Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4576 to 4600 of 4943 results

4576. The Easter Question: Why Are You Weeping? Whom Do You Seek?

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Have you ever stopped to think how many important things in scripture take place in a garden? It all began in a garden, really, in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve rebelled and through self-will they alienated themselves from the love of God. It was in the garden of Gethsemane that Jesus fought the greatest battle of his life there in the garden, the struggle was so intense that he sweat drops of blood. He knew what was before him, and undoubtedly He was talking about the Cross when he anguished, "If it be ...

4577. A Time of Transition

Joshua 5:9-12

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a delightful story about a rookie umpire who stood behind the plate at his first game. Legendary fastball pitcher Nolan Ryan was on the mound. The second pitch of the game was so fast that the umpire didn’t know where it was until he heard the “POP!” of the catcher’s mitt. He froze. Finally he uttered a faint call: “Strike.” The batter stepped out of the box, went over to the umpire, and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t feel bad, sir,” said the batter. “I didn’t see it either.” Author Jeren ...

4578. A Hope for Peace

Romans 15:4-13

Sermon

James L. Killen

We will soon be singing Christmas songs full of joy and goodwill and love and peace. Someone asked some little children what love is and one said, "Love is what you hear in the house at Christmas time if you stop opening presents and listen for a while" (from PreachingToday.com, May 15, 2002). That is important to us, isn't it? That is really the way we want it to be. But that is not always the way it is. There are estrangement and againstness and hostility in our world and it is especially painful to us ...

4579. Pentecost! Slow ... and Sure!

John 20:19-23

Sermon

Stephen M. Crotts

Have you ever noticed how we preachers often promote the early church as if it were the ideal? "Why, they did a miracle a day in the early church." "When they had a prayer meeting, everyone came!" " They spoke in Greek then!" (As if it were some sort of superior language!) On and on we can go browbeating ourselves by comparison. Yet, when one really studies the Bible, he discovers that early believers weren't perfect either. Moses had his temper. Noah got drunk. David fell into adultery. Peter couldn't ...

4580. Live and Learn

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Is anyone's memory of study hall a fun one? Either you were the studious type, who really wanted to use that hour of enforced peace and quiet to get some work done, or you were the kid that was bored, trying to think of ways to sneak out, send notes, shoot spit-wads, or otherwise somehow liven up that deadly hour. But the shushings of study hall monitors and librarians aren't common to all cultures. At traditional Orthodox yeshivas, the bais midrash, the study hall, is filled with noise. Not just noise, ...

4581. The Shadow

Genesis 3:1-24

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

At Dolphin Cay, our home on Orcas Island, Washington, we have standing just outside our front door an old ship's binnacle--a 3.5-foot tall wooden post fitted with a maritime compass and leveling weights. But in the black of night, with the dim, blue-black porch light burning behind it, this benign binnacle takes on an insidious nature. Coming down our hallway anytime after midnight, it looks as though some rather short, stocky person is peeking in at us from just outside the front door. Even though we know ...

4582. Who Let the Dogs Out?

Romans 13:8-14

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Last Christmas, K-Mart (or was it Wal-Mart?) announced it would be open for 82 hours straight with all sorts of bargains. On the morning the selling marathon began, over one hundred people were lined up waiting to get into the store. Some of them had been there for two or three hours. The crowds watched in disbelief as a man walked past the entire crowd, and began to squeeze himself in at the head of the line. As if with a single motion, the crowd moved him back to the end of the line. The man tried again ...

4583. Lent 2

Psalm 121:1-8, Genesis 12:1-8, Romans 4:1-25, John 3:1-21

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The themes of sin and death, which have been central to the Lenten Old Testament lessons up to this point, give way to divine promise of life and blessing in Genesis 12:1-4a . Psalm 122 takes the divine promise of life and blessing into the setting of worship, where it functions both as a song of praise to God for the gift of peace and salvation, and as encouragement to the worshiper to seek the security of God's grace. Genesis 12:1-4a - "The Working Out of God's Blessing" Setting. ...

4584. I Was There!

Matthew 26:14-16

Drama

Russell N. Gallimore

[This is an original first-person sermon that may be presented in period costume. It is very effective when used during Lent, especially during a Maundy Thursday service. It could be used at other communion services. Begin by standing behind the altar or communion table, speaking from memory. A money bag with several pennies may be in a pocket or easily accessed location. A noose made from rope could also be available…however, recent events have given racial overtones to the use of the noose.] I was there ...

4585. Can You Tell Time?

Philippians 3:7-11

Sermon

James W. Moore

We have a young couple in our church family who are outstanding in every way. Both the husband and the wife are highly successful business executives. They are devoted to each other, devoted to the church, and devoted to their two beautiful daughters. Their daily schedule is hectic to say the least… and Saturday morning is the only time they have to sleep in. So they have a house rule that the children can get up early on Saturday morning to play if they want to… but they are not to come to their parents’ ...

4586. A Mother's Love

Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

James W. Moore

Dr. Tony Campolo is a well-known and highly-respected, inspirational speaker. Over the last several years, Tony Campolo has spent much of his time traveling around the world on speaking tours. Meanwhile, his wife, Peggy, has chosen to stay home and give herself and all that she has to the "Bringing Up" of their two children, Bart and Lisa. On those rare occasions when Peggy does travel with Tony, she finds herself engaged in conversations with some of the most accomplished, impressive, influential, ...

4587. 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 ...

4588. The Fountain of Truth

2 Peter 1:12-21

Sermon

James Merritt

All of us learned in school about the legendary Spanish explorer, Ponce de León. In fact, to travel from where we live to downtown Atlanta, you can go down Ponce de León Avenue. Ponce de León discovered the State of Florida because he was looking for the legendary fountain of youth. There are still many today on the quest for that fountain of youth, but they never have found it and they never will find it. For there is no such fountain. But even though there is no fountain of youth, there is a fountain of ...

