Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4776 to 4800 of 4940 results

4776. The Robe

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Robert Salzgeber

The people's question concerning "How Jesus said that he came down from heaven" was preconditioned by a particular Jewish mind-set of that day. The majority of the Hebrews, during the time of Jesus, believed that the spiritual world emanated from the physical world. Flesh, blood and race projected one's spiritual aura. So it is natural and normal for the people to grumble when Jesus says that he is the living bread that came down from heaven. But Jesus taught that the physical being emanates from the ...

4777. The Godness Of God

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Ex-Senator Sam Ervin tells about a man known as the most ignorant man of Burke County, North Carolina. When he was asked if he knew what county he lived in, he said, "Nope." Did he know the name of his state? "Nope." Then he was asked whether he had ever heard of Jesus Christ. "No," he answered. Finally, in desperation, they asked him if he had ever heard of God. "I believe I have," he replied "Is his last name Damn?" This might be considered a very unusual case, but this is just about all that many know ...

4778. A Good Picture of Bad People

Luke 16:1-15

Sermon

He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be a steward.’ And the steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me ...

4779. Faith-Filled Living

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." The apostles said to the Lord, " ...

4780. Parking Lots and Traffic Jams

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Richard L. Thulin

I don't know how you feel about bumper stickers. We don't happen to have any on our family car, but I must admit that I enjoy looking at them. There seems to be an almost endless variety, more than enough to match any mood or occasion. Some provoke thought or laughter, others advertise, and still others attempt to persuade. I don't need to share my favorites with you. No doubt you have yours just as I have mine. The other day I saw a bumper sticker that I could not remember having seen before. I had ...

4781. We Are Driven!

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and thou hast prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear ...

4782. Pardon for Sin

Romans 5:12-21

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Human nature will go to great lengths to cover up wrong doings and to excuse its mistakes. In Newark, New Jersey, a lady lost a purse containing twenty-five dollars. A week later it came back in the mail with only fifteen dollars, plus a note from the anonymous finder explaining she had once lost a purse with ten dollars in it. The fact that she once was robbed gave justification to rob a portion from the twenty-five dollars. This justification and rationalization of wrongdoing affects us down the line. It ...

4783. Can a Christian Go to Hell?

Matthew 7:15-23

Sermon

John R. Brokhoff

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord", shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 7:21] If as a Christian you land in heaven, will you be surprised? Once a pastor was invited back by his former congregation to speak for an anniversary celebration. A dear old lady came up to him and said, "And, of course, you know about my dear husband, Albert. Since you left, dear Albert died and has gone to heaven." Since he vaguely remembered Albert as one ...

4784. A Dead Man in a Witch’s Cave

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

You will remember that, in God’s dealings with mankind, he chose one particular man, Abraham. Through that man, God intended to raise a special nation, through which he could bring his message of redemption to the whole world. God directed that nation down into the land of Egypt to preserve it during a time of world-wide famine and need. Joseph was our outstanding leader at that point. In the last chapter, God brought his chosen people back across the wilderness to the very edge of the land of promise, and ...

4785. Will Names Never Hurt Us?

Proverbs 10:1-32

Sermon

Edward Chinn

Mrs. Reginald VanGleason decided to give a cocktail party at her mansion for her friends. She called in Nora, her maid of many years, and said to her, "I want you to stand at the door of the drawing room. As my friends arrive, I want you to call the guests’ names." Nora smiled broadly and replied, "Oh, thank you, ma’am, for twenty years I’ve been waiting to call your friends names." "To call a person names" means to abuse that person by calling him derogatory nicknames or insulting titles. A name to us is ...

4786. The Very Nearness Of Holy Week

Sermon

Leonard H. Budd

We were sitting at the side of the road - near where it begins its incline toward the gate to the City. We could see the dust of the road being kicked up into a great cloud off toward Bethany. It was a sure sign that a large group of pilgrims was coming. The dust of the air began to be mingled with the shouts and cries and singing of the people. It was a happy mob that walked by us, and surged toward the arching stone gateway to Jerusalem. They were escorting a young man into our Holy City. He was seated ...

4787. All Is Calm, All Is Bright

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

William G. Carter

What a time for an angel to forget his lines! It was the Christmas Pageant at Gravesend, New Hampshire. The Episcopal Church was packed with worshipers, well wishers, and relatives of the cast. Attendance was up, thanks to a positive preview in the local newspaper. The drama critic had reported, “The quintessential Christmas tale, the luster of which has been dulled by its annual repetition, has been given a new sparkle.” One reason for the excitement was the presence of a small boy named Owen Meany. For ...

4788. At The Potter's House

Jeremiah 18:1--19:15

Sermon

John W. Wurster

(Note: This monologue is from the point of view of an imagined contemporary of Jeremiah.) I was down at the potter’s house yesterday. Have you been recently? I haven’t see you there. In fact, I haven’t see many people there at all recently. Nobody much comes to the potter’s house these days. It’s certainly not how it used to be when the potter’s house was a gathering point for the community. Well, you know how people would come just to watch the potter work with the clay. We would just stand there and ...

