Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 501 to 525 of 1185 results

501. Only the Neighbors’ Kid

John 6:25-59

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal. Pulitzer prize-winning poet Robert P. Tristram Coffin once wrote about his experience of sitting in the back pew of a church and noticing how rapidly the boys in the pews ahead of him ceased being boys and became men: Small boys in the church pews grow Very fast, the first you know Ones only halfway up are older And at their father’s cheek or shoulder. One day they are only bright Heads that in the high church light Look as ...

502. One Bad Apple

Matthew 26:47-56

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... fourth Gospel he makes two earlier significant appearances. After the feeding of the five thousand, there was a movement to make Jesus king by force. (John 26:15) When it became clear that Jesus would have nothing to do with that, many of His supporters ceased to follow Him any longer. Jesus asked the Twelve whether they, too, would leave Him. Peter protested his loyalty. It was then that Jesus said, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” John explains that Jesus was referring ...

503. Little Jimmy

Mark 3:13-19

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... Jesus had brothers and sisters. The Gospel also records that the brothers of Jesus, led by James, were evidently embarrassed when Jesus set Himself up as a rabbi without the approval of the official Pharasaic schools. They even tried to get him to cease and desist and return home, believing that he was “beside himself.” (See Mark 3:21) The fourth Gospel states flatly that Jesus’ “brothers did not believe in him.” We remember that on the cross the dying Jesus asked John, the beloved disciple, to ...

504. Not the Seasons for Figs

Mark 11:12-19

Sermon

Donald B. Strobe

... -flowing stream!” (Amos 5:21-24) From the earliest days of the Church, this text was used to denounce a sterile religion and its leaders. Says Williamson, “Tragically enough, Christians continued to use it to attack Judaism long after the synagogue ceased to be a threat to the spreading institutional church. It is this text’s potential for encouraging anti-Semitism and hindering ecumenism which makes it embarrassing to many and which may account for its omission from the lectionary.” (Williamson, p ...

505. Living the Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... , the Christian ethic was generally accepted. There has never been a time when the discussion of Christian ethics has been more necessary and more relevant." "Second, there is an element of permanency about the Ten Commandments. Ethical systems have their day and cease to be, but the Ten Commandments remain. Whatever may be thought of them, they remain the basis of any system of ethics. For that very reason they have to be reinterpreted in every age. Every generation has once again to work out their ...

506. The Ninth Commandment: Liar, Liar

Exodus 20:1-21

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... s door, was obviously troubled. When asked what was disturbing him, he replied, "One day when I was young I was playing with some other boys at a crossroad. We reversed a sign post so that its arms were pointing in the wrong direction, and I have never ceased to wonder how many people were sent in the wrong direction by what we did." This is the problem with a false witness or testimony, lying, gossiping, or tattling. A false witness can kill a person as quickly and be as deadly as a bullet or poison dart ...

507. An Eye-Opening Experience

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... of God. The French Army heard the sudden clanging of the bells with surprise and alarm, and, concluding that the Austrian army had arrived to relieve the town, the leader of the enemy army broke up the camp, gave the order to retreat, and before the bells had ceased ringing, not a Frenchman was to be seen. When we are surrounded by anything and everything that would threaten to defeat us, to rob us of our joy, maybe all we need to do is let the joyous sounds of Easter ring out. And until our enemies are ...

508. Looks Like We're in for Stormy Weather

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... spoke to the wind and calmed the storm. He cried out, "Peace, be still." People often ask me, "Pastor, do you really believe in this miracle story?" The only honest answer I can give is a resounding, "Yes." For God has caused the winds and storms of my life to cease on many occasions and given a calm and a peace that I can find no other place. I have learned that it takes TWO FORCES to make the storms of life dangerous: the force of the winds that blow against us, AND THE FORCE OF FEAR THAT BLOWS WITHIN US ...

