Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4651 to 4675 of 4940 results

4651. The Failure

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

James Merritt

You have ever known one, or you were one, or you still think you are one. You went to school with them. Maybe you grew up with them. Maybe you live with them. Maybe you even think you are married to them. They are easily identified by the labels that we put on them such as: losers, rejects, nerds, geeks, or failures. They get mocked, bullied, ridiculed, and made fun of. They are ostracized and isolated. They are on the outside looking in and nobody ever offers to let them in. You might say they are “On The ...

4652. You Are God's Child

Romans 8:1-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Do You Know Who You Are? A hitchhiker was trying to get a ride one night in Los Angles. A car pulled over to pick him up. When the hitchhiker got into the car he saw the face of the driver and recognized him. The driver was film star Michael Douglas! The hitchhiker was shocked and all he could think to say to Michael Douglas was, “Do you know who you are?” That’s our theme for today: Do you know who you are? I am thrilled to be able to tell you by the power vested in me as a minister of the Gospel who you ...

4653. Hamburgers Don't Grow on Trees

Mark 4:26-29, Mark 4:30-34

Sermon

King Duncan

A father tells of taking his four-year-old son, Josh, out to McDonald’s for dinner one evening for a “guys’ night out.” As they were eating their hamburgers, Josh asked, “Daddy, what are these little things on the hamburger buns?” Dad explained that they were tiny seeds and that they were OK to eat. Josh was quiet for a couple of minutes and his Dad could tell Josh was in deep thought. Finally, Josh looked up and said, “Dad, if we go home and plant these seeds in our backyard, we will have enough ...

4654. Philip and the Ethiopian

Acts 8:26-40

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

8:26 If these stories of Philip belong in the sequence and close connection in which we now have them, then either he returned with the apostles to Jerusalem and from there set out for Gaza, or Peter and John returned without him and he traveled directly from Samaria. The Greek favors the first, in that Philip’s instruction was to go “on” the road, not to the road as in NIV; and the road to Gaza ran from Jerusalem. There were, in fact, two roads—the more northerly, which went first to Ashkelon and then by ...

4655. Jesus and Those Who “Believed”

John 8:31-41, John 8:42-47, John 8:48-59

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The reaction of many of the Jewish authorities with whom Jesus has been speaking is to believe in him (v. 30), and the remainder of the discourse is focused on this group of “believers.” The prediction that they will realize later who Jesus is (v. 28) appears to be coming true even before they lift him up on the cross. It sounds, and it is, too good to be true. Their faith is not genuine (cf. 2:23–25). Jesus has directed their attention toward the future, but they will have none of it. The present is good ...

4656. Jesus’s Manifesto

Luke 4:14-30

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Back in Nazareth, Jesus sets out on his mission of deliverance, but his own townspeople in Nazareth reject him because of his vision for the salvation of all people everywhere, which includes the Gentiles. Understanding the Text Jesus’s return from the wilderness area marks the beginning of his public ministry, which will be focused in his home province of Galilee until he sets off for Jerusalem in 9:51. Mark and Matthew record a single visit to Nazareth, which they place later in their ...

4657. True and False Discipleship

Luke 6:46-49, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 6:37-42

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: It is not enough to hear and approve Jesus’s teaching; it must also be lived out. Understanding the Text The sermon that began at 6:20 concludes with a series of parables and pithy sayings that together challenge those who heard the sermon to model their lives on what they have heard. The following chapters will contain several shorter sections of Jesus’s teaching as well as many examples of his dealings with other people, and so a fuller picture will be built up of what it means to be a disciple ...

4658. Can It Be Sin to Be Shy?

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a wonderful story from long ago about a man in Maine named Ike who was exceedingly shy. Ike fell in love with a beautiful young maiden named Anna. Anna seemed to Ike to be too wonderful for him to ever ask her to be his wife. So, he went on loving her in silence for ten years. He remained single, as did she. During this time, he built a fine house, with a barn and outbuildings, and a beautiful rock garden. Still, though he was very much in love with her, he hadn’t yet dared to propose. Finally, ...

4659. The Claims of Jesus About Himself

John 8:48-59, John 8:31-41, John 8:42-47

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

4660. Among You Stands One

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. Tom Long in his book, Shepherds and Bathrobes, tells a story that appeared years ago in the New York Times. It was just before Christmas. David Storch, a music teacher, borrowed a copy of the score of Handel’s Messiah from the Brooklyn Public Library. For some reason, through a clerical error, the transaction was not recorded. Afterward, there were several other requests for the score, and the library staff--unaware that it had been checked out--spent many hours searching in vain for it through the ...

4661. Listen to the Angels

Revelation 5:11-14

Sermon

King Duncan

A layperson wrote on the Internet that he attends a small village church in rural Pennsylvania. On any given Sunday, he says, they may have six or seven faithful children who come with their parents. The pastor has a white bag which is passed from child to child, making sure they get equal turns to put something in for him to talk about. Each Sunday, the pastor calls all the children up and he opens the bag to find a “surprise” on which he bases his children’s sermon. Easter week, the bag went home with a ...

4662. Deliverance

Isaiah 49:8-26, Isaiah 44:24--45:25, Exodus 15:22-27, Exodus 13:17--14:31

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” (Exodus 14:15) One of the unique experiences of our culture today is the innovation of the “escape room!” Has anyone here participated in an “escape room” experience? [You can invite people to share if you wish.] Anyone know what an escape room is? You have these pretty much in every town now. Basically, you pay money to be locked into a room for one hour either with friends or with strangers. You are given clues and puzzles that will help you find a way to ...

