Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 426 to 450 of 1967 results

426. Been There, Done That, No Thanks!

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

"There have been a lot of changes around here," said the old man proudly, "and I want you to know I've been against every one of them." Have you ever noticed that some people have a difficult time with change? Some people would rather fight than switch. Their motto seems to be "Don't rock the boat even if it's the Titanic!" Of course, some changes are difficult to accept. As someone has said, "It just doesn't seem right to go over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's condo." And not all change ...

427. Good Taste Or Good Religion?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

You may remember reading several years ago about a pair of polite gunmen with British or Australian accents who were robbing homeowners in moneyed neighborhoods of suburban Montgomery County, Md. The masked duo struck several times, usually entering the homes through the garage or unlocked doors. The intruders were unfailingly polite and as far as we know, no one was hurt. One homeowner in Potomac, Md., was robbed after letting his dogs outside at about 5:30 a.m. and leaving a sliding glass door unlocked. ...

428. Sons And Daughters Of Thunder

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

King Duncan

An MG Midget pulled alongside a Rolls-Royce at a traffic light. "Do you have a car phone?" its driver asked the guy in the Rolls. "Of course I do," replied the haughty deluxe-car driver. "Well, do you have a fax machine?" asked the Midget driver. The driver in the Rolls sighed. "I have that too." "Then do you have a double bed in the back?" the Midget driver wanted to know. Ashen-faced, the Rolls driver sped off. That afternoon, he had a double bed installed in his auto. A week later, the Rolls driver ...

429. Is Your Conscience Clear?

1 Timothy 1:18-19

Sermon

James Merritt

It may surprise you to know that every year the Federal Government receives hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus items ranging from wrenches to silverware, from citizens with a guilty conscience who have cheated on their income taxes. In 1811, the U. S. Treasury established what is known as a Conscience Fund when an anonymous individual mailed the government $5. Since that time, over $4 million has been received from guilt-ridden citizens with a guilty conscience, with donations ranging from a single ...

430. By Humbly Doing Good

1 Peter 5:6-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The pastor of a congregation preached an unusually short sermon one Sunday. As he came to the conclusion, he offered this explanation for the brevity of it all. “We have a new dog at our house," explained the pastor. “The dog is prone to get into things and chew them up. Last night the dog got hold of my sermon and chewed up the last several pages." The congregation seemed to understand the plight of the pastor. In fact, one visitor to the church shook the preacher's hand after service and said, “If that ...

431. But Is It True?

Luke 2:8-20, Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

Authors such as Lee Strobel, Nicky Gumbel, and Josh McDowell have spoken around the world about these 300 prophecies of the Old Testament and how they all point to Jesus. This cannot be mere coincidence. It cannot be like playing the lottery. The evidence is so overwhelming and the prophecies so compelling that one would think that the only logical conclusion would be to say that it is true. Unless you have the brain of a C. S. Lewis, faith doesn't come through a logical, mathematical proof of Jesus as the ...

432. When We're Estranged from God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s an old story, but it bears repeating. An armed robber accosted a French priest on a dark, back street in Paris and demanded his wallet. As the priest opened his coat to reach for his wallet, the thief caught sight of his clerical collar, and immediately apologized. “Never mind, Father, I didn’t realize you were a priest. I’ll be on my way.” The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said, “I gave up smoking for Lent.” (1) One of ...

433. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

Every week that you walk into this church you hear me say something that actually begs a very big question that deserves to be answered. For example, I am going to tell you right now to take your Bibles, or your smart phone, or your tablet and [Turn to II Timothy 3]. Then as we do every week we read a passage from the Bible. This particular passage says this, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God ...

434. Lawsuits Among Believers

1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Understanding Series

Marion L. Soards

Having raised the issue of the relations of Christians both to other Christians and to those outside the church, Paul’s mind seems to move to the matter of how Christians relate to one another outside the life of the church. His discussion focuses on the issue of Christians suing each other in pagan courts of law. One cannot determine how Paul knows about this problem; nevertheless, he discusses the matter in some detail. Although interpreters regularly refer to these verses as an excursus, the discussion ...

