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Showing 4651 to 4675 of 4915 results

4651. Putting the World Back Together

John 20:1-9

Sermon

David O. Bales

It’s too soon after the murder to mention the names of the people involved; so, the following names are changed. In a small town, Janice, a young grade school teacher, had tried to break off a dating relationship with a young man. The young man had serious mental illness. He shot and killed Janice; then committed suicide. Her parents, Jack and Maxine, were friends with the young man’s parents. In the midst of their grief Jack and Maxine got in their car and drove to call on his parents. No matter the ...

4652. Gift

2 Corinthians 8:16--9:5, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

The first part of this letter to the Corinthians (1:12–7:16) is concerned primarily with a defense of Paul’s apostolic authority. The second part (chs. 8–9), which deals with the collection for the church in Jerusalem, has a related issue. When Paul went with Titus to the so-called apostolic council in Jerusalem in order to present his gospel, the other apostles not only unequivocally acknowledged his gospel, his apostolic authority, and his mission to the nations, but they also added nothing to him, ...

4653. Speaking from the Heart

Luke 6:43-45

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s confession time. “Uh-oh,” you’re thinking. “What am I suppose to confess?” By a show of hands, how many of you have a junk drawer at home--a place that has become a repository for things you can’t find somewhere else to keep? What’s in your junk drawer? When you open it up, are you surprised by what ends up in there? The average American home has too much stuff in it, and we don’t know what to do with all of it. We cram things in closets. Under beds. In our junk drawer. We may even rent a warehouse to ...

4654. Where's the Magic?

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-12

Sermon

King Duncan

Billy Joe, a good old boy from the Deep South, stopped at a convenience store. There he ran into Ricardo, an old buddy from New York City. Billy Joe was a mischievous sort. When no one was looking he stole 3 candy bars from a store shelf. Walking out of the store he turned to Ricardo and bragged, “Ha! Did you see what this old Southern boy did? I stole three candy bars and got away with it. Man, I’m slick.” Ricardo wasn’t impressed. “That’s nothing. Let’s go back to that store and I’ll show you what slick ...

4655. Bittersweet

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Animation: Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh / Anointing Oil – Frankincense and Myrrh Animation: youtube of the Seinfeld clip on re-gifting The term “re-gifting” was coined by Jerry Seinfeld in an episode of the comedy show Seinfeld in 1995 called “The Label Maker.” Elaine is horrified to discover that Jerry has received a gift (a label maker) from someone. But it’s the same “label maker” that she originally gave to the guy who gifted Jerry. They uncovered a “re-gifter!” Anyone remember Seinfeld? [Pause to see how ...

4656. House of God

Ephesians 2:1-10, Ephesians 2:11-22

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Prop: Bowl and Ingredients for Hummus or Pesto I know many of you kids out there have seen the Disney movie Ratatouille, right? How many have seen it? I’m going to play a little clip from that movie for a moment…. [Play the clip in which Remy the rat is discerning the flavors in food, as he creates a new delicacy by placing varied tastes together.] https://youtu.be/pRIwj05eEvw Well, this morning, I have brought an experiment of our own to tempt our tastebuds. I have here…… let’s see …. some garlic, some ...

4657. Faith is a River That Flows

Genesis 19:1-29

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Faith is a river that flows. May our prayers be reeds that cling to the rock From which springs somehow the living waters." I’ll bet all of you remember the first time you climbed the “big slide.” I mean the “BIG” slide, that one that you looked at as a child and thought –that’s awesome. But scary! Real scary! I mean, it’s WAY high, and it’s a long way to the bottom, and okay, wow! On the one hand, you are filled with that weird exhilaration to climb up there and have that experience of the wind whipping ...

