Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 26 to 50 of 655 results

Luke 23:44-49, Luke 23:26-43

Teach the Text

R.T. France

Big Idea: Jesus dies on the cross, mourned by some and mocked by others, but confidently placing himself in his Father’s hands. Understanding the Text The crowd demanded Jesus’s crucifixion in 23:21, 23, and that now takes place, cruelly embodying Jesus’s earlier warning that to follow him would mean to “take up the cross” (9:23; 14:27). A variety of reactions on the way to “the Skull” and at the cross reflect the different ways people have responded to Jesus and his claims within the Gospel. But as the ...

27. Let's Have A Fruitful Christmas Season

Drama

May Dembowski

Running Time Twenty-five minutes (including one two-minute break) What's It About? This is a skit written for a Christian Women's Pre-Christmas-Season program, suitable for a ladies' breakfast, brunch, luncheon, and so forth. It is not evangelistic, but rather an idea-filled dialogue which gives some practical suggestions for keeping Christ in Christmas and heading off the usual frenzy of the busy season. How Many Characters? The four characters are women who are meeting for their regular kaffee klatsch ...

28. The Armor of Light

Romans 13:8-14

Drama

Larry Lange

Characters Harry Christian Margaret Christian (Harry's wife) Fed-Up Express Man Accompanist (nonspeaking) Props Stuffed chair Newspaper Table Lamp Bible Dressing mirror Large box (containing the following items) Silver shirt Silver gloves Silver sunglasses Silver light saber Silver-wrapped instruction book Small box (containing the following item) Huge, foil-covered binoculars (Harry Christian is pacing. Margaret Christian is seated on the pulpit side of the sanctuary in a stuffed chair reading the ...

29. Close Quarters With A King

Jeremiah 23:1-8

Sermon

Thomas G. Rogers

It was quite unusual for Susan to do something so frivolous. Perhaps it was the combination of depression and stress that prompted her to take a break from her daily responsibilities. There was quite a bit of tension in Susan's relationship with her husband. Also her teenage children seemed to have become almost completely out of her control. She felt frustrated and helpless. She felt that she needed something. In fact, when she tried to think of a word to describe how she was feeling, that was the word ...

30. Two Thieves

Luke 23:32-43

Sermon

Erskine White

And He said to them, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) Have you ever thought about how lonely Jesus was as He made His way to Calviary’s hill and hung on its cross to die? Someone has compared it to the feeling you get in the hospital as you are being wheeled into the operating room. You feel radically alone as you wave good-bye to your family and friends, because they can’t undergo your surgery for you! You have to do it yourself. You are surrounded by people - the ...

31. Simon of Cyrene - Reluctant Reliever or Submissive Servant?

Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Carl E. Zahrte

Was I there? Yes, and I’m so glad that I was. Yes, I was there on that day when they crucified my Lord. My name is Simon of Cyrene, and what happened on that day marked a new beginning in my life. Oh, I wasn’t very happy about it at first, that’s for sure. The way things happened, I resented it deeply when I was compelled to pick up the cross-beam and carry it for Jesus. After all, I had just arrived at the holy city and was about to enter Jerusalem. Then, all of a sudden, everything seemed to go wrong. At ...

32. Déjà Vu or Divine Revelation?

Luke 23:35-43

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever had an experience of déjà vu? Déjà vu is French for the words, “already seen,” and it’s this strange feeling that you have seen or experienced this moment before. It’s especially common among those who only come to church on Christmas and Easter. They’re like, “Doesn’t the church talk about anything else—Jesus in the cradle or Jesus on the cross? I think I’ve heard this before.” I’m just kidding, of course. We appreciate worshipers anytime you come. Comedian Steven Wright said in one of his ...

33. Easter and a Lost World

Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

James Merritt

Not long ago a lady wrote Dear Abby a letter, and in this letter this is what she said: Dear Abby: Your answer to the woman who complained that her relatives were always arguing with her about religion, was ridiculous. You advised her to simply declare the subject off- limits. Are you suggesting that people talk only about trivial meaningless subjects so as to avoid a potential controversy?…It is arrogant to tell people there are subjects that they may not mention in your presence. You could have suggested ...

