Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 476 to 500 of 832 results

2 Timothy 3:1-4:8

Sermon

James Merritt

... reproof," it will tell you what is not right; it is "profitable for correction," it will tell you how to get right; it is "profitable for instruction in righteousness," it will tell you how to stay right for this book alone is the Word of God. I recently got a copy of a letter from one of our missionaries in Zimbabwe. She was sitting out on the street waiting for some friends and noticed a beggar reading a book with a can in front of him collecting coins. She got up and walked over to him and as she got ...

477. Saved to Share

Acts 26

Sermon

James Merritt

... Fenholt could give testimony to that fact. Jeff Fenholt played the original Jesus in the sacrilegious musical Jesus Christ Superstar, which purposely leaves out the Resurrection. Fenholt toured the United States and recorded the album which sold approximately fifteen million copies in this country alone. He later became a vocalist involved with Black Sabbath, a rock group with an anti-Christian name. Although he was tremendously successful on the outside, he said on the inside he felt a "deep emptiness."5 ...

478. Are You In the Know

Job 19:23-27

Sermon

James Merritt

... book in the Bible, but Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It was the first biblical book ever written. Job had never heard a preacher talk about redemption. He had never heard a seminary professor talk about redemption. He had never even opened up a copy of a Bible and read about redemption, and yet he said, "I know my Redeemer lives." Now there is no question in my mind that Job is talking about none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is presented throughout the Bible as our Redeemer ...

479. The Prosecutor Perry Mason Can't Beat

John 16:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

Perry Mason. A name that can strike the fear of God into the heart of any prosecutor. For any defendant accused of murder, he was the supreme "ace in the hole." From September of 1957 to October of 1966, Perry Mason tried 270 murder cases on television. How many cases did he lose? Believe it or not, he appears to have lost two. In "the case of the Terrified Typist" a jury returns a guilty verdict against Perry's client, and the prosecutor, Hamilton Burger, gets goose bumps thinking he had finally beaten ...

480. Power in the Pulpit

Philippians 3:1-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... was a Presbyterian clergyman and an educator, president of a college, but one of the most important contributions he made was his Readers which had an enormous impact on this country in the 19th Century. First published in 1836, over 120 million copies of these books were sold, and they strengthened the moral backbone of America for almost 100 years. McGuffey said this: Religion is a social concern; for it operates powerfully on society, contributing in various ways to its stability and prosperity. Religion ...

481. Why You Should Trust In God

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... trust an insurance company. But I'm here to tell you that all of God's word was written to show us why we ought to trust God. We ought to trust God for this reason: When we trust him He guides us. Understand this. God does not make Xerox copies or clones. He makes only originals. Whether you are a plumber or a preacher; an electrician or an evangelist; a mechanic or a missionary, God has a plan for you. God wants to guide your every step. In one of the greatest passages in all the Bible, the wisest man ...

482. An All-Night Wrestling Match

Genesis 32:22-32

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... played hardball politics. But one night in July, 1973, he found himself in desperate need. So, he visited his friend Tom Phillips at his home in suburban Boston. Tom was a new Christian. That night Tom shared his faith with Colson and gave him a copy of C.S. Lewis’s classic book, “Mere Christianity.” Phillips read to him portions of chapter 8 of that book, about the sin of pride. Those words, empowered by the Holy Spirit, nailed Colson right between the eyes. Colson left the Phillips home that night ...

483. How To Be An Easter Person

Luke 24:1-12

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... One girl on his team came from an unchurched family. After one of the practices she approached her coach and said, “Mr. Smith, I feel bad because I don’t know the Lord’s Prayer.” Coach Smith said, “Don’t worry, I will fix that.” So, he had copies of the Lord’s Prayer made and distributed them to all members of the team. At the end of the season Coach Smith was thrilled when that young girl and her entire family joined Christ Church. Coach Smith thought he was sharing just the Lord’s Prayer ...

484. Introducing A Child to God

1 Samuel 1:1-21

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... small, we had lots of those Bible story books with all the pictures. They would pick out which one Mom or Dad would read at bedtime. Then we would fix our hands and pray together. Finally they got old enough to read for themselves. We gave them a copy of the Living Bible paraphrase for children. By that time, their bedtime habit of reading God’s word was fixed. Have you seen any of those “God Speaks” billboards out on the highways? One of them asked, “Have you read my # 1 best-seller? There will be ...

485. Sending Good Messages

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... a second lifetime, I would want to be Mrs. Churchill’s second husband.” (3) Now, that is a wonderful marital message. One of my favorite poets, Archibald Rutledge, wrote a poem entitled “Final Proof.” If you want to score a great hit on Valentine’s Day, just get a copy of my sermon and write these words on the back of your Valentine card. “I do not need some tremendous miracle to give me faith in God: A violet would do, or a spire of goldenrod, or a daisy or two. But if I had to have a magic and ...

