Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4451 to 4475 of 4508 results

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands…” --Hebrews 4:1 The story of Noah is one of great depths, no pun intended. Actually, maybe it was intended! We all know it’s a covenant story, the story of yet another attempt God makes on establishing a lasting and binding relational covenant with God’s self and God’s people, those created in the image of God. But it’s also a story...

4452. Lost in the Wonder of God

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Visuals: Mountain scenes “Jesus wept” . . . over Jerusalem, not just over the Temple. Place matters. We've made non-places of our neighborhoods and "places" of our temples. I am a product of a “place,” a “place” called mountain culture. More specifically, my “place” is the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia, and the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York. That means I grew up with grits a...

4453. The Sound of Joy

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Rejoice in the Lord always….again I say rejoice!” (Phil 4:4) “I grieve if my brother dies because I no longer have personal communion with him. But I can have a deep, abiding joy, for I know that death does not have the final word. It has been conquered in Christ’s death and resurrection.” (2 Tim. 1:10) We are a people born of laughter! Literally, we are all as Christians part of God’s holy pe...

4454. Worship, Doubt, and the Trinity

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

Worship, doubt, and the Trinity — strange bedfellows, right? The odd one out is obviously doubt, isn’t it? Worship is one of the central activities of faith-filled people. The Trinity is an essential and distinguishing doctrine of the Christian faith. Clearly, the two go well together. But doubt? How did doubt creep in there, into this triumphant final scene after the resurrection when Jesus is sa...

4455. Service

Illustration

Unknown

Arriving at church the morning the service time had changed, a lady breathlessly inquired, "Is the service over?" Sagely, the usher replied, "No, madam, the service is just beginning!"

4456. The Image of the Father

Illustration

Amy Butler

Thomas Troeger, a Presbyterian pastor and gifted preacher, tells a story of an experience he had once. He wrote: "One day several years ago I was in a department store buying myself a new shirt when a complete stranger walked up to me and said, ‘You must be Henry Troeger's son.' "I looked at this person and I said, ‘I don't believe I have ever seen you.' "He said, ‘Oh, no, you have never met me...

4457. God Loves the People

Illustration

Tom Rietveld

The United States today is very similar to what 18th century England was like. Morals were all but gone on the part of the common man. The slave trade was at its height. A godless prison system entertained the people with public hangings. Gambling was a national obsession--one historian said that England was a vast casino. Drinking dominated the pastime of men and boys. False rumors were regularly...

4458. Who, Me?

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

Unfortunately, most of us act like the out-of shape, overweight man who decided to take up tennis. He took lessons from a pro. He read several self-help books which advised him to "think positively" and "develop a winning attitude." A friend asked him how his tennis was going. With a positive, winning attitude in his voice, the man replied, "When my opponent hits the ball to me, my brain immediat...

4459. A Renewal of Faith

Illustration

Mark Trotter

Christopher Parkening is a concert guitarist. At age 30, he was at the top of his profession. His concert schedule booked years in advance. His CD's were best sellers. And then it all stopped. For three years he just disappeared. He stopped recording. He stopped performing. He said he was burned out. He did what all of us, I think, have been tempted to do from time to time in our life. He just chu...

4460. What to Preach

Illustration

Johnny Dean

Shortly after I had gone to my pastor and talked with him concerning this vague sense of calling to ministry that I was experiencing, he suggested that I preach while he was on vacation. By doing that, I could get some sense of what preaching was about and perhaps help to determine if that was the direction God was leading me. That sounded reasonable enough, so I agreed. As I thought about that u...

4461. First, Greatest, and last

Illustration

The first command Jesus gave his disciples was "Follow me!" The greatest commandment Jesus gave us was "Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor and love each other, too." The last commandment Jesus gave before he was taken from our sight was, "Be my witnesses."

4462. God Does Not Desert Us

Illustration

I find it strange that God has never deserted me. I don't understand that kind of grace frankly. I do not deserve his eternal presence, nor do you. Yet, God has forever identified with the human dilemma. There may not be a soul in the world who truly understands your feelings. God understands. All in your life may fall away. God will never fall away. In Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation, ...

4463. Safely through the Storm

Illustration

Keith Wagner

Max Lucado tells the story about the time he was sailing with his son and a church friend of the coast of Miami. They were having a leisurely cruise and the weather was perfect. But out of nowhere a storm appeared. The sky darkened, the rained started and the ocean became violent. Max was terrified and looked at his friend Milt for help. Milt was deliberate and decisive. He told the men exactly w...

4464. Following Orders

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Have you ever been given orders for which you could get no reason? I suspect so. Everyone of us, at some time were told by Mom or Dad to DO something; we asked "Why?" and got the response, "Because I SAID so, that's why." We followed those orders because we had no choice in the matter - the one who gave them had the power to back them up. But we probably did not carry them out with as complete con...

4465. Working Together in Unheavenly Places

Illustration

James McCormick

Harry Emerson Fosdick was pastor of Riverside Church in New York when their magnificent new building was built. But the last Sunday in their old building, before moving into the new one, he said: "My friends, it is not settled yet whether or not the new church will be wonderful. That depends upon what we do with it. If in that new temple we simply sit together in heavenly places that will not be w...

