Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 4851 to 4875 of 5000 results

Numbers 11:24-30, Psalm 104:1-35, John 7:37-39, Acts 2:1-21, 1 Corinthians 12:3-13

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... Spirit, we are grateful that we are no longer strangers and aliens in the earth, but citizens with the saints and also members of your holy family. As we give thanks for those already with you in heaven, we ask your continued grace that we live worthy of our calling, marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as your own people, to the praise of your glory. Amen

4852. Proper 4

Genesis 6:11-22, Psalm 46:1-11, Matthew 7:21-29, Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28 (29-31)

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... . We are grateful for the learning experiences that have strengthened our faith, memories that draw us to your house and to other places hallowed by awareness of your presence, occasions of sympathy and understanding too intimate to explain. We celebrate every home marked with signs of your faithful love, not only with art and symbol, but also with hospitality and human caring. Your truth is our foundation rock; your unfailing love, our shelter; your will, the walls that guard our way of life. All praise ...

4853. Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 119:1-8, Matthew 5:21-37, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... you have sent to be our guides through the mazes of decisions that are before us in life. We rejoice in the diversity we find between Peter and Paul, between Elijah and Jesus. We celebrate the concerted service of Aquila and Priscilla, Barnabas and John Mark, and others who, like the twelve, found ways of serving you in a variety of combinations. We are grateful for individuals and couples and groups who have shared their faith with us and helped us to mature in our understanding of your will and supported ...

4854. Easter 3

Psalm 116:1-19, Luke 24:13-35, Acts 2:14-41, 1 Peter 1:17-21

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... of Pardon Pastor: Friends, hear the Good News! It was no perishable stuff, like gold or silver, that bought your freedom from the empty folly of your traditional ways. People: The price was paid in precious blood, as it were of a lamb without mark or blemish—the blood of Christ. Pastor: Friends, believe the Good News! People: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Exhortation Fix your faith and hope in God, who raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory, the One who judges everyone impartially on ...

4855. John Stepped Over the Line

John 6:1-21

Illustration

Stephen Butler Murray

Back when I was a seminarian at Yale Divinity School, I had a discussion with a rabbi who was studying for his Ph.D. in New Testament, an unusual combination! He mused that if Christians had just stuck with the gospel of Mark, Jews (who are willing to recognize Jesus as a great teacher) and Muslims (who recognize Jesus as a great prophet, perhaps second only to Mohammed) could probably get along with us Christians a lot better. My rabbi friend suggested that while Matthew and Luke pushed the line, John ...

4856. What Are We To Do About This?

John 6:1-15

Illustration

J. Dudley Weaver

... I have ever been in my life. I need a friend, someone to talk with, and I was hoping you would be that person for me." And you think, "Oh, Lord, I'm not up to this." A friend gives every evidence of addiction; a neighbor's child bears the marks of abuse but you're not sure. . . It would be easier, and probably smarter for you personally, just to stay out of it all, to mind your own business. You may feel sorry for the person trying to recruit volunteers in the life of the church; sorry for the person ...

4857. An Exalted Christology

John 6:1-15

Illustration

Will Willimon

... at Passover and uses the occasion to speak of his impending death (John 2). Later, in John 13, Jesus will speak again of his death in the context of a Passover meal with his disciples. Unlike Luke's account of the miraculous feeding, as well as Mark's, this meal is not presented by John as a sign of Jesus' compassion for the hungry multitudes. Rather, this feeding is used by Jesus as an opportunity to perform a sign that will be considerably greater than the crowds expected. This is a typical Johnannine ...

4858. Go Fly A Kite

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... as a result of their literal kite-flying, there was no keeping fliers down. Within two decades there were barn-stormers, wing-walkers, crop-dusters. When World War I erupted, there were dive-bombers and dog-fighters. Flying became the mark of modernity. But with everything else “modern” it came with lots of strings attached. A pilot had to get certified and licensed. There were engineering concerns. Aerodynamic logistics. Gas. Oil. Spark plugs. Electrical systems. Hydraulics. Weather issues. Visibility ...

