Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4426 to 4450 of 4936 results

4426. Your Sins Are Remembered No More! You Are Free!

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Have you ever felt weighed down by your sins and shortcomings? Have you ever despaired over your ability to live up to expectations — God’s expectations, society’s expectations, your own self-expectations? Do you wish that you could have a fresh start? The Prophet Jeremiah was proclaiming a Word to sinful, insecure people like us, to people whose confidence in the future had been badly shaken. Have you ever made a big mistake in your life, a mistake for which you paid for many years? Maybe you are still ...

4427. The Lord's Prayer: "Thy Will Be Done"

Matthew 6:5-15

Sermon

David E. Leininger

"THY WILL BE DONE." GOD'S will. What is God's will? Do YOU know what God's will is? Lots of folks think they do, but I wonder. I hear that Pat Robertson is about to spend $1.4-million because he is convinced that President Clinton's Health Plan is NOT God's will. Randy Shilts died last week. Randy was a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle who wrote the best-seller, And the Band Played On,(1) the story of the inception of the AIDS epidemic in America. Randy died of AIDS. He was gay. Some folks would ...

4428. The Glorious Interpolation

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Mark Twain once wrote a story with the descriptive title: “The Terrible Catastrophe.” Before he had finished he had worked all of his characters into such a predicament that whatever any one of them did they would all be destroyed! Contemplating his creation at this juncture, Twain concluded the story by writing, “I have these characters in such a fix I cannot get them out. Anyone who thinks he can is welcome to try!” In our Scripture we find that Jesus’ enemies thought that they had Him in just such a fix ...

4429. What Do You Want To Be Like When You Are 65?

Proverbs 3:1-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is a classic story of a Russian countess who sits in the theater on a cold, winter night. Her emotions are played upon by the sad scene depicted on stage -- so much so that she sheds copious tears. Meanwhile, outside, her coachman is shivering in the cold as he awaits to take her home. She allows the emotion of pity to be excited by an imaginary scene, but refuses to allow pity to play on the chords of her daily life in relation to her driver. The Proverbs will play on the cords of our daily life if ...

4430. Commandments of Conduct

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

Elizabeth Achtemeier

We live in a society in which right and wrong have become largely a matter of personal opinion. All individuals are seen as a law unto themselves, and what is right for one person is not necessarily right for anyone else. Indeed, if any person tries to impose their ethical standards on another, the response is usually defensive anger. "Don't try to impose your middle-class morality on me," goes the complaint. "I know what is right for me, and you have no business trying to meddle in my life!" The result is ...

4431. Removing Obstacles

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sermon

James L. Killen

Our church has an important mission. Our church was called into existence to witness to the good news of God's love that was shown to us in Jesus Christ. Our church exists to share God's love, to bring people into a fellowship in which God's love is shared, and to help people grow into followers of Jesus. There are people, perhaps many people, within the reach of our church who are hungry for the love of God that we were given to share. Our church has been commissioned to teach the way of love that is the ...

4432. Dealing with Criticism

1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Sermon

James L. Killen

No one likes criticism. We all like to be liked. But the moment any person ventures out to offer any leadership, or to express any opinion that is not shared by everyone else, or even just to live in any unique or creative way, she or he is likely to be enveloped in a cloud of criticism. Most of us find that a very unhappy experience. After it has happened to us a few times, we are sorely tempted not ever to do or say anything again that would invite criticism. But that would not be the right thing to do. ...

4433. Life, Death, and Judgment

Romans 14:1-12

Sermon

Jeff Wedge

In 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached a famous sermon with the title, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." In great detail Edwards spoke of the wrath people rightly faced when they confronted the judgment of a God who was angry at the way the people had failed to do what they were called to do. While many people understand only this much about that famous sermon, and hold it up as an example of the worst sort of preaching meant to terrify those who hear what is said, the sermon itself is actually quite ...