435. Easter 6

Acts 8:9-25, 1 Peter 3:8-22, Acts 17:16-34, John 14:15-31

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

Theme: Making God known. In the First Lesson, Acts 17:22-31, Paul witnesses to the cultured pagans on the Areopagus. Referring to a statue to an unknown god, he declares that unknown God is revealed in Christ. In the Second Lesson, 1 Peter 3:15-22, Peter encourages the beleaguered Christians to make Christ known through their words and actions. In the Gospel, Christ promises that he will make himself known to the disciples through the Holy Spirit. COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 17:22-31 Peter alters his approach ...

436. Hooray for Humility!

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Barbara Brokhoff

My husband John tells of attending a football game a few seasons back in Knoxville, Tennessee, where the battle was between Army and the University of Tennessee. Before the game started, there were some preliminary features. Each side showed off his mascot. UT proudly displayed a beautiful high-stepping horse. A pretty young girl, dressed in riding garb, rode it around the stadium. The horse’s tail was high, his head held high, he lifted his legs proudly as he trotted around the area to the applause of ...

437. Wade In The Water

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

The lives of the rich and famous hold a strange fascination for those of us who do not find ourselves in that category. From a very surface view it is easy to envy their glamorous and opulent lifestyles. How we’d like to be like them. We could really enjoy having their money, or their influence, or the adulation of the people who crowd around them. How nice it would be to have the athletic prowess of Michael Jordan, or the good looks and acting talent of a Tom Cruise or Geena Davis, the voice of Luciano ...

438. The Word of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

T. A. Kantonen

In the center of Christianity stands the cross of Christ. The Apostle Paul defines the whole gospel as "the word of the cross." Both the Christian message and the Christian life are cruciform, bearing the shape of the cross. Thus we cannot avoid speaking about the cross, directly or indirectly, throughout the year. But during Lent, and especially on Good Friday, we try to keep silent and let the cross speak its word to us. We are not commissioned to trim and hew the cross to suit our desires, much less to ...

439. I Love You, Man!

John 21:15-25

Sermon

King Duncan

Bob Wallace was always a loving child. Once, when Bob was ten, he used one finger to laboriously type this message for his mother, Joanne: "Thankyou Mother. Thankyou Mother For Loving Me; Thankyou Mother For Caring for Me; Thankyou Mother For Your Care & Kindness, Even When You [Are Busy]; I Love You!" Needless to stay, Joanne still has that beautiful compliment tucked away in her memory book. After he was about fourteen, Bob stopped telling Joanne he loved her. Instead he would say, "Oh, Mom, you sure ...

440. How to Motivate People

Matthew 10:1-42, Matthew 9:18-26

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

A few years ago a fellow took me on a tour of his sock manufacturing plant. He showed me the loading dock where raw materials were unloaded, the washing machines, fluffers, twisters, looms, finishers, and packagers. In all, I found out there were over 150 different steps taken to manufacture one pair of socks! Well, that set me to thinking about the church and the making of disciples. How many steps are there from conversion to discipleship? Let's look and see. The text reports an incident near the ...

441. Two Worlds

Matthew 5:13-16

Sermon

James McCormick

I was a young pastor attending a seminar. The featured speaker opened his mouth to speak, and these were his first words: “You and I are living today in a world God did not make. He allowed it, but He did not make it.” That took place many years ago, but I still remember those words vividly. And, I remember the surprise I felt upon hearing them. It had never occurred to me that there was anything God had not made. I now see very clearly that he was right: “You and I are living today in a world that God did ...

442. What Would Jesus Say About Modern Churches?

Mark 1:4-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The Church is of God and shall be preserved to the end of time as the visible body of Christ on earth. The local church remains God's best hope for humanity. For a lifetime now, the Church has captured my heart, my mind, and my deepest devotion. After all these years I can still join Timothy Dwight in saying: Beyond my highest joys I prize her heavenly ways. Her sweet communion, solemn vows, her hymns of love and praise. I love the Church. Because I love it so much, I want God's very best for it. So I ...