34. Sustaining the Weary with a Word

Isaiah 50:1-11

Sermon

Carlyle Fielding Stewart

Those who are beleagured can be strengthened by the prophet, for his words sustain and encourage the weary and draw our attention not only to Israel’s sin and the servant’s obedience, but the compassion of Christ. We not only hear and take heed to the prophet’s words, but we know also that the word has been made flesh in Jesus Christ. The words of the prophet in this text can be words that Christ himself spoke as he faced his accusers and tormentors and as he prepared for his own death upon his entry into ...

35. Two-and-a-Half Cheers For Hypocrites

Matthew 6:1-2, Matthew 6:5-6, Matthew 6:16

Sermon

Thomas Long

It is difficult to find anyone who has a kind word to say about hypocrites. Nobody likes a hypocrite; no one wants to be around one; the last thing one would want to be called is a hypocrite. Hypocrites are, by definition, deceptive, two-faced and treacherous. If discovered, hypocritical politicians are defeated at the polls, hypocritical friends get dropped and hypocritical preachers lose the trusting ears of their congregations. It may well be that our age is particularly tough on hypocrisy. In some ways ...

36. The Prayer of a Thief

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

King Duncan

Not everybody who takes up a life of crime is all that smart. Sometimes movies or television glorify criminals. They make them appear sophisticated, even cool. Most criminals do not fall in that category. Like the guy who walked into a little corner store in England with a shotgun and demanded all the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the ...

37. Job Feels under Attack by God

Job 16:1-17:16

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Job feels exhausted under God’s attack, but he still dares to hope for God’s justice. Understanding the Text In his rebuttal to Eliphaz in Job 16–17, Job begins by countering many of the charges made previously by his friends. He vigorously rejects their claims to possess knowledge that is superior to his, and he dismisses their arguments as irrelevant to his specific case. Job’s strong language indicates that he is indignant and disgusted with them (16:1–6). Job then addresses God directly, ...

38. The Passion of Our Lord

2 Corinthians 5:21

Sermon

A prose layout for preaching: Lent is that season of the Church's year when we as Christians dwell on the Mystery of the Crucifixion. And what the Crucifixion tells us is this: God Himself died upon a cross, to pour out His love for us, to forgive us our sins, to share His life with us now, and eternally. Most of us associate this as the theme of Lent, and yet, we also associate Lent with other things: as a time of solemnity in the Church, as a time when we should be especially more aware of our sins, as a ...

39. Luke 23:33-43

Luke 23:26-43

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

Christianity’s liturgical calendar has some unusual qualities. It celebrates or commemorates things that now are often unfamiliar to the twenty-first century church. So it is that the lectionary readings for this Sunday, especially the gospel text, may seem strangely out of place at this point in the calendar year. Pop culture is already revved-up for the extravagance and expense of the Christmas holiday. Yet even if consumer culture barely admits that there is a Christian component behind Christmas, there ...

40. Vacillation - Pontius Pilate

Sermon

Ron Lavin

"... Suffered under Pontius Pilate ..." you say in your creed each Sunday. Millions of Christians speak my name every Sabbath and connect it with the suffering of Jesus Christ. They point their finger at me and speak my name along with Judas and Herod. Let me tell you my side of the story. Let me tell you about my suffering at the hands of Jesus of Nazareth. We Romans were the conquerors of Judea, but she refused to be conquered. I was the governor, but she refused to be governed. My appointment as ...

41. By Faith

Hebrews 11:1-40

Understanding Series

Donald A. Hagner

The Nature and Importance of Faith The mention of the importance of faith in the last two verses of the preceding chapter leads naturally to this famous chapter on faith. It is impossible to know whether the author is making use of a source, which he now takes over in part or totally, or whether he is composing a fresh catalogue of heroes on the model of existing examples. Extensive reviews of the history of Israel had been composed to substantiate a warning or to provide encouragement, and some of these ...