4466. The Trinity: Who’s on First?

Drama

Mickey Anders

The Trinity is a mystery that is impossible to solve like a puzzle. When we examine it like a puzzle, we cannot help but be confused. It is a confusion that is not unlike that of the famous Abbot and Costello skit "Who's on First?" Someone wrote a similar skit on the subject of the Trinity that begins this way: When you come to church you need to know the key players . . . you know, the ones who ...

4467. Wait and Watch

Illustration

Mark Trotter

Our text concludes with the counsel, "When these things come to pass, stand up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near." That's been the experience of Christians for all these years. Whether they are in exodus, or in exile, we are not alone. Our four year old grandson has provided me a wonderful illustration of this. His mother was going to go away for a couple of days. The ni...

4468. Make Them Thirsty

Illustration

Bruce Ball

A young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he complained, "I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." The manager replied, "Your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty." So it is with evangelism. Our lives should be so filled with the passion of Christ that we create a thirst in ...

4469. Three Gods, yet One God

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

Frederick Houk Borsch, since 1988, has been Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. I don't remember where I first read this quote on the Trinity, but my notes indicate that when he wrote it, he was a religion Professor of Religion at Princeton University and Dean of the Princeton University Chapel. There are probably a number of people who imagine that the idea of the Trinity was thought...

4470. Why the Word "Doubt"?

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

Who doubts? Most English translations render v. 17: "When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted" (NRSV). However, the word "some" doesn't occur in the text. The little Greek word de is often translated "but," but it can also mean "and". With this understanding, the verse could be translated: "And seeing him they worshiped and they doubted." Those who worship are also those who doubt ...

4471. Evangelism

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

Most people expect every minister in the world to witness and do the "E" word thing. You're sort of like secret agents. Most folks don't expect you to talk about your faith or be involved in this whole Evangelism deal. But you know what, you are exactly who Jesus would have chosen. Jesus called fishermen, tax collectors, and the every day ordinary kinds of people. He didn't have a single Pharisee,...

4472. What's Holding You Back?

Illustration

Leighton Ford

In preparing for this book on evangelism and witness, I have talked to a lot of people, and the fear issue comes up again and again. What makes people hesitate to share their faith? Here are some of the fears that have been mentioned to me: I am afraid I might do more harm than good. I don't know what to say. I may not be able to give snappy answers to tricky questions. I may seem bigoted. I may ...

4473. Big Shots and Little Shots Matter

Illustration

Lieghton Ford

Lieghton Ford, a friend of Billy Graham and an influential evanglist like Graham, tells the following story: I was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the next night and had arrived a day early. He came incognito and sat on the grass at the rear of the crowd. Because he was wearing a hat and dark glasses, no one recognized him. Directly in front of h...

4474. A Change In Direction

Illustration

Brian L. Harbour

The year was 1920. The scene was the examining board for selecting missionaries. Standing before the board was a young man named Oswald Smith. One dream dominated his heart. He wanted to be a missionary. Over and over again, he prayed, "Lord, I want to go as a missionary for you. Open a door of service for me." Now, at last, his prayer would be answered. When the examination was over, the board tu...

4475. Counting the Apples in a Seed

Illustration

Dr. Robert H. Schuller

In his book, Be an Extraordinary Person in an Ordinary World, Rev. Robert H. Schuller tells the story behind a seed he received one day from Ansley Mueller, a farmer in Pleasant Plains, Ohio. "For years," said Rev. Schuller, "I've been teaching the principle, 'Any fool can count the seeds in an apple. Only God can count the apples in one seed.'" Well, Ansley Mueller had been listening to this prin...

Showing 4451 to 4475 of 4508 results

4451. Living a Jesus Powered Life

Sermon

Lori Wagner

4452. Lost in the Wonder of God

Sermon

Lori Wagner

4453. The Sound of Joy

Sermon

Lori Wagner

4454. Worship, Doubt, and the Trinity

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

4455. Service

Illustration

Unknown

Arriving at church the morning the service time had changed, a lady breathlessly inquired, "Is the service over?" Sagely, the usher replied, "No, madam, the service is just beginning!"

4456. The Image of the Father

Illustration

Amy Butler

4457. God Loves the People

Illustration

Tom Rietveld

4458. Who, Me?

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

4459. A Renewal of Faith

Illustration

Mark Trotter

4460. What to Preach

Illustration

Johnny Dean

4461. First, Greatest, and last

Illustration

4462. God Does Not Desert Us

Illustration

4463. Safely through the Storm

Illustration

Keith Wagner

4464. Following Orders

Illustration

David E. Leininger

4465. Working Together in Unheavenly Places

Illustration

James McCormick

4466. The Trinity: Who’s on First?

Drama

Mickey Anders

4467. Wait and Watch

Illustration

Mark Trotter

4468. Make Them Thirsty

Illustration

Bruce Ball

4469. Three Gods, yet One God

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

4470. Why the Word "Doubt"?

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

4471. Evangelism

Illustration

Billy D. Strayhorn

4472. What's Holding You Back?

Illustration

Leighton Ford

4473. Big Shots and Little Shots Matter

Illustration

Lieghton Ford

4474. A Change In Direction

Illustration

Brian L. Harbour

4475. Counting the Apples in a Seed

Illustration

Dr. Robert H. Schuller

Showing 4451 to 4475 of 4508 results