Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4501 to 4525 of 4999 results

Exodus 20:17

Sermon

James Merritt

... is why we go on to read in verse 10, "For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil." (I Corinthians 6:10, NLT) There is nothing wrong with money. Money in and of itself is neutral, but it is the love of money which is simply a ... by-product of covetousness which will cause you all kinds of problems. Incidentally, did you know it is dangerous to be rich? It is not wrong to be rich, but it is dangerous to be rich ...

4502. A New Beginning for Everyone

Exodus 35:4-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... silver or bronze brought the Lord's offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done." (vv. 5, 21-22, 24, 29) Now this is very important. They were not giving to a building nor were they giving to a budget; they were giving to the Lord. In reality ...

4503. Why Me Lord?

2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Exodus 35:4-5, 10-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... really saying, "Thank you, Lord." You are thanking Him for all He has done for you. You are thanking Him for all He has given to you. You are thanking Him for all He is to you. There are only two kinds of people in this world—givers and takers. I can expand that and say this: There are only two kinds of people in this world—people who are thankful to God for what He has done, and people who are not. I have discovered that the happiest people in the world are the most grateful people in the world. I ...

4504. A Cure for the Workaholic

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... she knew from the beginning that I was a lost cause. I remember in particular one lesson that she taught me very early on as I was trying to learn to read music. There were some little marks on the music page that I always would overlook. One was kind of squiggly and another looked like a hat. I, honestly, never paid any attention to them and if you know my personality, you would see why. I would be doing pretty well, until I came to those marks and then I would get into trouble, because those marks were ...

4505. A New Hope

Jeremiah 18:1-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... , discard it, throw it away and start over. Why does he do that? The potter spotted something that I couldn't see. There was some kind of impurity in that clay that might be invisible to the naked eye, but by the keenly trained eye of a skillful potter he sees ... him in amazement and said, "Dad, what in the world could be so wonderful about a fire like this?" He said, "Son, it just kind of seems to burn up all of your mistakes and failures and give you a brand new fresh start." Three months later that company ...

4506. Shame On Who?

John 8:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... shame is the first sign that we just don't [care] anymore. We no longer feel the need to ask ourselves: "Gee, Is this the kind of thing a human being should be doing?" Without asking this question we lose a little bit of our humanity and this would be the ... Jesus used for His mother. It would be like the term "lady" today. Perhaps, it was the first time anyone had ever spoken a kind word to this woman. She is all ears wondering what Jesus is going to say to her. Here is the amazing thing. Everyone that ...

4507. Which Door Should I Take?

John 10:7-9

Sermon

James Merritt

... town and it was a fold for the sheep of all the shepherds. The owners of the sheep would pool their resources and hire someone to guard the sheep. He would only let in those shepherds whom he knew personally that owned the flock that he was guarding. The other kind of sheepfold was out in the hills and away from any village. It was a walled enclosure where on three sides there would be rocks piled about a foot high, with no roof and then there would be a small opening (about 5 or 6 feet wide) where the ...

4508. Are You In The Know?

John 10:27-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... God, you can know that you have it. II. I Can Know I Have A Permanent Relationship With God Jesus goes on to say in verse 28, "And I give eternal life to them." (John 10:28, NASB) Every word of that statement is crucial to your understanding the kind of relationship that God wants to establish with you. The stability and the strength of your relationship with God does not depend on what you do for Him, but depends on what He has already done for you. That is why Jesus said, "I give you eternal life." If ...

4509. God's Christmas Gift

Luke 2:10-14

Sermon

James Merritt

... have a desire to give and receive gifts. That is because we are made in the image of a God who is into giving. Animals don’t have this desire. Animals don't celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or holidays. The only gift I've ever seen an animal give is the kind you pick up in a shovel. When God gave Jesus Christ, He gave a gift that calls for the ultimate celebration and here's why. The best Christmas gift you can give basically does two things. First of all, it expresses the love of the one who gives the ...

4510. RSVP—By Invitation Only

Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

James Merritt

... never forget. He said, "Son, do you see these empty tables?" I said, "Yes, Lord, I see them. What do they mean?" He said, "These are reserved tables, but the individuals whose names are on these place-cards have not accepted their invitation yet. Would you be so kind as to hand out these invitations to those who have not joined us as yet?" I said, "Absolutely, I will be glad to." He said, "Go therefore into all the nations." As I walked out of that restaurant, I thought about how I walked in. I walked into ...

4511. WeatherProofing Your Home

Matthew 7:24-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... . Here is what each communication includes. What you mean What you are actually saying What the spouse actually hears What your spouse thinks he or she hears What your spouse says about what you said What you think your spouse said about what you said. [[2]] It is kind of like one husband said to his wife, "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." To say the least, communication between spouses is hard work. On the other ...

4512. Does Jesus Have a Health Plan?

James 2:1-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... church committed itself to promoting and providing these new healing methods more than ever. New hospitals were built by both local churches and various denominations all over this country. A new kind of “missionary” was born, some were called “social workers,” others “city missionaries”. A new kind of Protestant “nurse” was dispatched - woman who were called “deaconnesses” and were trained to provide health care in the worst settings you could imagine. Sunday Schools were started in the ...

4513. Everyone's Talking about Him

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... ll be surprised how loud people will talk." Two older men were talking. One of them was bragging just a little bit. "I just purchased the most expensive hearing aid ever made," he said. "It is imported and is guaranteed for life." The second man asked: "What kind is it?" The first man answered, "Five past two." Many of us suffer a gradual decline in hearing ability as we age. Some tones that are clear to young people may not be heard by people who are older. These facts prompted a security firm to develop ...

