Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 451 to 475 of 4977 results

451. The Problem of Unanswered Prayer

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are and to tell the truth about ourselves, which changes our prayers. Have you ever noticed, as did Huck Finn, that "You can't pray a lie"? When you pray, listening to God speak to you, you are forced to deal with yourself: no roles to perform; no impressions to keep up; no masks to hide behind. Maybe this is one reason we are so afraid of prayer. For in prayer, we learn to tell the truth about who we are and what our motivations are. We learn to criticize our whole way of being in the world, to lay down ...

452. The Ultimate Soul Food

John 6:24-35

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... contaminate the matzo. Jesus, the Bread of Life, is energized in each one of us by divine yeast by the Spirit of the living God, who sent Christ to be among us, to be for us, to be in us. To benefit fully from this Bread of Life, we must keep our lives, our spirits, "yeasty" vital and ever growing. What can you do to create "yeast" in your soul? Here's one suggestion. Try using "y-e-a-s-t" as an acronym for your spiritual attitude. "Yes." Are you saying "yes" to nourishing possibilities the Bread of Life is ...

453. Close the Loopholes

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... wraps it up. You see, he opened my eyes. I hadn't done the arithmetic. Eighteen hours, sure. Who wouldn't want that? Then I got home and realized, Wait a second! I'm not up 18 hours. When would I use this? The last four hours will actually be keeping me awake. This is not something I need. ... You know why I got this thing, truthfully? Because I wanted one more remote control unit in my life. Can never have too many remote controls, I say. I now have 12 of them lined up on the table. I invite friends ...

454. Stone Testaments

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... you to bow your head in prayer, and for each one of you to revisit your past and find some milestone in your life that hasn't been marked, some memory in your life that hasn't been remembered. Look inside and ask yourself what in your past may be keeping you from becoming the kind of person God has made you to be. Once you've fastened your mind and spirit on this event or person, look up and connect that milestone with some piece of architecture in this church. Let me give you some examples. Maybe you heard ...

455. Heirs of the Promise

Galatians 3:23-29

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... of Abraham and full participants in the promised land of abundant life. It is as heirs to this promise that we must keep faith with Christ. To be justified by faith, not works, requires a faith that is vital, alive and "full of promise." ... of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." And we can keep that promise because the risen Christ added: "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). 3. Promise ...

456. Isaiah 42:1-9

Isaiah 42:1-9

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is" or "See" (Hebrew hen) which introduces verse 1 is emphatic with its positive delight - starkly contrasting this approved servant with the condemnation of the worthless idols also pointed to with a hen in 41:24, 29. This first servant song purposefully keeps obscure the identity of the "servant" with whom God is so pleased. Elsewhere, the Isaiah scroll has no qualms about identifying active emissaries of the Divine - whether that servant be all Israel or a pagan Persian king named Cyrus. In this first ...

457. Weakness into Strength

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

James McCormick

... acknowledge it and then reach out to take hold of the greatness of God! I know that is difficult for some of us. It’s difficult for us to acknowledge our need. We have trouble admitting our weakness even to ourselves. But, hear me, as long as we keep pretending that our weakness is strength, there is nothing even God can do, and we will continue to be weak. What we need is conversion – a willingness to turn around and to go in a new direction. David McLennan tells the story of a tourist driving along a ...

458. John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is found in 14:15, 21 and 23-24. "Loving Jesus" therefore is not simply a reference to an emotional response, but implies some sort of decisive, continued action on the part of the disciples. The disciples must demonstrate that they love Jesus by keeping his commandments in order to remain recipients of Jesus' love. There is both respect and freedom for the disciples' chosen actions implicit in this design. But Jesus next reminds his followers that he too was free to act in obedience or disobedience to his ...

459. Thorns of Grace

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... was the second most influential person who ever lived. Paul, more than anyone else except Christ, fashioned our faith. If anyone deserved to live a charmed life, it was St. Paul. But of course he did not. Here is what he had to say about his experience: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is ...

460. The Paralysis of Analysis – The Fear of Failure

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Sermon

James Merritt

... we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going." (II Corinthians 4:8-9, NLT) Paul fell and Paul failed, but he did not fall to the fear of failure. This is so ... That is the one failure you can never recover from. Did you know that I've met people who have allowed the fear of failure to keep them from having a relationship with God? There are some of you here today, who need to receive Jesus Christ, but you are sitting there ...

461. Workaholics Anonymous

Genesis 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... created the very concept of work and the God who created the very first worker clues us in on how to handle our work life and keep it in balance in Genesis Chapter 2. "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh ... took one day out of the week, blessed it and then even told us what the purpose of this one day is – for rest and refreshment. Keep in mind, the only day in all the Bible that carries with it a blessing is what is known as the Sabbath. Exodus 23:12 ...

462. The Dream Work of Teamwork

Nehemiah 3:1-32

Sermon

James Merritt

Apollo 13 reminds us that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, but it does take a team to have success. If you watched that video carefully you noticed that there were actually three levels of people involved in helping to devise a contraption that would keep the air pure enough for the astronauts to survive until they could get back to earth. B.C. Forbes, the founder of Forbes Magazine, once said, "You spell success T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K." That is truth in every area of life. Show me a successful coach ...

463. Finishing Strong

Nehemiah 9:38--10:39

Sermon

James Merritt

... most critical time in their life and that is - were they going to live in such a way that they would be able to keep what God had given to them? In other words - would they finish strong? Several years ago, Jim Collins wrote a best selling book entitled ... easy for a church, a marriage, a nation, or a business to get into the doldrums and just drift. There is a way we can keep that from happening and we can finish strong by surrendering to the word of God, submitting to the will of God and supporting the work ...