42. It Is Really Something New by Dr. Frank Bateman Stanger

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2, Acts 17:16-34

Sermon

Leonard Mann

The six of us ministers during this special series have been given a very demanding assignment. There is nothing more exacting than to try to tell the meaning of something. Certainly it is not easy to verbalize accurately a meaning. I remember shortly before I left the last local church which I served as pastor that one of the young adults, a very attractive, intelligent, spiritually sensitive lady said to me, "Before you leave our church, will you tell us again what it means to live a sanctified life?" ...

43. The Crucifixion

Mark 15:21-32

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

15:21–32 It is striking that the central event in the story of Jesus’ obedience to the will of God is narrated with such stark simplicity and economy of words (compare the Lucan version, 23:26–43). The mention of Simon, the Cyrenian Jew (v. 21), a person included in all the Synoptic accounts of the crucifixion (cf. Matt. 27:32; Luke 23:26), looks like an echo of early tradition. In Mark, there is the distinctive reference to two sons of the man (Alexander and Rufus, v. 21), perhaps indicating that the men ...

44. The Kingdom Is Not K-Mart

Luke 14:25-35

Sermon

James Merritt

Think about these words: dedication, devotion, discipleship, commitment, consecration, surrender, sacrifice. There are no blue-light specials on these virtues in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not k-mart. I want you to get these two statements into your heart. Salvation is free, but discipleship is not cheap. You may be familiar with the term day-trader. A day-trader is a high-risk investor who jumps in and out of the stock market often many times a day to capitalize on small price changes. ...

45. The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace

Daniel 3:1-30

Understanding Series

William Nelson

The Gold Image and the Blazing Furnace: There are a couple of loose links between chapter 2 and chapter 3. First, when the astrologers (Chaldeans) accuse the three friends, they refer to them as “some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon” (3:12), alluding to their promotion in chapter 2 (2:49). Secondly, the term “image” generally connects chapter 2 to chapter 3. First, Nebuchadnezzar sees an image (2:31; NIV “statue”); then he erects one (3:1). It is unlikely, as some have ...

46. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:1-15, 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

In the last section of the letter (2 Cor. 10–13) Paul makes a frontal attack on his opponents to prepare the Corinthians for his third visit to Corinth. In chapter 10 he has already dealt with two of the opponents’ accusations against him. Now, in 11:1–12:13, the apostle condescends to boasting about himself at the provocation of the opponents and in the face of a lack of concrete support from the Corinthians. These opponents, who evidently bill themselves as “apostles,” had made a strong impression on the ...

47. Boasting

2 Corinthians 11:16-33, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

48. Have You Had Your Caffeine Today?

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Pastor Scott Hippler tells about a day when he was about 7 years old. His grandmother had taken him and his cousin to the grocery store. On the way, his grandmother stopped at another store for a few minutes. Young Scott and his cousin stayed in the car. Scott Hippler blames his grandmother for what happened next. She was gone longer that she had said she would be. Back then, he remembers, they put prizes in laundry detergent boxes as an incentive for people to buy those detergents. His grandmother always ...

49. The Death of John the Baptist

Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 9:1-9

Sermon

Lori Wagner

On the news one day a short while ago --some of you may remember this—we heard that eight young high school boys viciously attacked and gang raped an 8 year old girl, a special needs child. One by one, they took turns raping her and beating her until at last she died. The town was shocked. These were their star varsity players…their A students...their church acolytes...their beloved sons. How could this happen? It's called “peer pressure.” A similar thing happened in the case of a young college freshman, ...

50. How Do You Spell Stress?

Drama

Timothy W. Ayers

Topic: Tranquillity, serenity, marriage, work, children, bills, troubles Characters: 2 males, 2 females, 1 either Scene: Freeze frames. Each character performs lines then freezes in place Male 1: How do I spell stress? Just like everybody else: I spell it J-O-B. I go into work and my boss is on my case right away. He wants this report and that meeting has to be attended. It's insane in that office. They've been cutting back and several of the people under me were let go. The company calls it downsizing for ...

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