Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 4901 to 4925 of 4935 results

4901. Put Your Hands on the Plow

Mark 13:24-37

Illustration

Eric Ritz

While we wait and trust, we are also to put our hands to the plow. We are prepared simply by doing the work God has called us to do and doing it faithfully and with vigilance, regardless of the world's clock and the climate that it has surrounded us with. During the Second World War there was a young boy in a small town who had to go to the drugstore for his mother. As he arrived at the drugstore, he saw a poster on the front window that made a great impression upon him. It was the picture of an American ...

4902. Rags and Robes

Micah 1:1-7; 2:1-11

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

Disciples of Jesus Christ are in the business of making rags into robes. We need to clothe people with integrity (a robe) even when they are dressed in rags. In the "affluent '80s" the rich got richer at a rapacious rate, while our increasingly stratified society saw the poor get much poorer at an equally alarming speed. Slowly, we became aware that our economic system was producing a growing underclass that had nowhere to go, nowhere to live except the streets. Even the most career-obsessed, social- ...

4903. Anywhere Goes

Romans 14:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The culture says "Anything goes." The Body of Christ goes anywhere, to anything, to anyone, at anytime. There is an old story of a visiting admiral chatting on the deck of a U.S. Navy ship with some enlisted men. "What would you do if another sailor fell overboard?" A sailor promptly replied: "I would raise the alarm and toss him a life preserver, sir." The admiral asked a second question: "What would you do if it were an officer?" At this, the enlisted man paused and thought before answering: "Which one, ...

4904. Easter 6

Psalm 98:1-9, John 15:9-17, Acts 10:23b-48, 1 John 5:1-12

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

READINGS Psalter—Psalm 98:1 First Lesson—Jewish Christians who came with Peter are surprised when the gift of the Holy Spirit is given to Gentile believers. Acts 10:44-48 Second Lesson—Love of the heavenly parent should include family love for all God’s children. 1 John 5:1-6 Gospel—The disciples of Jesus are called to the intimacy of friendship from the relationship of master/servant. John 15:9-17 CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. People: And also with you. Leader ...

4905. Clergy Playing It Safe

Mark 12:41-44

Illustration

In a book entitled Plain Talk about Churches and Money, one of the authors states: "Clergy often come to their calling with a distinct aversion to conflict and to having to deal with money issues. Our culture seems to reinforce them in that behavior. So long as clergy are cowed and anxious in the face of money and wealth, they will remain silent about the spiritual issue that touches our culture more deeply than any other. The more I steeped myself in this book and looked at churches around me, the more I ...

4906. The Rest of The Message

John 20:1-18

Sermon

Lee Griess

On June 18, 1815, the combined forces of Austria, Russia, Great Britain, and Prussia under the leadership of the British General Arthur Wellesly Wellington, engaged the army of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte in a climatic battle to decide the outcome of the war for the European continent. There, near the Belgium town of Waterloo, those two armies collided in fierce combat. By prearranged agreement, the British army at the end of the day was to signal back to the coast the outcome of that battle ...

4907. I’ll Fix Anthony

Matthew 5:38-42

Illustration

Judith Viorst

In Judith Viorst's children's book, "I'll Fix Anthony," the younger brother complains about the way his older brother Anthony treats him: "My brother Anthony can read books now, but he won't read any books to me. He plays checkers with Bruce from his school. But when I want to play he says, "Go away or I'll clobber you." I let him wear my Snoopy sweatshirt, but he never lets me borrow his sword. Mother says deep down in his heart Anthony loves me. Anthony says deep down in his heart he thinks I stink. ...

4908. The Longest Walk

John 20:1-18

Illustration

Ray Pritchard

The longest walk you'll ever take is the walk away from the grave of someone you love. If you have never done that, you can't imagine how difficult it is. To walk away and feel as if the world has come to an end. To walk away and think about what used to be and what might have been. To walk away and realize, "I'll never be the same again." To play over and over in your mind the good times, the laughter, the crazy stories. To reach out and touch a face and find it gone forever. To cry until you can't cry ...