443. When the Caterers Weren’t Available

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Today’s lesson is on one of Jesus’ best known miracles, the feeding of the 5,000. Of course, as someone has noted, if Jesus were alive today, he wouldn’t be allowed to get away with half the miracles he performed. It’s not just that we live in such a skeptical, rationalist age. It’s all the red tape as well. Here are a few examples. Turning water into wine. This would provoke immediate protests from the alcoholic beverage industry, who would argue that it was unfair competition, amounting to a monopoly. It ...

444. I Am Baptized!

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Because of their age and relative inexperience, children and young people rarely get asked for advice by adults. This is sad, since the young tend to have amazing powers of observation, as well as the free time to ponder the strangeness of human nature. In his book Wit and Wisdom from the Peanut Butter Gang, H. Jackson Brown, Jr. interviews children and young teens to get their ideas on subjects like families and school. Here is a sample of their wisdom: “You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.” Patrick, ...

445. When We Are Uncertain about The Future

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

King Duncan

A young man tells of visiting a college, which had a series of security call boxes every few hundred feet or so. If you were wandering around the campus at night and felt uneasy about somebody following you, for instance, you could hit the button and have a security officer come investigate immediately. On one of these phones hung a sign that said, “Out of Order.” Underneath it someone had scrawled. . . “Keep Running!” (1) Fear is a powerful emotion, isn’t it? It’s like the story of the Bishop who had an ...

446. When We No Longer Recognize Ourselves

Psalm 51:1-19

Sermon

King Duncan

Andras Tamas is the name officials gave a certain man decades ago in a Russian psychiatric hospital. He’d been drafted into the army, but the authorities had mistaken his native Hungarian language for the gibberish of a lunatic and had him committed. Then they forgot about him. For 53 years. A few years ago a psychiatrist at the hospital began to realize what had happened and helped Tamas recover the memories of who he was and where he came from. He recently returned home to Budapest as a war hero, “the ...

447. People Who Are Down on Themselves

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

“Dad, will you help me with my homework?” asked one eighth grade boy. “I’m sorry,” replied the father. “It wouldn’t be right.” “Well,” said the boy, “at least you could try.” Welcome on this Father’s Day, 2016. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are problematic for pastors, especially Father’s Day. Some young people today have no real relationship with their Dads. And many others have a relationship that could be termed destructive. Charles Sell, in his book Unfinished Business, tells about David Simmons, a ...

448. The Priestly Portions of Sacrifices

Lev 6:8–7:38

Teach the Text

Joe M. Sprinkle

Big Idea: God’s ministers help people to worship, and they deserve to be paid. Understanding the Text Leviticus 1:1–6:7 discusses the five basic sacrifices from the layperson’s point of view. Leviticus 6:8–7:38 changes the audience to priests: “Aaron and his sons” (Lev. 6:9, 25). This unit emphasizes portions of the sacrifices to be given to the priests. It anticipates Leviticus 8–10, on the ordination and duties of priests. Historical and Cultural Background A relief from Karnak in Egypt showing a man ...

449. Winner And Still Champion

Mark 9:30-37

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

I know we’re talking about a text from the gospel of Mark, but forgive me if I begin by quoting from the Acts of the Apostles because it makes a point about childhood in that era. In Acts 22:3, the apostle Paul begins to make his defense before a hostile crowd of his countrymen. He had been falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem, and it was his intention to show that he had been diligent in his practice of the faith his whole life. So he began: “I am a Jew, ...

450. Lent 3

Psalm 142:1-7, Isaiah 42:10-17, Isaiah 42:18-25, Ephesians 4:17--5:21, John 9:1-12, John 9:13-34, John 9:35-41

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE In the pre-Vatican II scheme of the liturgical year, which was employed in the Lutheran and Episcopalian Churches, too, the Sundays of Lent had definite and identifiable themes built into them; these were announced in the Introits of the several Sundays. Thus, the First Sunday in Lent was invocabit - "He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;" the Second Sunday in Lent was reminiscere - "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses;" the Third Sunday in Lent was oculi ...

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