Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4526 to 4550 of 5000 results

4526. What in the World Are We Doing?

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James W. Moore

Have you heard the story about the young police officer who was on the witness stand testifying in the trial of a man he had arrested for robbery? The defendant was being represented by a hard-nosed attorney who was known far and wide for being tough on police officers. In cross-examination, the tough lawyer was trying to undermine the policeman’s credibility and the exchange between the fiery lawyer and the young policemen went like this. The lawyer speaks first. “Officer… did you see (with your own eyes ...

4527. Remember God

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Sermon

James W. Moore

Her name was Mary Lou. His name was Tom. There were both in their 80’s and they were celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary. A news reporter was there to cover the big event and he asked this question: “Mr. Tom, so many marriages are failing today… and yet here you and your wife are celebrating 60 years together. How did you do it? What is your secret?” Mr. Tom didn’t even have to think for a minute how to answer that question. Without a moment of hesitation, Mr. Tom said with a warm smile: “Well, the ...

4528. Don't Look Back, Remember Lot's Wife

Genesis 19:24-26

Sermon

James W. Moore

When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I was a sprinter on the Memphis Tech High School track team. Back then, tenth grade was the first year of high school, so I was a real rookie on the track team. I had been running: - The one hundred yard dash. - I was also running on the sprint relay teams. - In addition, I was doing the long jump and the high jump. One day in a practice track meet, the coach suddenly decided to try me in the two hundred and twenty yard dash. I had never run this event before, ...

4529. His Name Shall Be Called Emmanuel

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

James W. Moore

G. K. Chesterton, the noted British poet and theologian was a brilliant man who could think deep thoughts and express them well. However, he was also extremely absent-minded… and over the years he became rather notorious for getting lost. He would just absolutely forget… where he was supposed to be… and what he was supposed to be doing. On one such occasion, he sent a telegram to his wife which carried these words: “Honey, seems that I’m lost again. Presently, I am at Market Harborough. Where ought I to be ...

4530. John 20:19-31

John 20:19-23

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

After Mary Magdelene encounters the risen Christ he gives her an assignment: Go find the disciples, tell them the story of what she has seen, and deliver to them this message---Jesus will soon be “ascending” to the Father. Verse 19 opens behind the closed, locked doors of the upper room in which the disciples are huddled. It is the evening of that same day. Mary’s report had evidently done little to bolster the spirits of Jesus’ followers. Their locked-in, hunkered-down, closed-up posture reveals that “ ...

4531. Forgiveness

John 20:19-23

Illustration

Kendall K. McCabe

Forgiveness is part of the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives. More accurately, it is the action of Christ through the Holy Spirit in our midst. By the power of the Spirit, Christ is present both forgiving us and forgiving through us. The Spirit is given to us by Christ himself. He breathed upon the disciples and they received the Holy Spirit. In one of her books, Corrie Ten Boom tells of meeting the guard from the concentration camp where she and her family had been held by the Nazis. She had been ...

4532. Abundant Life

John 10:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

The college faculty gathered for their weekly meeting. A professor of archeology brought with him a lamp recently unearthed in the Middle East. It was reported to contain a genie, who, when the lamp was rubbed would appear and grant one wish. A professor of philosophy was particularly intrigued. He grabbed the lamp and rubbed it vigorously. Suddenly a genie appeared and made him an offer. He could choose one of three rewards: wealth, wisdom, or beauty. Without hesitating, the philosophy professor selected ...

4533. Missing the Point

John 10:1-21

Illustration

Steve Jackson

Isn't it amazing how sometimes we get all tangled up with the words we speak and end up not being clear about what we're trying to say? One poster read, "I know you think you understand what I said, but what you don't understand is that what I said wasn't what I meant." Are you ever misunderstood? It happens everywhere--at work, at home, at school. Believe it or not, it even happens at church. Every now and then, Abigail Van Buren in her column, Dear Abby, would run a list of church bulletin misprints and ...

