Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4576 to 4600 of 5000 results

Job 3:11-12, 16, 20, 23

Sermon

James Merritt

... a cross, back lacerated, limbs torn from their socket, brow bleeding from a crown of thorns, mouth dry, intolerably thirsty, forsaken by God the Father Himself for sins he did not even commit. That is the God that I turn to. Yes, there is a question mark about human suffering. But over it we can boldly stamp the exclamation point of the cross, which symbolizes divine suffering, and tells us that God does care, which raises our third and final question: III. What Should We Say About Evil? There is one thing ...

4577. The Only Guide You Need

John 16:12-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... of thousands of volts of power into households everywhere. If you were to go to the plant which is the source of this power, and follow the lines that come into the city, you would come to various transmission plants along the way that would be marked "Danger, High Voltage—No Trespassing." There are hundreds of thousands of volts of energy available to your home and mine. But the only problem is, those volts sent in their own power would burn up our home. So knowing that, the engineers have built what is ...

4578. Turn Right with the Right Turn

Luke 13:1-8

Sermon

James Merritt

... Jesus ever preached was a sermon on repentance. Matt. 4:17 says, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" The first time Jesus ever sent the disciples out two-by-two to preach on their own, Mark 6:12 says, "So they went out and preached that people should repent." In the very first sermon preached at Pentecost, after Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, Peter said, "Repent, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven." (Acts 2:38) Paul ...

4579. Fatal Attraction

Matthew 5:27-30

Sermon

James Merritt

... its lust." I want to make a confession to you. When it comes to sin, or things that would make me sin, I'm a coward. I run from them, and so should you. So if you are on the freeway looking for true happiness, don't take the exit marked "Adultery." It may look like a shortcut, but it's not. It's a dead-end to misery, unhappiness, and perhaps the loss of your own soul. Many of you may remember reading in high school in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey about the sirens. They were mythical evil ...

4580. Your Word is Your Bond

Matthew 5:33-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... and therefore very expensive. But often when it was fired in the furnace tiny cracks would appear. Dishonest merchants would smear pearly-white wax over these cracks which would pass for true porcelain until it was held up to the light of the sun. Honest dealers marked their flawless porcelain this way—Sine Cera—"without wax." When your words are held up to the light of the holiness of God, be sincere. Without wax let your yes be yes, and your no be no. 1 Jimmy Bowen, Cited in Sharon Bernstein, "When ...

4581. Why You Should Be Afraid of Sin

Numbers 32:23

Sermon

James Merritt

... was with her. He rushed forward to embrace her and just as he started to put his arms around her and kiss her, she said, "Just hold on there a minute. Before there's going to be any kissing or hugging going on, let me hear you play that harmonica!" Mark it down; someway somehow the moment of truth will arrive. You see, whether it's in the dark or in the distance, God watches, God sees, and God knows. You may escape a judge, you may escape a jury, but you cannot escape God. You can't do wrong and ...

4582. Why You Should Trust In God

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... ." That is where God wants all of us to be. Somebody called me the other day at home to inform me that the new head football coach at the University of Georgia had been hired and was giving a press conference on the radio. His name is Mark Richt who was formerly the Offensive Coordinator at Florida State University. I turned on the radio just in time to hear him answer the question: "Why did you come to Georgia?" Now he gave several reasons, all good ones, but he finally ended up by saying this: "Ultimately ...

4583. A Bridge over Troubled Waters

Psalm 23:2

Sermon

James Merritt

... , nor when their stomach is filled with undigested grass. So the shepherd has to make them lie down and rest. Now sheep don’t like to lie down. They are like little children. You know a little child does not like to rest, and resistance to rest is a mark of immaturity. But the shepherd knows that the sheep must lie down, they must have that time of rest, they must have that time of peace and quiet. I find it interesting that the first thing the shepherd leads the sheep to do is rest. Normally when we wake ...

4584. His Way is the Right Way

Psalm 23:3

Sermon

James Merritt

... . You remember Isaiah 53:6 which says, “All we like sheep have gone astray.” When sheep don’t follow the shepherd, they always get off on the wrong path. Now the Palestinian shepherd was a master at reading tracks. In the Palestinian desert there were many marks and paths that crisscross the land. Some were made by wild beasts, others were made by robbers lying in wait. But to a sheep every path looks the same. Sheep do not realize that this path could lead to a wild animal, or this path could lead ...

4585. Final Destination

Psalm 23:6

Sermon

James Merritt

... .” Not maybe, not possibly, but surely I can look back on my life and thank God that His goodness and mercy followed me. If you are a child of God and the Lord is your Shepherd and you are His sheep, you don’t face the future with a question mark, you face it with an exclamation point. God’s goodness and God’s mercy will follow you. You may not see it, you may not feel it, you may be hard pressed to find it, but it’s always there. Dr. Harry Ironside, a great preacher, used to be the ...

4586. Why You Should Spend Time with God

Psalm 37:4-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... Him and trust Him, and you can rest in Him, and simply wait patiently for Him to work things out in your life, then you will be freed from worry. One of the greatest ways to combat worry in your life is to bring your focus back to the Lord. Mark Twain once said, “I’ve been through some terrible things in my life, some of which really happened.” It is amazing how many of our fears and things that we worry about pale in comparison to the great God that wants to be in control of our life. I heard ...

4587. Matthew 14:13-21

Matthew 14:13-21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... there is one additional connection between this meal and other events. Immediately before describing this impromptu banquet in the wilderness, Matthew’s text describes the murderous meal that took place at the palace of Herod Antipas. That birthday banquet was marked by treachery and scandalous behavior—ultimately resulting in the beheading of John the Baptist as a kind of “party favor” for the entertainer. In sharp contrast Jesus presides at a banquet meal made possible by the sharing of provisions ...

