Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4626 to 4650 of 4940 results

4626. The True Feng Shui Life

Matthew 14:22-36

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Our world has been shaped by one image. It may be the most powerful image to come out of the 20th century. If you were asked about the most important image of the 20th century, what would you pick? Here is my pick . . . [if you use screens]. The one picture that did the most to transform our perception of this world was that look-back at Earth from the tiny port-hole window in the first Apollo mission to the moon. Dangling in the bleak blackness of space was this beautiful blue-ball planet — with swirling ...

4627. Ministry By Faith: Does She or Doesn't She?

I Corinthians 16:14, James 2:14-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

Shirley Polykoff describes the scene. Two women are talking quietly about another nice woman they both know, the woman in the ad who was always playing with a child in order to downplay any sexual overtones. Then (says Polykoff), smack in the middle of the conversation of middle class morality, we place the arresting question, the bombshell: "Does she or doesn't she? Hair color so natural, only her hairdresser knows." Polykoff was the creator of the 1950's advertising campaign, of which she says: A ...

4628. What Ever Happened to Norman Rockwell?

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

For those of a certain age, Norman Rockwell was the artist who captured our American way of life. Beginning in 1916, he painted over 300 covers for the Saturday Evening Post which have become classics in American art—everything from childhood adventures in the old swimming hole to moving tributes to war heroes, gentle laughter and deep sentiments. He imaged what we imagined life was, or could be, like in those days of my growing up. Along the way he also challenged some of the narrow attitudes and ...

4629. The Message That WILL Save Your Life

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the greatest lessons I have ever learned as a preacher and as a communicator is this - it is not only important to mean what you say, it is just as important to say what you mean. I remember a story about Yogi Berra, who was sitting up on a platform with the wife of the Mayor of New York City. He and his teammates (the New York Yankees) were being honored for winning another World Series and the Mayor's wife looked over at Yogi and said, "Yogi, you look real cool today." Yogi looked over at her and ...

4630. The Revolution Against Evolution

Genesis 1:1

Sermon

James Merritt

It is the ultimate question of all questions - Where did the universe come from? Why does it exist? Genesis 1:1 simply states, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1, NASB) So the very beginning of God's word to man says man had a beginning, a divine beginning, a supernatural beginning. Believe it or not, the Christian message does not begin with "Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior." It begins with "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The Bible ...

4631. You Fool!

Luke 12:13-21

Sermon

Ron Lavin

The incident stirring up this text is the request of someone in the crowd who asked Jesus to judge between on older brother and himself regarding an inheritance. The real problem isn't the request which Jesus refused, but the greed lying beneath the surface of the request which Jesus addressed with a parable about a rich fool who went to hell. In Jesus' day, the oldest brother got the inheritance when his father died. He was then expected to take care of the rest of the family. This procedure protected the ...

4632. Minding the Store of Our Lives

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

A man lived in an old stone cottage that was badly in need of repair. He made do, day-by-day, and got on with his life, struggling to wrench a living from the meager land. Eventually the rain that leaked in on him got too heavy and the wind around his ears was too cold. He had to do something about the gap in his wall. Up on the hillside there was an ancient Celtic cross. It had stood there since time immemorial. It was silent and uncomplaining in the Atlantic gales that swept over it, but its very silence ...

4633. Thou Sayest I Am King

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

It’s something for a commoner from rural Mississippi to be in the presence of royalty, but I want you to know I was there. I shook hands with Prince Philip. And my wife Jeri was standing beside the Bishop of Kenya, when he was introduced formally to the Queen of England. It was the occasion of the reopening of Wesley’s Chapel in London in 1980. It was a great occasion and people from all over the world, Methodists from all over the world had come for that exciting event. I’ve never experienced anything ...

4634. Radical Love is Truthful (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Every time I preach a sermon on “Loving Your Enemies” it seems to conjure up more questions than answers. Such was the case with the sermon last week. I was hardly out of the pulpit when people wanted to know: What about truth and justice? How could Jesus teach non-violence and then announce that he came not to bring peace but a sword? Did not the same Jesus who said turn the other cheek also turn the tables in the temple and drive out the moneychangers in a moment of, at best, righteous anger if not ...

4635. When It’s Time to Seek Direction

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

There is a story soaring across the Internet these days suggesting things might have gone better if the wise men had been three wise women. After all, had women been in charge, they would have asked for direction, gotten to the Manger on time, assisted with the birth, cleaned up the place and made a casserole for the Holy Family. Will the battle of the sexes ever end? Of course, the author of that analogy evidently failed to read the Gospel of Matthew for our scripture lesson says, “After Jesus was born in ...

4636. A Man of the Moment

Genesis 25:19-34

Sermon

Stan Purdum

Do you remember the movie 1988 movie, Twins? It was comedy that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as, of all things, twin brothers. Even if you know nothing about the plot of the movie, the mental picture of those two actors standing side-by-side as twins is itself pretty funny. The setup for the move is that the brothers are the result of an experiment to grow a perfect man, who is the Schwarzenegger character, named Julius. But in the course of manipulating his genes when he's in the ...

4637. We Wish to See Jesus

John 12:20-33

Sermon

John Smylie

"Sir, we wish to see Jesus" (v. 21). This was the request of the Greeks who had come to worship at a festival in Jerusalem. These were Gentiles, non-Jews, who likely showed up at the Jewish Passover and other festivals because they intuitively felt that the God of Israel was the true God. Their own philosophies and religious systems must not have been satisfying to them for it seems they knew that there was more to be found. It appears they felt that Israel desired to discover answers to their deepest ...

