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Showing 4426 to 4450 of 4946 results

4426. Encounters With Christ V: Jesus and James and John

Matthew 20:20-28

Sermon

James W. Moore

Some years ago when William Howard Taft was President of the United States, he found himself in an interesting dilemma. A woman who was a friend of the Taft family kept pestering President Taft to appoint her husband to the post of Secretary of Commerce. Now, the woman’s husband had no political experience at all – no training for the job at all – no real expertise or qualifications to bring to the position at all. In fact, he was a house painter! But, the woman wanted her husband to be named by the ...

4427. Epilogue: Some Early Witnesses to Christ

Luke 8:26-39

Sermon

Robert V. Dodd

Epilogue: Some Early Witnesses to Christ Joseph and Mary were the initial human witnesses to Christ. They had experienced angel visitations concerning their first-born son. And they knew for certain that he was God's special Child - unlike any other person who ever walked the face of the earth. They were privileged to watch him grow and to help him grow in his own understanding of who he was and what he was to accomplish on this earth. Other early witnesses were the shepherds on the night of our Lord's ...

4428. On Staying Awake

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes ..." Perhaps this sermon need not be preached. The necessity of wakefulness may already be widely recognized as we gather for worship. We arrive tired, we endure preaching that is often supernaturally dull, and the atmosphere of quietness soon dispatches even the most faithful. This is not a modern problem. Our Puritan ancestors gave a high importance to staying awake. During their long services the ushers roamed the congregation with a ...

4429. If Only We Would Be Disciplined ...

2 Kings 13:10-25

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"That’s what we need for the kitchen," Mary whispered to her husband, Carl. The table, among other pieces of furniture, was to be auctioned off to the highest bidders. No one thought that anything coming out of the old farm house had much value. Like Mary, the other bidders were there to supplement the furnishings of their summer cottages in the mountains of western North Carolina. "I’ll start the bidding off and won’t go too high," she continued to whisper. Mary did not want the auctioneer or any ...

4430. If Only We Would Accept Responsibility ...

Ezekiel 33:1-20

Sermon

Wallace H. Kirby

"Are you the minister?" he asked as I came through the courtyard toward the entrance of the church. I wanted to say no, because there were dozens of things that needed my attention that Monday morning when I got to work. With a bit of dumb resentment at the interruption of my planned agenda, I acknowledged that I was one of the pastors of that downtown church. He followed me into the office complex. "What can I do for you?" I asked, hoping that a meal ticket or perhaps a quick referral to another helping ...

4431. What Shall We Do With This Baby?

Drama

Babies The children of our congregation became involved in our theme. Many of the following ideas were their own. Others came from Sunday school teachers and parents. A Baby Tree - The children have their own small, live tree in our fellowship hall. They chose to decorate it with new and used baby rattles. A baby blanket served as a tree skirt and good, used stuffed animals were donated and placed underneath. Baby Shopping - The children earned and saved money for a shopping trip. Arrangements were made to ...

4432. Honest to Goodness Religion

Hosea 4:1-19

Sermon

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice." (v. 6) Prayer: Lord, Instill in us a sense of wonder that you really care what we do with our lives. Lead us to a greater appreciation of your love so we may never take it for granted. Amen There is a captivating story written by an English novelist, C. E. Montague, entitled Rough Justice.9 The story tells of a little boy, Bron, who was brought to church for the first time in his life, where his uncle was the vicar. For the boy it was an intriguing ...

4433. Lent 5

Jn 8:1-11; 12:1-8 · Lk 20:9-19 · Isa 43:16-21 · Php 3:8-14

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Isaiah 43:16-21 Yahweh promises to do a new thing for his people in exile. The "new thing" (v. 19) Yahweh promises is a new exodus from bondage in Babylon. The "former things" (v. 18) refer to the exodus from Egypt. As in the first exodus, Yahweh will make a way through the wilderness and provide water as the people cross six hundred miles of desert from Babylon to Jerusalem. A third exodus is the sacrifice of Christ who redeemed us from the bondage of sin and who now provides food and water in ...

4434. Jacob’s Dream - A Dream Come True W. Dexter Moser

Genesis 27:1-40

Sermon

Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed ... Genesis 28:11-12 Jacob, with much patience, after many years finally married Rachel. In their nomadic life as shepherds, they, Jacob and Rachel, could have understood a song we sang around the campfire during a summer gathering at Lutheridge. I had a dream dear, you had one too mine was the best dream I ever knew; Come, sweetheart, tell me now is the time You tell me your dream and I will ...

4435. Managing Our Memories

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Sermon

Leonard W. Mann

[Paul reports, concerning Jesus] When he had given thanks, he broke [the bread] and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." Once again we approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Once again we hear Jesus say, "Do this in remembrance of me." Join me now, if you will, for a few moments as we think together about an aspect of ...

4436. A DRAMA OF LOST WORDS

Drama

The only precaution for this play is that the director pay close attention to the use of lighting. Stage directions are within the play and are very important for the mood and pacing of the production. A bare stage; when the lights come up, they are dim stage right and bright stage left. Man 1 and Woman 1 enter to the stage left area and begin to talk to one another, quietly; the audience should not be able to understand what they are saying. After a few seconds, Man 2 and Woman 2 enter to the stage right ...

