen to the people but to warn them that a king would make them slaves. In spite of ...

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