Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 501 to 525 of 1182 results

501. Good News for Tough Times - Encouragment for the Soul

Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:1-7

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... know enough about the darkness." (4) However, God, in Christ, does not run away from the darkness--he sets up residence right smack in the middle of the darkness. If you have light, then you are not scared or worried about the darkness. Bret Harte, in his classic short story "The Luck Of Roaring Camp," told of the birth of a baby on the American frontier. The woman of the mining camp, Cherokee Sal, a disreputable woman at best, died in childbirth, leaving a healthy young baby boy to be raised by the now all ...

502. The Marvelous Meaning of the Cross

Galatians 6:11-18

Sermon

Eric Ritz

Toward the end of that marvelous classic, Pilgrim''s Progress, the character, Christian, is moving with tremendous difficulty on the highway between the walls of salvation. His heavy burden makes it almost impossible to move, though he slowly inches along. Finally, he reaches an elevated place upon which there stands a cross and a little below, in ...

503. When Life Seems to Be Going in the Wrong Direction

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Eric Ritz

... they used their experiences. Adolph Hitler used his time in prison to write his famous book in which he espoused the radical hatred and violence that resulted in great human destruction around the world. John Bunyan imprisoned in England wrote the famous Christian classic, The Pilgrim''s Progress, in which he so beautifully described his experience of the grace of God. Finally, we have the sacred writing of the Apostle Paul. In jail, he used his time as a "sabbatical leave" and wrote a letter to a church ...

504. A Tireless and Timeless Image

John 10:1-21

Sermon

Robert Noblett

... surrounding Christian sanctuaries, and in paintings. In the Bible, there are over 500 references to sheep. You might be familiar with the confession found in the book of Isaiah (53:6) that runs: "All we like sheep have gone astray ..." And in one of our classic prayers of confession, we tell God that "we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep." Even if people have never heard of shepherds and sheep, it is an easy matter to acquaint folks with both. To understand matters that attend to being ...

505. Follow That Star

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

King Duncan

... are many people who are by nature impulsive. They may jump at any star--only to regret it later. Some of you are old enough to recognize the name Carl Perkins. Perkins was a popular rockabilly singer from the 50s and the author of the classic song “Blue Suede Shoes” which was one of Elvis Presley’s first big hits. As a guitarist, Perkins influenced many of the next generation of rock ‘n’ rollers, most prominently, George Harrison of the Beatles. Perkins never quite attained the fame of some of his ...

506. Things That Make Jesus Angry

John 2:12-25

Drama

Angela Akers

... family! It changes the flavor of the whole dish. According to the comments on our website, many of you tried this new recipe and found it successful. Your family’s quality of life really went down the drain! Today, we’re going to try a new twist on a classic recipe, Cooking Up Some Trouble in Your Church. Is your prep table ready? Good, then let’s begin. (Hold up a platter with a loaf of bread on it) As always on this show, we start with a perfectly good, healthy piece of Church. Some of you ask ...

507. Waiting for Godot?

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... ? When these questions are not honestly faced, all of life becomes trivial and meaningless, and rushes toward disaster both for individuals and for society. The Christian faith offers convincing answers to these foundational inquires. The enriched Christian sees in one small, yet classic, event in the life of Christ, persuasive answers to these issues. In Saint John, chapter 13, we have the record of Jesus washing his disciple's feet: "Jesus ... knowing that he had come from God and was going to God, rose ...

508. Ah, the Sweet Mystery of Life

Romans 16:1-27

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... its far reaching truth, as he looks over the centuries since the days following the resurrection, when men went from Jerusalem with the message of Jesus? The great calamities of history are to be laid at the door of careless messengers. The classic story of the calamity of a careless messenger is that of the clerk in the British Ministry in London during the American Revolution who, instead of writing to Sir William Howe the instructions for his cooperation with Burgoyne, felt them unimportant and placed ...