4588. The Superhero Miracle of Humor

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... guy and funny man. The Joker liked to taunt law enforcement authorities with elaborate pranks and pratfall. The Joker wasn’t just after a great “score.” The Joker was after the last laugh. “The Dark Knight” has ditched those slapstick battles that marked the good guy/bad guy combat scenes. Instead there is the harshness of utter darkness, complete evil — no “lighter side” of combativeness or shadow-boxing that was part of the Batman legacy. In “The Dark Knight” the Batman hero is fixed ...

4589. Now I Know Why Jesus Walked!

Matthew 14:22-33

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Mark Twain tells this story: A man visited the Holy Land and stayed in Capernaum. It was a moonlit night, so he decided to take his wife on a romantic boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Twain asked a man in a rowboat how much he would charge to take them out on the water. The man saw Twain's white suit, white shoes and white hat and supposed he was a rich Texan. So he said the cost would be twenty-five dollars. Twain walked away as he said, "Now I know why Jesus walked."

4590. We Need a Sign

Matthew 14:22-36

Illustration

Jon S. Dawson

... and on each issue, it became more and more apparent that the rabbi was a lonely voice in the wilderness. The president said, "Come, Rabbi, enough of this. Let us vote and allow the majority to rule." He passed out the slips of paper, and each man made his mark. The slips were collected and the president said, "You may examine them, Rabbi. It is 11 to one against you. We have the majority." Whereupon the rabbi rose to his feet, "So", he said, "You now think because of the vote that you are right and I am ...

4591. An Unidentified King

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

I have always sensed there was something strange about the original Palm Sunday celebration in Jerusalem. A huge question mark looms over the whole event. Think about it...A crowd estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000 lines the roadsides to cheer an itinerant preacher from Nazareth named Jesus; yet they are not really sure why they are cheering. They are not even sure who Jesus is. What ...

4592. Matthew 15:21-28

Matthew 15:21-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... ), the one in need of healing is not physically brought before Jesus. Matthew identifies this woman using the traditional biblical designation of her ethnicity, a “Canaanite,” instead of using the more “politically correct” geographical description used by Mark, a “Syrophoenician.” The term “Canaanite” immediately brings to mind those original Ba’al-worshiping inhabitants of the “promised land” that were displaced by the chosen Hebrews. The woman is not just any Gentile, in other words ...

4593. How To Be An Easter Person

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Then they remembered his words.” (Luke 24:7-8) Jesus himself said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31) His words are delivered to us in this holy Bible. Jesus prayed for all of us believers with these words: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17) The Bible has always been under attack and it is today. Dan Brown’s ...

4594. For Better, For Worse

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... God’s word says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Gen. 2:24) Jesus underlined marital commitment with these words: “Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9) On a recent flight I sat beside an older lady named Jean. When she found out that I am a pastor, she told me her story. About a year earlier her husband had died. He was stricken by an aneurysm and died instantly. This was the ...

4595. Prime The Pump!

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... a distraught father came to Jesus seeking healing for his epileptic son. “If it be possible, said the father, “heal my son.” Jesus replied, “If it be possible?” All things are possible to him who believes.” This very honest father responded, “I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) The father was saying, “My faith is not the biggest in town. It sags in places. But I do have a little bit.” That was enough! Jesus healed his son. Here is the lesson, my friends. If you have even a tiny bit ...

4596. Mary, Did You Know?

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

That haunting song you just heard, written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene and sung so beautifully by Cheryl Sarfas (or Amy Ford), causes me to wonder, “What did Mary know? And, conversely, what did she not understand?” Mary, the mother of Jesus, was probably about 14 years old when we meet her in Scripture. She was a simple ...

4597. Do I Really Matter To God?

Psalm 139:1-24

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... to the stadium…well, not too guilty. It sure did feel great to know that we had reserved places. Every believer has a reserved place in heaven. One day when you and I get to the doors of heaven, the gatekeeper will see some kind of mark on us, indicating that at sometime during our lives we accepted by faith God’s marvelous offer of forgiveness and salvation through Christ. And the gatekeeper will say to us, “Your places here are reserved and guaranteed. You are sponsored by Jesus.” Our Lord himself ...

4598. Good News...Really?

Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Thank God for Luke. Of the many insights Luke gives us, his glimpses of Mary are especially profound. Were it not for Luke's Gospel, we would know very little about Mary. Mark skips the birth altogether, and in his Gospel, Jesus seems indifferent to Mary when she does show up. Matthew's Mary is mute. Not one word comes from her lips. She is present, but passive and silent. John shares her presence and her story, but little of her words or ...

4599. The Song of an Awe-Filled Life

Psalm 138:1-8

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... no meaning at all. Though we use the word, we know little of the reality of the experience of genuine "awe"—wonder, reverence, amazement. John Henry Jowett, great British preacher of the late 19th and early 20th century, knew nothing of our current worship, often marked by dull liturgy on one hand or fluffy choruses on the other, but he could have been speaking for our times: We leave our places of worship and no deep and inexpressible wonder rests on our faces. We can sing these lilting melodies and when ...

4600. A Peculiar People

1 Peter 2:1-10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... fledgling band of scattered disciples who, in the face of the might of Rome and worship of Caesar, were bold to say: "Jesus is Lord." They are the ones he is calling a "holy nation." Called out from every nation, every tribe and every language by God; marked by the sign of the cross; traveling under the banner of allegiance to Christ as Lord of all. "You," says Peter, "because you belong to one thing and not another" because you belong to Jesus Christ rather than to Caesar, because you worship God alone and ...

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