509. The Powerful Fragrance of Sharing and Caring

Philippians 4:10-20

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... Babe Ruth, no matter what. With tears streaming down his face, the boy jumped over the railing and threw his arms around the knees of his hero. Babe Ruth picked up the boy, hugged him, set him back on the ground and gently patted his head. The rude booing ceased. A hush fell over the park. The crowd was touch-ed by the child''s demonstration of love and concern for the feelings of another human being. Yes, caring is a gift of God that can melt the hardest hearts. (1) As we open our scripture lesson today ...

510. Great Feast or Sad Fast

Luke 14:1-14, Luke 14:15-24

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... the saddest moment in all your life. Fifth, notice in verses 21 and 24 that we see the anger of God expressed. When Elizabeth II was to be crowned Queen of England, invitations were sent to certain people. On the bottom of each invitation read, "All Excuses Ceasing." It seems when royalty invites you, it is a very serious thing to refuse. In the Apostles'' Creed we recite in our worship service almost every week, we speak the sobering words "he will come to judge the quick and the dead." It is a grand thing ...

511. When Nothing Is Everything

Mark 12:35-40

Sermon

Cathy A. Ammlung

... wealth in self-forgetful gratitude. Hey, it could happen. Zacchaeus and Matthew are a couple of examples. Awash in the incredible riches of God's outpoured and forgiving love, even we anxious, harried, and (let's admit it) wretchedly self-centered middle-class folk might cease from saying, "My wealth. My time. My personality. My skills, talents, interests, and gifts. My life." We might dare to say (and mean, and live by), "Not I who live, but Christ alive in me. Not my will but yours be done. Take my silver ...

512. With a Bang or a Whimper?

2 Peter 3:1-18

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... interesting to discover if T. S. Eliot's view correlates with the portrait Holy Scripture paints of the conclusion of this world's history. Will it end with a bang or a whimper? Modern scientists are unanimous in their assumption that our world will one day cease to exist. Just how this will happen is an open question. Many opinions are being voiced in the scientific community. In our look at Saint Peter's "pre-scientific" explanation of this event, we wonder what we'll find. Surely one who lived before the ...

513. What a Resume!

2 Corinthians 2:12--3:6

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... , going for three" -- but no! From the room far back a grey-haired man came forward and picked up the bow, Then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening up all the strings, He played a melody pure and sweet, as sweet as an angel sings. The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice that was quiet and low, Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"and held it up with the bow. "One thousand dollars and who'll make it two? Two thousand and who'll make it three? Three thousand once and Three thousand ...

514. Grace in the Midst of Suffering

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... from the radar screen. C. S. Lewis in all likelihood delivered the gift of intellectual spiritual certainty to more people over the last century than any one other apologist. Then his wife died. Shattered by grief he wrote, "Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is coming to believe such dreadful things about him. The conclusion I dread is not, 'So there's no God after all,' but 'So this is what God's really like. Deceive yourself no longer.' " So what is God's ...

515. Grace in the Midst of the Crush of Time

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... is not to be productive. We are simply called to be. The shape of time that God has provided, second, also invites us to Withdraw Weekly. This speaks to the notion of the Sabbath. God worked for six days at the beginning of creation -- then God rested. For us to cease our work one day out of seven is to be like God. God doesn't suggest a Sabbath. It is mandated as one of the original Ten Commandments. Our Sabbath doesn't have to be on Sunday nor even on a weekend. But one-seventh of our time during each ...

516. People See Through Us

James 2:1-13

Sermon

Harold Warlick

... but outwardly as well. The Bible then becomes "The Good Book" for our whole culture. Scripture then enables us to become truly intimate with all God's children. Instead of a select therapeutic community, we can help our church become a just community. We cease looking for a narrow band of intimate encounters among like-minded and like-living social friends and embrace a wide-range of relations among strangers. We put aside favoritism for a larger vision. This is the image of the church the world needs to ...