4859. Ephesians 5:15-20

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... and the Spirit-infused innovations that had their beginnings “in your hearts” are part of the unique Christ—centered, Spirit-driven faith that defined the church. It is this kind of activity — joyous worship, celebratory singing -that is the mark of the Christian community, and is wholly different from the wine-infused debauchery that characterized pagan gatherings. While mystery religions and the practices of other cultic gatherings were centered on seeking something from the deity being stroked ...

4860. Wise, Worshipful, and Wonderfully Wayward

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... and “cheerleaders.” There are “Goths” and “Geeks.” There are “Nerds” and “Freaks.” How ironic that it is in school — the place we are primed and prepared for the expansive possibilities of the future that everyone is so tightly pigeon-holed and securely marked. Jesus failed to fit into any of the preconceived plans people had for a Messiah, for a Leader, for a Savior. And so did the first generations of Jesus’ disciples fail to fit into any of the cultural conceptions of what was a ...

4861. Ordinary or Extraordinary?

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... in your ambition for life. II. Be Pointed In Your Approach To Life Jabez goes on to say, "Enlarge my territory." (I Chronicles 4:10b, NKJV) The word for territory literally means "border". In that day a person's border or territory would mark the limit of his influence. Jabez was asking God to give him greater responsibility, more influence, larger opportunities to do something for Him. Jabez evidently looked around at the circumstances of his life and said, "I believe I was born for more than this ...

4862. Can The Church Count On Me?

1 Chronicles 29:3

Sermon

James Merritt

... to the church. It has been said so many times that you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. One of the reasons why we give to our children, gladly and generously, even after they leave our house is because we love our children. One of the marks that you love your church is that you give to your church. I know that Jesus Christ loves the church and here is how I know it. Ephesians 5:25 says, "Christ loved the church and gave His life for it." (Ephesians 5:25, CEV) Do you believe that ...

4863. Don’t Tempt Me—But If You Do I’m Ready

1 Corinthians 10:13

Sermon

James Merritt

... to give in to temptation. Whenever you're in the room of temptation, whether you walked into it or fell into it, there will always be an exit sign. I don't mind telling you temptation is the one thing that should make cowards of all of us. Mark Twain once said, "There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice. It is easier to stay out than to get out." How do you escape temptation? Well, first of all, if at all possible do not get into a tempting situation. Too many people ...

4864. The Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23-34

Sermon

James Merritt

... protection. The reason is - each Jewish family was to sacrifice a lamb and smear some of the blood on the doorpost of their houses. When God's angle of death passed through, if he saw the blood on the doorpost, he would "pass over" the marked houses and spare anyone who was inside. Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go and the angel of death took the lives of many Egyptians. Pharaoh finally relented and released the Jewish people and thus was born the Jewish feast which has become an annual remembrance ...

4865. Did You Know...That You Can Be Perfect?

1 John 3:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... will be hasn't yet been seen. But we do know that when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see Him as He truly is. This hope makes us keep ourselves holy, just as Christ is holy." (I John 3:2-3, CEV) One of the marks that you are a child of God is that you are looking for, longing for, and living for the second coming of Jesus Christ. There is a very simple test to determine whether or not you really believe that Jesus Christ is coming again. If you do, you want to ...

4866. Culture Shock

1 Kings 18:21-40

Sermon

James Merritt

... about religion and even practiced a form of it, but he worshipped a god that certainly was not found in the Bible. Furthermore, he was dominated by his wife, named Jezebel, who was every bit as cunning and evil as he was. So, the rulers were marked by iniquity, the nation was steeped in idolatry and the missing element was integrity. It sounds a lot like America! To add insult to injury, the king accused Elijah of being a part of "some right wing conspiracy" to bring his administration down. Notice how he ...