4434. A Radical Faith

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

Mark Trotter

Some of you may know that Jean and I have just returned from a two-week trip to Germany, where we rented a car and visited the so-called Luther sites, the towns and cities where Martin Luther lived four hundred years ago, and where the Reformation began. It was a wonderful time and we are very grateful to your generosity in making it possible. We want to show you our slides, so we have decided we are going to have a potluck supper on Wednesday, June 25. You are all invited. You may feel that making you ...

4435. If You Look Like Your Passport Photo

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Mark Trotter

When you have your picture taken, are you nervous about the results? They say "the camera doesn't lie," but you and I know better. A woman said to the photographer, "I hope your camera will do me justice." He said, "Ma'am, you don't need justice, you need mercy." The title of this sermon comes from an old aphorism, "If you look like your passport picture, you need the trip." I renewed my driver's license a little while ago. I got one of these new California driver's licenses with your picture on it. So I ...

4436. The Wedding Guest

John 2:1-11

Sermon

Mark Trotter

I imagine those of you who have been hosts at a wedding reception, or anticipate doing that sometime in the future, were interested in the Gospel lesson for this morning, where Jesus attends a wedding and turns the water into wine, not only producing the finest of vintages, but also covering for the host’s bad planning. The host was able to tell his guests, "Well, I was just reserving the best for the last." Someone suggested the title of this sermon ought to be, "No Wine before Its Time," which is clever ...

4437. I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

John 16:17-33

Sermon

James McCormick

I first heard the words of today’s sermon title when I was a teenager. They came over the radio in a country and western song. The words: “I beg your pardon; I never promised you a rose garden.” I encountered those words again a few years ago when they appeared as the unofficial slogan of the emerging nation of Israel. When Jews migrated to Israel and were asked to settle in “kibbutzim” in parched desert frontiers, they were reminded of the arduous task ahead by the signs posted all around the settlements ...

4438. The Bloodline of Christ

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

In a few short years, Dan Brown’s 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code, became one of the most widely read books of all time. The 2006 Ron Howard Hollywood movie starring Tom Hanks only made the novel all the more popular. Why such a blockbuster for a novel about Jesus? Because it was well-written? Because it was well-researched? No, the real reason The Da Vinci Code caught fire was because it served up a juicy heretical tidbit as its main course: the suggestion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and that ...

4439. To Tell The Truth

Exodus 20:16

Sermon

James Merritt

"Nearly everyone will lie to you given the right circumstances." Do you know who said that? None other than Bill Clinton, the President of the United States. But guess what? Apparently he is right. In the groundbreaking work, The Day America Told the Truth, by James Patterson and Peter Kim, we find that in America honesty has gone out the window. 91% of Americans lie regularly at home and at work. In answer to the question, "Whom have you regularly lied to?" 86% said, to their parents; and 75% to their ...

4440. Mom: The Heart of a Godly Family

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sermon

James Merritt

Nobody can write a letter like a mother. I can remember when I was in college my first year, I was so homesick I literally lived for those days I would go to the post office and get a letter from my Mom. I want to share with you one mother's letter to her son in college. This mother was a country lady, not very well educated, but she loved her son. This was the letter: Dear Son: Just a few lines to let you know that I am still alive. I'm writing this letter slowly because I know that you cannot read very ...

4441. Strength through Diversity

James 2:1-17

Sermon

Richard Gribble

A wealthy businessman decided to take a walk and eat his lunch at the same time. He strolled through a park and purchased a hot dog and a soft drink. As he walked, enjoying the view, two different street people approached him one by one. Each asked, "Can you help me, I am hungry?" Each time the businessman looked straight ahead and kept walking. After finishing his lunch he began to walk back to his office. He stopped and bought a chocolate eclair for dessert. As he was about to take the first bite, he was ...

