Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 476 to 500 of 4934 results

476. Rejoice! It's Lent

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

Carl Hoefler

Rejoice! It's Lent. Sounds strange doesn't it? Joy and Lent just do not seem to go together. Lent is the somber season. In popular practice Lent possesses all the marks of a six-week funeral. The paraments are the deep purple of a dowager's dress. Hallelujahs are silenced within the service of the liturgy. Social celebrations are cancelled - or at least curtailed. Our attention is focused exclusively on the crucified body of a young man dying in agony on a criminal's cross. Our emotions are moved to tears ...

477. Come From Anywhere

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

"... Great is your faith!" - Matthew 15:28 When Jesus walked with his disciples among the hills and valleys and towns of Palestine, he often led them in directions they had not expected to go. Traveling from Judea to Galilee, he chose to take his disciples through Samaria, although the Jewish people, who had no dealings with the Samaritans, normally went around another way. Although there was grave danger to them in Jerusalem at the time of that final Passover, and although his disciples objected ...

478. What's A Paddle For?

Hebrews 12:7

Children's Sermon

Objects: A chair and a paddle. Good morning, boys and girls. Did you know that Jesus compared our parents to God? (Let them answer.) Jesus was not the only one to talk like this. After he talked about God being our Father in Heaven, others also began to talk about God in that way. Today, the man who wrote the book of Hebrews compares God with our fathers on earth, and it is a good comparison. Do you know what the word discipline means? (Let them answer.) Discipline means learning to do things in the right ...

479. Easter 7

Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47:1-9, 1 Peter 4:12-19, John 17:1-5, John 17:6-19

Sermon Aid

THEOLOGICAL CLUE The Sunday after the Ascension, as the Seventh Sunday of Easter previously was designated, was known as Exaudi Sunday and served much the same function as the Seventh Sunday of Easter does today. This Sunday is a time of reflection on the glory God has given Christ by lifting him up to his right hand on the completion of his work. It is also a period of expectation for the coming of the Holy Spirit to the church and the world to empower the church to do the work of Christ. It is also the ...

480. It Is Finished

John 19:28-37

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

The last word that Jesus spoke on the cross, as reported by John's gospel, chapter 19, verse 30, is "It is finished." That sentence is just one word in Greek--"Tetelestai." That sentence can have varied meanings depending on the context and the tone. A few years ago a professional boxer named Roberto Duran was locked in an epic championship bout with sugar Ray Leonard. Both fighters struggled heroically with almost superhuman endurance. But finally Duran was too exhausted to continue. He cried out in ...

481. Resurrected Obedience (Series: Living on the Resurrection Side of Life)

John 14:15-31

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. I’ve been singing those lyrics since childhood. In more recent days of adulthood, I’ve been trying to live them in the very core of my being. I. Trust Trust means to have confidence in, rely on, depend on, believe in A. In God We Trust. We inscribe those words on our money. Do we embrace these words with our lives? God has set his people free. He has placed before us all the benefits and delights of belonging to His ...

482. Nothing to Hide

Psalm 32:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Jerry White, in his book Honesty Morality & Conscience tells two memorable stories. The first is from author Mark Twain. Twain says that when he was a boy, he was walking along a street and happened to spy a cart full of watermelons. He was fond of watermelon, so he sneaked quietly up to the cart and snatched one of the melons. Holding it in his arms he then ran into a nearby alley and sank his teeth into it. No sooner had he done so, however, when a strange feeling came over him. Without a moment’s ...

483. Justice

Matthew 18:21-35

Sermon

Will Willimon

The story begins with mathematics. Peter asks Jesus, "Lord, how often should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?" Seven times? That sounds reasonable, even mathematically merciful. Jesus responds with a geometrically progressive figure. Forgiveness is limitless. It cannot be tallied. Throw away calculator and slide rule. Stop counting. There are no mathematicians or accountants in the kingdom. In my kingdom there is no forgiving seven times but forgiving seventy times seven times. Seven ...

484. Failure

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Will Willimon

The game was over. The roaring stadium was now silent, empty of fans, a forlorn place of crushed popcorn boxes and drink cups, trampled programs, spent confetti. The coach entered a sullen, utterly quiet locker room. Helmets were down on the floor, jerseys pulled off and piled in a washbin. "I just want you guys to know that I am real proud of the way you played this afternoon," he said. "Real proud. We didn't win, but we did prove to a lot of people what we could do. It was a moral victory." On the way ...

485. Do You Have JDD?

Luke 10:38-42

Sermon

Lori Wagner

How much time do you spend with God? I don’t mean doing mission projects or attending meetings or hosting the next big event. Obviously, some of you will be attending church on Sunday. But what about the rest of the day, or the rest of the week? Do you take intentional “time out” from all of the activities, the expectations, the schedules, and the responsibilities to really just “sit at the feet of Jesus?” Can you hear God’s voice amidst the din of culture? Of your household? Of your own frenetic mind? ...

486. Nobody Owes You Anything

Luke 17:1-10

Sermon

Richard Patt

This is the kind of sermon topic that the preacher hesitates to advertise ahead of time. If people come to church to hear some good news, this topic doesn't sound too promising. But I ask you to brace yourself and stick with it. The words we consider here are from the lips of none other than a merciful and loving Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. His words often contained some hard truths, but they also finally reveal to us the marvelous, incredible goodness and love of God to you and me. So let's dare to ...

487. Why Be Good?

Luke 6:37-42

Sermon

Charles H. Bayer

There are a few things religion -- almost any religion -- can be counted on to affirm. There are standards of conduct and piety, differences between right and wrong, obligations and responsibilities which are so clearly stated nothing is left to chance. Religion will always find a way to define what the deity requires, and to cite the rewards and the punishments for right or wrong conduct. The penalties for violating religious commands vary, from a slap on the wrist to eternal damnation. The rewards also ...

