Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: Levi, disciple, evangelist, tax collector, the 12, the twelve, apostle, sermon on the mount, jewish audience, beatitudes, lord's prayer, great commission, parables, olivet discourse, mount of olives, olivet, synoptic

Showing 451 to 475 of 612 results

451. The Promise of Sight

Isaiah 60:1-22

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

The Epiphany of our Lord never fails to arouse fascination for the story of the Visit of the Magi. The number, the identification, the homelands, and the occupations of the men from the East are not cited in the biblical account. That has allowed for all kinds of speculation as to who and what the Magi may have been. Some of that has been scholarly, some playful, some artful, some of it educational, and some worshipful. Carlos Menotti relates how fortunate it was for him that he could fall back on the ...

452. Shaping People's Lives Through Forgiveness

Luke 7:36-50

Sermon

Brett Blair

At the University of Notre Dame in 1981 a rather prophetic lecture was given that predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union. The lecturer called Communism “a sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written." A year later the same speaker told the British House of Commons that the march of freedom and democracy "will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history." Years later, in 1988, students at Moscow University sat and listened as this same speaker told them how ...

453. The Bedrock of Faith

Mark 13:1-8 · Luke 21:5-19

Sermon

Brett Blair

Have you ever tried to make a prediction? Here are some predictions from the past. All from people who were trusted individuals: Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, in 1943 said, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Popular Mechanics magazine in 1949 made this prediction: "Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons." There was an inventor by the name of Lee ...

454. The Ten Commandments #7: No Adultery

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

I remember the first time I ever preached on this text. I was more than a little reluctant...not because I was concerned about the sensitivity of the subject, but rather its relevance. You see, I was serving a congregation at that time that was OLD. I mean REALLY OLD - twenty percent of them were over 80! Did they NEED to hear, "You shall not commit adultery?" But I was in the midst of a series on the Ten Commandments, so I could not comfortably skip this one. I mentioned my concern, and the word that came ...

455. Are You the One?

Matthew 11:1-19

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A few years ago in Reader's Digest a lady reported searching for the perfect birthday card for her husband. She came across a promising one. On the outside it read: "Sweetheart, you're the answer to my prayers." Then she turned to the inside, which was inscribed like this: "You're not what I prayed for exactly, but apparently you are the answer."(1) OK. In a strange way, I will bet that something like that was running through John's mind as he sat there in that prison. He and his people had hoped and ...

456. Hang in There!

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

David E. Leininger

What do you think of that story? Not much, I suspect. For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, this might make us wonder what we have done. After all, at first blush, this lesson makes the Lord sound like something of a jerk. My first reaction is to want to "rescue" Jesus, find some way of explaining away this conversation that will put him in a bit more flattering light. The commentators are all over the lot on this one. Some have said that Jesus was just having a bad day - he and the twelve had ...

457. A Soap Opera For Saints

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

King Duncan

Guin Ream Tuckett was asked to teach a junior high Sunday School class. All went well until she reached the lessons on sex. This is not a subject that is easy for adults working with this particular age group to broach. Although Guin worked out a well-balanced, Biblically-based lesson, her kids seemed pretty uninterested. That is, until one kid asked if there were sex stories in the Bible. Guin assured them that there were both good and bad examples of sex represented in the Good Book. Now she had their ...

458. Found Of God

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was an atheist. A man of great wit and intelligence, Asimov was brought up in the Jewish faith but like many modern Jews, maintained some of the trappings of his faith while rejecting its central focus on God. Once on national television, Asimov was asked point blank by TV interviewer David Frost about his views on God. Asimov was reluctant to admit his atheism to a large television audience, so he stalled by saying, "Whose [God]?" Frost would not be put off. He said, "I ...

