Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4376 to 4400 of 4972 results

4376. The Tiny O-Ring

Matthew 13:31-35

Illustration

... the tiny rubber o-ring about three-tenths of an inch wide. To look at a tiny o-ring that small would not impress anyone. And yet decades ago two of those rings were placed in the aft field joint of the Solid Rocket Booster to stop gases from escaping. Whether it was the unusually cold weather, a contaminate introduced into the zinc putty used on them, any number of potential compression problems, or human error during manufacturing, these two miniature o-rings failed to do what they were designed to do, and ...

4377. Catching the Kingdom

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Illustration

Russ M. Locke

... dog that resided in his neighborhood. The dog was always chasing a cat that lived next door. Whenever he saw the cat, he would go after it as if it were his only aim in living. So long as the cat ran, everything was lovely. But occasionally the cat would stop suddenly and face the dog. Then the dog would put on the brakes and act as if the whole thing were only a joke. Evidently the cat was to be chased but not to be caught, and if the cat insisted on being caught, then the dog was most embarrassed ...

4378. The Compassionate Christ

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... 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 mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite.” Another attendant concluded a ...

4379. On Running Afoul of the Dress Code

Mt 22:11-14

Sermon

... been invited to a wedding ... attended a wedding ... or pondered what to wear to a wedding. As a veteran of 1600 weddings, I have seen it all. I've seen weddings where all the guests came formally attired. And I've seen weddings where everybody stopped one step short of "beach apparel." As concerns male options, I've seen men in tuxes ... dark suits ... .sport coats ... slacks and shirts with open collars ... .khakis and sweaters ... even cowboy boots and jean jackets. On the other side of the gender gap, I ...

4380. And the Angel Said to Harry Potter

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

... , I'd read the book and wait for the video. Don't I know that some clergy say that stories with witchcraft in them constitute an attack on religion, while (from the other side) lawsuits have been filed in eight states, requiring schoolteachers to stop reading Harry Potter in class because the emphasis on magic constitutes an unconstitutional endorsement of religion? Sure, I know that. Do I identify with either side of that argument? No, I think that both border on the ridiculous. The Harry Potter books are ...

4381. A Strong-willed Woman

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

... other successful salesmen, was given responsibility for training newcomers.” During those years, Black began playing the harmonica and guitar. At eighteen, he turned his attention to becoming a professional musician, and no matter how long and hard the struggle, he never stopped pressing toward his goal. “I never lost sight of my dreams,” he says. (1) That’s what it takes to make it in life. Determination. Persistence. The willingness to stick to a task until you are successful. This Canaanite woman ...

4382. Pray for Yourself

Matthew 15:21-28

Illustration

King Duncan

In 1989, former President George H. W. Bush was entering St. John's Episcopal Church to attend a worship service. A homeless man, William Wallace Brown Jr., stopped him and asked for prayer. The President's answer must have shocked onlookers. He replied, "No. Come inside with us and pray for yourself." From that day forward, William Wallace Brown Jr. regularly attended St. John's Episcopal Church. This man in ragged, smelly clothes sat in the pews alongside ...

4383. An All-Night Wrestling Match

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to him portions of chapter 8 of that book, about the sin of pride. Those words, empowered by the Holy Spirit, nailed Colson right between the eyes. Colson left the Phillips home that night under real conviction. As he drove away, tears started to flow. So, he pulled over and stopped on the side of the road. With his head bent over the steering wheel he prayed his first real prayer, “God, I don’t know how to find you, but I’m going to try. I’m not much the way I am now but somehow I want to give ...

4384. The Great Divide

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... American Christians. Almost everyone who has any acquaintance with Jesus at all would confess that he was a prophet or at least a great teacher. Even the most closed-minded cynic would have to acknowledge his influence on western civilization. If we could just stop here, then there would be no problem. It is when Jesus asks, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” that the trouble begins. It was, of course, Simon Peter who answered the Master: “You are the Christ,” declared Simon Peter, “the ...

4385. The True Olympians

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... . To become an Olympic athlete it takes absolute commitment, a focused and fused fixation upon one single goal. Athletes work nonstop for years. They work through pulled muscles. They were through spiking fevers. There is no weather too hot or cold to stop practice. Like parenthood, there are no “days off,” ever. Through a grueling stair-step of competitions designed to allow only the best to finally triumph, athletes from 204 nations strive to make their country’s Olympic team. But we all know this ...

4386. Overcoming Fear

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to panic. When Jesus was awakened in the middle of that stormy sea he asked, "Why are you afraid?" That might have seemed a foolish question to the disciples. "Isn't it obvious why we're afraid? We're about to drown." But Jesus knew he could stop that storm and he thought the disciples knew that. They didn't. Therefore, they panicked. So, you see, we become fearful when we doubt that our source of security is not strong enough to sustain us. What is the cure for fear? The cure is to develop confidence ...

4387. Tricked Into Forgiveness

2 Samuel 14:1-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... s attitude; indeed, he was even more generous. He was willing to forgive a brother seven times. He asked Jesus “Is that enough?” “No,” replied Jesus. “You must be willing to forgive seventy-seven times.” (Matt. 18:22) Jesus was saying that we should stop counting and just make forgiveness our way of life. I wish I could tell you that David’s and Absalom’s story ended happily and harmoniously. But that was not the case. David extended “half-way forgiveness” to his son. He allowed him to ...

4388. The Grasshopper Mentality

Numbers 13:26-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... out onto the field with the team and to sit on the bench. On the day of the game, Southern Cal came out on the field first. Then at the very last minute, here came Notre Dame. 150 huge players came rumbling onto the field. The Southern Cal team stopped their warm-ups and just stared at this assembly of green giants. Knute Rockne had psyched them out. Though the USC coach told his team that only eleven men could play at a time, the damage had been done. USC lost, not because Notre Dame was better but because ...