4514. The Passion of the Christ – The Rest of the Story

Matthew 27:45-56

Sermon

James Merritt

... Passion" could rightly ask, "So what?" "What am I supposed to do about this?" Let's face facts. How could any sane person worship as a God, a dead man, if he had indeed been justly condemned as a criminal and subjected to the most humiliating form of execution? That kind of death, crime and shame doesn't even deserve our respect let alone our worship. What am I to do about it? It all depends on one other statement in Matthew's gospel. Matthew 28:6, "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the ...

4515. Daily Homework

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... graduated from the University of Michigan School of Business & Administration and I hope to eventually manage the western part of the entire company." The pastor said, "So you are a national organization?" He said, "Oh yes. In fact, we are the fastest growing company of our kind in the nation. I think it is great to be a part of an organization like that. Don't you?" The pastor nodded and thought to himself, "That man is so proud of his work and his company, why can't Christians be proud like that?" Why ...

4516. Finish the Drill

Nehemiah 4:1-23

Sermon

James Merritt

... so you. You might as well be criticized for doing what God wants you to do. That is exactly what the hero of this story, Nehemiah faced in this fourth chapter as he shows us how to "Finish The Drill". I. Size Up The Opposition There are two kinds of people in this world. Some people are "born again" and some people are "born against." There are people whose sole goal in life is to criticize, to tear down and to oppose. Proverbs 4:16 says: "Evil people are restless unless they're making trouble; they can ...

4517. Jesus, The One And Only

Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... What was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth as a man? Verse 8 says, "Having become human, He stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, He lived a selfless, obedient life, and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion." (v. 8 Msg.) The reason why Jesus left heaven and came to earth was not just to live among us, but to die for us. He didn't become a man just so he could live; He became a man so he could ...

4518. Know Fear: The Fear of God

Proverbs 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

... a lot of us do worry a great deal about what other people think of us and that is the fear of man. If we have this kind of fear of other people, how much more should we have of the fear of God? In order to simplify this concept, let me put it ... healthy fear of God is necessary to have a relationship with God. As I prepared this message . I asked myself the question, "How can I increase that kind of fear in my own heart and in my own life? How can I fear God better, so that I will love God more?" Again, the ...

4519. Misled By Beauty

1 Samuel 15:34-35, 16:1-13

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... or for a Hunk-O-Mania revue, that is good news, but it's also good news for those who are. For it is only at the heart level where an extreme makeover is really possible and where with God, real beauty counts. And in the case of that kind of makeover, we aren't expected to be able to do it ourselves. Instead, God calls us to trust him to make us new — beautiful and new. 1. Louis Harris, Inside America, cited by Daniel Weiss, 100% American (Poseidon Press, 1988). 2. Info on study results from Carol Kramer ...

4520. Eating in the Echoing Hall

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... up, some of them looked at what their father had done and decided that they too could do whatever they wanted to. Today's account involves David's son, Absalom, whose name meant "father of peace." It is likely that David gave this son that name as a kind of prayer, hoping that in this child, God would bring peace to David's family and nation. That was not to be, however. David had children by several of his wives. One of his sons, Amnon, David's eldest, forced himself on his half-sister Tamar. In response ...

4521. The Spiritual Gateway

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... of yearning. Saint Augustine put it: "Thou has made us for thyself, and the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in thee." Yearning means God has planted seeds of discontent in our hearts that push us to seek him. Many of us experience a kind of melancholy when we are touched by beauty. For some it is in the surge and thunder of the ocean. For others, the quiet of a late summer evening. Still others are moved by poetry, music, or the smell of wood smoke in the crisp autumn air. These yearnings ...

4522. A Pair of Ducks and Abundant Life

Mark 8:31--9:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... really brings us happiness. We can quickly see that, when it comes to our children, it truly is more blessed to give than to receive. If we could only know ourselves to be related to all other persons on this earth, that we are all in this same kind of family relationship, then we would understand that always what we give ultimately is restored to us. We were made for sharing! We certainly ought to know that in the church. The story is told about a giant bridge that was being built across a portion of New ...

4523. First Things First

Luke 21:25-36

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... a conclusion of life as we know it here is inevitable. The concept of the Second Coming merely affirms that such a conclusion will be purposeful. The drama of history is not going to just fizzle out or end in a whimper! It is going to come to the kind of climax that he who conceived the drama wants for it. Therefore, the first thing I said to these folk was that the doctrine is consistent with the whole biblical vision of history. To be born into this world is not to enter a process of utter chaos. There ...

4524. No Intimidation

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... with our commitment. Let's face it, some of the most timid souls in church can be downright raucous at athletic events! We are called always to learn from the Man of Galilee and sometimes that is among the most simple style of living. He was not a milquetoast kind of guy! All of his heart, mind, soul, and strength were set in motion to fulfill his destiny, as directed by his Father in heaven. If we are looking for fearless leadership, we have found it. He is daring and will not be denied. Some of us would ...

4525. More Time

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

... all our hearts that was not so but it certainly is. There are situations when the sides are so many, we can end up in a kind of nihilism. Nevertheless, this is our lot for the world in which we live. Can you think of a time when you did not want God ... , isn't there? The Holy Spirit draws us to what is right and profitable. We do so knowing love is patient and kind; furthermore, it is not jealous or boastful. Those who have grown up in religious families know these truisms better than most. Give thanks ...

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