Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 476 to 500 of 4937 results

476. The Way of the Fox and the Way of the Lamb

Luke 13:31-35

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Can you spot a “pretender?” A “poser?” That person who maybe holds a high-level position and a high level of bravado but is low on actual follow-through? The one who issues threats but when confronted himself hides behind his staff? A sneaky, inept, degenerate, cowardly lowlife, who sounds menacing but doesn’t have it in him to stand face-to-face with his target?Who can hurl accusations and warnings but would turn and run if confronted by the object of his disdain? A loner, who needs the approval of his ...

477. You Are My Witnesses

Luke 24:36-49

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

The inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president of the Republic of South Africa goes down in the annals of history as a most memorable moment. Imagine historians a hundred years from now trying to recreate the excitement and the significance of what took place in Pretoria and Capetown in 1994. Three centuries of bitter and harsh white rule were brought to a close as Mandela was elected the first black president by its first all-race parliament. What dramatized that election was the fact that Mr. Mandela ...

478. Going The Wrong Way On A One Way Street

Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon

Ron Lavin

Have you ever made a wrong turn and found yourself going the wrong way on a one way street? I did that not long ago. It certainly was unnerving. One man, who made this mistake said, "I just figured I was late and everyone was coming home." God has a clear one way street for living the good life: "Believe in me and serve your neighbor." That’s what the sabbath day is about: rediscovering God and our neighbor. Anything short of that is as self-defeating as driving your car against traffic on a superhighway. ...

479. The Sponge And Wine

Mark 15:33-41

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

Our age has been called a drug culture. Offhand, it would be impossible to estimate the amount of drug abuse in our society. At times we believe that our intense efforts and huge expenditures to curtail drug abuse are successful only to discover otherwise. However, today we are also engaged in a national debate about the medicinal use of drugs as an important part of the health care delivery system. The drug industry is under scrutiny, because of the high cost of the society's reliance upon their products ...

480. The Sponge And Wine

Mark 14:1--15:47

Sermon

Harry N. Huxhold

481. Holy Arithmetic

John 6:1-15

Sermon

Donald Macleod

First Series Up-Dating Out-Dated "Holy" After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" ...

482. Holy Friendship

John 6:60-71

Sermon

Donald Macleod

After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:66-69 (RSV) Jesus said to the twelve, "Will you also go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." It is easy to think of Jesus' life as being ...

483. A Candle Dies to Give Light

Ephesians 5:2

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A scented candle and a regular candle. Good morning, boys and girls! Today I need some boys and girls with good noses. Who has a good nose? There are a lot of good noses here this morning. But I need some special noses. I don't want short noses or long noses. I don't want pretty noses or turned-up noses, but I want noses that can smell good. Now, who has a nose that can smell real good? (Wait for volunteers.) They sure do look like good noses. A nose that can smell good is a real advantage. I have ...

484. The Way I See It

Drama

Sarah Walton Miller

This skit, based on Luke 15:11-32, is a series of monologues in which each character gives his version of the conflict. The older brother has been made an older sister to show the story’s adaptability. Simple staging: four stools or chairs, so arranged that there is the illusion of isolation, each from the others. Always use any available levels. Actors, use your stools: stand by, sit or lean on them at will. Avoid eye contact with the other players. Freeze when not speaking. Characters are the FATHER, ...

485. Is There Hope for the Hapless Wedding Guest?

Matthew 22:1-14

Sermon

Darrick Acre

Strange parable. Great beginning; catastrophic ending. Yet I find myself drawn to the hapless wedding guest because nobody else is. The first sermon I ever heard in a Nazarene Church was when I was in high school. Pastor Roy Hoover preached on this wretched wedding guest. It so chilled me out that I didn’t go back for a year. I’ve never forgotten it. I’ve never heard one on it since! When preachers come to this miserable fellow, like the Jews of old meeting a leper on the road, they give him a wide berth. ...

486. Give me a C...

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The church needs some new cheers. If we're going to boast about anything, let's boast about Christ. The boasts will sound like foolishness to the world. The Beatitudes are an example of "foolish" sounding cheers. Have you ever been swept up in a wave? No, not an ocean wave at the beach, but the kind of "wave" that sweeps through a football stadium, or the baseball stands or a hockey rink. It's an exhilarating crowd experience to see the wave created by thousands of people standing with their arms raised ...

487. God's Angel to Prepare the Way

Exodus 23:20-33

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

Covenant Laws IV: Corruption, Poverty, Three Festivals, God’s Promises: The book of the covenant concludes with laws that establish judicial integrity (vv. 1–9); Sabbath laws that protect the poor and beasts of burden (vv. 10–13); and the institution of three yearly festivals (vv. 14–19). Then the text returns to the narrative of God’s promises to Moses (vv. 20–33). The alternating pattern of social justice legislation with laws about the people’s relation to God continues. 23:20–33 These verses are a ...

488. GIVE ME YOUR SINS: The First Word

Luke 23:26-43

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Today we gather in this sanctuary to continue on our Lenten journey that we began on Ash Wednesday. I want to share some thoughts and reflections from what historically has been designated as the First Word--from the Seven Last Words of Jesus Christ from the cross. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that the first word from the cross deals with the real life issue of forgiveness, and really what is being implied here is forgiveness of our sins. This was the whole reason behind Christ''s coming to ...

