Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 476 to 500 of 1795 results

Mark 16:1-8

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... pervades all of Mark's gospel. Scholars who wish to demonstrate that there is nothing odd or "cut-off" about the ending of Mark (i.e. 16:8) use this argument about Mark's standard writing style. They also claim that its reading in any Christian community would automatically trigger memories of other known resurrection appearances anyway. But that assumption appears to undermine the intended evangelizing purposes of telling the gospel story in the first place making Jesus known where he has previously been ...

477. Ephesians 1:3-14

Ephesians 1:3-14

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... sentence, into which the author weaves both the traditional opening blessing format of a formal letter, an internalized hymn and the outline of concerns and issues that will direct the rest of this epistle. While far richer and more extensive, Ephesians 1:3-14 is similar in style to the opening texts in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and 1 Peter 1:3-12. All of these follow the formal salutation praising God for all God's gifts. Because these texts focus on the "blessings" of God they are referred to as berakah texts ...

478. Ephesians 6:10-20

Ephesians 6:10-20

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... accoutrements. Traditionally soldiers wore sturdy sandals or even boots that had nails driven through the soles. These could then act as cleats, helping the battling soldier to "dig in" effectively against an opponent. But this author doesn't stipulate a particular style of shoes; instead, he leaves open the question of what "will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace." Mentioning "peace" in the midst of these images of war and conflict is startling. It highlights the radical difference between the ...

479. What Would Jesus Do? - or - How Would Jesus Do It?

John 17:6-19

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... “in the moment” is that a few years later you will be laughed at by your kids until their sides hurt. Our only satisfaction is in knowing that a similar fate awaits the next “cool generation,” and the next, and the next. Yet some styles never go out of style. Some fads never fade. -Cowboys are always cool. -Jeans—whatever their width—can’t be canned. -A great fitting T-shirt never looks bad, whether it was 1950 or 2005. But most of what is called “fashion” is flash in the pan. It is ...

480. What Is 40 Days Of Purpose?

2 Timothy 4:9-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... song over our sound system right now with no words and there really would be no way to know whether it was a Christian song or not, because there are no sacred tunes. It is the words that make a song sacred. There is no one style of music that is sacred, because God likes every style of music. I am sure you don't and in fact I know you don't, but He does because He made it all. Worship is so important to God that Psalms 105:4 says, "Worship Him continually." (Psalm 105:4, TEV) Worship is a ...

481. A New Beginning for Everyone

Exodus 35:4-29

Sermon

James Merritt

... Retreats, Leadership Training, and we intend to become a globally mission-minded church. This church will be far more than a Sunday morning church. We're going to provide a variety of worship styles from the type of blended service that all of us enjoyed at the Civic Center, singing hymns and praise choruses to a contemporary style of worship for a younger generation. God has given us an unprecedented chance to claim a Canaan, to take a new approach to ministry, and there needs to be a passion for that ...

482. Maintenance or Mission

Mark 10:35-45

Illustration

Brian Stoffregen

... pay the price. It understands that it cannot take everyone with it. This causes some grief, but it does not keep it from doing what needs to be done. 8. The leadership style in the maintenance congregation is primarily managerial, where leaders try to keep everything in order and running smoothly. The leadership style in a mission congregation is primarily transformational, casting a vision of what can be, and marching off the map in order to bring the vision into reality. 9. The maintenance congregation is ...

483. The Good News about the Future

Mark 13:1-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... beer joint in town. Was that really the appropriate place for this music to be played? That wasn’t the only problem. All the different instruments interpreted the musical score differently. Some played it in the style of a hymn, full of majesty and solemnity. Others preferred the style of a victory march, assertive and straightforward. And still other instruments interpreted the score as a love song, gentle and soulful. And there were a thousand other minor variations that drove them all to distraction ...

484. It's Everybody's Business

John 1:35-51

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... more tool. Since we're talking about Evangelism and "It's Everybody's Business" we've developed a Business Card for you to carry which is also an Invitation. On this car you will find all the basic information about our Church, Worship styles and times, Youth, there's even a map. But this little tent style Business Card is also an Invitation Card. You see, when you open it up, there's room for you to write a note of thanks or a simple invitation to join us for a Sunday service or a special event like Lord's ...

485. Never Too Old For God: Abraham And Sarah

Genesis 18:1-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... to try and name every configuration of family, we'd be here all day, but through TV we've had lots of different styles of families portrayed. Who can forget the Waltons. This was the typical multi-generational family all living and working together under one ... can be married and 76 years old and be a family. Family is what we make it. God doesn't limit family to anyone size or style. And because God doesn't see age or sex or any other factor in our lives as limiting, God can use anyone as an instrument of ...

486. Who Will Cast the First Stone?

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... aside in favor of mercy, would minister to the woman, but it would not win friends for Jesus. What does this say about human nature? What is the lesson from that for our day? We’ve not made the transition from an Elijah mentality to a Jesus-style. The conflict in those styles was put clearly by Jesus – “You have heard it said ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you love your enemies – do good for those who despitefully use you….” But we still follow Elijah. At no place is ...

487. When It’s Time to Seek Direction

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... to worship is not a hurried visit to the window of a fast food restaurant for a moral sandwich and a cup of spiritual stimulants. Worship is communion with God.” To worship is to admire and adore, to respect and revere. It has more to do with substance than style, more to do with God than gimmick, more to do with presence than preference. And so Isaiah, in the year that King Uzziah died, comes to the temple and sees the Lord high and lifted up. He is in the presence of God. Except to be in the presence ...