464. Know Fear: The Fear of God

Proverbs 1:7

Sermon

James Merritt

... :12, NLT) Do you want protection from your enemies? "The angel of the Lord stays close around those who fear Him, and he takes them out of trouble. (Psalm 34:7, NLV) Do you want to stay away from temptation and have victory over sin? "The fear of the Lord keeps one away from sin." (Proverbs 16:6, NLV) Do you want to have the best quality of life that you can possibly have on this earth? "The payoff for meekness and Fear - of - God is plenty and honor and a satisfying life." (Proverbs 22:4, MSG) Did you know ...

465. Standing Tall in the Lord

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... name is Jesus. It is true — our adversaries are strong, but we must be stronger. We must use the weapons available to fight the darkness of the world. We must be people of true prayer; it must be nonnegotiable in our life. If prayer is central, we can keep our focus on Christ. We must use the community of faith to assist us as well. The community must make the commitment, as individuals and a collective, to seek out the lost, guide the wayward, and provide support to fight the battles we all face. We must ...

466. Every Day God Equips

John 14:15-27

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , we used an aluminum level. It served a dual purpose. Not only did it make straight lines but it also told us if what we were doing was level or plumb. In our daily lives the Holy Spirit reminds us of all that Jesus said and did. The Holy Spirit keeps us connected to God through Christ so we can live Christ's Commandments and have a Holy Heart. The Holy Spirit is the presence of Christ with us Every Day, because we have an Every Day God who Equips us for ministry. B. There was a college student who spent ...

467. LOST? Finding Forgiveness

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... sins that we don't want ourselves to even know about or remember. And like the roaches in that apartment, the odor and other effects keep creeping back into our lives. And there's only one way to deal with it. We have to open the door and let the Savior ... You'd experience some of it, but you'd miss out on the best parts. Not unlocking the door, not opening our hearts to Christ keeps the compass out of whack, too. You see, all that garbage in our lives weighs us down. The stink and the corruption leak over into ...

468. Unstoppable Determination

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... soon be too scared to come near the feeder. So, for the next two weeks he declared war on the squirrels. Bill isn’t a mean guy and wouldn’t do anything to hurt the squirrels, but he was willing to use any peaceful means necessary to keep them out of his bird feeder. He tried greasing the post the bird feeder was on, but that didn’t work. Stumped, Bill visited his local hardware store and bought a “squirrel‑proof bird feeder,” an odd‑looking feeder with wire mesh wrapped around it. The label ...

469. The Wedding Was Saved, but the Marriage?

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table. The third man had married a [your denomination] woman. He told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn’t see anything, the second day he didn’t see anything, but by the third day some of the swelling had gone down and he ...

470. In the Lions' Den (Dealing with Stress)

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... It is a symbol for the conflicts in life. “They threw him to the lions,” we say of those who cruelly thrust an innocent, unsuspecting person into the most difficult of all situations. “The Lions’ Den” is the place where our testing comes, where we struggle to keep our integrity; where we wage the fiery battle with ourselves as well as with others and/or forces outside ourselves. It may be the arena where we fight for our very life. It is an expansive image, but I want to use it in a forward way ...

471. The Harvest of the Spirit, Part 2

Galatians 5:16-26

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... stayed on Him, When I discover what priority has replaced Christ as the priority in my life, then through prayer and recommitment, I recover peace. So, that’s the first way to cultivate the certainty of God’s presence, and thus receive the by—product of peace — keeping our mind stayed on Him. The second way is obedience. As with joy, the Christian’s peace is the companion if knowing and doing the will of God. “We cannot be at peace, nor can we know joy, if we’ve been given marching orders in a ...

472. The Road of Peace

Isaiah 9:2-7

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... 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 innocent civilians are dying in Iraq. And some mother simply wants to keep the peace when the family gathers for Christmas. Will there be any bells this Christmas day that sound the note of lasting peace? I. IF WE WANT PEACE, WE MUST MOVE FROM THE HOUSE DIVIDED TO THE SELF UNITED. Peace is an inside job. The war zones ...

473. The Prayer Life of Highly Effective Christians

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... and have children and lead a close-to-normal life. (4) James had his prayers answered. Not according to his timetable. Not in exactly the way he would have chosen. But, in retrospect, he has no doubt that God heard his prayers and God answered. The message is: keep praying and keep trusting. Life can be very cruel, but we have an Ally, a Friend, who never forgets us nor forsakes us. Do not hesitate to pound on heaven’s door. But do not lose hope, even if things do not turn out as you had hoped. God has ...

474. Personal Politics

Matthew 18:15-20

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

... . It was General Philip Sheridan who gave us the striking reflection in 1869 that "The only good Indian is a dead Indian." Post 9/11 there were many voices that seemed to echo his advice in the new and painful context. But Jesus demands that we keep our hurting relationship and all its parties personal. "If your brother sins against you go and show him his fault, just between the two of you" (Matthew 18:15 NIV). This instruction strips me of my most destructive weapons and forces me to rehumanize the very ...

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

Ephesians 5:15-20

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Is Not booby Trapped, But . . ." a life of faith is filled with all kinds of pitfalls. There is some preparedness training that we can take to make sure. Let's look at how to live carefully. Paul says we should: Be Prepared, Read the Manual, Stay Connected, Keep Your Focus, and Live Gratefully. I. Be Prepared The first thing Paul tells us is to BE PREPARED. In verses 15 & 16 Paul says, "Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil ...

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