Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4751 to 4775 of 4884 results

Mark 5:21-43

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... grandmother was flabbergasted to think that the young Lieutenant would have the gall to kiss her grand-daughter, but she was proud of her grand- daughter for slapping him for doing it. The Lieutenant sat there trying to hold back his laughter, because he found the perfect opportunity to kiss an attractive young girl and slap his superior officer all at the same time! As most of you know, sometimes it's all in how you look at something that gives it its meaning. That's partly what this passage is all about ...

4752. For The Love Of God Is Biblical

2 Timothy 3:14-17

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... books - for Christians it's the Bible. I don't think that you can be a Christian without believing in the Bible. The Bible is our Book, our Story. 3. RELEVANT FOR TODAY: Some critics say not relevant for today. The story of the landing of the Ark is a perfect description of what you can expect at Cooper and I-20 any Friday night and any night before Christmas. It took Noah 40 days to find a place to park. The Bible is very relevant for today. Listen to what James says about gossip and the tongue in his ...

4753. Righteous Woman

Genesis 38:1-27

Sermon

Will Willimon

... reasons, our treatment of it may be brief." (1) Then Brueggeman adds, ''The major problem in dealing with this chapter is that even close study does not make clear its intent." To which I say, ''Good, then I don't have to study it closely. Perfect text for a sermon." Into the wonderfully instructive, edifying narrative of Joseph is introduced this marvelously uninstructive story of a woman named Tamar who dupes her father-in-law, Judah, into having sex with her. I'm aware that there are many young people ...

4754. Going Into Labor

Mark 13:1-8

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... water. It was all seen live on local television! Afterward there were recriminations and finger pointing. Who knew what and when? The dam’s designer, for instance, who had also designed another dam that had failed, was adamant that his design was perfect, and that the fault lines meant nothing, when he pushed the project through. Afterward, his was a minority opinion. What may be most important to remember, however, is that although hundreds of homes were destroyed in the merciless inundation of water ...

4755. In the Wilderness of Temptation

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... the Certificate I put together for F-4, about "The Name Of Your Choice used in a sermon 10 times" and since Wednesday is Marcus' birthday his father and I thought it appropriate to use this day. Of course the point of the illustration is that none of us are perfect. It really is as Scripture says in Romans 3:23, "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All that is, except one, Jesus the Son of God. I. JESUS WAS TEMPTED: A. Jesus never sinned but that doesn't mean he wasn't tempted. That's ...

4756. When Good People Pray

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon

King Duncan

... lost. On one particular day, two miners did lose their way out of the mine. Their lights finally went out, and they were in danger of losing their lives. After wandering around in the darkness for a long time, they sat down, and one of them said: “Let us sit perfectly still and see if we can feel the way in which the air is moving because it always moves toward the shaft.” There they sat for a long time, when suddenly one of them felt a slight touch of air on his cheek. Up he sprang to his feet ...

4757. The Wedding Planner's Worst Nightmare

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... kindergarten teachers, perhaps? They’d belong on that list, right? What about wedding planners? Surely not, you say, but think about it. Wedding planners juggle hundreds of tiny details while also managing the emotions of the wedding party. Their job is to create the perfect day for the bride and groom. That’s a huge responsibility! When issues arise at the last minute, the wedding planner has to do whatever it takes to redeem the situation. For example, the DJ doesn’t show up for the reception. What ...

4758. The Richest Family in Church

Luke 4:14-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... for his listeners in the synagogue, Jesus simply ended his reading of the scripture with these words: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” I guarantee you that nobody was expecting that! If there were microphones in Jesus’ day, this would be the perfect moment for a “mic drop!” Because Jesus, a local boy, a carpenter from a family of modest means, had just announced that he was the Messiah sent from God. How’s that for something to talk about over Sabbath lunch? The nation of ...

4759. Grace Under Pressure

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... : Simon & Schuster, 1997), pp. 5-6. 4. “I’m not the strongest. I’m not the fastest. But I’m really good at suffering.” by Polina Marinova Pompliano The Profile, April 6, 2021. 5. Rodney Buchanan, https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-perfect-storm-rodney-buchanan-sermon-on-doubt-84026?page=2&wc=800. 6. Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), p. 70. 7. “San Francisco Giants outfielder Drew Robinson's remarkable second act” by Jeff Passan, ESPN ...

4760. Don't Miss Jesus

Luke 2:41-51

Sermon

Derl G. Keefer

... easy for us to hide from it or to fret over it or be in a constant state of fear. Only God can bring a peaceful, calm, and clear view when everything around us is swirling out of control. The prophet Isaiah stated it precisely, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). The New Testament writer, John, quoted Jesus when he said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart ...

4761. “Until An Opportune Time…”

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... three basic ways to respond to temptation. The first is to simply give in to it all in an obfuscating dust-cloud of weak-kneed justification. The language that accompanies this is familiar to us all. “Well, everyone does it….” Or “I’m far from perfect.” Or one I heard just the other day, which goes something like this. “Oh, if I don’t do it, someone else will step right in and do it themselves. What difference does it make, anyway?” Succumbing to temptation is epidemic in our world. Think ...

4762. One More Year

Luke 13:1-9

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... showed up at the appointed hour and was made to wait for another forty minutes just to be certain we knew who was in charge here. Then I was ushered into the dean’s office. She was busy reading my file with a terse look on her face that was perfectly accented by reading glasses that sat just a little too far down on her nose. She arched her eyebrows and looked up at me. “Well, we have been enjoying our first semester at school, haven’t we?” The use of the word “we” was confusing. I had not seen ...