459. Lord, What A Bountiful God!

John 6:1-15

Sermon

King Duncan

An old prospector came into a saloon in frontier California and ordered a glass of milk with a shot of whiskey in it. While the bartender was fixing his drink, the old prospector wandered over to speak to some of his friends. Before he came back, a man came in wearing a black threadbare coat. He walked up to the bartender and timidly said, "Sir, I'm a poor traveling Methodist circuit rider. I've just made it across the desert. I'm bone dry. Could you let me have that foamy glass of milk I see you've just ...

460. God’s Body Language

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Presbyterian preacher Thomas Hilton tells of watching Billy Graham on television a few years back, when his small daughter Karin came into the living room and looked at the television set and exclaimed, “Dad, what is he so mad about?” To a small child the body language of a person is often more important than the verbal language. She saw the raised arm, heard the loud voice, saw the intense face, and assumed anger. I have an idea that was not the message that Billy was trying to get across, but children ...

461. An Unpopular Profession

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

Matthew was a tax collector. He was probably stationed in Capernaum, an excellent spot for collecting excise from travelers and merchants, on the trade route between Ptolemais and Damascus. Now, tax collectors are not on the list of anyone’s favorite people at best, but in ancient Israel it was even worse. Tax collectors had little or no social standing. Their word was not accepted in a Jewish court of law. Their money was considered tainted and would not be accepted by the synagogue. In fact, in Jesus’ ...

462. Where Is My Guest Room?

Mark 14:12-26

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

In Dostoevski’s masterpiece THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV there is a scene in a courtroom after Dmitri has been sentenced to imprisonment in Siberia. He is so exhausted that he falls asleep on a bench. When he awakens, he finds that someone has placed a pillow under his head. He doesn’t know who has done the kind deed, but he is overjoyed. It is a sign of the goodness of life. He will go to prison, he says, and keep God’s name alive there, because he knows that God is alive in the world. The nameless, anonymous, ...

463. Nightline

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Eric Ritz

The famous United Methodist Bishop of California named Gerald Kennedy once sent a pastoral letter to all the churches and pastors under his care. He told the story of seeing a very poorly dressed woman and her young daughter looking into one of the beautiful department store windows in the downtown area of a large city. In it was the manger scene, but here Mary was dressed as the Queen of Heaven with rich diamonds and other jewels in her dazzling crown. The little girl gazed for a while, and then turned to ...

464. Handling the Harshness of Life

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

She had every reason to be bitter. The circumstances of life had dealt a ton of harshness for her to handle. Though talented, she went unrecognized for years. Prestigious opera circles closed their ranks when she tried to enter. American critics ignored her compelling voice. She was repeatedly rejected for parts for which she easily qualified. It was only after she went to Europe and won the hearts of tough-to-please European audiences that stateside opinion leaders acknowledged her talent. Not only was ...

465. He Came by Night

John 3:1-21

Sermon

David G. Rogne

I came upon Jesus quite by accident. We didn't travel in the same circles, so it was unlikely that we would ever have met socially. I was passing through the marketplace in Jerusalem one day when I heard him speaking to a handful of people who had stopped to listen. "Just another wandering street-preacher," I thought to myself. But as I passed by I heard him talking about the Kingdom of God, and about God himself, in such unsophisticated terms, uncluttered with a lot of theology, that I could see he was ...

466. Replacing a Fallen Comrade

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

King Duncan

A pastor was shaking hands with people as they left the church. A couple greeted him and said, "We listened carefully to every word you said." The pastor thanked the couple and said that he looked forward to seeing them next week. "Oh, we won't be here next week," the couple responded. "We're going to another church next week to get a second opinion." (1) It's not easy being a pastor. It's not easy being the church. The first Christian church had challenges right from its birth. In today's lesson Jesus had ...

467. A Christian Style Of Being And Doing

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

This section of scripture is Paul's instructions about how we are to live together. He first gives us instructions about relationships within the family. Then he talks about the relationship between slave and master and master of slave. Then he moves on to talk about our relationship to what he calls "outsiders". In all of this, Paul is giving us instructions for a Christian way of being and doing -- especially a Christian way of relating to others. Instead of simply "trusting the Lord" -- or using that as ...

