Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 476 to 500 of 1967 results

476. Those Romans 7 Moments

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

We are a “celebrity culture,” fixated and fascinated by the rich and famous because everything they do seems so much larger than life. They are over the top gorgeous. (Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt, anyone?) They are outrageously rich. (Julie Roberts gets $20 million per movie). They are hysterically funny (one of my favorite comedians, Bill Murray, has a sister who is a Sister: Nancy Murray, a member of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, a flourishing Congregation of the Order of Preachers, which has a motherhouse ...

477. Not So With You

Mark 10:35-45

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

How many of us here this morning were born BC? By “BC” I mean “Before Cell-phones?” The first cell phone was invented in 1973 by Martin Cooper. My kids were born AC, but I was born BC. In a world of 7 billion people, there are now 5 billion cell phone subscriptions. Pretty amazing for something under 40 years old. In the last forty years the cyber-cellular age has changed the way we do business, the way we get our education, the way we socialize. The world has never been so closely connected, and there has ...

478. Cleaned and Claimed

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Have you ever been around someone who is not particularly concerned with personal hygiene say, in a crowded elevator? If so you can be grateful that you didn’t live 100 years ago or 200 years ago. One of the changes that has taken place over the centuries that we can be thankful for is the concern for personal hygiene. For example, what if we lived in the 1500s? This is interesting. One writer tells us that in the 1500s most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still ...

479. A Watery Grave

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

David J. Kalas

A photograph of the earth from outer space reveals how much of our world is water. Indeed, that cosmic view prompted folks to refer to the Earth a “blue marble in space.” Scientists report that approximately seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. Genesis, meanwhile, reports an occasion when 100 percent of the Earth’s surface was covered with water. This is the familiar story of Noah and the flood. Archaeologists have discovered other ancient flood narratives that bear striking ...

480. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

John 9:1-12

Understanding Series

J. Ramsey Michaels

The temple discourse is over, but Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem continues with no discernible break in the narrative. Having escaped death by stoning, Jesus “slipped away from the temple grounds” (8:59), and, as he went along (apparently just outside the sacred precincts), he noticed a man blind from birth (v. 1). Despite the smooth transition, it is clear that a new chapter, indeed a new division in the structure of the Gospel, is under way. Jesus’ disciples, out of the picture since the end of chapter 6, ...

481. The Burnt Offering

Leviticus 1:1-17

Understanding Series

W. H. Bellinger, Jr.

The Manual of Sacrifice: We have noted the logical structure of the book of Leviticus. Since sacrifice is first offered at the tabernacle in chapter 8, instruction for offering sacrifice (chs. 1–7) precedes that act. These seven chapters comprise the first major section of the book, and they are aptly titled “The Manual of Sacrifice.” These chapters were probably composed over a period of time. The rituals described no doubt date back into the history of ancient Israel. It may well be that the instructions ...

482. Of Mice and Men

Hebrews 10:11-18

Sermon

King Duncan

Dr. William P. Barker tells about a story that appeared in the newspapers back in 1972. The story was datelined Salonika, Greece. The city of Salonika had a real problem on its hands. It seems that many pending court trials could not be held as planned because mice had devoured files in the civil court archives. The evidence against the alleged criminals had totally disappeared. Imagine how those scheduled for trial felt knowing that all records of their crimes had been permanently destroyed. They could ...

483. "Salt and Swaddle"

Luke 2:1-20 · 1 Samuel 16:1-23

Sermon

Lori Wagner

From one year to the next, nothing changes as much as Christmas, and nothing stays the same as much as Christmas. The presents under the tree are totally different every year, but the tree has to be the same. Have you noticed? Or take this magazine article in 1837: “What is the intent of the Christmas holy days?” asked the journal John Bull on Christmas Day 1837. “The merest child would give the correct answer----to eat plum-pudding and see the pantomime.” Collect a million wish-lists from kids or adults ...

484. A Dirt Story

Matthew 13:1-23

Sermon

King Duncan

A Sunday school teacher had been teaching about how God created Adam from the dust of the earth. A little boy in the class—who happened to be the pastor’s son—said with alarm, “You mean I’m made out of dirt?” His teacher responded, “Well, in a sense, yes.” He thought for a moment, processing this information through his four-year-old brain, then stated wide-eyed, “My Mom is NOT going to be happy about that!” (1) Today I am telling a “Dirt Story” [as opposed to a dirty story which would not, of course, be ...

