Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4626 to 4650 of 4943 results

4626. Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

I remember, not too long ago, I was reading some history about our nation and its westward expansion. This particular book had to do with the disappearance of the buffalo on the plains. Before white settlers happened upon the scene, buffalo were so numerous that vast herds stretched literally as far as the eye could see. There were millions of buffalo. So great were there numbers that it didn’t really occur to people that they could ever vanish. Well, we all know how this story went. In an astonishingly ...

4627. Lifestyles of the Rich and Faithful

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

When a carnival came to town, the strong man was one of the most popular attractions. One of his tricks was to squeeze an orange dry with his bare hand. Then he would offer $1,000 to anyone in the audience who could manage to squeeze even one more drop from that orange. Having nothing to lose, people were always ready to accept the challenge to make an easy $1,000, but they always failed. They would squeeze and squeeze, but their efforts were fruitless. Then, an older man stepped up to try his strength. ...

4628. Heroes of Faith

Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

A father was sitting on the floor with his three boys getting ready for bedtime prayers. The two older boys were having an argument about their action figures. The issue was whether Superman was better than He-Man. One boy said that Superman could fly, the other countered that He-Man had bigger muscles. And so it went, back and forth, while the youngest boy, Nicholas age four, just watched. Dad turned to Nick and asked: "So who's your hero, Nick?" Without batting an eye, Nick tilted his head, gave Dad one ...

4629. It's Not Booby Trapped, But . . .

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

The Road Runner cartoons, Wile E. Coyote and all the Acme products he bought may be the reason we have so many warning labels on products toady. Warning labels points to dangers in life. Most warning labels make sense but some of them are just downright ridiculous and makes you wonder WHY a company had to put that warning label on their product. I found a couple of websites devoted to nothing but inane warning labels. Let me share a few. "Do not put in mouth." On a box of bottle rockets. "Not dishwasher ...

4630. God Will Be With Us

Isaiah 7:1-25

Sermon

King Duncan

Some unknown wit has published an essay on the Internet on the joys of being a male of the species. He says, “Men are just happier people.” Then he explains why. Here are some of the advantages he lists with regard to being male: “Your last name stays put. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. Same work, more pay. (Uh, oh . . . I’m going to start a brawl with that one.) Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. New shoes don’t ...

4631. The Triumph and the Tragedy

Matthew 21:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

On Palm Sunday April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, General of the Union Army, at the village of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. This surrender ended the bloodiest war ever fought on American soil. State against state, brother against brother; it was a conflict that literally tore our nation apart. Five days later Good Friday, April 14, 1865 America’s most revered president, Abraham Lincoln, was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth in Ford’s Theatre ...

4632. When the Caterers Weren’t Available

Matthew 14:13-21

Sermon

King Duncan

Today’s lesson is on one of Jesus’ best known miracles, the feeding of the 5,000. Of course, as someone has noted, if Jesus were alive today, he wouldn’t be allowed to get away with half the miracles he performed. It’s not just that we live in such a skeptical, rationalist age. It’s all the red tape as well. Here are a few examples. Turning water into wine. This would provoke immediate protests from the alcoholic beverage industry, who would argue that it was unfair competition, amounting to a monopoly. It ...

4633. Send Her Away!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Those of you who are of a certain age might remember a little song from the 1960s. It was a tune by the Kingston Trio with the misleading title, “Merry Minuet.” It was anything but merry, but it was a satirical song that describes some of the turmoil in the world today. It went like this: They’re rioting in Africa. They’re starving in Spain. There’s hurricanes in Florida and Texas needs rain. The whole world is festering with unhappy souls. The French hate the Germans; the Germans hate the Poles. Italians ...

4634. The Thoughts of Our Hearts

Luke 2:22-40

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

Luke wrote his gospel to a man we know only by name. He addresses him as "most excellent Theophilus." The gospel of Luke, unlike other gospels, was written for a person who was high in the Roman government — written during a time of religious persecution; and it was the hope of Luke that this would be read by those outside the faith so that they might learn that they had nothing to fear from the Christians. So Luke, a Gentile himself, wrote his gospel to be read mainly by other Gentiles. If that is so, on ...

4635. Weed and Feed

Sermon

John Smylie

I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, ...

4636. But Is It True?

Luke 2:8-20, Romans 16:25-27

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

Authors such as Lee Strobel, Nicky Gumbel, and Josh McDowell have spoken around the world about these 300 prophecies of the Old Testament and how they all point to Jesus. This cannot be mere coincidence. It cannot be like playing the lottery. The evidence is so overwhelming and the prophecies so compelling that one would think that the only logical conclusion would be to say that it is true. Unless you have the brain of a C. S. Lewis, faith doesn't come through a logical, mathematical proof of Jesus as the ...

4637. Jesus Rescues Us

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Oskar Schindler, immortalized in Steven Spielberg's 1993 prize-winning film, Schindler's List, was a man who rescued the oppressed and brought them new life. He was born on April 28, 1908, in Moravia, Austria-Hungary, now the Czech Republic. After completing his education, he worked as a commercial salesman, changing jobs many times during the 1930s. He tried other businesses, but soon went bankrupt due to the Great Depression, which gripped Europe at the time. Though a citizen of Czechoslovakia, Schindler ...

4638. An Answer Out of the Whirlwind

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

What does it mean to be great? That is the question our texts raise today. "Great" is a wide-ranging word: You can have a great king, great skill, a great storm, a great number, great joy, or great fear. You can use it in its Greek form, mega — as in megachurch; or in its Latin form, magna — as in magnify. It can refer to physical form, size, or height. Pull yourself up, stand tall, like the cedars of Lebanon! Be great! Oh, just to touch on greatness! To shake the hand of an all-star, to have an audience ...