468. Don't Mess With Mr. In-between

James 1:1-18

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Harold and Maud is a fascinatingly different, but warmly convincing novel. It's by Colin Higgins, and is the story of two persons who not only affirm each other's existence, but also cherish the mutual meanings they share. A young man in his 20's and an enchanting woman in her 70's become real friends. Maud cares for Harold, not because he is useful or ornamental. He is neither. Not because of anything he does or has, but just because he is himself. Harold is thus better able, when he is with Maud, to ...

469. Dealing With Your Enemies

Luke 6:27-36

Sermon

King Duncan

How do you treat your enemies? This is an ancient question, and it is a question that is still relevant to our world today. A little girl came home from Sunday School and asked her father if she could send a note to Osama Bin Laden. “Why him?” asked her startled father. “Because,” said the little girl, “if Mr. Bin Laden got a nice note from a little American girl, maybe he’d think that we’re not all bad and he might start liking us a little. And then maybe he’d write a note back and come out of his cave ...

470. Peacemaking and Self Control

Matthew 5:21-26

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

The date was June 11, 1963; the place- The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Vivian Malone, a young black woman, enrolled that day as a freshman. Federal troops ensured her entrance, but the doorway was blocked by Governor George Wallace. Holding out for segregation, the governor ultimately failed, and Ms. Malone became the first African-American to graduate from the University of Alabama. Vivian wasn't the only newcomer that day. James Hood was at her side and needed encouragement. So she slipped him a ...

471. Loving Like God Loves

Matthew 5:43-48

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

Paul Stanley is Vice-President of the Navigators, a worldwide para-church ministry to students and the military. In 1967 he was a company commander in Vietnam; it was there that he took a risk and learned the meaning of Jesus’ words: “On one occasion after the enemy had withdrawn, Stanley came upon several soldiers surrounding a wounded Viet Cong. Shot through the lower leg, he was hostile, frightened, helpless. He threw mud and kicked with his one good leg when anyone came near. When Paul joined the ...

472. A Kingdom Investment Policy

Matthew 6:19-24

Sermon

Phil Thrailkill

It is by chance that Damian discovers a huge bag of money near his home. It is just days before British pounds are converted to Euros and the old money is worthless. In the scenes that follow, Damian and his brother spend money as fast as they can, with Damian giving to the poor. Their father eventually discovers their secret, and Damian learns that the money was stolen. This is the moral dilemma and plot of the movie Millions. The thief who lost the money soon figures out that Damian is the finder. They ...

473. Fire Falling from Heaven

Luke 12:49-53

Sermon

R. Robert Cueni

Jesus spends much of the twelfth chapter of Luke reassuring and encouraging his followers in the face of possible catastrophic circumstance. "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more" (v. 4). "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life" (v. 22). "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (v. 32). The same chapter ends on a far less positive note. Rather than encouraging reassurance, Jesus ...

474. God for Dummies

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It's impossible to overestimate people's capacity for stupidity. You can take that truism to the bank. In fact, people are taking that truism to the bank in Brink armored trucks. You don't want to know how many Dummies 101 books I've purchased. My first one was WordPerfect for Dummies. Then there was the Corel WordPerfect for Dummies. Then I coughed up money for the Word 2000 for Dummies while passing up umpteenth other "...for Dummies" books, including Excel 2000 for Dummies, PowerPoint for Dummies, Visio ...

475. Missing the Mark

1 Samuel 8:1-22

Sermon

Charles Allo

I love movies. I love movies because they make me think. No matter what I am going through, I can walk into the theatre and focus on a story other than mine. I see the images and how they paint a story about situations in life. Real situations. Unreal situations. It doesn't matter. For two hours and seven bucks, I get to experience a situation. Just a combination of circumstances; a state of affairs. In which I become lost, engaged in the flashes and personalities that remind me of my world, a world I want ...

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