488. Gifts of Lent VI: The Thief Who Gave Nothing

Luke 23:26-43

Drama

Donald Neidigk

Dramatic Monologue We've never met, you and I. And if we had, you can be sure I'd never let you know what line of work I was in. I'm the type of person your mother told you to stay away from when you were a child for fear I would infect your mind with my devious ways and get you into trouble. I'm a thief and a robber. I was that one who named Jesus as my Savior in the last moments of my life. How did I come to be there on that gloomy Friday nailed to a cross beside Jesus? Oh, don't think I didn't know ...

489. Repentance: A New Relationship

Joel 2:1-11

Sermon

E. Carver McGriff

There's a story about a convention of psychiatrists who had gathered in a large auditorium near Grand Central Station in New York City. Somehow, a pigeon got in the room and was swooping back and forth above the gathered men and women. However, no one mentioned the bird. It seemed no one wanted to be the first to ask if anyone else saw a pigeon. I mention this to remind us that we each have an inward life of thoughts and perceptions about which no one else knows. It's a private world where we pretend, ...

490. Jesus Won! We Won!

John 20:10-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Welcome to this service of celebration. In the spirit of celebration, I would like you to try something. I want you to have a responsive line in the message. Here's how it goes. When I say, "Jesus won!" and raise my hand like this, I want you to respond. "WE WON!" So let's try it. "Jesus won!" (Raise hands) "WE WON!" You have it! When Jesus won, you won! When Jesus defeated death, he defeated it for you! On May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered and World War II was over. In celebration, people packed the city ...

491. Isn't It Time To Get It Right?

Romans 5:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

Did you ever notice that some people always get it wrong? Paul Harvey, in his book FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, tells about a county jail in south Florida where jail officials found a plastic trash bag hanging to the bars of a cell. Inside was Jimmy Jones, a prisoner who hoped he'd get taken out with the trash. And he might have -- except during roll call his reflexes took over. And when the name Jimmy Jones was called... From inside the bag came a muffled response: "Here." Some people just can't get it right. But ...

492. Sheepish Shalom

Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Susan R. Andrews

Over 500 hundred years ago, a young man named Francis was living the good life. He was rich, handsome, pampered, popular. And though nominally a Christian, Jesus was a stranger to him. One day, Francis was forced to interact with a loathsome leper. In a moment of dreaded touch, the leper was transformed, literally becoming before his eyes the very image of Christ. And Francis was changed. From that day forward, he felt called to discover the Christ in each person and creature around him, no matter how poor ...

493. Good News Or Bad News?

Sermon

Rolf E. Aaseng

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ..." Then he will say ...

494. Ah, the Sweet Mystery of Life

Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

An early movie version of Victor Herbert's romantic operetta Naughty Marietta has the young and dashing Nelson Eddy sing to an enraptured Jeanette MacDonald: Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life, at last I've found you. Ah, at last I've found the secret of it all ... Yes, 'tis love and love alone The world is seeking.... This charming song expresses what the Christian has known to be true all along. It is love -- and love alone -- that unlocks the mysteries of life. Not the transient and sometimes trashy love of the ...

495. Holy Waste

Mark 14:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There was a man who bought his fiancée a diamond ring, and showed it to his friend. His friend asked, “Is it a real diamond?’ He said, “If it isn’t, I’m out five bucks.” Then there was the fellow who wanted to buy his sweetheart some perfume. He went to the counter of an exclusive store, and the saleswoman recommended a perfume called “Perhaps” that sold for $100 an ounce. $100!” cried the young fellow. “For $100, I don’t want “Perhaps”, I want “For Sure!” Behind the hint of humor is the suggestion that if ...

496. An Invitation That Went Astray

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Series: Seeing God More Clearly in 2020 Anyone here ever been involved in planning a wedding? Have you ever noticed that there are so many details involved in planning a wedding that brides and grooms tend to get really stressed out in the weeks leading up to the big event? Bride-to-be Cassandra Warren was so hurried to get things done that she accidentally sent an invitation to her wedding to a wrong address. The wedding was to have a Star Wars theme and she was excited about it, but this one invitation ...

497. What If You Could Change the Ending?

Luke 23:33-43

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever gotten really upset with the ending to a book or movie? If the ending is too unexpected, or too weak, or if they kill off your favorite character, it can ruin the whole story for you. In other cases, the ending might be offensive to some people, but that’s a risk you take when you go to the movies. Here’s something you may not know. Movie censors in China are allowed to change the ending to movies to protect Chinese citizens from “scenes that might disturb social order or impart criminal ...

498. What Is Work?

1 Thessalonians 4:10-12

Children's Sermon

Kenneth Mortonson

Purpose: To help children understand the nature of work. Material: No special material is needed. Note: A good time to use this is Labor Day Weekend. Lesson: Tomorrow is a special day in our country. Do you know what it is called? ... (Labor Day) Do you know why we have a Labor Day? ... It is to honor all the people who work. On your feet are shoes that I assume your parents bought for you at the store. Now the people in the store did not make those shoes; someone else did. That was their work; just as the ...

499. Practicing and Preaching

Acts 7:54--8:1a

Sermon

This morning's First Lesson from Acts is about a man who could have made the Bible's Guinness Book of Records twice. We remember St. Stephen as the first Christian to be martyred for his faith. He was an outgoing man whose eagerness to tell others of Christ got him in trouble with the Jewish authorities. They had him killed. Just as importantly Stephen was the first Christian deacon. Actually Stephen wasn't expected to be preaching Christ at all. His job was as an administrator, not a pastor. Of more ...

500. The Triune God

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

Dennis Kastens

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (RSV) Perhaps you are ...

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