4867. Got Milk?

1 Peter 2:1-3

Sermon

James Merritt

... my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103, NKJ) Now Peter tells us that we should have the same appetite for the Word of God that a newborn baby has for milk. A baby that has no appetite is a sick baby. In fact, one of the marks of sickness is when you lose your appetite. I will never forget the last couple of weeks of my dad's life. My dad was always a big eater. Even when my dad was sick, there were certain types of food that my mother could fix him and he would ...

4868. God's Christmas Tree

1 Peter 2:24

Sermon

James Merritt

... is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ) is mentioned in every book with the exception of Philemon, 2 and 3 John. Matthew, thought God's Christmas tree was so special that he took 2 chapters and 141 verses to describe how Jesus gave Himself for us on that tree. Mark, in the shortest Gospel of all four, gave 116 verses to a description of what happened with God's Christmas tree. Luke gives two of the longest chapters in all of the Gospels to tell what happened with God's Christmas tree. John used about half of ...

4869. Difficult Sayings

John 6:56-69

Illustration

Brett Blair

That great American writer, Mark Twain, wrote: "Most people are bothered by those passages in Scriptures which they cannot understand; but as for me, I always notice that the passages in Scripture which trouble me most are those which I do understand." I suspect that, at times, we all would like to walk away from ...

4870. One Nation Under God

2 Chronicles 7:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... world's population, we have 80% of the divorces. I could tell you that we lead the industrialized world in murder, rape, and violent crime; that 80% of all the whiskey consumed in the world is consumed by Americans. We are a nation that is marked by moral regression, sexual revolution, and spiritual rebellion. It really came home to us just this week when two Federal Judges said the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because it carries the words "under God." I want you to hear me very clearly. America ...

4871. I’ve Lost the Cutting Edge

2 Kings 6:1-7

Sermon

James Merritt

... diligent in his work, but he was negligent in his watch. This man had gotten so busy chopping the tree, he had neglected to check the ax. You know you can get so busy doing things for God that you neglect to spend time with God. When you do that mark it down, you're going to lose the cutting edge. Eccl. 10:10 says, "If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success." In the last two months I have talked to two pastors who both had ...

4872. The Spin Zone

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... 11:7-15, NASB) Is that not just a stunning picture of how one drop of sin can turn into a tidal wave of misery? For twenty years, David had been driving in the fast lane on the freeway called sexual pleasure. One night, he decided to take the exit marked, "Adultery", but instead he took the off ramp of "Murder." [[3]] So, as we read, the deed is done. "So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. The men of the city went out ...

4873. Multiplying Men Of God

Malachi 2:5-7, 2 Timothy 2:2

Sermon

James Merritt

... ) There are actually four generations of men of God listed in this verse, but you notice it all begins with one man of God being the kind of man of God that deserves others to emulate his ministry and to multiply his influence. That raises the question, "What are the marks of a man of God?" For that, we turn to the Book of Malachi. Levi was the first ordained minister we read about in the Bible. Man did not lay hands on him, but God did. In three verses, we learned about how to recognize whether or not we ...

4874. How to Preach a God-Sized Message to a Media Filled World

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... to say in verse 2, "Be ready!" (II Timothy 4:2, NASB) In the original Greek Language that word was used as a solider that was ready to go into battle at a moment's notice. This refers to the urgency and the passion and the zeal that ought to mark our preaching. Jeremiah was right. Preaching ought to be like a fire in your bones. I don't mean to be disrespectful and I don't mean to be offensive, but I know some preachers who either ought to put some fire in their sermons or put their sermons in ...

4875. Being a Woman of God

Acts 16:11-15

Sermon

James Merritt

... Rules are nulled and void. Now I do want to make something very plain as I get somewhat serious. Women, you are extremely valuable, worthy, and important. That's the message I want you to hear tonight. First of all, you are important to men. Someone asked Mark Twain the question: "In a world without women what would men become?" He didn't miss a beat. He said, "Scarce, mighty scarce." You are also important to society. I was amazed to read the other day that more than half of all U.S. professionals—people ...

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