485. Starting Over

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Wayne Brouwer

Sometimes the healing of our hurts starts only when we find another song to sing. Take the story of Helen, for instance. She had her sights set on a law degree from Ohio Wesleyan College. But then the flu epidemic of 1918 hit, taking her father as a victim. Suddenly everything had changed. Helen could not go to college; she had to get a job to support her mother. For the next ten years, Helen worked at an electrical utility; a simple, repetitive cog in the company machine. Just when she thought she was ...

486. The Pitfalls Of Practicing Piety

Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 6:1-4

Sermon

John M. Braaten

I have never liked the word "beware." It always seems to be written in intimidating block letters which suggest life-threatening consequences. The word brings to mind an experience I had as a 12-year-old paperboy. Entering a customer's yard I encountered a collie which, without provocation, charged me with fangs bared, knocking off my glasses and hurling me to the ground. I still remember its moist, rancid breath in my face. Hearing my screams, neighbors came and rescued me. That event not only changed my ...

487. The Paradox of the Cross

Mark 15:33-41, Mark 15:21-32

Sermon

Robert Allen

It was a few years ago that I spoke of the little cross in my pocket. Since that Sunday, people not only in this church, but people all across this state who watch our services on television, have asked for one of these little crosses to carry in their pockets or purse. It would be a mistake to think of this little cross as possessing magical powers, or supposedly bringing luck like a rabbit's foot or guiding us to say just the right words at just the right time. There is no magical quality or guidance in ...

488. The Post Launch Slump

2 Cor 8:10-11

Sermon

Robert Noblett

If you still haven’t heard of Murphy’s law, let me tell you how it reads: Says Murphy’s law, "If anything can go wrong, it will." Murphy’s law and others like it are not laws in a scientific sense; they are not laws in the sense that the law of gravity is a law. But they do capture human moments that are repeatable among us to the point where they seem more the rule than the exception. An enterprising fellow by the name of Arthur Bloch has put laws of this kind together between two covers and the result ...

489. Preaching Unpopular Truth - 1943

John 18:38

Sermon

Kent Moorehead

In such tense and terrible times as these, every sincere minister of Christ who takes seriously the prophetic function of his vocation, must readily recognize the cogent relevancy of this theme and the importance of dealing with it practically and realistically. To that end I have raised with myself four obvious questions: Why? What? When? How? Why preach unpopular truth? Why not be adroit, skillful, wise, enough to avoid issues that are controversial, disturbing, and inevitably provocative of trouble? ...

490. The Richest Hill On Earth

John 19:17-27

Sermon

Robert Allen

All of us have taken trips that were memorable. There are certain vacations that stick in our minds. Perhaps, we were lying on a beach on a tropical island. Perhaps, the crisp cold wind was whipping against our face as we skied down the side of a mountain. Perhaps, we simply curled up with a good book and forgot about our everyday routines. We all have memories of certain trips or vacations that are as clear today as they were when we took them. Many years ago, I was with my family on vacation in Montana. ...

491. Jesus Christ, the Truth

Drama

Curt M. Joseph

Characters: Caiaphas - the High Priest; insistent, thinks he has Pilate where he wants him. Pilate - governor of Judea; an ambitious man, a just man, who struggles between his sense of justice and his political ambitions. Guard - typical Roman soldier. Claudia Procula - wife of Pilate; sensitive, caring, and very supportive of her husband. Ruth - a Jewess who serves as the handmaid of Claudia Procula. The scene opens with Caiaphas standing outside the communion rail, symbolic of his refusal to enter into a ...

492. The ABC Gospel

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

Someone has called it ABC spirituality, meaning, “Anything But Christianity.” In the search for religious meaning, our generation seems to have a limitless imagination. Past-life regressions, out-of-body experiences, channeling, mantras — the list goes on and on. The New Age (which is truly just old Hinduism warmed over), Zen yoga, seances — anything but faith in the resurrected Lord of the cross. Today’s Scripture reading has a character like that. His name is Naaman. Of all the stories connected with the ...

