Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 451 to 475 of 4490 results

451. Am I In Shape Spiritually? (Series: Real Faith for Real People)

1 Timothy 4:1-16

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Consult any physician, ask any health guru, read any article in a newspaper or magazine, and all will agree - the best thing we can do for our physical health is exercise. We may not be able to run a marathon or lift weights like a football lineman, but it will do us a world of good to simply take a walk. Here in his letter to his young friend Timothy, Paul, too, notes the value of physical exercise, then quickly instructs Timothy to get in shape spiritually as well. “Train yourself in godliness, for while ...

452. Follow Your Mentors (Series: An Invitation to Christian Discipleship)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The famous preacher and poet, John Donne said nearly 500 years ago, “No man is an island; no man stands alone. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. Any man’s death diminishes me.” When God Almighty created the world and everything that is in it, he failed to get it just right the first time around. He who made the beasts of the field and the birds of the air discovered Adam lacked a suitable helper. The Lord God said to himself, “It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helper ...

453. Reviewing Our Hungers (Series: Questioning Our Values)

Luke 6:17-26

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

There is an old parable about a seeker who sought out a mentor for spiritual advice. The mentor welcomed the seeker and proceeded to pour the visitor a cup of coffee. When the cup overflowed, the mentor kept pouring. When the saucer spilled over, the mentor kept pouring. When the hot drink started stinging the seekers fingers, he complained loudly, “What are you doing?” The mentor calmly replied, “Teaching you a lesson. You come to me seeking spiritual fulfillment, but you are already full. There is simply ...

454. Led To Follow

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 three wise men had been three wise women. After all, had women been in charge they would have 1) asked for directions, 2) gotten to the manger on time, 3) assisted with the birth, 4) cleaned up the place, and 5) made a casserole for the Holy Family. Of course, the author of that analogy evidently failed to read the story as recorded in the Bible. Matthew writes: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea ...

455. War and the Prince of Peace

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The year was 1862. The Civil War was raging. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was grieving the death of his second wife when news came that his son had been gravely wounded in the war. That was when Longfellow sat down and wrote this poem: I heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old familiar carols play And wild and sweet the words repeat, of peace on earth good will to all And in despair I bowed my head, there is no peace on earth I said For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth good will to all ...

456. Touching Hearts and Transforming Lives

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

At the tender age of eleven, my father and his three siblings were orphaned. His father died in the cold of winter. His mother fled for fear. The four children were left to fend for themselves. In a real drama of Survivor, my father set out the following spring to find work on farms as a hired hand. For 87 years now, he has dug out a living by the sweat of his brow. A few weeks ago, I sat by his hospital bed, holding his hand as he awakened from surgery. My father's hands are huge. If he ever gets you in ...

457. Unusual Joy

Psalm 126:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In a Dr. Seuss Christmas story, the small-hearted Grinch steals food and toys from all the Who's of Whosville in an effort to curb their Christmas joy. Yet on Christmas morn, the tall and the small sang without any presents at all. And the Grinch with his grinch-feet, ice cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags! And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of ...

458. Building Boats That Float

Genesis 6:1

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

According to an e-mail making the rounds these days, everything you need to know about life you can learn from Noah. Among his most important lessons are these: 1) Don’t miss the boat. 2) We are all in the same boat. 3) In troubled times, travel in pairs. 4) When you are stressed out, float awhile. 5) Remember, the ark was built by amateurs and the Titanic by professionals. No character in the Bible gets more present-day attention than Noah. This great-grandson of Enoch and grandson of Methuselah, has ...

459. Embracing an Endless Line of Servants

1 Corinthians 3:5-23

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

All the world’s a stage and all men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts, said William Shakespeare. The Apostle Paul put it this way: I planted a seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. On this All Saints Sunday, let us consider this stage of life where many have played their parts upon our lives and have made a dramatic difference. What I want to say to you is really contained in two simple statements. We are recipients; we ...

460. A Very Present Help

Psalm 46:1-11

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Sometimes in our lives we all have pain, we all have sorrow. But if we are wise, we know that there is always tomorrow.” [Taken from the song, Lean On Me.] To think that in one short week, we have witnessed persons leaping from burning buildings, spouses calling to loved ones from hijacked airplanes, thousands of Americans entombed in an inferno, and the United States of America attacked in the first war of the 21st century well, it is more than our civilized souls can bear. We will not soon forget, nor ...

461. The Power to Resist Temptation

I Corinthians 10:13-17

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A minister parked his car in a No Parking Zone and left this note on the windshield: “I've circled the block ten times and cannot find a parking place. If I do not park here, I will miss my appointment. ‘Forgive us our trespasses.'" When the minister returned there was a ticket on his windshield along with this note: “I've been circling this block for ten years. If I don't give you a ticket, I will lose my job. ‘Lead us not into temptation.'" In the Lord's Prayer, we pray for provision—Give us this day our ...

462. The Kingdom for Which We Long

Matthew 13:31-35, Matthew 13:44-46, Matthew 13:47-52

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

We’ve a story to tell to the nations, That shall set their hearts to the right. A story of truth and mercy, A story of peace and light. For the darkness shall turn to dawning, And dawning to noonday bright. And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth, A kingdom of love and light. Do you believe that? We come to the second petition in the Lord’s Prayer this morning and it may take the greatest faith and the greatest imagination of all that we are taught to pray. So we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be ...

463. The Forgiveness Which Oils the Human Machine

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

A Gallop poll asked Americans what they try to do when wronged. Forty-eight percent said they try to forgive. Eight percent said they try to get even. In our minds, at least, forgiveness wins over revenge six to one. Forgiveness, what a great idea. Forgiveness is the oil that lubricates the human machine. Without it, all of life becomes hot and screaky. Lewis Smedes says, “God invented forgiveness as a remedy to the past that even He could not change.” Jesus said when you pray learn to say, “Forgive us our ...