509. What Goes on When He Comes in?

Acts 19:1-22

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... given by a waitress in a New York restaurant. It was during World War II, a time of shortages imposed by the war. Sugar was one of the rationed commodities. A customer who had already gotten his share called out loudly for more sugar. The waitress' answer was a classic in brevity and wisdom, "Stir up what you've got!" Saint Paul is offering the same advice to Timothy and to you and me, "If you are longing for a more satisfying Christian experience, stir up what you've got. All that you need to live the life ...

510. The Face that Launched a Thousand Lives

2 Corinthians 4:1-18

Sermon

Fredrick R. Harm

... across the Christian ages: through the cross. There, God himself faced the blank wall of sin, evil, and rejection, but spoke a final word of love and opened the way for forgiveness and a new life for all. And wasn't that what Christian, in that old classic Pilgrim's Progress, also discovered? As he journeyed toward the CelestialCity, he came to a place fenced on either side by a wall. Christian ran, but not without difficulty, because of the burden on his back. He came to a rise and there stood a cross and ...

511. Grace in the Midst of the Crush of Time

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Sermon

Glenn McDonald

... season is it any more? We no longer have to wait for summer to get strawberries and watermelons. We can find ripe peaches year-round in Snow Belt stores. Contemporary culture clearly wants to remove the boundaries customarily imposed by the more classic shapes and rhythms of time. In an act that is flagrantly counter-cultural, the guides of certain spiritual retreats demand that weekend participants give up their watches. Giving up one's watch is tantamount to giving up control -- which is precisely the ...

512. The Preacher Was Caught by Surprise

Acts 10:23b-48

Sermon

King Duncan

... any because of their cultural or racial background. This truth has been particularly important to us since the days of the Civil Rights movement. It spoke to us of the injustices in our own society. Pastor Gregory Bloomquist tells of being in a movie theater when the classic film, In the Heat of the Night, was first being shown. For those of you too young to remember In the Heat of the Night, it is set in Sparta, Mississippi during a time when the South was just emerging from the dark days of segregation. A ...

513. The Christian Life Defined By Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... sincere and without offense. Waymoth translates this, that you may be men of transparent character. I like that. Persons of transparent character. Now neither the adjective nor the noun form of the Greek word translated sincere or transparent is common in classical Greek. Therefore, the derivation of the word is not clear. Once suggestion of etymology has a challenging meaning when applied to our lives. The word may have come from a combination of two Greek words. One which means the sunlight, and another ...

514. Getting It All Together Inside

Psalm 51:1-19, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... we can and we stay open to the loving grace of Christ, who wants to be in us, a cleansing, healing spring bubbling up and flowing to eternal life. I close now. I’m told that in the harbor of Genoa, Italy, they lowered a statue of Christ in the classic form of outstretched arms, as if to say, come unto me – it is called the Christ of the deep, and they placed it in the harbor, beneath the surface, in the depth of the water, as a memorial to sailors who were lost at sea. But there’s a more ...

515. A Scream And A Laugh

Colossians 1:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... at night in the Chapel there, with hundreds of young people from around the world, because at that point in history, young people were attracted to Tassia -- the Chapel ablaze with a thousand candles, and people singing in their own language "alleluias" and some of the classic liturgies of the Church. I left Tassia by train to get to my meeting in Zurich, but about a hundred miles outside of Tassia -- in France -- the trains stopped and I discovered that I was in the midst of a railroad strike. There was no ...

516. A Confidence for All Seasons

Psalm 27:1-14

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage." That's confidence -- confidence for all seasons. The Psalms are full of this expression of trust which makes us confident of protection. The classic, best-known, is the 23rd Psalm with that bold affirmation, "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." What does it mean? It means what it says. The Lord will protect us, will save us, in the way that matters -- ultimately. He may not protect ...

