Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4801 to 4825 of 4977 results

4801. When We're Estranged from God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... of that church talked with John and invited him to church. John didn’t seem very interested. Some time went by, and one day John showed up at church, accompanied by his 3-year-old son. And something happened to John in that church . . . something quite beautiful. The word of God took root and grew in John’s heart. He went to church some more. He took some instructional classes. Finally, he joined the church! One Sunday John walked into church late really late almost at sermon time. After the service ...

4802. When We Are Uncertain about The Future

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Sermon

King Duncan

... , no longer able to hack it? My family seems to be coming apart. What if I end up alone?” And then there are the trials of the aging. “How long will my health hold out? Can I make it without being a burden to my children?” I had better quit before all of us are depressed, but this is life. Abram was uncertain about his future, and all of us have been there or will be there, sooner or later. Everyone of every age and station knows what it is to be afraid. Anxiety has been called “the official emotion ...

4803. When We Feel Unwanted

Luke 19:28-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... told them to untie it and bring it to him. If anyone asked, “Why are you untying it?” They were to say, “The Lord needs it.” Some background might be helpful here. We are told that donkeys were valuable. Because many of the people were quite poor, donkeys were often cooperatively owned by several families. This system seemed to work fairly well. However, property laws were not absolute. There was an ancient law that required citizens to render to any king or one of his emissaries any item or service ...

4804. In the Service

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... spacey, stagey and new agey or strange and deranged. Paul, in the first century, popped all those bubbles. Spiritual gifts were not individually oriented. In fact, in Paul’s mind they would never elevate the individual. Only the “ignorant” and those not quite with-it among the Corinthians would judge them as such. Instead, Paul showed the new Christian community of believers in Corinth (almost all of them Gentiles) that the Spirit of God they had received at the moment of their baptism transformed ...

4805. Are You Part of the Scandal?

Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... talk” phase, children go off to preschool and kindergarten — out of our sight for hours on end. Then they get older and want to do things like ride their bikes to a friend’s house, or go to the mall by themselves, or “hang-out” without you quite knowing where they are or what they are doing. For some reason teenagers always insist on getting driver’s licenses and then they graduate from high school and go off to college, or join the military, or get their own place. It doesn’t matter how old ...

4806. Filling the Hole in Our Hearts

Acts 2:1-21

Sermon

King Duncan

... the Holy Spirit is just as relevant to our lives as it was to first century believers, for the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in our lives. British newspaper columnist Bernard Levin wrote an op‑ed piece sometime back. I find it quite descriptive of our situation. Levin wrote, “Countries like ours are full of people who have all the material comforts they desire, together with such non‑material blessings as a happy family, and yet lead lives of quiet . . . desperation, understanding nothing but the ...

4807. Keys That Unlock Miracles

Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... many years. Actually, “servant” is too nice a term. The Greek word used in this story is doulos which literally means “slave.” The man about whom the centurion cared was a slave. Dr. Leith Anderson notes that in Roman times slavery could often be quite cruel. Under Roman law slaves were considered to be property, giving the owner complete rights to do whatever he wanted without legal jeopardy. If he wanted to, he could kill a slave without getting into any trouble. “Sick slaves and old slaves were ...

4808. Luke 9:51-62

Luke 9:51-56

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... as Luke’s narrative had just revealed a radical distinction between Jesus and Elijah, he now offers another connection between the two. In 2 Kings 2:1-6 Elijah’s disciple Elisha is three times instructed by his master to stay behind, to quit following. Yet all three times Elisha refuses and continues to follow Elijah into ominous situations. Nothing deters Elisha’s commitment to follow. Here in Luke’s text Jesus is approached three separate times by would-be disciples, but the challenges incurred by ...

4809. Are You in Labor?

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

... tells about a friend of his, a woman perhaps 50 years of age. He’s never seen her in anything but blue jeans and a somewhat sloppy blouse which she probably got at Goodwill. That’s because he’s never seen her anywhere but church. Recently he discovered quite by accident that she comes from a very wealthy family. She grew up living in a prominent family on a multi-million dollar estate. Why is she so under-dressed? He wondered. Is she that frugal with her money? No, it’s because she doesn’t want ...

4810. Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... does Jesus finally directly address the question of “Who is my neighbor?” Given the stark differences in behavior exhibited by the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan, the lawyer can hardly offer any other answer than the obvious. Still he cannot quite bring himself to call the Samaritan the “neighbor.” Instead, the lawyer merely identifies him as “the one who showed him mercy.” Jesus concludes by offering this lawyer the same directive as he had at the beginning of their exchange: to “do ...

4811. Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

4812. The Two Ultimate Questions of Life

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... parlor to have her hair styled, and was spending her hard‑earned money on the latest fashions in women’s campus wear. By the time the fourth young man was taking his turn dating the young lady, the job that had once been undesirable was now quite a pleasant task. And when the last guy in the conspiracy asked her out, he was informed that she was pretty well booked up for some time in the future. It seems there were more desirable males around than those “plain” graduate students who were conducting ...

4813. Mary AND Martha, Heart AND Home

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... up at Jesus’ feet, where the one who was the Bread of Life was offering all who would listen an invitation to partake of the Kingdom of God. It is one thing to welcome Jesus into your home and hearth, like Martha has done. It is quite another to do what Mary has done: welcome Jesus into your heart. Martha thought that Mary was “slacking off.” Martha thought that Mary was “playing hooky.” And she was. But here’s the thing: “playing hooky” is what God intended for humanity. God was “playing ...