4534. Wide Enough for All (Mother's Day)

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome on this Mother’s Day. All Moms are unique, of course. Joan Torello says her mother is notorious for her lead foot. Joan was not at all surprised to hear that a Georgia State Trooper pulled her mother over for speeding as she raced through the state on the way home from Florida. Hoping to get off with a warning, Joan’s mother tried to appear shocked when the officer walked up to her car. “I have never been stopped like this before,” she said to the officer. “What do they usually do, ma’am,” he asked ...

4535. Acts 17: 22-31

Acts 17:16-34

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The scene depicted in this week’s Acts text (17:22-31) is one of the most memorable of Luke’s Pauline portrayals. Already Paul’s preaching to a synagogue congregation had been recorded (13:16-41). At Pisidian Antioch, Paul, the learned Pharisee, had addressed a Jewish audience as a Jew, using the common ground of scripture and tradition to introduce his listeners to the new kind of messianic reality found in Jesus Christ. Now Paul addresses a completely different kind of audience, and the apostle adapts ...

4536. The Power of Testimony

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mark R. Smith

Begin by telling the story (or reading the scripture) of the woman at the well from John chapter four. Tell it up to this point in the scripture, and then you may want to pause and say something like: [Now, what follows is the scripture I’ll be preaching from. As Paul Harvey would say, here is the rest of the story.] John 4:39-42 39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him ...

4537. Christianity's Initial Growth

Acts 2:1-21

Illustration

R. Robert Cueni

In less than 100 years the fire of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was carried as far as Spain to the west, India to the east, and Ethiopia to the south. It subsequently took several hundred years for the Gospel to arrive in the northern reaches of Europe, but it did. Down through the centuries the flames of the Fire burned brightly. The Christian faith gained and its ranks grew because people who were attracted to Christ had their lives changed. When people were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they ...

4538. Is It Well with Your Family? - Sermon Starter

Rom 16

Illustration

Brett Blair

I must candidly confess that when I was in seminary the 16th chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans didn't do much for me. It struck me as being boring nothing more than a long presentation of people's names, most of whom I could not pronounce; I usually skimmed over that part so I could get to what I considered to be the real Gospel. Over the years I have greatly changed my attitude about this particular chapter and I have discovered that there is much more to it than I had first imagined. For example, it ...

4539. The Play's Playbook for the Game of Life

1 Peter 4:12-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is known simply as “The Play.” “The Play” is the name of the greatest game of football ever played--anywhere, anytime. Can anyone here this morning tell me who played in “The Play?” Right: California vs. Stanford. Can anyone tell me the year of “The Play.?” Right: 1982. Can anyone tell me what was so special about “The Play?” Right: With 53 seconds left in the game, Stanford was down 17-19, stuck in their own backfield. It was fourth down, 17 yards to go. But miraculously the Stanford QB (anyone? . . . ...

4540. The Spirit of My Mother's Church

John 7:25-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Best-selling author Robert Fulghum is well-known for his “all-I-really-need-to-know-I-learned-in-kindergarten” books. Less well known is the fact that he spent many years in the pulpit in Washington State. He writes about his preaching days and his fear of Mother’s Day in these words: For twenty-five years of my life, the second Sunday of May was trouble . . . I was obliged in some way to address the subject of Mother’s Day. It could not be avoided . . .The congregation was quite open-minded and gave me ...

4541. Get on with It!

Matthew 28:16-20

Illustration

Our Daily Bread

A college choir was all set to present its package of music in a large church. The program of sacred song was to being carried live by a local radio station. When everything appeared to be ready, the announcer made his final introduction and waited for the choir director to begin. One of the tenors was not ready, however, so the venerable conductor refused to raise his baton. All this time, nothing but silence was being broadcast. Growing very nervous, the announcer, forgetting that his microphone was ...