4639. No Other Name

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

King Duncan

We want to begin with a little trivia contest. Can anyone tell me the name of the 33rd President of the United States? The 33rd President of our country was Harry S Truman. Question number two: what was Truman’s home state? That’s right, Missouri. Last question. We remember him as Harry S Truman. What did the “S” stand for? Trick question: the middle initial of Harry S Truman’s name did not stand for anything. Both his grandfathers had names beginning with S so he was given the bare initial S to avoid ...

4640. Big Men in Little Planes

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

There is an interesting story that comes out of the Second World War. England and Germany both had state-of-the-art fighter planes. Germany had the Messerschmitt, which was considered to be the world’s fastest fighter plane. The British had the Supermarine Spitfire. The Spitfire was slower than the Messerschmitt. Nevertheless, German pilots were envious of their British counterparts. You see, the Messerschmitt had been designed to hold the perfect German. Who was the perfect German? Who else but Der Fuhrer ...

4641. Killing What Is Already Dead

Colossians 3:1-11

Sermon

Charles L. Aaron

Every pastor has had this experience. It doesn't have to be the husband in a marriage, but let's just say that it's the husband. The man comes to the pastor's study clutching the report from the physician's office: high blood pressure, overweight, danger of heart disease. The physician has ordered the man to lose weight and to stop smoking. Sitting in the pastor's office, the man swears he is going to take better care of himself. He's said it before, but this time he really means it. He wants to be around ...

4642. Building a Solid Foundation

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

The long-awaited dream would soon become a reality. Ground was broken for the family’s new home. The ground was cleared and soon a foundation was dug; blocks and then cement were laid. Then masons came and carefully laid the bricks. Carpenters were next on the scene, nailing two-by-fours, framing the new house. After only a few weeks the house was beginning to take shape, which pleased the family. Roof trusses were carefully hoisted into place. Once the outside work was completed attention would be given ...

4643. Work Like the Who?

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

Dan Miller in his book No More Dreaded Mondays tells a delightful story about a farmer many years ago in a village in India who had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to the village moneylender. The old and ugly moneylender fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter, so he proposed a bargain. He would forgive the farmer’s debt if he could marry the farmer’s daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal, but the cunning moneylender suggested that they let providence decide ...

4644. Be Patient

James 5:7-12

Sermon

King Duncan

One Christmas season when Shirley Duncanson’s daughter was nearing her third birthday, Duncanson decided to take her along with her brothers ages 1, 4, 6, 8 out shopping. The little girl saw a doll that she wanted. Nothing Duncanson could say or do would alter her desire. She wanted that doll and she wanted it then. No reminder that Christmas was coming that she needed to be good because Santa Claus might be watching had any impact on her. With a one-year-old in the cart, and three other children to keep ...

4645. Suffered under (Saint) Pontius Pilate

John 18:28-40

Sermon

David O. Bales

Christians Sunday by Sunday announce our collective memory of Pontius Pilate: “Suffered under Pontius Pilate.” By repeating this creed regularly, we agree with church tradition and we don’t wonder further about Pilate. We certainly have no sympathy for him. Pilate’s Jewish contemporaries had nothing good to say about him. Christians, especially on Good Friday, don’t let anyone forget our opinion of him. However, some early church traditions decided that Pilate was a believer and two churches still, ...

4646. Turn On the Light

John 8:12-30

Sermon

James Merritt

It was my first and only time ever to be in a cave. Teresa and I were on our way back to Kentucky where I was going to seminary and we decided to stop off and tour Mammoth Cave. They tried to prepare us for what was going to happen, but in this case the picture was worth far more than 1000 words. We descended deep down into this cave and then with a quick warning the guide turned off the flashlight. Have you ever heard the term “achluophobia-”? That is fear of the darkness. If I didn’t have it before I ...

4647. Wives and Husbands

Ephesians 5:22-33

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

What motivates the author to move from general admonitions on moral life and corporate worship to specific instructions regarding household relationships? Beare suggests that the arrangement of material follows the conventional pattern of Hellenistic philosophical literature, which concluded its doctrinal exposition with a brief presentation of the social code (p. 716). Another author places the code, particularly this section on husbands and wives, within the context of the ethical instructions that ...

4648. Paul’s Request for Onesimus

Philemon 1:8-25

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Now that Paul has sufficiently commended Philemon for his exemplary Christian life, he moves to the heart of his request regarding Onesimus. In one way, Paul gives the impression that he is “shadow boxing,” that is, skirting around the real issue and not confronting Philemon directly. But Paul’s strategy is determined by two factors: First, he needs to move very carefully and weigh every word. After all, a request to reinstate a runaway slave was quite unusual in the first century. According to Roman law, ...

4649. Living for God

1 Peter 4:1-11

Understanding Series

Norman Hillyer

Live Wholly for God 4:1 What are the practical implications for Christians of Christ’s suffering and consequent triumph over death and the powers of evil? Recalling the opening of this section, back in 3:18, Peter reverts to the death of Christ. This is the example that believers should follow. They must turn their backs on the immoral practices of their pagan neighbors, formerly their own life-style, and wholeheartedly follow their Master by copying him. Christ suffered in his body, that is, he gave his ...

4650. The First Two Days: John the Baptist’s Message

John 1:19-28, John 1:29-34

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The narrative portion of John’s Gospel begins by referring yet a third time to the message of John the Baptist (cf. vv. 6–8, 15–16). The difference between this section and the references in the prologue is that attention now focuses on a particular testimony of John the Baptist given on a particular occasion when the Jewish authorities, later designated more precisely as Pharisees (v. 24), sent a delegation of priests and Levites from Jerusalem to question him. This occasion stretches out to at least a ...

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