488. The Door of Service

Luke 22:7-38

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

... . Why is it necessary to remind us of this? When have I engaged the personnel in this place in any personal way? He is talking to me. We have thank-you notes to write, acknowledgements to make, affirmations to extend. Some service is rendered in altered life styles. Henri Nouwen was a tenured professor at Yale University when he wrote “I felt I needed something else because my spiritual life was not deep. I'm just a fragile person and I knew I wasn't rooted deeply enough in Christ. I wanted something more ...

489. So, Explain It to Me

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... the promise of the gospel is like a murder mystery. Are you familiar with the genre of literature called the "whodunit?" murder mystery? Agatha Christie is one of the most famous authors of this style of mystery. Some years ago, the television series, Murder She Wrote, was a similar adaptation of this style. A crime was committed. The suspects were examined. By the end of the story, Inspector Poirot (or similar character) solved the mystery by identifying the culprit. The butler did it! Suppose you came ...

490. Apocalyptic Literature

Luke 21:5-38

Illustration

Theodore F. Schneider

... . As the next "age" of righteousness breaks in with God's intervention, the powers of evil will rage until they are finally defeated and the righteous of God are vindicated. There were, of course, many variations on the basic theme. This "apocalyptic" style sought to bring eternal realities into earthly images that could be comprehended in this eschatological drama of the "last things." While prophetic in tone, it was written to encourage the faithful in its day. In the case of today's gospel, virtually ...

491. Our Magnificent, Mysterious, Mischievous God

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

David E. Leininger

... Naaman's own servants: "If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" (v. 13). They urge him not to reject help because the helper's style appears simple. The prophet had asked for obedience and humility, not some mighty act of valor or a hocus-pocus performance. The truth of his servants' words slaps Naaman back to reality. He stops being the military commander, the friend of kings, the wealthy courtier, and ...

492. Maybe Today

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Sermon

Scott Suskovic

... have a different existence? Jesus said it is like a mansion where he goes to prepare a place for you. Is there such a place or is Jesus comforting his scared disciples with a reassurance that when that day comes, God will take care of them ... in style? In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul wrote about the return of Jesus. What will that look like? The Left Behind series has painted a vivid picture for its millions of readers. Will it be like that? Isaiah talks about a great banquet, a dessert table with no calories ...

493. Finding the Right House for God

2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... where you sit you see something that needs fixing. But when you're looking, you hope to find something that's just right with a minimum of fix-up. Every family searching for a new home has its own requirements — so many bedrooms, bathrooms, and a certain style garage. Finding the right house means there will be no rest for the weary. Some decide to give up looking and build the perfect dream house, and if that doesn't cause you to lose your religion, nothing else will! One day, David got the bright idea ...

494. Being Two People at Once

2 Samuel 11:1-15

Sermon

Donna Schaper

... prisoner of our own desires. Do we really need a full sabbatical to do it? Do we really need a long vacation to become new or can we put in place very quiet simple rituals that allow us to be who we are slowly? This casual way is about style but not just style. It is not about how old we are or how young we are. We are the right age for renewal, no matter our age. Can you imagine who David might have been had he not had to have Bathsheba? Might he have slowly become a man of great ...

495. The Qualities for a Growing Church

Illustration

C. Peter Wagner

... to help the needy. 10. Attitude toward religion. Church members regard their involvement in the church primarily as a service to God rather than a means to fulfill personal needs. 9. Distinctive life-style. Members generally manifest their faith in Christ by living a life-style clearly and noticeable distinct from that of non-Christians in the same community. 8. Fellowship. Members are growing in their personal relationships with each other through regular participation in church fellowship groups of ...

496. Finding a Better Way

Illustration

Staff

... time. It involved skiing with his legs apart (not together) for better balance and sitting back (not forward) on the skis when he came to a turn. He also used ski poles in an unorthodox way to propel himself as he skied. The explosive new style helped cut Killy's racing times dramatically. In 1966 and 1967 he captured virtually every major skiing trophy. The next year he won three gold medals in the Winter Olympics, a record in ski racing that has never been topped. Killy learned an important secret shared ...

497. An Angel On Wheels

Illustration

The following story appeared in the newsletter Our America: Dodie Gadient, a schoolteacher for thirteen years, decided to travel across America and see the sights she had taught about. Traveling alone in a truck with camper in tow, she launched out. One afternoon rounding a curve on I-5 near Sacramento in rush-hour traffic, a water pump blew on her truck. She was tired, exasperated, scared, and alone. In spite of the traffic jam she caused, no one seemed interested in helping. Leaning up against the ...

498. That We May All Be One!

John 17:20-26

Sermon

Frank Ramirez

... men wore long beards without any mustache, the women wore the prayer covering and bonnet. Their worship and music styles were very similar. They spoke German in the home and in church, though they spoke English with the world at large ... the things humans were stressing over. Unity wasn't a matter of the same practice or the same administration, the same structure, or the same style of worship. It wasn't making the people who put their hands in the air put them down by their side, nor did it mean that ...

499. Your Life as a Provenance of the Jesus Story

Luke 3:1-20

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... G. Benner's "Soulful Spirituality" [2011]). When you talk, does it get light? Is your life a provenance for the Jesus story? COMMENTARY Luke’s presentation of the “good news” is often cited as the most literary of the four gospels. Its narrative style, scope and portrayal of Jesus’ life are presented as a great unfolding story. Luke tells the “greatest story ever told,” both by presenting the grand scheme of God’s work and witness, and by paying attention to distinctive details of the time and ...

500. The Two Ultimate Questions of Life

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

King Duncan

... McGraw has an interesting twist on this idea. He has a song titled, “Live Like You Were Dying.” The song tells the story of a man in his forties who is told by his doctor that he has a very short time to live. And so this man changes his style of living. In the chorus, the man says to his friend: “I went sky diving, I went Rocky Mountain climbing, I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter. And I gave forgiveness I’d been denying. Someday,” the refrain ...

Showing results