Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4851 to 4875 of 4972 results

4851. Why Jesus Didn't Hire A "Public Relations Guy"

Mark 8:27-30

Sermon

King Duncan

... until next week." So, the church isn't everything it could be. Still, Jesus depends on the church, as we are the keys to his plan for redeeming the world. Several centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. He made a good decision--he decided to build them a church. No one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until it was completed. At the grand opening, the people gathered and marveled at the beauty of ...

4852. If Your Life Were A Movie

Mark 9:42-50

Sermon

King Duncan

... as they tried to make soup. Walt Disney thought the scene was funny, but ultimately decided it hindered the flow of the picture. So out it went. Good writers will tell you, just as good motion picture directors will tell you, that it is often what you leave out of a work that determines whether or not it is effective. Good writers will often edit a piece as many as a dozen times, each time continuing to carve it down until only their very best work is left. When actors moan that their best scene ended ...

4853. What Must I Do?

Mark 10:17-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... family of Christ. Of course, in the secular world, it is possible to lose your inheritance. For example, you could lose your inheritance if you do something grievous to tick off the person who holds the purse strings. "Be nice to Aunt Sally, children. She might leave us a nice inheritance." Extending our metaphor just a little further, I suspect that this is the real problem with many of us in our devotional life. We're afraid that we've done something to make "Aunt Sally"--or, in this case, God--mad. We ...

4854. Christ's Promise To His Saints

John 11:17-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... Suddenly, the sun burst over the horizon. From that story, Weatherhead came to call Christianity "The Religion of the Dawn." It was the sunrise of hope for humanity, for all who live in darkness. (4) That's a good image for us to hold on to as we leave here today--"The Religion of the Dawn." In the Beatitudes, Jesus put it like this, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the ...

4855. The Perfect Antidote For Worry

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon

King Duncan

... . We suffer from a unique malady: we have too much and we pay for it in many ways. In Jesus' day, they had the opposite problem: there was rarely a surplus of food. One season of harsh weather or an infestation of bugs could wipe out entire crops and leave the people hungry for weeks. So imagine how the people received Jesus' words from Matthew 6: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food ...

4856. Two Women Of Faith

Luke 1:39-45

Sermon

King Duncan

... such a mystery? Yet that is the testimony of the people called Christians. The hope of the world was laid in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. It reminds me of a story Dr. Robert Kopp tells about an old woman who was nearing her death and wanted to leave her estate to someone who would use it for a good cause. So she went to see a popular televangelist whose show she enjoyed. But the old woman's eyes virtually popped out of her head when she approached the televangelist's house. It was more luxurious than ...

4857. More Than Skin Deep

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity . . . Blow the trumpet in Zion . . . bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the ...

4858. How Did You Do On The Test?

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... a hundred other difficult times that all of us experience as we pass this way. Some of these tests are difficult; some are a breeze. Some are painful; some, merely an inconvenience. But life tests all of us and there is no graduation until we leave this world to be with God. Think of some of the tests that confront us. When we're younger--school, peer pressure, changes in our body, rejection, humiliation. As adults: Finding a mate. Raising children. The failures of a marriage, perhaps a business. Concerns ...

4859. Haunted By The Cross

John 18:1-11; 18:33-19:16; 19:28-42

Drama

King Duncan

... ? I don't know. Lord Jesus, I trust that you were speaking the truth, and that these grave clothes will not hold you forever." Narrator: Uncle John was not the only person who cried every time he thought of the cross. But that is where we must leave things for today. People hurting, crying, remorseful. People looking deep within their own hearts--asking, "What if I had been there? Would the story have ended any differently?" Of course this isn't the end of the story. We'll gather here on Sunday to celebrate ...

4860. "yes, And..."

Luke 24:44-53

Sermon

King Duncan

... on high? Newspaper columnist and author Ellen Goodman once wrote something about making an exit. She wrote, "There's a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, or a relationship, is over, and let go. It means leaving what's over without denying its validity or its past importance in our lives. It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving on rather than out." (2) Ms. Goodman's words are awesome when applied to ...

4861. It's Not About Us

Revelation 22:1-6

Sermon

King Duncan

... came out like this: "Folks, we are happy to have Reverend Morgan to preach for us this morning. He comes to us from the Duke University CEMETERY!" Morgan, commenting later on this said, "I was happy to know that I had been resurrected!" (5) You can't leave out either the cross or the cemetery when you deal with Christ's coming into the world. There is the story of a man who discovered that he had a deadly and untreatable disease. And with this knowledge came fear and great sorrow. You see, this man ...

4862. Like A Tornado

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... down, as if it were a surfboard on a killer wave. Trees and debris flew by. The wind peeled off his roof. The sound was like the howl of a freight train. Suddenly, Neidigh's home was lifted up in the air and wedged in a tree. The tornado passed, leaving Neidigh alive, but with multiple injuries that took months to heal. (1) I thought of John as I read the first few verses of today's lesson: "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound ...