517. Loving The Jesus Way

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... in your mind -- love is neither anxious to impress, nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. C. H. Dodd was for many years a professor of biblical studies at Cambridge. He has written a number of books on biblical studies -- a classic one on the parables, and another on Paul's teaching entitled "According to Paul." His imperious attitude toward his students and faculty colleagues set him apart in a kind of Olympian detachment and prompt an oft-repeated limerick in the Halls of Cambridge: I ...

518. Swift To Hear -- Slow To Speak

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... have stolen from the banks of Texas. Unless you tell me where it is, I'm going to blow your head off." There was one problem. Rodriguez could not speak English, and the Texas Ranger couldn't speak a word of Spanish. What you have now is a classic case of the language barrier. It happened that there was a man standing by who was bilingual. He stepped forward and said, "I will translate for you." The Ranger agreed. The man explained in Spanish what the Ranger had said... That unless Jorge told him where the ...

519. On The Road Again (emmaus)

Luke 24:13-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... away and you will never see her again." Well, this sermon isn't about either country music or opera. It is about what both country music and opera are about: life...life in the raw, life as we experience it. And a good image for that is Willy Nelson's classic "On the Road Again." Listen to some of the words: On the road again.Just can't wait to get on the road again.Goin' places where I've never been... I can't wait to get on the road again. Willie romanticizes being "On the Road Again." But that ...

520. Our Father's Love Begotten

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... less than life, and without which our life will ultimately end in death. In the midst of the worst possible days of our lives, in the darkness time of the year we wait and God comes. God comes in love as Jesus Christ. I've been using Oswald Chamber's classic book My Utmost for His Highest for my devotional time each morning. It's a book that is sort of timeless, always relevant. In the reading for November 11, he had this to say, "When your cup is sweet, drink it with grace. When it is bitter, drink it in ...

521. Dealing With Guilt And Shame

Romans 7:7-25

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... struggles of our life -- "dealing with guilt and shame." I. Let's begin by getting perspective on three issues that are all tied together: sin, guilt and shame. First, getting sin in perspective. Augustine is one of the premier theologians of all time. In his classic book, Confessions, he told the story of his youthful escapades of stealing pears from a neighbor’s tree. He recorded that late one night a group of youngsters went out to "shake down and rob this tree." They took loads of fruit from it "not ...

522. What Do You Want To Be Like When You Are 65?

Proverbs 3:1-35

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

There is a classic story of a Russian countess who sits in the theater on a cold, winter night. Her emotions are played upon by the sad scene depicted on stage -- so much so that she sheds copious tears. Meanwhile, outside, her coachman is shivering in the cold as he awaits to take her ...

523. Fair Weather Friends

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

... all. Two, you can't be a friend without sharing yourself. I referred earlier to Mose Allison, one of my favorite blues singer. In one of his songs, he laments, "Am I trying to serve the human race, or am I just along for the ride? Just another classic case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Do I show my concern for the needy, of the folks that are living outside, am I just pure greedy, Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde? To be a friend we must share ourselves -- our feelings, our time, our responsibilities. Paul put it clearly ...

524. Strategic Kindness

Ephesians 4:17--5:21

Sermon

King Duncan

... heaping coals on his head. She answered, "No, but I don't think it will work. I already tried scalding water and that didn't do any good." I'm not sure this woman understood the concept of showing kindness. Some of you will remember the classic movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck as lawyer Atticus Finch. Based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning book of 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird, tells the story of racially divided town in Alabama in the 1930s. Atticus Finch agrees to defend a young ...

525. When God Comes with a Blessing

Luke 1:39-45, Luke 1:46-56

Sermon

John P. Jewell

... when she embraced the promise of God as brought to her by Gabriel, "...nothing will be impossible with God." Mary's response was the key to joy, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Hannah Whitall Smith's classic, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, contains a line that goes to the heart of the issue of joy in the life of faith. "Perfect obedience would result in perfect happiness if only we had perfect confidence in the power we were obeying." ¹ The joy of ...

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