4638. For the Life of Betsy D. I. Smylie

John 12:20-36

Sermon

John Smylie

4639. Risk Takers

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

Cynthia Cowen

"Louise, can you and Pastor Hal come to Thanksgiving dinner at our house this Friday? I have this really, really big turkey, and I don't want a ton of leftovers," Tracy implored her friend. "Well, I'd love to, but we always invite a widower, Andy Vespa, each Thanksgiving. I don't want him to be by himself with his pork and beans. Of course, Steve and Vicki will be here, too," Louise replied. "Andy's always been a part of this family gathering." "I know Andrew! I visited his wife, Della, at the VA Hospital ...

4640. This Is a King?

Matthew 5:40, 43-44, Colossians 1:15, 16-19, Matthew 5:3, 6, 11

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created ... in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell... — Colossians 1:15-16, 19 I grew up during all those Godfather movies, and I never saw a single one. I don't know why. I was busy. It was a three-hour movie. I had to study. So when I heard jokes about a horse's head or making an offer that he couldn't refuse, I didn't get it. The same is true today, right? There are those ...

4641. The Joy of the Lord

Nehemiah 7:73b--8:18

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an ancient Egyptian myth which says that, after death, every individual is confronted with two questions that have to be answered honestly. First, did you find joy? And second, did you bring joy? Evangelist Billy Graham says that “Joy is one of the marks of a true believer. This is not a gushy emotion or a forced grin, but the security of knowing God’s love.” Graham tells about a news story concerning soldiers in the Persian Gulf years ago watching videotapes from their families back home. In a ...

4642. When We Feel Lost

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

King Duncan

A certain aged Catholic priest had become deaf. So members of his parish would write out their sins on a piece of paper before going to confession. One day, a parishioner slipped a piece of paper to the priest which read, “Two loaves of bread, a gallon of milk, a box of detergent and a pound of bananas.” The puzzled priest scanned the note, then passed it back to the parishioner. The parishioner looked at the note, then exclaimed with horror, “Oh, no! I’ve left my sins at the grocery store.” Well, where ...

4643. On God's Side Or In God's Way?

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to go back for a few moments into TV history. Some of you grew up watching the hilarious Roadrunner cartoons. These cartoons featured a character named Wile E. Coyote. Wile E. Coyote’s virtually endless quest in life was to capture his nemesis, the Roadrunner. The coyote was stubbornly persistent in this quest despite the fact that, not only did he fail time after time after time, but meanwhile he repeatedly plummeted from high cliffs, was blown up, and was continually getting flattened by numerous ...

4644. But First...

Luke 9:57-62

Sermon

King Duncan

A lady was taking her time browsing through everything at a yard sale. In a conversation with the homeowner she said, “My husband is going to be very angry when he finds out I stopped at a yard sale.” “I’m sure he’ll understand when you tell him about all the bargains,” the homeowner replied. “Normally, yes,” the lady said. “But he just broke his leg, and he’s waiting for me to take him to the hospital to have it set.” (1) Some things in life cannot be delayed. But we do delay them. Not for any sinister ...

4645. Lean on the Cloud

Hebrews 11:1-40

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Apple had to issue a warning recently. Customers who were using a GPS national park hiking trails “app” on their iPhones were warned about some serious “glitches.” In several national parks the identified trailhead, the mileages, and the directional guides . . . all were completely off. Several hikers got seriously lost because they trusted downloaded trail information that was fatally flawed. Those hikers had faith in the electronic guidance their hiking “app” had given them. But that faith was rewarded ...

4646. When God Does Something New

Jeremiah 30:1--31:40

Sermon

Argile Smith

After a prolonged spate of bad news about the national and global economic situation, we welcome good news about the economy, even if it’s only a little bit of good news. Likewise, after a long illness, we enjoy hearing our physician tell us that things are going to look up for us soon. And who wouldn’t be glad to hear about their child or grandchild striking a winning rhythm at work after an extended season of losses characterized by his or her performance? Jeremiah welcomed the good news about God’s plan ...

4647. The Right Reason

Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

David O. Bales

Two mornings a week I drive from Ontario, Oregon, to Caldwell, Idaho, to teach at College of Idaho. When gas prices shot up I got into the habit of driving slowly and increasing my miles per gallon. Driving slowly isn’t a hazard while in the country between the two towns. However, when I draw near Caldwell, the signs reduce speed to 65. There, in order to stay up with the larger flow of traffic, I must increase my speed so I don’t jam up traffic. We all end up driving a safe speed, but we do so for ...

4648. Dancing for Joy (Thanksgiving)

Philippians 4:2-9

Sermon

King Duncan

In 1998 there was a film that was nominated for seven Academy Awards. It was titled Life Is Beautiful. Life Is Beautiful is a touching story about an Italian Jewish family that is taken to a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. At the camp Guido, the father, uses his fertile imagination to shield his son Joshua from the horrors of life in this terrible place. He hides his son from the Nazi guards. He sneaks him food and tries to humor him. Guido does everything he can to hide their true ...

4649. Learning to Live Like Jesus

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever wanted to smell like Jesus? I doubt that any of us have ever given that question much thought, but there is a perfume maker in California where else? that promises exactly that. The makers of a perfume called “Virtue” claim if you wear their perfume, you will smell exactly like Jesus. I’m not making this up. Using the Bible as a guide to what kind of plants were used as perfumes in the Holy Land when Jesus walked the Earth, scientists at a perfume company called IBI claim that Virtue is a ...

4650. An Announcement from Our Lord

Isaiah 61:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

It is always interesting to read what children write. Sometimes they are completely candid. This candor shows in a list someone has made of children’s letters to Santa: “Dear Santa, “Could you come early this year? I’ve been really super good, but I don’t know if I can last much longer. Please hurry. Love, Jordan.” Now there’s an honest young man. “Dear Santa, “Mommy says that you only bring presents for good little boys. That isn’t fair. (Signed) Brian.” Sounds like Brian has already failed the test for ...

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