4542. Don't Worry! Be Happy!

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a familiar story of a man who was a worrier. It showed in his face and his posture. He seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. However, one day this man changed. He had a bounce to his step. It was as if he had not a care in the world. A friend asked what had happened. “Well,” he confided, “as you know I have always been one to worry. I have decided that this is both unwise and unhealthy, so I have hired someone to do my worrying for me.” “But how much does this cost you?” the ...

4543. Jesus, Out of Doors

Matthew 6:25-34

Illustration

J. Ellsworth Kalas

Jesus lived with nature, and he taught from it. If I want an object lesson, I have to carry it into the pulpit or trust that you and I can blend our imaginations to envision a scene. Jesus had his illustrations at first hand; the people could often reach out and touch them. "Consider the lilies of the field," Jesus said, and the people looked at a hillside just to their right. "A certain man went out to sow seed," Jesus said, and every person in the crowd knew what he was talking about, because they had ...

4544. Keeping the Christian Faith

Matthew 6:25-34

Illustration

Michael B. Brown

A French prince in the Middle Ages was asked if he were faithful to his wife. He answered: "Yes ...frequently." The line is humorous but the point of the story is anything but. Sometimes in life it is all too difficult to find someone to trust, someone to believe in. Even spouses, parents and dearest of friends can let us down. But the Christian faith teaches that when all the others have come and gone, God remains constant -- "the same yesterday, today and forever." God is always in our corner, always as ...

4545. For Those Who Have Received Much (Father's Day)

Matthew 10:5-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Before we begin, I want to wish all the Dads in the room, “Happy Father’s Day.” Fathers don’t get much respect anymore. Bill Cosby observed once that boys grow up spending hours and hours throwing footballs and going to games with their Dads. And when they make it big on the college scene, before the big bowl game they get interviewed, and the first thing they say is, “Hi Mom!!” No, fathers don’t get much respect anymore. But the news on Father’s Day isn’t all bad. The National Center for Fathering ...

4546. Kids Are Fun

Ephesians 6:1-4

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Kids are fun. A little girl came home from Sunday School. "What did you learn today?" her father asked. She responded, "All I heard was that the children of Israel did this and the children of Israel did that. Didn't the grown ups do anything?" Another one. The new baby came home from the hospital. The three-year-old met her new brother at the door and tagged along like a shadow as he was carried in and placed in the bassinet. Big sister stood and watched in fascination and noticed that the new arrival was ...

4547. Getting a Grip on Fear

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

King Duncan

Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to New York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence ...

4548. Matthew 10:24-39

Matthew 10:1-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

The lengthy gospel reading for this week extends over nearly all of Jesus’ third mission discourse. In this third section the examples he gives his disciples are less tightly connected, appearing more as a Matthean grouping of known sayings rather than as a true discourse. The specific mission to Israel is no longer the focus of Jesus’ words. Instead, the experience of the disciples while engaged in that mission is explored. Discipleship and mission are now described in terms of suffering and sacrifice. ...

4549. Cast-off Items

Matthew 10:40-42

Illustration

King Duncan

John Bowes, chairman of the parent company of Wham-O, the maker of Frisbees, once participated in a charity effort. He sent thousands of the plastic flying discs to an orphanage in Angola, Africa. He thought the children there would enjoy playing with them. Several months later, a representative of Bowes' company visited the orphanage. One of the nuns thanked him for the wonderful "plates" that his company had sent them. She told him the children were eating off the Frisbees, carrying water with them, and ...

4550. You Are a Son of God

Matthew 10:40-42

Illustration

Joel D. Kline

Do you remember the movie Dead Man Walking? It's the story of one seemingly at the opposite end of the spectrum, a convicted killer on death row, and his relationship with a Catholic sister who serves as his spiritual director. In a scene near the end of the movie, it is the final evening before the scheduled execution, and all appeals have been denied. The man and the spiritual director talk honestly about the horrifying crime he committed, its impact upon the victims' families, and the readiness of the ...

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