4909. A Quiet Heart

Illustration

Andrew Murray

Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is for me to have no trouble; never to be fretted or vexed or irritated or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace as in a deep sea of calmness when all around is trouble. It is the ...

4910. Baptism of Our Lord

Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:1-20, Acts 8:14-17

Bulletin Aid

Julia Ross Strope

Call To Worship Leader: Happy New Year! With new determination we listen for the voice of God and we desire to respond happily. People: We also listen with new care for the promises of scriptures, which might make our lives prosperous and easier. Leader: We are here together, then, to pay attention to the ways men and women have honored the holy. People: And to hear again about the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Leader: Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. People: We long for an experience ...

4911. Claimed, Framed, Changed

Acts 2:14-41

Sermon

Tony Everett

What do athletic coaches, politicians, and preachers have in common? They are expected to give inspirational pep talks, speeches, or sermons that fire up powerful emotions. They are supposed to motivate their listeners to “give 110%,” overcoming all obstacles to victory no matter what the cost. Coaches know that the best pep talk can only get athletes through the first football collision, the first gymnastics tumbling pass, or the first baseball at bat. Politicians know that the most stirring speech is ...

4912. Second Nature through Spirit Nurture

Matthew 10:1-42

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

It is every parent’s dream. It goes like this . . . Your child is a guest at someone’s home. Maybe a friend or a relative. When the meal is over, your child is the one who, without being told, spontaneously rises from the table, gathers their plate and even grabs another place setting, and takes them into the kitchen and put them either in the sink or in the dishwasher. What parent doesn’t live with the eternal hope that our ten thousand nudges to our kids “pick that up” and “put that in the trash” and “ ...

4913. Eluding Death

Illustration

Michael P. Green

The story is told of a certain man who was walking in his neighborhood when he came face to face with Death. He noticed an expression of surprise on the creature’s horrid countenance, but they passed one another without speaking. The fellow was frightened and went to a wise man to ask what should be done. The wise man told him that Death had probably come to take him away the next morning. The poor fellow was terrified at this and asked how ever he could escape. The only solution the two could think of was ...

4914. Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 6:5-9

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

Most of the things that were said about slavery in the exegesis of Colossians (Colossians § 21) and Philemon apply to Ephesians as well. But though the Colossian code was directed specifically toward the need for order in the church, the code in Ephesians appears to be more general in nature and to conform to the writer’s concern that there be unity and understanding within the Christian community as believers seek to serve Christ within the guidelines of the principle of submission (5:21). 6:5 The slaves ...

4915. Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

Genesis 39:1-23

Understanding Series

John E. Hartley

Joseph in Potiphar’s House: Joseph goes from favorite son to bondservant and from chief steward to prisoner. Although Joseph appears prone to bad luck, the narrator makes it clear that God is directing Joseph’s destiny, including his setbacks, to his ultimate destiny of ruler as anticipated in his boyhood dreams. A key term in this episode is “hand” (yad). It captures the trust Joseph inspires and plays a key role in his fall. Potiphar places all things in Joseph’s “hand” (vv. 3, 4, 6, 8, 22, 23). But in ...

4916. The “Nine Lives” of David

1 Samuel 19:1-24

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

Big Idea: Whether by divine providence or direct intervention, God is capable of protecting his chosen servants from those who seek to destroy them. Understanding the Text In chapter 18 Saul used different methods to try to kill David on three separate occasions (18:10–11, 17, 25). The pattern continues in chapter 19: (1) Saul orders Jonathan to kill David (19:1), (2) he again throws a spear at David (19:10; cf. 18:10–11), (3) he orders his henchmen to arrest David and bring him to the royal palace for ...