486. Not Bad, Just Too Busy

Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... You can make a gift for as little as $10 that will touch people in China or the Middle East or Zambia or India or Binghampton. A notice will be sent to a particular person or family informing them that you have made a gift in their honor. Copies of this brochure are outside the worship area. You can do something similar through the Church Health Center. One of the essential guidelines in the early church was “to remember the poor.” (Acts 2:10) There is no better time to do that than on the Savior’s ...

487. The Lord's Song in a Foreign Land

Psalm 137:1-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... sing it, even in a foreign land. NOTE: For further reading, I highly recommend Bill McKibben's article in the August 2005 Harper's Magazine entitled "The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong." On request, I will gladly provide you with a copy. 1. Gary Haller, "Searching for Shalom," April 14 and 28, 2002 2. Bill McKibben, "The Christian Paradox," Harper's Magazine, August 2005, page 31 3. Quoted in a sermon by James A. Harnish, "A Song of Hope," Hyde Park UMC, Tampa, Fla., June 24, 2001 ...

488. Unlikely Election

Acts 1:12-26

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... and the need for world peace and brotherhood. How we need his voice amid the religious tensions, the sectarian violence, the hostile rhetoric of our day. I've been collecting his writings (all of which are out of print), and a good friend found a copy of his book on Pentecost and the book of Acts, The Christ of Every Road, in a church rummage sale. I cherish it. He describes the church as living between Easter and Pentecost: The church stands hesitant between the two. Hesitant, hence impotent. Something big ...

489. The Revelation Code I: DaVinci, A to Z

Revelation 1:1-20

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth. First published in 1970, he predicted the end of the world by about 1988. But unless I have missed something, we are still here, and for some unimaginable reason the book is still selling about 10,000 copies per year. And of course, that was followed by the huge money-making media machine called the "Left Behind" series…biblical literalism run amuck! We might heed Augustine of Hippo who, as early as 400 A.D., advised, "Those who make calculations should relax their ...

490. Searching: MySpace

Hebrews 11:8-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... rest of my life figuring it out. At much the same time, other Methodist youth were gathering in other parts of the world I had never heard of. In Estonia, under the oppression of communism, the youth had no hymnals. They were not allowed. So instead, they copied the hymns by hand, in secret. This small hymnal is one of those hand-written hymnals for youth, hidden away in an attempt to maintain the faith in secret. There have been times and places when it was downright dangerous to do what you do today, and ...

491. What Ever Happened to Norman Rockwell?

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... from one of my favorite books on family life, Robert Farrar Capon's Bed and Board. I have included a longer version of the passage here than I used in the actual preaching of the sermon. The book is out of print, but you can find copies available through www.alibris.com, a used book site. For a further discussion of a contemporary understanding of St. Paul's advice on human relations, see Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters by Tom Wright, available in paperback through the virtual bookstore on our website ...

492. From the Tomb

John 20:1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... won. [3] Note: Let me add a personal word. As the pastor of the Wilmore Methodist Church, Wilmore, Kentucky, during my years at Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary, Dr. David Seamands influenced a generation of preachers. I am grateful to have a copy of the 1968 Easter sermon quoted here, and am indebted to him for his influence on my life and preaching. 1. Detroit Free Press, April 14, 2006 2. Dr. David Seamands, "Mary of Magdala," Wilmore Methodist Church, April 14, 1968 3. United Methodist ...

493. On the Mountainside

Matthew 6:5-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... by the Latin name, the Church of Pater Nostre, which means "The Church of the Our Father." The beautiful courtyard of the church is surrounded by great plaques with the Lord's Prayer in 111 different languages, and in the archives of the convent can be found copies of the Lord's Prayer in 1,128 languages and dialects. John Killinger says, Think of the hundreds of tongues in which this prayer arises every day. It is impossible that there should be a single moment at any time of any day or night when it ...

494. Worship and Wonder

John 1:1-14

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... and ministry in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end this sermon with. (Get it?) In the end, it's not the prepositions. It's the active verbs that make all the difference. Following, please find a copy of the full "Shared Vision" of First United Methodist Church. If you would like to the see the Me Church video, go to www.sermonspice.com. Click on "View Videos" and scroll down to Me Church. More information about our mission work at Kusayapu school in Chile ...

495. Lost in Wonder, Love and Praise

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

John E. Harnish

496. Gifts: Standing on the Promises

Malachi 4:10

Sermon

John E. Harnish

497. Will The Real Saints Please Stand Up

Esther 4:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... in the name of Jesus Christ around the world. Well, I had a hard time deciding what to end this sermon with. (Get it?) In the end, it's not the prepositions. It's the active verbs that make all the difference. NOTES: Following, please find a copy of the full "Shared Vision" of First United Methodist Church. If you would like to the see the Me Church video, go to www.sermonspice.com. Click on "View Videos" and scroll down to Me Church. More information about our mission work at Kusayapu school in Chile ...

498. Gathered In, Sent Out

1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

John E. Harnish

499. Growing Up

1 Corinthians 13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

500. Called to be a Christian Community: Cracked Pots and Clay Jars

2 Corinthians 4: 1-18

Sermon

John E. Harnish