Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4801 to 4825 of 4884 results

Matthew 4:12-23

Sermon

John Jamison

... wanted to make sure his message would live long after he was finished. That was going to take followers. Galilee not only had lots of potential followers, but it was also a place the religious leaders from Jerusalem did not like to go. Galilee would be the perfect place to avoid too early of a confrontation, and a place to find his disciples. He withdrew to Galilee. That gives me one other thought before we stop. We’ve only been imagining some things here, but I wonder if it might remind us of something ...

4802. Dealing With Difficult People

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... dysfunctional behavior in the church. Take a look: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV). We can only imagine the situation within the Corinthian church that had prompted those words from Paul. But we can be sure it involved some difficult people! I can appreciate Paul’s efforts in calling the ...

4803. Smombies

Romans 5:12-19

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... disobedience that sin came into the world. It is a sin that you and I live in today. It is the sin of disobedience that you and I still practice today. Act two puts Jesus on the stage before us and his obedience. It was because Jesus was perfectly obedient to God, and therefore without sin, that Jesus becomes our redeemer. Paul considered Adam and Jesus to be more than individuals, but corporate entities. In Adam, all of us have sinned. But in Christ, all of us can be saved. The decision is placed before us ...

4804. Invictus

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... by an umpire. Unimpressed with an umpire’s calls, Taylor walked over to the official, stuck out his chin, and mouthed words that could not be misinterpreted. But what is important about Taylor’s life is how he over- came his handicap. He is credited with perfecting signing between the pitcher and the catcher, so the man behind the plate could communicate with the man on the mound. As we see catchers signing to pitchers today, it goes back to 1900 and Dummy Taylor. But Taylor was not dumb. When he was ...

4805. Bible Wagon

Ephesians 5:8-14

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... of others, love, purity, wisdom, and joy. As we are a part of a church family, the Body of Christ, we know the blessings of being surrounded by children of the light. Those of us sitting in the pews of this sanctuary are good people, maybe not perfect, but good people nonetheless, who are a blessing to others and this community. Paul wrote you “are” the light. That needs to be repeated. You are, the word is are, you are the light of the world. You and I, baptized Christians, are the light that shines ...

4806. The Sawdust Trail

Colossians 3:1-4

Sermon

Dr. Ronald Love

... minds on those things which are above. Paul lists these as: “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another… And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” The theological bases of our lectionary lesson this morning is that we have died with Christ, and now we have risen with Christ. It would be very appropriate to quote Paul from Galatians when he writes, “I have been crucified ...

4807. When Darkness Covered the Land

Matthew 27:11-54

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... to offer himself as a sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary. Too many lives were at stake. Indeed, the spiritual life of every person who ever lived was at stake. Indeed, your life and mine. Jesus’ life was not taken from him. He offered himself as the perfect and final sacrifice. At the moment of Jesus’ death, we read these words in verse 51: “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom . . .” In their book Being Still with God, authors Henry and Richard Blackaby write ...

4808. The Challenge Of Simplicity

Matthew 5:1-12

Sermon

John Jamison

... the old laws, they the exact opposite of righteous. Righteousness means justice. Jesus was saying that you can create as many laws as you want, but if they are not founded in justice for everyone, you can never be considered to be righteous. The Pharisees were the perfect example of what it meant to be people of faith. I’m betting Jesus was looking right at them as he told the group that if they wanted to follow him, they needed to be the exact opposite. The Pharisee almost choked on his scone. Blessed ...

4809. When You’re Out Of Tune

1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Sermon

Charley Reeb

... folks who think they are the only insiders (Matthew 23). The closer we follow Jesus, the more accepting and loving we are to all people. We must hope for the best for them because God claims them too. Christ died for them too. And, as the Bible makes perfectly clear, there are surprises at the judgment. In Matthew 25, it is those who feed the hungry and clothed the naked that are saved. In Romans 11, Paul makes it clear that all Israel will be saved. If Christ died for them, if there is hope for them ...

4810. People of the Rolled Stone

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... that the stone wasn't rolled aside so that Jesus could get out. The stone was rolled aside so that folks could look in and see that the tomb is empty and that Jesus WAS raised from the dead. B. I'll be honest, I think this weekend is the perfect weekend for Easter. What better day to celebrate Good Friday than April 1st, April Fools Day. For me, Easter is God's great April Fool's joke on sin and death. And they fell for it, lock stock and barrel. Easter is the punchline to God's eternal life anecdote ...

4811. The Well

John 4:5-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... Creator Himself, which will literally sate the souls of every worshiper and bless them with eternal life. Not some of them, not only those in Jerusalem, not just those who are men, not just those who say or do the right things or have led a perfect life –but every one that Jesus touches, every one who believes in him, because HE IS MESSIAH! What an amazing Lenten message! And it’s still Jesus’ message for us today! We can let go of trying to define worship, organize worship, determine worship in the ...

4812. The Flow

John 7:37-39 · 1 Corinthians 12:3-13 · Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... kinds of spiritual “awakenings” that some have had, the spiritual experiences of euphoria that some have experienced, the communion with God that many have experienced, these all contain an element of “flow.” For a brief period, time melts away, and you are perfectly attuned to a moment in which you feel connected, elated, touched in a way that heightens your reactions and senses and gives you a sense of joy, peace, energy, and motivation. Some would say, this is our reaction when we are touched by ...

4813. The Cost of Commitment

Genesis 22:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... ram instead. The Lord had provided, and the beloved son Isaac would live. But what if they could have seen the actual ending to the story? What if they could have seen how the Lord would provide His one and only Son, the Son whom He loved, as the perfect, once-for-all-time sacrifice to defeat the power of sin and death and restore us to eternal life with Him? When we look at the cross, we have indisputable proof that God is good and that God is working out His eternal purposes through our commitment to Him ...