493. The Pleasure of Your Company

Matthew 26:17-30

Sermon

David E. Leininger

A little flight of fancy here.(1) You are stacking dishes in the kitchen of the restaurant where you work the evening shift when a well-dressed courier arrives at the back door. "The owner won't be back until tomorrow," you tell him. "I am not looking for the owner, I am looking for you." "Huh?" "I am from the White House," he says, which explains the dark suit and briefcase. "I came to deliver this letter." "Huh?" Part of you wonders what you have done wrong. Another part of you wonders if this isn't a ...

494. How Do You See It Now?

Haggai 2:1-9

Sermon

King Duncan

The question for this first Sunday of a New Year is this, HOW DO YOU SEE IT NOW? There are two truisms that modern psychology has given us about life. The first is this: WE SEE WHAT WE ARE PREPARED TO SEE. Paul Tournier tells about taking a friend out to his farm. When they arrived his friend suggested that they take a little walk and collect some mushrooms for a mushroom omelette. "That will take some time!" Tournier thought to himself. But he was wrong. His friend picked up a basket and off they went. As ...

495. Lord, When You Came Down To The Jordan

Matthew 3:13-17

Sermon

King Duncan

Down South they tell about one old Baptist minister who preached every Sunday on baptism by immersion. His folks agreed with his doctrine, but they were tired of hearing the same subject dealt with every week. The deacons undertook to solve the problem through diplomatic means. They complimented him on his pulpit skills and suggested to him that he was such a natural preacher that they wanted to try an experiment. They wanted to hand him a piece of paper with a scripture lesson on it just before he stepped ...

496. A Father Pleased With His Son

Mark 1:9-13

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there any son or daughter in this world who is not thrilled by this little declaration of praise from a parent, "I'm proud of you?" When baseball great Henry Aaron hit his 715th home run breaking Babe Ruth's remarkable record, that is what he said: "I don't' remember the noise, or the two kids that ran on the field. My teammates at home plate, I remember seeing them. I remember my mother out there and she hugging me. that's what I'll remember more than anything about that home run when I think back on ...

497. Pay Attention To The Inside

Luke 11:37-54

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

A few years ago, a barber's supply association had a convention in Chicago. As a publicity stunt they went out to skid row and found a man living in the gutter, filthy dirty and filthy drunk. They brought him back to the convention center and cleaned him up. They shampooed and shaved him. They washed him with a new kind of soap they were trying to sell. They put cologne on him, bought him a new suit, shirt, tie and shoes - - and then they proclaimed to all the world: "This is what our barber supplies can ...

498. Good for the Soul

Proverbs 28:13

Sermon

James Merritt

Two very famous sports figures hit the news this past week and both of them have a direct influence on the message that I am preaching today. Joe Gibbs, the former head coach of the Washington Redskins, who took them to the Super Bowl four times and who also owned a Winston Cup winning NASCAR team is leaving the sport of car racing to go back to coach the Washington Redskins. Hearing that reminded me of a true story that Coach Gibbs told about a friend of his who owned a beautiful Labrador retriever. The ...

499. Take Off Your Shoes...You Are Standing on Holy Ground

Acts 7:1-53

Sermon

James W. Moore

Bishop Janice Riggle Huie tells about an experience she had a few years ago that touched her heart… She was interviewing a group of ministerial students about their call to the ministry and she said to each of them in turn: “Tell me about your calling. What do you think God is calling you to do?” Most of the students gave very practical answers like: “God is calling me to be a hospital chaplain.” Or, “God is calling me to be a teacher on the college level.” Or, “God is calling me to be a counselor.” Or, “ ...

500. We Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins

1 John 1:5-2:2

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

Ernest Hemingway wrote a story about a father and son who had a serious misunderstanding. In the story, the boy finally runs away from home. The father, however, is not content to let his son go. In an effort to find the boy, the father puts an ad in the Madrid, Spain newspaper. It contained these words: Dear Paco, Meet me at the town square at noon on Sunday. All is forgiven. Your father. That Sunday 800 males by the name of Paco showed up at the town square. They all came seeking forgiveness from their ...

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