Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4401 to 4425 of 4943 results

4401. No Excuses

Luke 9:51-62

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Christianity is not an exercise of, nor does it produce experts in, excuse-making, blame-placing behavior. The life of discipleship thrusts one into the midst of all life's turmoils and triumphs, without excuses. During the 1984 presidential primaries the discrepancy between the career hopes and personal life of one candidate collided all over the network news. Gary Hart, young, bright, promising, was forced to withdraw from the campaign and end his political career because he was caught in suggestive, ...

4402. The Heart of the Matter

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

“Let’s say it’s 4:17 p.m. and you’re driving home alone after an unusually hard day on the job. Not only was the workload extraordinarily heavy, you also had a disagreement with your boss, and no matter how hard you tried he just wouldn’t see your side of the situation. You’re really upset and the more you think about it the more uptight you become. All of a sudden you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles ...

4403. When the Bills Come Due

1 Timothy 6:6-10

Sermon

James Merritt

Our Extreme Home Makeover is going according to plan, but there is one little matter we have not yet discussed. How are we going to finance the project? When the bills come due, can we finance this project without going into bankruptcy? The answer to that question is very easy. It all depends on whether or not we have managed our money properly. That is exactly what we are going to be talking about today - managing money. How many of you feel like the former pro golfer from Georgia, Doug Sanders, who said ...

4404. The Man in the Mirror

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

James Merritt

I will never forget the first time I was able to actually go to see the Master's golf tournament in person. I wanted to follow a young phenom by the name of Tiger Woods. I was right behind him on the seventeenth tee box to see him rip one of those majestic drives. In the split second that he hit the ball, one man in the crowd yelled at the top of his lungs - "You 'Da Man." Every time you go to a tournament you are going to hear someone yell that at Tiger Woods. I don't know how that phrase got its origin, ...

4405. The King and His Castle

Matthew 16:13-18

Sermon

James Merritt

There were seven of them, and in their day they were the greatest tourist attractions in the history of the world. What were they? Well, here is the list of them: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Stature of Zeus at Olympia The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus The Mausoleum in Egypt The Coliseum of Rhodes The Lighthouse of Alexandria The Great Pyramid of Gaza You may recognize this list as comprising what is now known as the "Seven Ancient Wonders of the World." The reason why they were called wonders is ...

4406. What’s So Amazing about Grace?

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

In our reading for today, we find King David, after having consolidated his kingdom and moved into a palace for himself, deciding that he'd like to built an impressive house for God as well. Now David wasn't so theologically naive as to think that God needed a physical dwelling as though he were merely a super human, but he did know that the Ark of the Covenant, that special box containing the tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, was a unique symbol of the presence of God among the ...

4407. First Things First

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

No moment in the life of a parent is more awesome than when a child leaves home for the first time and as you watch them walk away, you wonder: "Have I prepared this one adequately for all he or she will face?" Because none of us complete the parenting task perfectly, it is not unusual that sooner or later those same children come back and ask: "Why did you not tell me thus and so? I never heard a word about that growing up — why did you not warn me?" This happens to ministers, as well as parents, in ...

4408. WaterFire Faith

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

If you ever doubt the power of art to capture the imagination and revive a dead city, take a trip to Providence, Rhode Island. Some years ago the “town fathers” of Providence, Rhode Island were desperate to find a way to revitalize the city’s downtown, and especially its dangerous waterfront. So what did they do? They hired an artist. The artist they chose was a multi-media public artist named Barnaby Evans, who is known for combining science and art, nature and the senses, especially soundcapes, to ...

4409. A Stone’s Throw From: The Rolled Stone

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

There's an old Peanuts cartoon in which Charlie Brown tells Lucy they have to stop fighting and finder a kinder way to resolve their conflicts. He tells her that the planet is filled with people hurting each other, that it's possible that they, as children, can make a new world order. Lucy listens for a minute and the POW! She slams him to the ground and walks away saying, "I had to hit him quick, he was beginning to make sense." Apart from God's purpose in and through the Cross, I've often wondered if ...

4410. Superman: More Than A Super Hero

John 1:1-5, 9-14; John 13:31-32; John 20:30-31

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

One of the greatest icons of the 20th and 21st Centuries is Superman. As a boy many of us daydreamed about having Super Powers like Superman. But if you've followed any of the movies, cartoons, comics or TV shows, you know that even with all his super powers, Superman and very other Super Hero has personal problems. But that doesn't negate the fact that we can learn some things from Super Heroes or the portrayal of Super Heroes such as Superman. Introduction In 1978, we were living in Midway, Missouri, ...

4411. He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s an old story. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. A young soldier fighting in Italy during World War II managed to jump into a foxhole just ahead of a spray of bullets. He immediately attempted to deepen the hole for more protection. As he was frantically scraping at the dirt with his hands, he unearthed a silver crucifix, obviously left by a previous occupant of the foxhole. A moment later, a leaping figure landed beside him as shells screamed overhead. The soldier turned to see that his new ...

4412. Here I Am, Send Me

Joel 2:28-32, Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

In 1974, I gave my life to Christ and was baptized by Rev Robert W Core. In 1975, God and I started having a major conflict. And it soon became apparent that God wasn't happy with me and I certainly wasn't happy with God or my pastor. I knew, without a doubt, that they were in cahoots together. You see, one night before Administrative Board meeting where I was the Youth Representative, I went to ask Bob something but when I opened my mouth and started talking, what came out was "How do I become a preacher ...

4413. Who Do You Put On?

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A little young girl walked into the bathroom one day while Mom was putting on make-up and announced, "I'm going to look just like you mommy!" "Maybe, when you grow up," Mom told her. "No mommy, tomorrow. I just put on that 'Oil of Old Lady' you always use." (1) It's pretty obvious that we all get up in the morning, get cleaned up and put on clothes. On Sundays, out of reverence for God, we try to dress in our best. When we go tot work, we dress for success. If we're single going out on a date or even ...

