Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 26 to 50 of 1533 results

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... thou who changest not, abide with me.") In reality, some things do stay the same, or relatively so, for a long time, but eventually most things change in some way. God does not change but he often works through the changes in our lives. We have a perfect example of that in this story of Samuel. God took the initiative and broke the silence. The change God then instituted brought fresh opportunity for people to come back to the covenant, to walk in the ways of righteousness, and to hear God's word for their ...

27. If, Because, Regardless

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... , Regardless." I. If A. An "if" giver only gives if he or she is going to receive a blessing and reward in return. This person waits to see what God's going to do first, then decides whether or not to respond by giving. There's a perfect example of this in the movie Groundhog Day. B. Phil Connors is a self-centered weather reporter who falls under an enchantment. He has to relive Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania over and over again. Each day is exactly the same in the way it unfolds for others ...

28. A LITURGICAL DRAMA FOR ALL SAINTS’

Drama

Tom Eberle

... , it was the difference between life and death. Box: Next beatitude. Minister: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Box: Only if done in moderation. Minister: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Box: A perfect example of enlightened self-interest. If you want a pat on the back, then be willing to offer a few also. Minister: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Box: I don’t know about this seeing God business, but do ...

29. The Ten Commandments #2: No Idols!

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... ourselves to give it a reverential importance far beyond what it actually has. And that is why, in the whole Bible, there are more references to this Second Commandment than to any of the others.(5) The story of the brass serpent in the wilderness is a perfect example. Do you remember it? In the 21st chapter of Numbers there is the account of an attack on a grumbling nation of Israel by poisonous snakes. The people were dying like flies until Moses asked God for help. So God instructed Moses to have a brass ...

30. Don't Fall

Luke 22:39-46

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... completely from the world and lock yourself away from worldly and fleshly influences you will never avoid temptation. What Jesus was instructing them to do was to pray in order have the strength not to fall into temptation. Louise’s story is the perfect example of this. She was tempted. She prayed. That first time driving past the bakery was just temptation. It was the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh time she passed before she found the opening parking spot that was the “falling into ...

31. What’s Happened To My Dear Old Church?

Mark 7:1-23

Sermon

Richard Patt

... is maintaining that religion in worship must finally be completed in our lives. The ritual and liturgy we practice are, after all, the symbols and energizing force for what needs to happen in the Christian’s daily life. The crosses on our altars are a perfect example. Before we started using golden crosses, don’t forget, there was first a wooden cross - an authentic beam literally staked down-to-earth, into the ground. On that cross the Man of Nazareth hung his own body. In his body he truly suffered as ...

32. 1 Timothy 1:12-17

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... of the divine Christ. That Jesus came "to save sinners" affirms the whole reason for the Incarnation to redeem fallen, broken humanity. Paul celebrates his own experience of divine mercy and patience not only for his own sake, but because this makes him a perfect example to others of the depth and breadth of Christ's saving ability. If even Paul's great sinfulness were erased, who could be beyond the pale of God's grace? The "sureness" affirmed by verse 15, however, suggests that the focus here is more ...

33. Proper 14

Psalm 50:1-23, Luke 12:35-48

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... you actively in the days of your absence and with greater joy when we are fully aware of your presence with us. Amen. Prayer of Thanksgiving Jesus, Master, we rejoice in the appreciation you show for the simplest services we render. You have set us a perfect example of selfless service. We honor as well those like Abraham and Sarah who have followed your leading without knowing your destiny for them. We would give thanks by our daily work as well as by our Sunday liturgy. Praise to you God of Sarah and ...

34. On Being a Beautiful Christian

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Robert G. Tuttle

... the synagogue in the village where Jesus lived as a boy is thus described: "He kept all the fasts; he paid more than a tithe; he demanded that his sons and daughters be brought up in the fear of the Lord; he always set himself up as a perfect example of morality and keeping the law - but nobody loved him because at heart he loved nobody."1 Perhaps this was where Jesus’ difficulty with Scribes and Pharisees arose. As a child, he sensed that they just did not react to people in the spirit of God. They were ...