4437. Is Jesus Still in the Healing Business?

Luke 4:38-44, Luke 4:31-37

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

In a city where I pastored years ago, a clergyman caused quite a controversy. When visiting his church members in the hospital, he would not pray for healing. He believed that the laws of cause and effect are constant and could not be swayed by prayer. It put me in a tight spot because his members began to ask me to come to the hospital and pray for them. There is no doubt that Jesus was in the healing business. Indeed, healing miracles made Jesus famous. Even Rudolf Bultmann, one of the most skeptical New ...

4438. The Touch of the Master's Hand

Luke 5:12-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Although we have heard it many times, the poem about the old violin never fails to touch my heart. Myra Brooks Welch penned this masterpiece entitled, "The Touch of the Master’s Hand." "Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin, but held it up with a smile. ‘What am I bidden, good folks,’ he cried. ‘Who’ll start the bidding for me? A dollar, a dollar’; then, ‘two! Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Three dollars, ...

4439. Bad Good News Won’t Sell!

Jeremiah 28:1-17

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord; and the prophet Jeremiah said, "Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words which you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word which I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ...

4440. Isaiah’s Interruption

Isaiah 40:1-31

Sermon

Richard F. Bansemer

The Sermon text is the ninth verse of the 40th chapter of Isaiah: "Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’ " It’s quite a conversation between the prophet and a couple of voices. First a command is given: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord." We’ve heard that passage often enough, if not in church, at least in music. We know, of course ...

4441. Pardon for Sin

Romans 5:12-21

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Human nature will go to great lengths to cover up wrong doings and to excuse its mistakes. In Newark, New Jersey, a lady lost a purse containing twenty-five dollars. A week later it came back in the mail with only fifteen dollars, plus a note from the anonymous finder explaining she had once lost a purse with ten dollars in it. The fact that she once was robbed gave justification to rob a portion from the twenty-five dollars. This justification and rationalization of wrongdoing affects us down the line. It ...

4442. A Daughter of Jacob

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

This miracle is not simply the story of a mother and her demon-possessed child; it is really an international incident which was to affect the future shape of Christendom. What happened to the Canaanite woman that day affects us today in a most direct and vital way. Like most international incidents it happened at the border between two adversaries. Jesus had traveled to the extreme north end of the Jordan Valley. He was standing at the border line between Syria and Galilee. The inhabitants of Syria were ...

4443. Genuine Imitations

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

Raymond Gibson

In the fantastically successful movie, "The Empire Strikes Back," the viewers are invited to continue their involvement in the adventures of the heroes and villains of the first movie, "Star Wars." Once again we find ourselves engaged with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and the robots Artoo Detoo and See Threepio as they battle Darth Vader and the Dark Empire legions. One of the most fascinating new characters of "The Empire Strikes Back" is a strange little fellow named Yoda, who ...

4444. Habakkuk

Habakkuk 3:1-19

Sermon

Warren Thomas Smith

Gratitude is one of the noblest words in the English language. It pictures us at our best. Conversely, ingratitude reveals a person at his or her worst. "How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!"2 lamented King Lear. Thoughtful people everywhere, of all ages, faiths, and cultures have extolled gratitude. Let us think of gratitude as it relates to our American Thanksgiving. For most of us, Thanksgiving means eating. First we stuff the turkey then we stuff ourselves. We go to a ...

4445. A Matter of Life and Breath

John 20:19-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Pentecost I On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If ...

4446. This Grace In Which We Stand by Dr. Gene E. Bartlett

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Mann

Anyone who has browsed through a gift shop sooner or later has come to a polite but insistent sign, "Please Do Not Touch." It was refreshing, therefore, to come recently upon a sign of different tone. In the gift shop at O’Hare Airport the word above some African wood carvings said, "Please touch. You can’t appreciate these until you do." There are many evidences that this in fact was the mood in which the New Testament writings first came into being. Those writers were sure they had come upon something ...

4447. It Is Really Something New by Dr. Frank Bateman Stanger

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Leonard Mann

The six of us ministers during this special series have been given a very demanding assignment. There is nothing more exacting than to try to tell the meaning of something. Certainly it is not easy to verbalize accurately a meaning. I remember shortly before I left the last local church which I served as pastor that one of the young adults, a very attractive, intelligent, spiritually sensitive lady said to me, "Before you leave our church, will you tell us again what it means to live a sanctified life?" ...

4448. That Hallowed Name (The Third Commandment)

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The coming Olympic Games to be held in Atlanta remind me of an Olympic gold medalist from Georgia. He is Paul Anderson of Tekoa, Georgia. Paul is the only American to ever win a gold medal in the heavyweight division of Olympic weight lifting. He is a dedicated Christian who for many years operated orphanages allover the Southeast. He traveled widely, putting on weight lifting demonstrations and witnessing for Jesus Christ. I recall some twenty years ago sitting on a wooden platform with ten other men and ...

4449. A Time for Tears

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

During this past week, I was confronted by an impossible task. I was asked, by her friends, to see a young woman in an attempt to cheer her up, or bring her out of her time of bitterness and depression from which she was suffering. Get the picture, please. Just about two years ago, this attractive young mother had her leg amputated in a motorcycle accident. She still suffers the pain of learning how to walk on an artificial leg. Then, just a week ago, her husband, the father of her two children, was ...

4450. God Makes The First Move

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

As I was walking the beautiful Augusta National Golf Course several weeks ago; I noticed .the famous German golfer, Bernard Langer, practicing for the Masters. He is a two-time winner of that prestigious tournament. As I watched him, I thought about his personal testimony which he offers far and wide. Langer says that when he won the Masters in 1985, his priorities were golf, golf, and more golf, then himself, then a little time with his wife, and occasionally a nod toward God. He says that if his golf was ...

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