4789. The Johnson Account (A Drama about the Holy Spirit)

Drama

Dave Marsh

Director's Notes: You know what's so great about the Holy Spirit? He works so wonderfully in the life of the believer. He prompts, leads, comforts, and convicts (just to name a few!) If we are quiet enough, we can hear the Spirit speak to our spirit. I can't imagine what life would be like without His presence! It's a shame that people that don't know Him can't hear Him. Well, except in this drama, of course :) Cast: Jeff: A businessman. April: A businesswoman. Props: Table Chair Laptop Phone Papers CD or ...

4790. 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 ...

4791. The Ten Commandments #3: God's Name

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

Exodus 20:7 "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name." Or, as the venerable King James has it, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain..." On a bulletin board outside an Episcopal church recently was this message: "You say his name often enough on the highway. Why not try saying it in church? You'll feel much better using the Lord's name in prayer. Worship this Sunday."(1) Interesting. The Reuters news ...

4792. Driven To Serve

Mark 9:33-37

Sermon

King Duncan

I want to turn to the world of business for some of our inspiration today. Someone has described their company like this: It is a beautiful summer day in corporate America. The sales people aren't back from lunch yet. The programmers are playing computer games. The executives are on the golf links. The secretaries are scheduling their weekends. And the Human Resources people are in another all day meeting, asking each other, "What is our Mission?" (1) Obviously such a description does not apply to most ...

4793. Unwrapping Christmas

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Modern technology is making it harder and harder to unwrap Christmas. It has given us shrink wrap, which defies all attempts to tear it. We have fiber strapping that some knives won't cut. And we have adhesives that you can't get off with dynamite. I ran across a poem dealing with this subject, by Mary Elizabeth Counselman, that inspired the title for this sermon. "Hats off to you makers of gadgets galore. Hooray for your shipping and stackage. But why do you make it so hard, more and more, To take all ...

4794. Three Temptations Of The American People

Mark 6:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

"A prophet is not without honor," said Jesus "save in his own country." No wonder! Prophets speak to a people on the part of God. What nation on earth has ever lived up to God's standards? Not us. Not Israel. Not any nation that has ever existed on earth. We need to remember that as we prepare to celebrate our grand national holiday. Our nation has been wonderfully blessed. It seems somewhat impertinent for me to say, "I'm proud to be an American." It was an accident of birth. I had nothing to do with it. ...

4795. Take Time To Pray

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

It is said that one of President Reagan's favorite stories was the one about the minister's son who was taken out camping one day. His companion warned him not to stray too far from the campfire because the woods were full of wild beasts of all kinds. The young boy had every intention, really, of following that advice but inevitably he was drawn by curiosity and wandered farther and farther from the fire. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with a very large and powerful looking bear. He saw no means ...

4796. Beyond Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

There is a silly story out of the Jewish tradition about a rabbi who went on a journey with his servant named Jacob. Their cart was drawn by a lively horse of which the rabbi was very fond. When they came to a roadside inn, the rabbi went in to rest, leaving his horse in Jacob's care. In the meantime, a horse trader passed by and, seeing Jacob, soon made friends with him. He plied him with drink and Jacob soon was so intoxicated it was easy for the horse trader to induce him to sell him the horse for a ...

4797. What Is True And Who Can You Trust?

John 18:28-40

Sermon

King Duncan

(Christ the King) Leo Rosten tells a story about Yuri Smolenski, a Jewish engineer in the former Soviet Union. Yuri had been ordered to move to a minor position in a faraway, frozen Siberian outpost. His parents, in tears, were watching him pack. "I'll write every day," said Yuri. "But the censorship," wailed his mother. "They'll watch every word." Yuri's father said, "I have an idea. Anything you write in black, we'll know is true. But anything you put in red ink, we'll know is nonsense!" A month passed; ...

4798. Heroes

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Not long ago, a company in California opened Tinseltown Studios, a theme park devoted to celebrities and the power of stardom. Tinseltown had an interesting twist: for a measly $45 entrance fee, the guests would get to feel what it's like to be famous. Park employees were paid to fawn over visitors, cheer for them, line up along the streets and gawk at them, pester them for autographs. Paparazzi lurked around every corner, snapping photos of the park visitors. Reporters rushed up and asked for interviews. ...

4799. Building A Life

1 Peter 2:4-12

Sermon

King Duncan

In a park on the beautiful island of Bermuda there is a rock hanging on a rope with a large sign beside it. The sign reads: “Weather Station . . . Check the Rock . . . If it's wet, it's raining . . . If it's moving, it's windy . . . If you can't see it, it's foggy . . . If the rock is gone, it's a hurricane." Today we check the Rock . . . or better yet, to use the language of our text from I Peter, the Stone--the Cornerstone on which our lives are built. We read, “As you come to him, the living Stone-- ...

4800. Dreaming Of Florida--awaking In Alaska

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Near the end of 1981 a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Lewenetz, took a flight from Moscow to the United States to visit his father. When they emerged from their airplane at the end of the trip, they expected to find warm, sunny Florida. Instead, they found themselves in frigid Alaska. The couple did not even realize their mistake, however, until they tried to get a cabdriver to take them to the address of Mr. Lewenetz's father. Later a resident of the town who spoke Russian helped straighten out the problem. An ...

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