35. Why Should I Go On Living?

Matthew 12:38-45

Sermon

Louis H. Valbracht

... grades to show it. In high school, I had the proper amount of social popularity. I belonged to the proper clubs, and I had the proper number of dates at the proper times. Now, here I am in college preparing for life - LIFE - and I am a perfect example of an all-American phony! Every thing that you see is a perfect shell, a lovely veneer, an unpressive facade, all produced and directed by a great American home of a great American society. And what’s inside? What’s inside? NOTHING! There is nothing of WHO ...

36. Friction Points

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... based on its own values. The Boy Scouts are being sued because a homosexual person believes he should e the right to be a scoutmaster. But the Boy Scouts and the United Methodist Church regard homosexual conduct as immoral. Here is a perfect example of how our Christian value system stands against that of much of secular America. Our differentness as Christians is further highlighted when considers the hottest news item of the last six weeks. Of course, I refer to the accusations swirling around the ...

37. Nothing Is Impossible With God

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

... surrendered his life entirely to God, his joy and faith returned. David Wilkerson became a successful evangelist, the founder of Teen Challenge, and the author of the best-selling book The Cross and the Switchblade. (5) IN THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON, MARY GIVES US A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO SAY "YES" TO GOD. Just for a moment, Mary is given a glimpse of eternity. Salvation has come, not just for the rich and powerful, but for the poor and oppressed. Salvation has come, not just through an earthly kingdom, but ...

38. Holy Tuesday

Mark 11:27-33

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... your own fulfilled.” That’s what Jesus was talking about. But it isn’t easy. I would argue that it is not a natural virtue at all, but a supernatural one. It only becomes possible when we realize that God loves us in precisely that way. A perfect example is God, who loves us even when we are unlovely and unlovable. It is as though God were saying to us: “I love you...now, pass it on!” In Leslie Weatherhead’s book THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, the author speaks of the compelling authority of ...

39. Back to the Future

Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)

Sermon

Gary L. Carver

... was about to be over, Simon woke up and, realizing what was going on, responded in his usual over-emotional way and says, "Lord, this is great, this is fantastic. We ought to put up three tabernacles to commemorate what has happened here!" Simon is the perfect example of the person who, when he doesn't know what to say, still speaks. Even Luke comments. Look at verse 33. Luke said that Peter knew not what he was saying. It's just Simon babbling again - open mouth, insert foot. We cannot confine God. We ...

40. The Year of Canceling Debts

Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Understanding Series

Christopher J. H. Wright

... the latter context, the covenant obligation was paramount, and so the debt-release law is sanetioned by linking it with the Lord of the covenant, Yahweh: (lit.) “Yahweh’s release has been proclaimed” (v. 2b). This law is thus a perfect example of the combination of the vertical and horizontal directions of covenantal obligation. 15:4–6 Coming immediately after the instructions about how to alleviate debt-poverty, the assertion, However, there should be (lit. “will be”) no poor among you, sounds ...

41. Presents And The Gift Of Presence

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

William B. Kincaid, III

... significant, of more ultimate value than anything we are able to give. Through the Christ-child, we have life, we know life, and we share life. Because of the Christ-child, we give with a new spirit and a new love and a new freedom. God has shown us the perfect example of giving. Now, we are able to give simply for the love and joy of giving, and our gifts are more than sweaters and ear rings. Now, we can offer a bit of ourselves as a sign that the Christmas spirit has taken root in our lives. Just as God ...

42. The Blessing Of A Godly Mentality

Genesis 18:16-33

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... . The respected sociologist George Barna estimates that committed Christians constitute less than 30 percent of the population. (2) But that should not cause us to despair. God has a marvelous history of doing great things with faithful minorities. Genesis 18 offers a perfect example. Let me set the scene for you. Abraham, the father of the Hebrew people, was living as a nomadic shepherd in the land of Canaan. This territory today is part of Israel and the West Bank. The time is about 2000 years before ...