4442. Christ’s Twin

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to begin by stating categorically that Christ did not have a twin brother, in case you were misled by today’s sermon title. There are so many people around who are conspiracy theory buffs that you can’t be too careful. I can see the author of The Da Vinci Code weaving a complete novel out of the idea that Jesus secretly had a twin. So let me state categorically that Jesus did not have a twin. However, today’s lesson from Philippians provokes an interesting question. If Christ had a twin what would ...

4443. The Monster Under Megan's Bed

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

A child saved the day for Jesus. Could it be that our children save the day for us? Is it time for us to sit at the feet of our children? Meet a 5-year-old girl named Megan. Like many kids her age for generations before her, Megan was terrified of a monster that lived under her bed. What to do? But unlike any previous generation before her, Megan did something about the monster under her bed. She sat down at her computer and used a software package for children to tell her story about how scary the monster ...

4444. Love that Kneels

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Mike Ripski

I. Advent’s Discipline: Waiting Do you like to wait? I don’t. Yet waiting in the discipline we practice during Advent. The church in its wisdom knows that it is precisely what we don’t like to do that we need to do. It knows that, if we impatiently rush to the manger, we won’t see God in the baby lying in it. Waiting gives the Holy Spirit time to remove the darkness in us so we can see. Eight days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple for his dedication. When they arrived there was a ...

4445. Mourning Our Fallen Tormentors

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Michael Dirda is the senior editor of The Washington Post Book World, as well as a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for literary criticism. In 2003, he published an autobiographical account of his early years, telling about growing up in Lorain, Ohio. While there is much that he appreciated about his home, he also tells that his years there were colored somewhat darkly by his father, who was a cranky, difficult man. Apparently the man was not physically abusive, but neither was he easy to be around. Unhappy ...

4446. Jesus, The Light of the World

Revelation 21:10, 21:22-22:5

Sermon

Richard Gribble

In the beginning when the Great Spirit created all that exists, he gave great gifts to all the animals. The Great Spirit gave each animal a cedar box inside of which were very special and wonderful gifts. And, one by one the boxes were opened. The first box contained water. The second box contained the mountains. The third box contained the seeds of all things that grow. The fourth box contained the wind to carry the seed to the corners of the earth. Thus, one by one all the boxes were opened, except one. ...

4447. My Earlier Life

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

John Jamison

You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. Trust me on this one, everybody had heard about Paul's earlier life in Judaism. It was one of the most common topics of conversation whenever members of the new church got together. And the opinions about that earlier life were mixed, especially when it came to how it compared with the Paul that was converted. Those opinions were so mixed that it threatened to split apart and destroy the church itself. So when people read Paul's opening line — You ...

4448. Journey To The Heart Of Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Drama

Lois Anne DeLong

Characters (in order of appearance) Narrator Miriam Hamid David Aaron Joy Harmony Gloria Mary Joseph Mark Jordana Ruth Faith Props Name tags Lectern Chairs Logs, piled up to simulate a fire Large, fancy bottle Tied-up bundle filled with clothes and a blanket Small notebook Pen/pencil Three pairs of dark sunglasses Dish cloth Apron Blanket Soup pot and two bowls Loaf of bread Telescope Notes “Journey To The Heart Of Christmas” speculates on stories of the youngest witnesses to Christ’s birth. It offers a ...

4449. What Matters In the Light of Eternity: “Church Matters”

Acts 20:13-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

I love thy kingdom Lord, The house of Thine abode, The church our blest Redeemer saved With his own precious blood. My heart resonates with those words penned by Timothy Dwight more than two hundred years ago. I love the church. A thousand sermons finely tuned could not express my gratitude, for all that I am, all that I have, all that I hope to become, I owe to the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church is of God and shall be preserved to the end of time and I would like to offer some reasons why. I. The ...

4450. We Are Weak, But He Is Strong...

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Join with me if you would like: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me still today, walking with me on my way, Wanting as a friend to give light and love to all who live. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. Jesus loves us this we say, caring for us every day. Troubles all to him ...

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