4414. On Finding Pentecostal Power

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Lord, as of old at Pentecost Thou dist thy power display, With cleansing, purifying flame Descend on us today. Power, Power, the world is full of power - military power, political power, economic power, industrial power. Our children’s Power Rangers protect our planet from evil forces. Power plants dam up our rivers in order to send us electricity. The world is full of power. But do you have the spiritual power to become all that you are created to be, and to do all that God wants you to do? That is what I ...

4415. Three Great Resolutions for the New Year

Psalm 118:1-29

Sermon

James W. Moore

When our children and grandchildren were here for Christmas, it gave me the perfect opportunity to do something I have wanted to do for some time… make a picture of all four grandchildren together. Sarah (age 12), Paul (age 9) and Dawson (age 6) all were cooperating beautifully, and then there was Daniel!... who was not interested in my picture-taking project at all. There are two reasons for that… - 1st Daniel is 4 years old; - And, 2nd, Daniel is very independent and his philosophy of life is: “I’m doing ...

4416. When You Have Everything You Need, Except What You Need (Managing Money)

Luke 12:22-34, Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In New England, there is the grave of an old Yankee skinflint. While he was alive, he offered his future heirs their legacy in advance if they would give him 12 ½% interest on it. When he died, they put this epitapth on his tombstone: Here lies old 12 percent The more he saved, the less he spent The less he spent, the more he saved Oh Lord, can Ichabod be saved? Now that’s a good question, and we could preach a sermon on that. You remember Jesus said on one occasion that it was as difficult for a rich man ...

4417. Joy Comes in the Morning

Psalm 30:1-12

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

It would take very little personal conversation among us this morning to discover the healing, encouraging, strengthening, supporting, comforting power the Psalms have been in our individual lives. A variety and a large number of Psalms would be pointed to as the ones that have ministered to you in a particular time of need. At our Administrative Board meeting two weeks ago, Karla Grant shared her Christian pilgrimage verses from the Psalms. This is her story. Six weeks after she and Don welcomed their ...

4418. When You Want to Run Away

Psalm 11:1-7

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

In Concord, California, a customer became enraged at an automated teller, and kept punching it because the machine refused to dispense $80 from the man’s account. The customer was arrested and charged with “malicious mischief.” This is not an isolated incident. According to police reports, so many people were beating up on automated machines when they first appeared everywhere in the 1980’s that it became this nation’s most serious crime problem. Does it make you mad? I’ve seen people livid with anger, ...

4419. Fulfilling the Vision

Acts 2:14-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

God said “I will pour out my spirit on all kinds of people and your sons and daughters will prophesy and your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams and whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved". A vision. Without it a church flounders and with it a church flourishes. A vision is, in essence, a picture of God's preferred future. And the vision I want to share with you today is as old as the prophet Joel, as powerful as the one on the day of Pentecost and is as current as ...

4420. Doing What Disciples Do

John 15:12-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The new pastor of a congregation preached his first sermon from the text, “Love one another.” The people were pleased. The next Sunday the pastor preached the exact same sermon from the exact same text, “Love one another.” The people were surprised. When the pastor preached the same sermon the third week from the same text , the people were angry. The Staff Parish Relations chairperson confronted the new pastor with the obvious question, “Why do you preach the same sermon every week?” The pastor replied, “ ...

4421. The Calling of Our Baptism

Luke 3:21-22; Matthew 28:18-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Water—cool, clear, water. Seventy percent of the earth is covered with it. Two-thirds of the body is filled with it. In the beginning of time the Spirit of God hovered over the water and brought life out of chaos. What can be more refreshing on a hot summer day than a dip in the pool? What can be more comforting on a cold winter night than a long hot bath. My doctors have been encouraging me to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. It’s the fastest way to health they say. The Church uses water. We use it ...

4422. Life’s Purpose Is Often Hidden!

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Life is a messy affair. Our purpose is often hidden. We have a parable today that originally may have tried to explore these mysteries — the parable of the weeds in the field. But once again the explanation that Mathew provided of this parable is probably not original, not something Jesus himself taught. No, it is more likely, New Testament scholars increasingly agree, that Jesus' original point in the parable was to affirm the messiness, hiddenness, of life in a context where sectarian sentiments were ...

4423. No Partiality

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

John N. Brittain

You may be looking at the most fortunate person on the face of the earth. Let me explain. It seems that without even entering, I've won several lotteries based all over the world. I've supplied them with all my personal information — social security number, bank accounts, all of that — so, any day now, millions of pounds and rupees and doubloons will be flowing into my accounts. And if that's not enough, I have signed on to be the executor for a number of recently deceased international figures who need me ...

4424. Silly Putty, Play-Doh and Potter's Clay

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Somebody once said: "We are all made of common clay and that is why we all have the same kinds of problems." But someone else said: "We're all created in the same mold, only some of us are moldier than others." (1) There is a place in India where their legends agree with the Bible that humankind was made from dust. But they think that the upper class (or caste) was made from the fertile soil and the lower class was made from ordinary clay. But even I know, if you are going to create pottery, you want ...

4425. Oops! I Didn't See You

Luke 16:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. James Dobson tells about a friend of his, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. One day this friend telephoned another specialist in the same field and asked him for a favor. “My wife has been having some abdominal problems and she’s in particular discomfort this afternoon,” he said. “I don’t want to treat my own wife and wonder if you’d see her for me?” The other specialist invited the doctor to bring his wife in for an examination. When he did he discovered (are you ready for this?) that she was ...

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