489. Exhortations

Philippians 4:2-9

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

Fresh Plea for Unity Two members of the church are begged by name to reach a common mind as fellow Christians, and another of Paul’s co-workers is urged to help them in this regard. 4:2 Euodia and Syntyche were evidently two very active members of the Philippian church, probably foundation members. From the fact that (in a letter meant to be read to the church) Paul begs each of them by name to agree with each other in the Lord, it may be inferred that the disagreement between them, whatever its nature, ...

490. Prophesy Your Way Forward

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

The worst thing about January 1? Not that it marks the “official” end of the holiday season. Not that it means school starts the next day. Not even that it signals we all just got a year older. The worst thing about January 1 is that we are immediately inundated with two of the most depressing messages imaginable. First, we are barraged and berated online, on tv, on buses, with the fact that it is high time to lose weight. Second, we begin to get reminded that it’s time to do our taxes. As if January weren ...

491. How Does Religious Conduct Work?

Mark 7:31-37

Sermon

Donald Macleod

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him. And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And his ears were opened, his tongue was ...

492. Prepare the Way of the Lord

Luke 3:1-20

Bulletin Aid

James Wilson

Call to Worship Leader: Let us all give praise before the Lord with gladness and joy. People: This is our God, on whom we have waited for our salvation. Leader: For the Lord is near to all who call out to God in love and truth. People: The Lord is indeed our Help and the Holy One who delivers us. Leader: Let us shout the message for all to hear of God's mercy and grace. All: Blessed be the name of the Lord! Collect Most gracious and loving Lord, in Your infinite wisdom You call us to proclaim the wonderful ...

493. Way Down In Egypt's Land

Matthew 2:13-18

Sermon

King Duncan

I hope you had the best Christmas ever. Robert Orben says city kids have a difficult time understanding the Christmas story. When he said that Mary and Joseph had to spend the night in a stable, his daughter asked, "What’s a stable?" he said, "Picture your room without a stereo!" Doc Blakely said his son is so out of it that he got a pair of cuff links for Christmas and had his wrists pierced. Just a little Christmas humor to help you get into the service this morning. Ron Gullion had a recurring dream ...

494. Give Me Back My Bite

John 2:13-22

Illustration

Richard J. Fairchild

The story of Jesus cleansing the temple with a whip reminds me of the old eastern story about a snake that lived on a path on the way to a famous temple in India. Many people would walk along the path to worship, and the snake would often bite people with his poisonous bite. One time a swami was on his way to the temple and the snake jumped out to bite him, but before the snake could bite him the swami put the snake into a trance and ordered him to stop biting people. "It is not right to bite people with ...

495. Do You Know the Way to Emmaus?

Luke 24:13-35

Illustration

David E. Leininger

Do you know the way to Emmaus? It should be relatively easy to find because the text locates the town "seven miles from Jerusalem." But no one has ever been able to identify an "Emmaus" seven miles from Jerusalem. Perhaps there is confusion because two different numbers appear in ancient manuscripts at the point at which Luke gives us the location. Some texts say "60 stadia," and others say "160," which works out roughly to be either 7 miles or 18 miles. Although there are indeed many references to Emmaus ...

496. Don't Give Up--He Hears!

Luke 18:1-8

Children's Sermon

King Duncan

Object: A sheet of paper wrapped into a megaphone and a microphone Good morning, boys and girls. How far will your voice travel? Some of you have loud voices. I can hear you a long way off. Some of you have very quiet voices. I can barely hear you when you are sitting right beside me. I understand that the average man's voice can be heard on a very still day, about 600 feet away. That is over a tenth of a mile. It might help to take a piece of paper and roll it up into a megaphone. (Make one and speak ...

497. Spiritual Blindness and the Way to Overcome It

Mark 8:22-26, Mark 8:14-21

Teach the Text

Grant R. Osborne

Big Idea: The materialistic outlook of the disciples constituted spiritual blindness, and Jesus castigated them for their hardened hearts and lack of understanding. Still, there is hope, for the same Jesus who could heal the deaf and blind could also heal their spiritual blindness. Understanding the Text These two episodes complete the section on failure and faith in 6:31–8:26. The first section on the misunderstanding of the disciples recalls their “hardness” (displayed in 6:44–52 [6:52 = 8:17]), and ...

498. Giving Better Than We Expect

1 Peter 2:13-25

Sermon

Sandra Hefter Herrma

The boss had called the receptionist into his office for one of those chats we all dread. He was displeased with her demeanor in the office. For the most part, she was efficient, did her work on time, and seldom put through a call incorrectly. But her attitude needed an adjustment, he said. He didn't like the way he heard her talking to some of their clients. "Well," she replied, "I really don't have a bad attitude. I treat people pretty much the way they treat me. If they're pleasant, and easy to get ...

499. The Gift of Lent I: A Widow Gives Her Mites

Luke 21:1-4

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue You say you feel sorry for me? Why, what for? Oh, sure, I'm a widow and all I own I could load on one small donkey, but don't feel sorry for me. I'm far richer than you might think. Shall we go sit in the shade of the olive tree there? I'd invite you in, but my house is far too small for all of you to fit inside. Out here perhaps we can catch a cool breeze. The stones, this old log, these will be our chairs. What a wonderful living room our Lord gives us! Yes, I am a widow, and have been ...

500. Giving Up Hard Things

Humor Illustration

Peter's parents approached him about Lent. "We will give up something for Lent if you do," they said. "If you give up candy, we will give up drinking." Peter wasn't too crazy about giving up candy, but he decided that his parents drank too much anyway, and it would be worth it. Two days later, on a Saturday morning, he was passing through the living room on his way to the kitchen. He noticed that his parents had some friends over, and they were all sitting around drinking beer. He approached his dad, and ...

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