4658. A Spooky Kind of Love

1 Samuel 28:1-25, Matthew 28:11-15

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Last week we remembered that Jesus walks beside us even when we don’t notice He is there. This week we are reminded that God is in charge, even when we try to take matters into our own hands! There’s an old saying, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” The phrase was coined by Allen Saunders in a Reader’s Digest article in 1957, later appropriated by John Lennon in his song, “Beautiful Boy.” I think all of us can resonate with that line, as well as its companion wisdom, “Want to make ...

4659. For The Love of God Is Empowering

Matthew 22:36 -40 · John 4:1-32

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

I heard about an executive who was given a prank gift for his birthday, a penguin. He decided just to accept it in the spirit in which it was given, so he called in one of his employees and said, "Will you please take this penguin to the zoo?" The employee never returned to work that day. That night, however, he appeared at the executive's house, with the penguin. Exasperated, the business executive said, "I thought I told you to take the animal to the zoo." "I did," said the young employee. "He enjoyed it ...

4660. What We Learn from Love

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

King Duncan

Do you ever have trouble falling asleep? Drew Ackerman is the host of the podcast Sleep With Me, and his goal is to tell stories that help people fall asleep. He refers to his show as “the podcast the sheep listen to when they get tired of counting themselves.” According to Ackerman, the key to the perfect bedtime story is to make it slow and boring. Ackerman, who is from New York, slows his speaking tempo and speaks in a really low voice. His plots are hard to follow, and he goes on long tangents where he ...

4661. The Agenda Factor

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

William L. Self

Architecture and power are Siamese twins joined at the hip. Rulers have always wanted to translate their power into brick and mortar -- from the tower of Babel and Egypt's pharaohs to Chairman Mao, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler. I. M. Pei, in his contract given by FranÁois Mitterand to renovate the Louvre, was commissioned to re-establish the glory of France. Serious resources have been committed by rulers to display their strength and grandeur with architecture. David had finally consolidated his ...

4662. The Chain Of Command

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Alexander H. Wales

When I spoke with the Rabbi about this itinerant preacher, Jesus, I knew right away that he was the one I would have to go to if Gaius was going to survive. Gaius has been with me since the campaigns against the barbarians in the north. He's probably the closest servant and friend I've ever had in all my years of military service. Knowing how sick he was, knowing that our doctors had done all they could, there wasn't really anywhere I could turn except for some miraculous cure. "This Jesus fellow has been ...

4663. Strangers at the Manger

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Way back in my first semester of seminary (that seems like 30 or 40 years ago, but it was only 1989), in a course titled Introduction to the New Testament, the professor made a comment that stuck in my mind. It hadn’t occurred to me before. He said the Gospel of Matthew was the "most Jewish" of the four gospels. What he meant by that was that the writer of Matthew consistently, tirelessly quotes the Hebrew scripture to demonstrate, or prove, to his readers that Jesus is the Messiah, the fulfillment of ...

4664. How Soon Is "Soon"?

Sermon

Rolf E. Aaseng

But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will befalling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see "the Son of Man coming in clouds" with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know ...

4665. Giving Away the Store

Luke 22:7-38, John 13:1-17

Sermon

Carl Jech

He will show you a large upper room furnished. (Luke 22:12) If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. (John 13:14) A friend of mine once had a job briefly at a car rental agency. The job didn't last for long because the owner of the agency complained that my friend was too nice, too diplomatic with the customers. He felt that if my friend were left alone he would probably end up giving the cars away - "giving away the store!" The idea behind this ...

4666. Killing A King

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

"I was treated like a king!" is a common saying when one received the best possible treatment. This is to say that a king deserves and gets the very best. A red carpet is laid out for the king to walk on, lest he dirty his feet. Only the best food is served. His clothes are made of the finest material with top class and style. A king wears genuine jewels, no artificial diamonds or costume jewelry, for a king deserves only the best. A king is given honor, respect, loyalty, obedience, and love. All of this ...

4667. Tempter and Tempted

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

Dean Lueking

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are ...