4589. The Near Edge of God

Jn 1:1-3, 14

Sermon

When I was three years old, I used to think that the true measure of things was how big they were in comparison to how big I was. There were Billy-sized things. And there were bigger things. But when I was three, almost everything fell into the category of "bigger things." Most everything was huge when I was small, but seems to have shrunk, now that I have become huge. Whenever I go back to the house in which I previously lived ... the school in which I previously studied ... the fields in which I ...

4590. The True Olympians

Romans 12:1-8

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

What image are you going to take away from the Beijing 2008 Olympics? Is it Michael Phelps with his history-breaking breastplate of gold medals draped across his chest? Is it the first-ever gold/silver finish in women’s gymnastics? Is it the pictures of athletes who, unlike me and you with our bellies and bulges and barnacles, represent the peak of human perfectibility? Is it being part of the largest electronic crowd ever watching a sporting event, the USA vs. China basketball game? Is it the snapshots of ...

4591. Never Say What You Won't Do!

Genesis 2:4-25

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The well-known pastor, teacher, and writer, Chuck Swindoll, has observed that dating couples are often less than honest with each other. This is even true when they are engaged. For example, a man may tell his wife-to-be how much he loves the symphony. He eagerly escorts her to these performances, grinning like a mule eating briars, trying to impress his fiancée with how much he loves the arts. She is thinking, oh boy, I finally found a really cultured man! However, when they return from the honeymoon, he ...

4592. I Believe In The Holy Spirit

John 16:5-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

A few years ago in the Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena, a float stalled. Frustrations increased quickly because other floats could not move, and this event was televised around the world. Mechanics quickly descended upon the stalled float, searching all over for the problem. Finally, someone had the presence of mind to check on the fuel level of the vehicle. It was empty, out of gas. This became even more embarrassing when the crowd realized that the float’s sponsor was one of the major oil companies. (1) Did ...

4593. Barnabas Found the Way

Acts 4:35-5:16

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Ah, nicknames. Sometimes they can be funny…like Pookey, Peanut or Pee-diddle. Sometimes they can be a problem. I am forever explaining why people call me Jack when my real name is John, while relatives who still can't tell me apart from my twin keep calling me "Twin" or Jim. And, of course, his name is really James. Sometimes nicknames can be very special. In our family, we still call our son David "DD" because that's what he first called himself. And one of my cherished memories is of my grandfather, the ...

4594. When Seeing is Not Believing

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John E. Harnish

And the story of Easter day continues. John says, "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week..." Imagine...just hours later, really, it is the evening of the day of Resurrection, the evening of the day which began in a garden, the evening of the day when Mary saw the Lord, the evening of the first day of the week. The doors are shut. The disciples are scared to death, and Jesus comes and stands among them and he says, "Peace be with you." He says it three times here, you notice. My guess is ...

4595. A Man for All Seasons

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Sermon

Donald Charles Lacy

The enigma of human relationships and how that relates to the living God is all about us. It always has been and likely will be. This is precisely what Saint Paul lifts up before us. We would like for all of this to be greatly simplified but it never is and so we continue to seek to live the Christian life as best we know how. The history of the church is saturated with just what the apostle puts before us. In a way we are caught between two worlds and we have no choice. We live as well we can and hope for ...

4596. No More Camping Out

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

I wanted to see if we could get a show of hands today. Are there any folks here who went through a "nomadic period" in their lives? Did any of you ever enter a time in your life when you sort of camped out? A time when you were unsettled or on the move? Maybe you stole some nights on a friend's couch. Perhaps you were on the road for a while, or maybe you just wandered about for a time, trying out different places and new experiences. I know that it happened to me. For a number of years I lived a nomadic ...

4597. Being Good ... for Nothing

Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

If I were to ask you to complete the sentence, "You know it is going to be a bad day when ..." how would you respond? Let me give you a few examples. You know it is going to be a bad day when your car horn sticks on Interstate 75 and you are behind 32 Hell's Angels. You know it is going to be a bad day when you arrive at work and find a Sixty Minutes news team waiting in your office. You know it is going to be a bad day when your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles. You know it is going ...

4598. Apocalypse Wow!

Isaiah 25:6-9

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

A pastor friend of mine recently attended a ministerial meeting at a Presbyterian church, along with clergy representing several different denominations. During refreshment time, she was introduced to the church's sexton. She was familiar with the word "sexton," but couldn't quite remember what a sexton is, and she wasn't about to ask for a definition in that room full of men. Later she had an opportunity to consult a dictionary and was reminded that a sexton is a custodian associated with a church or ...

4599. The Three Stages to Truth: A Biblical Philosophy of Education

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Ours is an educated era. Yet we seem to be filled with facts while remaining ignorant of true understanding. In these texts the greatest teacher we have ever known, Jesus, demonstrates an educative scheme designed to fill our hearts as well as our heads, and destined to get our feet moving along with our minds. The texts examined this week demonstrate the biblical understanding of Truth (aletheia in Greek) as "nonconcealment," the disclosure of the "full or real state of affairs." Two days after the ...

4600. A-wake or A-live

Galatians 2:15-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We are called, less to follow in the wake of Christ than to make new waves for Christ, or more precisely, to allow Christ to make new waves through us. Toward the end of the 19th century, Charles Sheldon, pastor of an average church in an average community in Topeka, Kansas, decided he needed to do something to perk up his Sunday evening services. Sheldon began preaching a kind of serial sermon, in which he told stories about average men and women and the kinds of situations and challenges they might find ...

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