464. The Church As Family

Matthew 12:46-50

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

When God made you and God made me, He made us a part of a family. He gave us grandmas and grandpas, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles and lots of others. For when God made you and God made me, He made us a part of a family. When Jesus spoke of family, he extended it far beyond blood lines and DNA. He called the entire Christian Community a family, the family of God. I want to use that metaphor to call us to communion today. The Church is the family of God. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven ...

465. The Power of a Single Life

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

My particular profession causes me to spend a lot of time in the cemetery. The messages on tombstones, especially in older cemeteries, never cease to fascinate me. Some are funny: “Here lies my wife, here let her lie, now she’s at peace and so am I.” Some are sad: “Here lies the body of a man who died; nobody mourned, nobody cried, how he lived, how he fared, nobody knows, nobody cared.” Some are tender: “Gracie Allen and George Burns Together Again.” Some are instructive: “My dear friends, as you pass by ...

466. The Road of Joy

Philippians 4:4-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Browse through any local book store and you will be bombarded with books on joy. Joy of Cooking, Joy of Sex, Joy of Not Working, The Complete Joy of Home Brewing –just to name a few. Our Advent word for consideration today is JOY. The Bible is full of joyful sayings: “The joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10) “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10) “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4) A nervous pastor conducting his first Christmas Eve Candle ...

467. The Road of Peace

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

The word on our Advent Wreath today is PEACE. About 2,700 years ago, the Hebrew Prophet Isaiah caught a vision of a child to be born who would be called the Prince of Peace. This leader from the lineage of David would rule the world and there would be no limits to the peace he would bring. Cynics among us are saying why cry peace, when there has been no peace in the history of human kind? The militants remind us that even Jesus said, “I came not to bring peace but a sword." Meanwhile, American soldiers and ...

468. What Can Christians Learn from Buddhists?

Romans 8:18, 28

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Scott Peck opens his book The Road Less Traveled with these words: “Life is difficult." Indeed it is. It is a way to handle life's difficulties which is the essence of Buddhism, the world religion we want to consider today. Buddhists are challenged to wake up to the pains of life and become enlightened in how to deal with it, a worthy mission for any person. Let me tell you a little bit about Siddhartha Gautama, the sixth century monk who became Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha was born in 563 B ...

469. What Can Christians Learn from Muslims?

Genesis 21:1-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Asadullah Nawabi was six-years-old when the Soviet Union invaded his home country of Afghanistan. Asad and his family escaped to the mountains in fear. They wandered there until they finally found a refugee camp where they lived for two years. Meanwhile, the Council of Churches in Crestwood, KY was trying to do its part in refugee resettlement. That's how Asad, along with his mother and father and brothers and sisters, wound up in that little Kentucky town. I was the pastor of the Methodist church. Sandy ...

470. From Laziness to Passion

Psalm 51:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace, which I did not read in preparation for this sermon, the main character, Pierre, is forced to face himself and make an honest analysis of his life. What he concludes is something I hear often from reluctant confessors. "Yes, Lord, I have sinned, but I have several excellent excuses." I plan to focus our attention this Lenten Season to something the Church calls "The Seven Deadly Sins" - Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust. Even a casual listener will ...

471. By Believing

1 Peter 1:13-21

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

While researching the sermon for today, I ran across a web site entitled, “I Used to Believe." Among its entries were these: 1. I used to believe that God was always watching me so I danced around when I brushed my teeth so God would not get bored. 2. I used to believe that God lived in the church, and the reason bad things happened was that God woke up grumpy from sleeping on the hard pews. 3. I used to believe that Communion was served during church because the service was so long that everyone needed a ...

472. By Enduring

1 Peter 2:19-25

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Sometimes in our lives we have great pain and deep sorrow. Life is hard. It is hard by the yard and it is no cinch by the inch. Suffering is not an option in the school of life. Last Friday night, Larry King assembled a panel of preachers and New Age proponents to discuss the nature of good and evil. It was an interesting discussion. But when you are down in the trenches, doubled over with some pain that won't go away, you are not very interested in a discussion. What you would like is some relief. And if ...

473. Be Silent

Luke 1:11-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Old Zechariah hit the jackpot. He won the lottery. His one in 20,000 chance paid off. He got a once in a lifetime opportunity to enter the Holy of Holies where God is so real you can touch, feel, and taste him. He gets the privilege to celebrate that high priestly function. There, while burning incense to kill the smell of sin, Old Zechariah slipped in another prayer—a prayer of the heart, the hunger of the soul—a haunting question of a lifetime. He'd prayed it thousands of times before. It was the prayer ...

474. Come and See

Luke 2:1-20

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

“Our hearts are forever restless until they find their rest in God." A brilliant, articulate university professor made that statement more than 1,600 years ago. In September of this year, a cover story in Newsweek magazine on “Spirituality in America" came to this conclusion. “There is a hunger in the human heart for a transcendent experience of God." It's Christmas Eve. The bars are closed; churches are open. Whether or not it is clear to you, you have found your way to church because you are spiritually ...

475. Valuing Life Without Playing God

John 10:10-15

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

God likes life, He invented it. It is to the full-flowing, free life that He invites us. I have lived my life by that simple motto. Jesus put it even better in John 10:10 which is the text I want to linger on today. “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly," or to the full, to the maximum. In our quest for Christian values, we must do some serious thinking about this thing called life. Who gives it? What's it worth? Who has the right to end it? Those are some of the questions I would ...

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