517. First Light

Isaiah 9:1-7

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... brought in from Sacramento and placed in the cradle. The miners noticed that the shack where the baby was kept was filthy, so they washed the floor, walls, and ceiling. Nice curtains were installed on the windows. Life began to change in Roaring Creek. The brutality ceased. Every day the baby was taken to the entrance of the mine so that all the miners could watch the baby's growth. The miners decided the entrance to the mine was ugly, so they planted a beautiful garden there. These hardened men loved to ...

518. Have We Kept Our Contract with God?

Genesis 17:1-27

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... I am too busy or not of the right mind today." Such an attitude suggests an on-again, off-again agreement with God, but this cannot be for the true and loyal disciple. God, as Francis Thompson's immortal poem, "The Hound of Heaven" suggests, never ceases to be our advocate and will leave no stone unturned in searching for our soul. We, therefore, cannot take an attitude of partial participation. We can either follow Jesus all the way or leave the road somewhere along the journey; the choice is ours. Yet, we ...

519. When the Storms Come

Mark 4:35-41

Sermon

King Duncan

... according to God's code so that, when the storms of life come, we respond reflexively with faith and not fear, just as a well-trained athlete responds in the contest as he or she has been coached. This is not to say that we cease being human. We still may go through all the steps associated with grief and loss--denial, anger, rejection, guilt, bargaining, depression/confusion, and acceptance. But we go through the process without being overwhelmed. And then, eventually, when the storm has run its course, as ...

520. A Forgiving Presence

John 7:45--8:11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... for all the notion that holiness requires separation. When will we get it straight? Jesus didn’t come to save righteous, he came to save sinners. Those who are well don’t need a doctor, he said, it is the sick who need healing. And when will we cease putting those walls up that separate us within the church from those outside the church? I couldn’t help but think last night, sitting with that 200 or ever how many hundred thousand people it was down on the river, that a good 75% of those people wouldn ...

521. Being Christ

Ephesians 1:15-23

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... in Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. The 1st chapter, the 15th through the 23rd verses. This is the word of the Lord. “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give you a spirit of wisdom and a revelation in the knowledge of him. Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what ...

522. The Christian Life Defined By Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... through them, Maxie and Jeri and Kevin. Do you get the impact of that? Christ is praying for you. I pray not only for these, but for those who will believe in me because of them. Christ is praying for you in the Upper Room – and he never ceases to pray for us. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrew says that Jesus ever lives to make intercession to the Father for you and me. Likewise in the New Testament, as you read Paul’s epistles, you will find this dauntless Christian, breaking into prayer for ...

523. Working Out Our Salvation

Philippians 2:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... intently into the shepherd’s eyes and listens without budging until he has understood clearly the mind of his master. Then he jumps to his feet, runs out to do it, and the third characteristic, which is no less important, at no moment does the dog cease wagging its tail. Isn’t that beautiful? What we have here on this communion table is the ultimate symbol of obedience and abandonment. The essentials for working out our salvation. We have heard the shepherd’s words. Come unto me. Go into all the world ...

524. What Really Matters The Price Of The High Calling

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... scripture lesson when he talked about this being a heavenly call. When he wrote to the Thessalonians, Paul talked about the God who calls you to his own realm of glory. It was that call which had come to Paul on the Damascus road, and a call that never ceased to summon him homeward. So, concentrate on the path, with the goal in mind. The goal of ultimate bliss, eternal home, for which we are home sick – our kingdom in Heaven. So there you have it – I told you what I was going to tell you. That I told ...

525. Put To Death The Old; Put On The New

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... rose to their feet in applause. Toscanni did not like noise. The story goes that once he asked them to print the program on silk paper so he would not have to hear the rustling of the paper. He stood there trying to hush the applause. When the clapping had ceased, he said to the orchestra, "That isn't Toscanni, that's Beethoven; you just never saw him before." That's the way it will be with us. When we put to death the old, and put on the new -- persons who have never taken a second look at Jesus may ...

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