4917. Warning against a Premature Conclusion

Deuteronomy 3:12-20

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Moses then tells of the distribution of the land in the newly won Transjordanian territory to two and a half tribes (3:12–17; fully described in Num. 32:1–42). Deuteronomy makes no reference to the conflict that arose over this decision. Reuben was given the territory from the Arnon north to the hill country of Gilead, with half of that area (the land previously held by Sihon) given to Gad. Og’s territory, which was the other part of Gilead and all of Bashan, was given to the half tribe of Manasseh; the ...

4918. God’s Dispute with Israel

Micah 6:1-8

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

Second Round of Judgment and Salvation (6:1–7:20): God’s dispute with Israel takes the form of a legal proceeding. It is as if God, calling on creation to serve as witness to his complaint against his people, has taken Israel to court. The background of this section is found in the covenant God established with his people. The covenant was like a treaty between God as king and Israel as his people. Before witnesses, the people responded to God’s gracious acts of deliverance by receiving God’s law and ...

4919. Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7-12

Understanding Series

Robert H. Mounce

7:7–11 Earlier in the sermon (6:5–15) Matthew brought together a portion of Jesus’ teaching on the subject of prayer. Now he expands it by stressing how important it is for believers to be persistent in prayer. The present imperatives, “keep on asking,” “keep on seeking,” and “keep on knocking” (Williams) indicate that prayer is not a semi-passive ritual in which we occasionally share our concerns with God. In Luke, the narrative is immediately preceded by the story of the man awakened from sleep at ...

Every night before I turn out the lights to sleep, I ask myself this question: Have I done everything that I can. Have I done enough?

Lyndon B. Johnson

4921. Where Is He?

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Most parents are at some point familiar with children who hide when they’ve done something that they know they weren’t supposed to do. In fact, as a parent, you know something is up when your usual inquisitive, under-foot child has gone entirely missing in the house, nowhere to be found. At that point, it’s best to check the cookie jar, take note of windows and vases, make sure the cat is still safe, and see if anything else seems awry. Your hiding child is a sign that something has happened, even if you’ ...

4922. The Law of the Serpent

John 3:14-21

Sermon

Lori Wagner

That which bites you can also heal you. God’s ultimate promise is to heal an ailing creation. Yet there is no healing without hurting. To experience God’s salvation, we must first experience “sinsation.” The very word, “salvation” comes from the word “salve” meaning health. In Jesus’ salvation, God restores his sin-sick creation to perfect health. He does so by first embracing death. What the first “Adam” spoiled, Jesus, the “second Adam” will heal. The first Adam in his soiling of God’s perfect ...

4923. Secret Sauce

John 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Everyone knows that the secret to great dishes is in the sauce. A great chef can spend years perfecting a single sauce. Although a few secret ingredients can distinguish a sauce and therefore a dish, the base usually starts with a simple roux or base (flour and butter or oil heated together as a thickening agent). Once the roux is established, the rest depends on whatever additional ingredients the chef decides to add. The French in particular have perfected this process. French cooking begins by learning ...

4924. A Pep Talk for the Kingdom

Luke 18:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

Legendary football coach Knute Rockne was a master motivator. At the halftime of one game, his Notre Dame Fighting Irish were playing poorly. The team walked dejectedly to the locker room where they braced themselves. They knew Rockne would tear into them. They sat and sat, but Rockne did not appear. Finally, as the team began to head toward the door for the beginning of the second half, Rockne came walking in. He looked around and started to walk back out again. Then with a look of disgust on his face, he ...

4925. Broken

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

The Holy Scriptures are filled with ghost stories –holy ghost stories. From Saul’s encounter with the ghost of Samuel to Ezekiel’s “zombie army,” to the dead man who came to life after touching Elisha’s bones, to the raising of Lazarus, to the revival of Jairus’ daughter, to Jesus’ own terrifying resurrection –at least terrifying to the guards who literally froze in fear, these stories remind us that supernatural encounters come with the territory of our Christian faith. If anything stands out among these ...

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