4863. Like A Tornado

Acts 2:1-21

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... helping each person always! Let's light this candle again and sing "Happy Birthday" to the church. [Invite everyone to sing with you. If you have a cake for each child, pass it out now.] Prayer: Thank you God, for always being with us. Thank you that your love never leaves us. Amen

4864. Loved By The Father

Galatians 3:26--4:7

Sermon

King Duncan

... He does not treat himself the way he treats the people in his branch. He never takes time for himself, never lets himself off the hook. When he is sick, he is still at work. He never stops, praises, or rewards himself. Clearly, Ethan has a double standard that leaves him with less than anyone else. Why? It turns out that he believes that he will not be noticed or liked unless he is doing things for others, and that he himself does not merit very much. That was how he felt in his family, where his mother was ...

4865. A Happy Birthday to the Church

Acts 2:1-13

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

4866. About Marriage

Luke 20:27-40

Sermon

King Duncan

... It was a trick question about the resurrection of the dead. We know it was a trick question because the Sadducees didn't even believe in the resurrection of the dead. Their question went something like this: "Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, he shall marry the widow and raise his brother's children. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless ...

4867. Swords Into Plowshares

Isaiah 2:1-5

Sermon

King Duncan

... in 1996, he had to find a way to support his family. "I had a dream," he says, "where I was changing the shell casings into symbols of peace." He gathered up several of the used shells that littered the war-torn countryside and started to work. "I leave the lower part of the round intact," says George, "so that you can see what it was intended to do--destroy life--but above that is the symbol of life," he explained, pointing to the cross. About 30 other artisans and former soldiers have joined George. This ...

4868. Do Not Disturb

Isaiah 11:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... Disturb" signs in a variety of languages. He dreams of collecting such signs from all 191 countries of the world. (1) Who would have thought that this would be a universal sign? "Do Not Disturb." On second thought, that is the sentiment of many, many people. "Leave me alone." "Let it be." "Don't rock the boat." But then, on this Second Sunday of Advent comes the prophet Isaiah--with words to both encourage and to disturb. He writes, "A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow ...

4869. Immanuel

Isaiah 63:7-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... into his text, Romans 6:23: "The gift of God is eternal life. Believe. Receive. It's free!" When the service ended and most of the people had gone home, the woman who claimed the poinsettia came to the platform, where the pastor was picking up his Bible to leave. "Here!" She held out her hand. "This flower is too pretty to just take home for free. I couldn't do that with a clear conscience." The pastor looked down at the crumpled paper she stuffed into his hand. It was a ten-dollar bill. (4) We are ...

4870. Good Neighbors

Luke 10:25-37

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... with the actions. Jesus was explaining to the people who their neighbor is. He told this story: A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho (pat legs to sound like walking) and was attacked by robbers. They stripped him and beat him (beat fists on chest) and went off leaving him half dead. A Priest came along the road (pat legs) and just passed on the other side of the road (continue to pat legs). A Levite, or a temple worker, came along (pat legs) and did the same as the priest, passing on the other side of ...

4871. Running For Joy

Hebrews 12:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

... even one as dangerous as the Mt. Everest expedition. According to his wife, Ellie, Erik's biggest obstacles are the little things in life. For instance, Erik and Ellie have an infant daughter named Emma. Emma has made life a little more complicated for Erik, because she leaves her toys all over the floor. For the man who climbed Mt. Everest, it is a challenge to walk through his living room without tripping on a toy. (4) Wouldn't it be ironic if a man who had successfully scaled the world's tallest mountain ...

4872. You Can't Please Everybody

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

King Duncan

... simple physical activities such as turning on the radio, the threat of Iraqi missile attacks once the war started sent Israel's chief rabbis scrambling to the Scriptures for a loophole so Orthodox Jews could listen to the news for warnings. The rabbis ruled that leaving the radio on during the Sabbath was permissible--provided it was on low volume. "If there is a real alarm, you can turn up the volume but in a nonconventional manner," said the rabbis, "with a stick or with your elbow. Controlling the volume ...

4873. Who Should I Invite To My Party?

Luke 14:1-14

Sermon

King Duncan

... casually, "Ah, Mozart. You're so right. I love him. Only this morning I saw him getting on the No. 5 bus going to Coney Island." There was a sudden hush, and everyone looked at her. Her husband was mortified. He pulled her away and whispered, "We're leaving right now. Get your coat and let's get out of here." As they drove home, he kept muttering to himself. Finally his wife turned to him. "You're angry about something." "Oh really? You noticed?" he sneered. "I've never been so embarrassed in my life! You ...

4874. Who Am I Supposed To Hate?

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

King Duncan

... from alcohol. It may be that Nick had the gene that causes some people to become dependent on alcohol. Whatever the reason, within a matter of days, Nick fell into the grip of alcoholism. He also became argumentative and violent toward Estelle. She had every right to leave him. Friends and family urged her to get a divorce. But Estelle held firm to her belief that God could change her husband. She prayed fervently for him. When he lost his job due to his drinking, Estelle went out and got a job to support ...

4875. Who Am I Supposed To Hate?

Luke 14:25-35

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

... cost." He told the people that to be his followers, they needed to "count the cost" just like a builder does before he starts to build a house. Sometimes it is hard to be a follower of Jesus. Sometimes school friends make fun of you. Sometimes Jesus asks people to leave their home and go to a mission field in a far off country. Jesus said we need to "count the cost" and put him first. I have a coin for each of you this morning. I hope it will remind you to count the cost and put Jesus first in ...

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