4763. Hold the Candy

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Mary Austin

... a break-up? Do you hate the sugar and sweetness that forgets that every real relationship has difficulties as well as joys? If aliens were to arrive on our planet, they might reasonably guess that the word love applied only to shiny, happy, in-shape, perfect couples, or celebrities getting together. But all of you know that love comes in many shapes and forms…the grown-up son or daughter taking care of a parent through a long illness…the parent who fights every day for the child with special needs ...

4764. Temptation

Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Will Willimon

... Harper's Lewis Lapham asks why nobody told us that ''death admits no known cures, or that there isn't enough money in the world, let alone the United States, to guarantee every man, woman, and child in America the unalienable right to long life, perfect eyesight, and freedom from suffering?'' [1]. Lapham reminds us that ''we now spend more money on health than we spend on any other service or commodity in the inventory of human happiness -- more than we spend on cosmetics, or cocaine, or weapons... and for ...

4765. Beware! Angels

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Will Willimon

... 's books are a prime example. She focuses firmly on what angelic beings can do for us. Angels, she tells us, always bring 'a calm and peaceful serenity that descends sweetly over you. Their message is always Don't worry....Things are working out perfectly. You're going to like this.' Angels are the agents of a benign, anthropocentric order, like divine genies. Their mission is to give us what we want. Similarly, the meditations in Terry Lynn Taylor and Mary Beth Crain's Angel Wisdom (Harper-San Francisco ...

4766. When the Doors Were Shut

John 20:19-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... rumors. At least it always seems that way. Whenever there is conflict between rival groups, rumors fly. Fear seems to escalate. Reason is suspended. There is much fear in our society, even today. That fear is often fed by rumor. Of course, we have perfected the rumor mill in our time. We have the news media to thank for this unparalleled access to misinformation. Even worse, we have social media which feeds us a steady stream of hateful misinformation. If the disciples had taken to heart the rumors that ...

4767. God's Bouncer or God's Ambassador?

Acts 11:1-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... s hair was acceptable. A hair longer, no pun intended, and he was headed toward hell. Some of you remember those absurd days just a few years ago when people would fight over the length of a man’s hair. This man obviously felt he had the perfect length of hair ordained by God. Holy hair. And any man who dared to let his hair grow longer was destined for Satan’s domain. Can anyone read the teachings of Jesus Christ and really believe such nonsense? Sometimes rules keep us from descending into chaos, but ...

4768. When What You Signed Up For...

Acts 16:9-15

Sermon

King Duncan

... what that kind of trust might look like. Roger’s lifelong dream was to be a police officer. When he graduated from college, he joined the Kalamazoo, Michigan Police Department. Roger says he loved everything about being a police officer. The job was a perfect fit for his personality, passions and skill set. He was promoted quickly through the ranks. Fourteen years passed in which Roger thrived on the police force. Then one day while he was studying his Bible, Roger heard God tell him, “Roger, I want you ...

4769. Get Your Third-Class Tickets Here!

Acts 1:6-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... their homes and travel to the corners of the world proclaiming the gospel message. They were to look outward. Dr. Harry Ironside used to tell a story about a group of dissidents who left a church to begin what they hoped would be the “perfect church.” The new congregation considered themselves to be such a spiritual blessing to God that they put a sign outside their church: “JESUS ONLY!” The church didn’t reach out to their community, however; they only ministered to themselves. One day when Dr ...

4770. Outrageous Parties

Luke 15:1-10

Sermon

Will Willimon

... . In fact, I don't think I know any preachers.'' When the team returned, I had breakfast with one of the members of the team. She was bubbling over with enthusiasm about how well things went in Honduras. ''George was wonderful," she said. "He was a perfect leader. Not only did he make sure that we were well-prepared, but was a wonderful leader in Honduras. When things got very difficult, George always had the right word of encouragement, the funniest thing to be said. We helped the village finish the school ...

4771. Radical Love is Godly (Series: Radical Love in a Risky World)

Luke 3:21-23 · 1 John 4:7-8

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... his congregation a brood of vipers, hardly a statement that warrants a raise in salary. He urges people to repent. Then Jesus comes, and asks to be baptized by John. Do you get it? Do you catch it? The Greater submits himself to the lesser. The Perfect one identifies with the flawed ones. The Savior takes his place among the sinners. Christ our Lord stands beside us and among us. Don’t miss it. It’s powerful. It’s the core of the Christian gospel. Stories abound about people trying to wedge their ...

4772. Finding Your Place

Romans 12:1-12

Sermon

Will Willimon

... world wanting to fit in, desperately desiring approval. Particularly when teachers are grading you, parents are pushing you, employers are hiring you, and everyone is measuring, evaluating, sizing us up. Conformity is a powerful human motivation, as Becker notes, a perfectly natural, utterly understandable phenomenon. Utterly unnatural is the courage to be who we are. Such courage comes, not from a positive self-image, heroic attempts at self-affirmation, realization of human potential, or I'm O.K., You're ...

4773. Greater Works Than These?

John 14:8-17

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

... Spirit-filled call is that our faith could actually heal the world! Imagine if the membership of this congregation made the commitment to come together in living out our faith in acts of self-giving love? What if we ceased worshiping an allegedly perfect Jesus and instead decided to walk with him as we practice the Christian way? What if we stopped defining our commitment and engagement in Christian community by how well we are satisfied, and instead poured ourselves out for the world in self-giving love ...

4774. Show Us the Father

John 14:8-17, 25-27

Sermon

Dave Zuchelli

... . Years ago, a very young cousin of mine made an astounding (and to us, a humorous) observation. The family had just installed a swimming pool in their backyard. In a very serious tone he announced, “Now if we just had a TV satellite dish, we’d be the perfect family.” Yes, that was all they needed. Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure. He was only hours away from his passion and death. He had poured his life into them for the past three and a half years. He had announced to them he was ...

4775. Greater Works Than These?

John 14:8-17

Sermon

Schuyler Rhodes

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