4389. Never Say What You Won't Do!

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... dishes, clean off the kitchen table, take out the trash, and wait for their return. The mysterious walks never took less than an hour.” (2) The fourth guideline for a flexible and growing marriage is “BE COURTEOUS!” How strange and tragic that often couples stop being courteous soon after they marry. One day a Brazilian farmer was riding a little mule and his wife was walking behind him in the hot sun. A tourist asked, “Sir, why is your wife not riding?” The farmer replied, “Because she ain’t ...

4390. The Treasure Principles

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . All we have is a temporary lease on some material assets. The permanent owner is God Almighty. One day we will give an accounting to him of how you used every asset he allowed us to control.” Just imagine that a father and mother and their teenaged son Walter are stopping by Chick-Fil-A for a quick meal. Walter is the only one to order French fries. Mom and Dad are trying to stay on diets. They sit down at a table, have a blessing, and begin to eat. Dad reaches over to take a couple of French fries, but ...

4391. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... a dear friend coming for a visit. Let me have her tell the story in her own words: “As I stood in the airport hallway where incoming passengers arrive, I saw a soldier in fatigues rushing toward my area. He was a big man but very young. He stopped almost beside me and held out his arms. From the corner of my eye I saw a little toddler rushing towards him, crying out, ‘daddy, daddy.’ Right behind the toddler was its mother. All three hugged as a family. Then I saw the soldier’s mother bursting into ...

4392. Holy Habits

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to be on vacation for a week and would not need a paper. Nevertheless, out of sheer habit, I would fling a paper up on his porch each day and then have to pay for that paper myself. Habits can be frustrating. Have you ever done this? You need to stop by the grocery store on the way home. But as you drive homeward your mind is on other things, and you drive right past the grocery store, out of sheer habit. Or, you come home in the evening, change into something casual, and then decide to stroll out into the ...

4393. Why Is Life So Unfair?

Romans 8:28-39

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... is not only a sin-marred world; it is also a free world. God will not turn us into puppets or robots. To take away our freedom would be to distort our basic humanity. Therefore, God rarely intervenes miraculously, to prevent accidents, to stop murderous criminals, or to force terrorists to behave. God usually allows natural laws to operate, even when one of those laws causes a disastrous hurricane. Back when Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, I was conversing with a very good friend, a Presbyterian pastor ...

4394. Do I Really Matter To God?

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... read to you earlier of the woman cured of her internal bleeding. Jesus was on the way to the home of a big shot, Jairus, the equivalent of a Jewish bishop. His only daughter was dying. A big crowd of people was on the road with Jesus. Suddenly Jesus stopped the parade. Why? Because he wanted to deal with a person who was at the very bottom of the social totem pole. Legend has it that this woman was a Gentile from Caesarea-Philippi. If so, she was regarded as of little or no value by the Jewish, patriarchal ...

4395. I Believe That Jesus Was Conceived By The Holy Spirit

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... with a miracle, the birth of its founder. The Bible teaches that “God has come as low as humanity can sink.” God has gotten down in the muck with us. He has descended into the filth and foulness and vileness of our mortality. (3) Occasionally I stop by a certain restaurant in town that has a first-class aquarium. It contains a glorious assortment of tropical fish so colorful that only God could have decorated them. It takes a lot of work to run an aquarium. The owner monitors the oxygen and nitrate ...

4396. A Defiant Response to a Dangerous Theology: Does God Desire to Wipe Us Out?

Gn 6:1-8. 9:6-17

Sermon

... ) of God….the humanity (dare I call it that?) of God….even the existence of God. Some writers wanted to know what, if anything, God did. Others writers wanted to know where, if anywhere, God was. Was God the architect behind it….powerless to stop it…. indifferent to it….or (worse yet) ignorant of it? Those are the questions of suffering and pain….the kinds of questions that begin, "Why me?"…. gradually expand to "Why us?"….and sometimes even to "Why them?" In my youthful years of academic ...

4397. Call Him God

Matt 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-38

Illustration

C. S. Lewis

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis addressed the inclination to say nice things about Jesus, but to stop short of calling him God. He wrote, "I am here trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God." That is the one ...

4398. Moses: A Traveling God in a Pop-Up Camper

Exodus 13:17-22, 33:7-11

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... really not much more than a roof on stilts, with plank pews and a common bench for a kneeling rail where we would respond to the invitation on about the 23rd verse of "Just As I Am." I hadn't been there in decades when a few years ago we stopped through there on the way to a youth mission trip. Now it seems so much smaller than I remember and those experiences seem distant from my present life. But the place looms large in my memory, for it was one of those places where as a teenager I met God ...

4399. Joseph: Don't Bury Me Here

Genesis 50:22-26; Exodus 13:19-22; Joshua 24:32

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... : "God's going to visit you and bring you out of this land to the land of Abraham. When he does, carry my bones with you." And that's just what they did. When Joseph died, they put him a coffin, sat it in the corner and waited. Egyptians would stop by for tea and ask, "So what's in the box over there?" "Oh, that's Papa Joseph. See, this isn't really where we belong. God promised us a land, and when we go, we are supposed to take Papa Joseph with us…because we aren't home yet ...

4400. The Shepherd's Song

Psalm 23:1-6

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... , and my hope of eternal life becomes more and more precious. The one thing of which I am certain is that the shepherd will lead us all the way, and that in the end we will all come to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I really should stop quoting old songs from my past—I've been doing it every week—but here's one more, a way to end this series on the Summer Song of the Psalmist. When I was in college, I sang in the Asbury College Men's Glee Club. We would come into ...

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