43. John 1:29-42

John 1:29-42

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... terms throughout his text, both to point to the theological truths beyond the historical events he is recording and to poke at and play with the ignorance of those who heard but did not understand Jesus' message. This "Lamb of God" title is a perfect example of Johannine ambiguity. Scholars have argued long and hard about where John got this image and what function it suggests. As a member of a priestly family and an observant Jew, John the Baptist was certainly familiar with the lamb as a traditional ...

44. Proper 14

Psalm 50:1-23, Isaiah 1:1-31, Luke 12:32-40, Hebrews 11:1-40

Bulletin Aid

B. David Hostetter

... you actively in the days of your absence and with greater joy when we are fully aware of your presence with us. Amen. PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Jesus, Master, we rejoice in the appreciation you show for the simplest services we render. You have set us a perfect example of selfless service. We honor as well those like Abraham and Sarah who have followed your leading without knowing your destiny for them. We would give thanks by our daily work as well as by our Sunday liturgy. Praise to you, God of Sarah and ...

45. First Class Freedom

Galatians 5:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... ; and even our memories and past. All of these are things and attitudes which we have allowed to ensnare, fetter, and enslave our spirits. Spirits which were meant to be free; spirits and lives which were bought with a price on the cross. I think there's a perfect example of this in the Disney/Pixar movie "Up." In my opinion, this is Disney's best movie ever. Here's a clip that is not actually in the movie but gives both a flavor of the movie and illustrates the whole idea of Becoming Ensnared. (Watch: Up ...

46. The Short List

Micah 6:1-8

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to everyone in this courtroom, and I am fining everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a city where a man has to steal in order to have bread to eat." The money was collected and given to the defendant. I love that story, because it's a perfect example of justice being meted out in full and paid in full, while at the very same time, mercy and grace were also enacted in full. (7) You and I are called to act in the same manner as that Judge. We're called to not just do mercy and kindness ...

47. Sister Act(s)

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Arley K. Fadness

... burn out if they do not center themselves and replenish their souls in prayer, worship, and meditation. On the other hand, to focus on only learning, worshiping, and omit the practical application of the gospel, can lead to a self-absorbed life. A perfect example of a Mary-Martha balance is in the ministry of the Mary musicians from Edison Lutheran Church of Bow, Washington. These Mary musicians are not Christmas carolers though they have that look about them. They are parishioners who pile into cars like ...

48. Wanna Fight?

Mark 9:38-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... poor. With his walking stick in hand, he’d make his rounds from house to house no matter what, even if he was sick or it was raining. He truly was the embodiment of the teachings of Jesus Christ. He lived as he preached, which set the perfect example for his parishioners, his flock of sheep.” It’s a rather romantic vision of the priest. But Chaucer sums up his character in these unforgettable words: He lived by the motto, “. . . if gold rust, what then will iron do? For if a priest be foul in whom ...

49. Who Is This Man?

Matthew 16:13-20

Sermon

King Duncan

... story is that when we have an absolute standard to measure ourselves by, it is futile to measure ourselves against other men and women. We must measure ourselves by the standard of Christ. (2) Jesus is, of course, the mark we measure our lives by. He is the perfect example of what a human being ought to be. For some people that is good enough where Jesus is concerned. He is the absolute standard. He is the ultimate role model for humanity. He is humanity at its finest. But for most of us, Jesus is more than ...

50. Could the Pharisees Have Been Irish?

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Sermon

King Duncan

... us would feel smothered by such restrictions. But it is doubtful considering all the persecution they have experienced that the Jewish community would have survived without its traditions. Rabbi Allan C. Tuffs tells a wonderful true story out of World War II that is the perfect example of the value of tradition. It was about a Private Winneger who was with the U.S. Army as it marched through Europe at the end of the war. Winneger’s unit was assigned to a European village with the orders to secure the town ...

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