4668. Proper 15

Lk 12:49-56 · Jer 20:7-13; 23:23-29; 38:4-10

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

THE LESSONS Jeremiah 20:7-13 For preaching Yahweh's message of doom, Jeremiah is persecuted but is confident of victory. Jeremiah expresses his inner turmoil as a prophet. True to God's Word, he preaches doom and destruction for the nation at the hands of the Babylonians as God's judgment upon their sins of idolatry and wickedness. For telling the truth of what is coming, he is ridiculed and thrown into stocks; friends wait to catch him in a word of treason. Because he loves his people, he is hurt by their ...

4669. Beginning A Healing Ministry

Sermon

In this chapter I would like to share briefly the reasons why I decided to initiate a healing ministry in my parish, and some of the steps that a pastor might take in initiating public healing services in his or her local church. As pastor of a predominantly older congregation, I became increasingly concerned about the many members who were experiencing physical difficulties, many of which were related to advancing age. Furthermore, I was perplexed by the suffering, frustration and depression that ...

4670. Easter 5

John 14:1-4

Sermon Aid

Liturgical Color: White Gospel: John 14:1-14 Theme: Jesus Christ - The Way, the Truth, and the Life. "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration One pastor began this way: "Welcome to the celebration of Christ's presence and power. If we've come for the right reasons today, welcome; if we've come for the wrong reasons today, welcome. And, now that we're here, how do we plan to use the time - nursing grudges, complaining silently, letting our minds wander, ...

4671. Faith, Love, and Fakers at Ephesus

Acts 18:18-28

Sermon Aid

CSS

Although the early Christians were united in mind and spirit, there are evidences of factionalism and division among them. The chief conflict was between Jew and Gentile. Although the decision reached by the first council at Jerusalem had presumably healed the breach with a compromise acceptable to all, "a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." In Jerusalem, the Hebrew faction continued its efforts to discredit the Gentiles, claiming that they were second-class Christians unless they ...

4672. The Time of Our Visitation

Sermon

Leonard Mann

You know how it was that Jesus of Nazareth began his career as a teacher and public figure in Galilee. You know how John came out of the wilderness and preached to the people who gathered around him on the banks of the Jordan. You know how for many long centuries the Jewish people had looked for the coming of their Messiah. When John appeared, their scholars speculated that perhaps this impassioned wilderness man might, actually be the Expected One. They sent their representatives to inquire of him ...

4673. The Master at Prayer

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

Recently I dropped by one of my favorite restaurants for breakfast. I noticed that my customary waitress was not her usual bubbly self. I asked if everything was okay. She said, "No," and then proceeded to tell me about her family and financial problems. I asked if it would be okay to offer a prayer. She agreed, so I did as she stood there beside me holding a coffee pot. About a month later I was back in the restaurant. She looked absolutely overjoyed. Before I could ask why, she said to me, "Hey, your ...

4674. An Easter Dividend: The Courage To Be and To Do

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

Donald Macleod

In the year 1793 when the French armies were laying siege to the Mediterranean fortress of Toulon, Napoleon built a battery in such an exposed position that the other officers said he would never get a soldier to man it. But Napoleon set up beside it a large sign with these words, "The Battery of Men without Fear." And he was never at a loss for volunteers to man it. Madame Chiang Kai-shek, wife of the one-time Head of State in China, was visiting America some decades ago and was invited to deliver the ...

4675. Proper 17

1 Kings 2:1-12, Mark 7:1-23, Ephesians 6:10-20

Bulletin Aid

Paul A. Laughlin

First Lesson: 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 Theme: Passing the torch of faith Exegetical Note David’s final charge to his son and successor Solomon is poignant, eloquent, and notable in that no mention is made of the inheritance of power, prestige, or wealth that is surely involved. David’s parting concern is to pass along to his son a spiritual inheritance: faithfulness to God and the Law. That is the real source of power and the legacy that David most wishes to leave behind. Call to Worship Leader: Faith in God ...

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