4814. What Really Matters

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

King Duncan

... world. Think of Lydia, the seller of purple cloth. But it was still rare. Martha shared her home with her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus. Yes, this is the same Lazarus that Jesus would later raise from the dead. Jesus developed quite a warm friendship with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Remember how in John’s Gospel Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb. Actually, the Greek language says “Jesus sobbed” at Lazarus’ tomb. Jesus loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Most commentators assume that Mary was the ...

4815. The Keys to Effective Praying

Luke 11:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... temptations that are forever with us. “Lead us not into temptation . . .” It is Matthew who adds, “But deliver us from evil . . .” You know He will deliver us from temptation if we ask, don’t you? If you really want Him to. Many of us, however, are quite happy to be tempted. Are you being tempted? Pray for His help. His main concern is your best good. What are the keys to effective prayer? Focus on God and His goodness and His love. Ask for your physical needs, but remember your spiritual needs as ...

4816. Go Hard or Go Home!

Luke 12:35-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... Israel are up against the Red Sea. The army of Pharaoh is hot on their heels. Moses is exhorting the people to trust in God that God will not forsake them. God breaks in on Moses’ exhortation. As the Living Bible paraphrases it, God says to Moses, “Quit praying and get the people moving forward, march!” (Exodus 14:15) There is a time for praying, but there is also a time for moving forward. There is no virtue in standing still. “What good is a tree,” asks Jesus, “if it does not bear good fruit ...

4817. Luke 13:10-17

Luke 13:10-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... Sabbath, it raises the ire of the religious establishment. Jesus is “teaching” in the synagogue, so obviously he had been recognized as a qualified leader and scholar of the Torah. Yet the moment this woman appears in the synagogue, “bent over” and “quite unable to stand up,” he focuses on her and her disability — not on any legal or liturgical details. It is unclear just how separated men and women were in first century synagogue services. The extreme isolation of women, through curtains or ...

4818. Cure for an Aching Back

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years . . .” [emphasis added] What does that mean, crippled by a spirit? In pre-scientific times, of course, it was quite common for people to attribute all disease to the presence of demons. This may be the simple explanation for this wording. Demon possession is certainly a recognized condition in the scriptures. Or, in modern terms, maybe Luke is saying to us that this woman ...

4819. Re-thinking Our Mission

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... people he could find to send for establishing this colony. Instead, he went to the waterfronts, to the slums, to the darkest places on earth and got together a contingent of thieves, prostitutes, indigents, and sent them off to this harsh planet. And, quite remarkably, where the able had failed, the disabled succeeded. Why? Well, for several reasons. First of all, they already had learned to survive in a hostile environment. Second, they had no place to go but up. (1) The Pharisees grumbled about the kind ...

4820. Waiting for Christmas

James 5:7-12

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... with each other, as well as, when we share our faith with those outside of our church. We must live out our faith as if our Lord Jesus Christ is standing at our door ready to enter. James writes, “The Judge is standing at the doors!” Our behavior would be quite different if we knew that Jesus is standing at our door. Elsewhere in the New Testament we see Jesus poised to enter, “I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you ...

4821. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

Ephesians 1:1-14

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... help of a radio station she learned the identity of the second man, Brice DeMuro. They met on New Year’s Day one year after the accident. They reflected on how their lives had been changed as a result of that night. Brice went home and decided to quit smoking. Jorge had not always done good things but vowed that he would change and make his family proud. “I believe you were sent to give me a second chance,” Peggy told her rescuers. “It’s made me appreciate life and people around me,” she claims ...

4822. The Best Gift of All

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... Paul was writing to one of his traveling companions, Titus, to encourage his friend and the other believers on the tiny island of Crete. There was controversy as the believers struggled with questions of law and how to deal with others whose view of faith was quite different from their own. Paul heard of their present difficulties and wanted them to remain focused on Jesus. It is so easy for us to become distracted with so many other matters. There are times when we need to be reminded of who we are and ...

4823. The Light Has Come

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... the love and mercy of God, learned the Bible, prayer, and sang new songs of faith. Bernard and Catherine were married. Bernard reflects, “If we know God will forgive us, we can begin to forgive ourselves.” Sensing a call to help others, Bernard quit his job and found a job where he serves people.[1] Sometimes we in the church are guilty of conveying an attitude that we are better than other people. This attitude turns off would-be believers. Paul, however, was clear about his role, identifying ...

4824. Grow Up!

1 Corinthians 3:1-23

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... be noticeably clear from our behavior that we are different from the rest of the world. The love, joy, and generosity in our lives should stand out. If we blend in with everyone else there would be reason for concern. The Corinthian church presented quite a problem for the apostle Paul. Within that new church some people thought too highly of themselves, and this only added to their problems. Whenever there are people within the church who project themselves as better than everyone else there are bound to ...

4825. Praise and Blame

1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

... . What people thought or did not think of him was of no concern to Paul. “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court,” Paul wrote, “I do not even judge myself.” Paul was quite confident in carrying out Jesus’ ministry knowing that, “It is the Lord who judges me.” We too can participate in outreach ministries with that same sense of confidence knowing that Jesus will judge each of us. Jesus “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness ...

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