4663. Having the Right Connection

John 15:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

After Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, died in 1977, many people claimed to be related to him. Tabloids published stories with headlines like “I was Elvis’ love child!” Some of these claims were made by fans desperate to maintain some connection to the musical legend. Some of the claims were made by folks who just wanted a chance at publicity or money from Elvis’ estate. Claiming a connection to Elvis Presley became so popular that Detroit-area disk jockey, Dick Purtan, began selling birth ...

4664. More Than Enough

John 6:1-21

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

Forty percent of all the food that is produced in the United States is thrown away. That’s about twenty pounds per person per month, a total of about 33 million tons or $165 billion worth of edible, nutritious food per year. Discarded food is the second highest component of landfills in this country that as it decays, becomes a significant contributor to methane emissions.1 Worldwide, western, industrialized countries waste about 30% of all produced food, an annual total of about 220 million tons, an ...

4665. Preparing for the King

Luke 3:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

Even if we dread deadlines, most of us will admit that we work better when we have a deadline staring us in the face. But few of us have to face the kind of deadline the White House staff does when they welcome a new President to D.C. Kate Anderson Brower has written a New York Times best-selling book titled The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House which shares a behind-the-scenes look at all the work that goes into the Presidential transition. There are only about 90-100 residential ...

4666. One More Year

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

Have you ever been judged and found wanting? No? Well, I have. I remember about a thousand years ago when I first went off to college. It was a heady time. I had grown up in a fairly controlled environment and the sudden surge of freedom caused me to, well, go a little crazy. I will be honest with you. I did more partying than I did studying. The result of this was that I was soon on academic probation. Moreover, I got called into the academic dean’s office for what was called a “conversation.” I showed up ...

4667. I Need

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

My lovely bride and I used to laugh about our youngest daughter’s use of the phrase, “I need…” It seems as though she never simply wanted things — she “needed” things. At one point in her life, these two words became her mantra. “I need this dress. I need a car. I need to go out tonight. I need…” I don’t mean to pick on her, because I’m sure most other parents go through a similar stage with each of their teenagers. They all need something. Interestingly enough, their actual needs are already being met (in ...

4668. Seeds

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

I am always astonished at the tenacity of vegetation. The dandelion pops up overnight, blossoms in a burst of yellow, then explodes in a puff and scatters across the yard. There’s a vine that wraps itself around the back fence. Every year it gets snipped down to the soil, but every year it returns and grows taller. It’s well planted. Or there’s the blade of grass that pokes its head out of the crack in the driveway – how did the seed get there? A good seed, given the right conditions, can grow just about ...

4669. The Reckoning

Matthew 14:13-21, Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How many math wizards are out there today? Anyone? I’ve always been amazed at those phenomenal people who can compute sums and fractions in their heads in the matter of moments. Or how about accountants? Tax accountants! Hear me? Oh man! You have to have a certain personality I think to be a tax accountant, amen? Or what about statisticians? Or those who program AI! Rocket scientists? Physicists? Math wizards! When I was in school, we called these super amazing computational people “geeks.” Now, I’m ...

4670. The Little Loser

Luke 19:1-10

Sermon

Will Willimon

For those of us who know the end of Holy Week, it is ironic that, only a week before he was crucified, Jesus attracts adoring crowds, crowds who wave palm branches and shout "Hosanna" and call him "King!" It is fitting that we should begin this service with a choir and clergy, a palm branch, parade and dance in celebration of Jesus' parade on Palm Sunday. It is also ironic because we know what those same crowds will be shouting on Friday. The Palm Sunday parade becomes the Golgotha dance of death. We might ...

4671. The Propriety of Praise

Psalm 84:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

A few months ago, I preached a sermon here. My text was from· the book of Revelation, as I recall. All went well until the end of the sermon when I came to my last sentence. Without warning, someone seated somewhere over there, shouted out “Amen!” Well, he was probably a tourist I thought; first time in Duke Chapel. Probably someone from California. At first, I thought I would ignore his, “Amen!” But upon further reflection I asked the ushers to make a discreet search during the offering, and tell the man ...

4672. Taking the Long Way Home

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Will Willimon

“Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis.” Mark 7:31 Durham is one of the toughest places on earth to find your way around in. Bisected by a freeway and this campus, a downtown full of one way streets (all one way in the wrong direction) -- am I now on Chapel Hill Street, Chapel Hill Road, or simply the main road to Chapel Hill? The things that Cornwallis Road does are positively criminal. Where are we? Where are we in ...

4673. Pentecost

John 20:19-23, Acts 2:1-13, Acts 2:14-41, Genesis 11:1-9, John 14:5-14, Romans 8:1-17

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

COMMENTARY Epistle: Acts 2:1-21 On Pentecost the Disciples receive the Holy Spirit and Peter explains the happening. Luke gives an account of the Spirit's coming upon the gathered Disciples in Jerusalem on Pentecost accompanied by a mighty wind and tongues of fire. Then the reaction of the crowd is given the Disciples are accused of being drunk. Peter responds by explaining the experience as fulfillment of Joel's prophecy that at the end of the era the Spirit would come to all. The overall purpose of the ...

4674. Holy Diet

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Donald Macleod

So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for ...

4675. The Meeting Of Marriage Partners At The Well

John 4:1-26

Sermon

Mark Ellingsen

Jesus and his weather-beaten band of wandering disciples were still heading north and had been for some days. To some extent Jesus had decided to get out of Judea, where he had been working, in order to avoid competition with John the Baptist in that region. (John's gospel claims that the rumor was spreading all over that Jesus was baptizing more disciples than John the Baptist was.) Jesus also might have decided to head north towards familiar territory in Galilee, because the Pharisees had heard what was ...

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