Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4476 to 4500 of 4986 results

4476. When We Are Tempted

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... are constantly making decisions. At heart many of these are moral decisions. Should we speak the truth when a falsehood would serve our purposes better? Ought we to cut corners in order to maximize our profits? What is the harm in a seemingly innocent flirtation? Can we stay on our diet? The list goes on and on, but many of these decisions represent one temptation or another. And should we give in to temptation, much can be lost. The Greek philosopher Plato once told a story of a carriage drawn by a pair of ...

4477. When We Are Uncertain about The Future

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... Do you remember that story? In the book of Acts we’re told how Ananias and Sapphira lied about their offering and were struck dead because of it. Going home this little boy prayed fervently and passionately for forgiveness for spending his offering on candy. He stayed up all night chanting, “I love Jesus, I love Jesus,” in hopes that this would convince God to spare his life. (9) It is sad that our faith, rather than giving us comfort, can sometimes add to our distress. As a child that pastor had not ...

4478. When We Feel Lost

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

... one of unconditional love. But there is a third character in the story, the elder brother. His story is so different from that of his brother. The elder brother didn’t go into the far country. He didn’t lose his inheritance, didn’t live among pigs. He stayed home . . . did what was expected of him. He was obedient to a fault. But listen to how he responds to his brother’s return: “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one ...

4479. When We Feel Unwanted

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there any pain that stays with us longer than that of not being wanted, of being rejected? This rejection may come from our family, our friends, colleagues or even the greater society. An older man was recounting his teenage years. He said, “Back when I was a boy, we played spin-the-bottle. We played ...

4480. Surprise in a Graveyard

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... have put him!” Evidently the thought had not occurred to Mary that Christ could be resurrected from the grave. Peter and John start for the tomb. When they, too, find it empty, what do they do? They simply go back to the house where they were staying. There was no celebration, no cries of, “He’s alive. He’s alive.” You might expect those who knew Christ best to be bubbling over with excitement that first Easter Sunday morning, because he had been delivered from the tomb, just as he said. Instead ...

4481. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Luke 15:11-32

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... his son’s request is generous (“prodigal”) in the extreme to both his sons, for according to the text the older son receives his inheritance at this same time: the father “divided his property between them.” While the elder son stays to work his land, the younger apparently immediately liquidates all his assets so that he may travel to “a distant country” — Luke’s typical designation for Gentile regions. Although the older son will eventually angrily accuse his brother of squandering all ...

4482. A Missed Opportunity to Forgive

Luke 15:11-32

Illustration

Staff

... had been opened! Today those letters are among the most beautiful in classical English literature. Had her parents only read a few of them, their relationship with Elizabeth might have been restored. It is difficult to imagine how hard her fathers’ heart must have stayed to receive those letters and never even open a single one. He must have known breaking the seal on even one of those precious letters would have broken his resolve and possibly his heart. But in the breaking of his heart, he might have ...

4483. A New Kind of Authority

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

King Duncan

... call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel . . .” Then Ananias, probably quite reluctantly, went to the house where Paul was staying. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from ...

4484. On God's Side Or In God's Way?

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. “Right then,” Peter continues, “three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered [a man’s house, named Cornelius. Cornelius] told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for ...

4485. Can you Hear “The Voice?”

John 5:1-15

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... evening out their elbows, speaking instructions every step of the way. Chances are if you still play ball you still hear the echo of that first coaching voice in your head… Elbows down. Bat back to your ear. Keep your eye on the ball. Swing! Some voices stay with us forever. What voices have spoken into your life? Can you still hear them? There are voices of encouragement that urge us to keep trying, keep working, keep doing what we know is right. There are also those voices we hear that accuse us of not ...

4486. Luke 7:1-10

Luke 7:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... even the elders who requested Jesus’ presence would never have expected Jesus to actually enter into the centurion’s residence to heal the ill servant. What they must have had in mind was a scenario like that in 2 Kings 5:9-10, when Naaman stays outside of Elisha’s home and requests to be healed by the prophet. The centurion, however, upon hearing that Jesus is approaching, is horrified, not relieved. As a Gentile he is likely unfamiliar with the story of Naaman and Elisha. He assumes Jesus intends to ...

4487. A Matter of Trust

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.” What did Paul do during his time in Arabia and those three years in Damascus? And why did ...