4814. When You Are Weary

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... and relief that come from relying on Jesus’ strength in Second Corinthians 12. Paul has been struggling with some kind of burden that is so overwhelming he begs Jesus to take it away. But Jesus answers him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul goes on to say that he will boast about his weaknesses so that Christ’s power would rest on him for “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12: 9-10, NIV). We rarely appreciate the incredible gift Jesus is ...

4815. What Heaven Will Be Like

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... based on God’s good plans for us, and a promise based on God’s steadfast faithfulness to us. And the kingdom of heaven is the culmination of this vision and promise, an age when all powers and all people are living in perfect alignment with, in faithful obedience to, God’s character and purposes. No wonder it was Jesus’ favorite subject. He gave his life to guarantee our salvation and our citizenship in God’s kingdom. In 2020, Frederick Miller bought a large and beautiful historic plantation ...

4816. Afraid at the Thank God Ledge

1 Kings 3:5-12

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... heart to listen to God, to rely on God’s guidance instead of his own resources. Solomon is asking for a second chance to walk with God, to see life through God’s eyes, to rely on God’s power instead of his own. (3) If we had the perfect ability to listen to God and to see life through God’s eyes, wouldn’t it eliminate all kinds of confusion and anxiety and stress? Wouldn’t we find meaning and joy in using our skills and opportunities to glorify God? Finally, Solomon’s story reminds us that our ...

4817. When Everything That Matters Has Been Torn Away

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... captain assured Peale that he didn’t need to see where he was going to get them to New York safely. He trusted the instruments on his instrument panel to keep him flying on course. In spite of thick fog and limited visibility, the pilot made a perfect landing at the New York airport. When Rev. Peale complimented the pilot on his skill, the man replied that “the primary thing it took was faith.” He said, “. . . when I’m flying in an overcast, I have to have faith in these instruments. I know they ...

4818. The Gift of Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

King Duncan & Angela Akers

... what life is all about. Author Jamie Quatro tells about a gift she received from her father for her 16th birthday. It was a refurbished ’69 Chevy Malibu convertible. It was cherry red with chrome accents and a V8 engine. It was a true classic, the perfect car for Jamie and her best friend Hannah to go cruising around their hometown of Tucson, Arizona with the top down. Jamie’s friend Hannah was a very attractive young lady. She was a year younger than Jamie and she had stunning good looks. Though she ...

4819. Seeds

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon

William G. Carter

... challenging in a sermon or a Bible study, they evaporate. Nothing grows. They are only around for the excitement, not the growth. It’s easy to call that shallow soil. Or consider the people who move into town, buy the big house, have 2.3 perfect children, and drive the big car. They come to First Presbyterian Church, because it would never occur to them to go to Last Presbyterian Church. The music is stunning, the building is well- kept, the preacher went to an important seminary, and most of the ...

4820. The Pearls of Hapsberg

Illustration

Maxie Dunnam

The most famous collection of pearls in the world is the renowned “Pearls of Hapsberg.” They’re perfect in symmetry and highly lustrous. The pearls have been on display in Vienna, Paris, London, and New York from time to time. A while ago someone noticed the pearls were appearing dull, losing their luster and sheen. All sorts of authorities began to work on efforts to restore their shining ...

4821. A Violent Week

Mark 14:1-2 · Luke 22:14-23:56

Sermon

Will Willimon

... of power, with important affairs. We became socially significant, which means we got violent. Within a hundred years after the conversion of Constantine, only Christians could serve in the army. Ambrose and Augustine developed theories of the "just war." Augustine wrote, "Perfect peace is reserved for heaven, not for this world. While we may regret war, the empire must be defended, the church protected, hence Christians can and should fight for these ends." The just war. In many ways, the just war was ...

4822. Glimpses of Eternity

Luke 9:28-36

Sermon

Will Willimon

... is pulled back and we know the future as if it were now. It changes us to stand, even for a moment, in the future. The teenager is playing one-on-one basketball with his dad. His dad shoots and misses. The boy steps back, shoots. It's a perfect shot and for just a split second that seems eternal, father and son contemplate the reality that the son, who once was taught by the father, is now better, greater than the father. "You know, I think you made that shot better than I," says the father good-naturedly ...

4823. Fearful, But Not Afraid

Matthew 14:22-33

Sermon

William G. Carter

... inspired the trip. It portrayed Jesus with his arms around the twelve disciples, all of them portrayed by the artist in various stages of anxiety and disbelief. His arms and shoulders formed the rim of what became a fishing vessel. The artist declared, “It is a perfect image for the church: we are the people who are in the same boat with Jesus.” Indeed. Whatever fears we face, we are together, and can choose to look to one another for support and encouragement. None of us have to face fears alone. We ...

4824. Living In The “In Between” Time

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Ronald Love

... , Jerome, and Pope Gregory I. Augustine’s writings influenced the late fourth-and early fifth-century church, and still guides us to this day. In his commentary on Titus 2:12 Augustine wrote: But there is a great and general fasting, which is perfect fasting, to abstain from the inequities and illicit pleasures of the world: “that, by denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we may live soberly and justly and godly in this world.” What reward does the apostle add to this fasting? He continues and says ...

4825. Human Things

Matthew 16:21-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

... the dangers of unbridled power and authority in human hands. Lucky for us, Peter learned this lesson and went on, despite other occasional human quirks and failures, to become the foundation of the church he was meant to be. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect or to always get it right. But he does expect us always to defer to God. When we don’t, it’s just way too disastrous. God’s wisdom before our wisdom. God’s judgment, not our judgment. The goodness of God, not the determinations of humankind ...

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