4488. Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... journey. Even as Luke’s narrative had just revealed a radical distinction between Jesus and Elijah, he now offers another connection between the two. In 2 Kings 2:1-6 Elijah’s disciple Elisha is three times instructed by his master to stay behind, to quit following. Yet all three times Elisha refuses and continues to follow Elijah into ominous situations. Nothing deters Elisha’s commitment to follow. Here in Luke’s text Jesus is approached three separate times by would-be disciples, but the ...

4489. Jesus’ Four Surprising Road Rules for the Missional Highway

Luke 9:57-62, Luke 9:51-56

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

4490. But First...

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

... that his father was getting up in years and he felt responsible for him. (3) Some of you can identify with that. Your parents, too, are aging. You feel responsible for them. “As long as my Mom and Dad depend on me,” this man is saying, “I better stay home.” The third man makes a request that is just as reasonable, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Hey, these are nice guys and they want to follow Jesus, but they’ve got responsibilities. And so ...

4491. Anything to Declare?

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... there is to be no “shopping around” for any better accommodations. Those who initially welcome in Jesus’ emissaries are not to be abandoned. Their hospitality is to be graced with the “peace” their visitors bring for the duration of their stay. No “upgrades” are allowed on this mission trip. At the outset of his description of this third missionary “sending,” Luke does not note that Jesus imbued his messengers with healing powers. It now becomes evident that such authority and anointing ...

4492. Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Luke 10:1-24

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4493. What Really Matters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

A joke appeared on the Internet recently that many of you women can relate to. A man was praying, “Oh Lord, please have mercy on me, I work so very hard, meanwhile my wife stays at home. I would give anything if you would grant me one wish. Please, switch me into my wife. She’s got it easy at home and I want to teach her a lesson about how tough a man’s life is!” As God was listening he felt sorry for ...

4494. Cure for an Aching Back

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... , pastor David C. Fisher tells about a time when he was in graduate school doing doctoral work and serving as minister of a small, rural congregation in southern Indiana. This was a church in which no pastor in its one hundred ten year history had stayed longer than two and half years. They regarded ministers as outsiders to be mistrusted and kept at arm’s length. To make matters worse the congregation had suffered a recent and ugly split. The previous pastor and half the congregation walked out during a ...

4495. Your Home Page

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... ” those who first brought the gift of faith to this community, and for them to recall how those leaders lived out their lives — how their own faithfulness guided them and all their actions to the final “outcome” (“ekbasis”) of their lives. They stayed the course and remained faithful to the end of their lives on this earth. Dove-tailed to that bit of human constancy, the Hebrews’ author offers the supreme support for human faithfulness: the unchanging nature of divine love and support. In the ...

4496. Hebrews 13: 1-8; 15-16

Hebrews 13:1-25

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4497. Grow Up!

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... They’re also involved in “Afghans for Afghans,” which collects hand-knitted blankets for a women’s hospital in war-ravaged Afghanistan. The group that meets at the church is small, only ten in number but another fifty women from around the country stay in touch via email and send in items they have knitted. “The women are thrilled to do something they love to make a difference,” says one of the organizers, Chris Pokorny. “I enjoy telling them, ‘You’re helping people around the world.’ It ...

4498. Refresh Your Heart

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... half of our lives? The second half of high school? The second half of college? The second half of our career path? The second half of our family’s life? The second half our retirement plan? The most basic law of life is that “things change” and “nothing stays the same.” But the most challenging aspect of life is how we deal with this “law of life.” Things change. In the words of our kids, “Deal with it. Get over it. Or get help.” From prison Paul wrote a letter to his friend, his co-worker ...

4499. Credible Witnesses

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... bunch of people looking out for me.” He wondered who was looking out for them. One day Roynell and a friend stopped and began playing basketball in one of those neighborhoods. When the youth first saw them they ran off thinking they were police officers. Three boys stayed to watch. After a few minutes Roynell challenged them to a game, “You beat us, I’ll buy you all the pizzas and soda you can handle. We beat you; you sit down and talk with us.” Even though Roynell and his friend were older they won ...

4500. Going Home

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Sermon

Argile Smith

... captures our attention. Notice God’s remarkable way of taking care of his choice servants. When the time came for Moses to bring his journey to an end, God didn’t vanish from the scene. Quite the opposite, God accompanied Moses to the mountain and stayed with him until he took his last breath. Then God buried Moses’ body himself somewhere on the mountain. God’s care for Moses on the mountain makes an important statement about him that we don’t want to overlook in his relationship with us. The ...

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