Sermon and Worship Resources

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Showing 526 to 550 of 4681 results

526. Grand Opening

Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon

Robert J. Elder

... everyone. It would be the most grievous of wrongs to keep this gospel to ourselves, a warm fireside memory of family gathered, tree trimmed, dinner simmering in the oven, as though Christmas was meant to be no more than our own private experience; the coming of the foreigners bearing their load of strange gifts is meant to remind us that the nativity was for the world. We are not only to remember that. We are to help make it come true. We might take it for granted that the gospel is for the world. We have ...

527. Speaking Peace

John 20:19-31

Sermon

John Smylie

... our leaders continually toy with, we are left with a feeling of dread and the inability to cope. I cannot tell you how often I hear the frustration among believers who feel that there's nothing they can do to make a difference in the world. We cannot bear or heal the brokenness of our poor planet with good intentions or powerful slogans or hard work or political clout. In and of ourselves, we cannot speak peace. But empowered by the breath of the Son of Man who can bring life when all doors are locked and ...

528. A Higher Calling

Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon

Thomas Lentz

... that your spouse and family are more important to you than getting rich. Pretend that you are one of the most humble and gentle residents in your neighborhood. Pretend that you really are a very patient person. Pretend that you believe it is more important to bear a neighbor's faults, in order to keep a spirit of peace. Pretend these things long enough and you will find that they become a part of your belief system. Pretend hard enough and long enough and you will be amazed to discover how much better ...

529. Matthew 22:15-22

Matthew 22:15-22

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... their pockets. Jesus’ response is now both remarkably straight-forward and open-ended. The Pharisees identify that the coin bears the image of the emperor. Jesus then proclaims that thus the coin should be “given back” (a different verb ... The emperor’s image upon the denarius is what makes that coin the emperor’s. Using that same logic it would seem that whatever bears God’s image is what must be “given back” to God. Although not cited here by Jesus, it would surely be uppermost in the minds ...

530. Samuel Was the Search Committee

1 Samuel 15:34-35, 16:1-13

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... does interviews in different ways. Who knows how this one went? One scholar thinks the episode is reminiscent of Saul's election by lottery. Others think it involved interviews with "Yes" and "No" answers. The whole thing reminds me of the former football coach, Bear Bryant, visiting some Alabama farm looking for his next football star, and Mama and Daddy trooping all their sons by to see which one he wants. So here is Jesse, proud father that he is, trooping his sons one by one — Eliab and Abinadab ...

531. Faithful Fruit

Gal 5:22-23

Illustration

Charles Ryrie

... wondering if he is a believer because I have not seen fruit. His fruit may be very private or erratic, but the fact that I do not see it does not mean it is not there. THREE, my understanding of what fruit is and therefore what I expect others to bear may be faulty and/or incomplete. It is all too easy to have a mental list of spiritual fruits and to conclude if someone does not produce what is on my list that he or she is not a believer. But the reality is that most lists that we humans ...

532. Touched

John 20:24-31

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... But the physical body, the basic reality that informs all human experience, is nowhere discounted or dismissed. Jesus miraculously appears before his frightened, hidden, locked‑down disciples. Yet his first action is to invite them to fell the wounds his new physical body bears. Touch me, he says. What an invitation! Think about it. More than the hem of his garment, we are invited to touch him at the points of his deepest sorrow and pain. When Thomas, who missed out on the first miracle, testily declares ...

533. Victorious, but Not Unscarred

John 20:24-31

Sermon

King Duncan

... . Those scars are also a reminder of how much Christ loves us. This brings us to a final thing to be said: Christ’s scars are a summons to us to commit ourselves more fully to his work. The saddest commentary on our lives is probably the fact that we bear so few scars for Christ and for his kingdom. Doesn’t it concern you that our faith really requires so little of us? Some of us tithe. That’s a considerable sacrifice, but 10% is half of what some of us tip servers who bring us our food in restaurants ...

534. Whistling Jesus

John 15:1-17

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... are immediately reassured as he declares, “you did not choose me but I choose you.” This “chosenness” is not simply a state of being. It is a state of purpose. Jesus chooses his disciples, these “friends,” for a mission: “to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” This mention of “fruitfulness” reintroduces the vine and branches metaphor and grafts it on to a missionizing message. Those who abide in Jesus’ love and offer obedience to his commandment to love are called to “go and ...

535. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:1-15

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... responsibility of leading others to the Lord. As the world today welcomes the newborn king of the Jews, we must realize that while we bask in the glory of God made man, God chose to become human like us in all things but sin. We, as Christians, bear a significant responsibility. The Pauline author of the letter to Titus tells us that we must do our part by leading upstanding lives, to be an example, and thereby lead others to Christ. It is a responsibility we must not fail to engage, to be the best person ...

536. Leading Others to Jesus

Titus 2:11-14

Sermon

Richard Gribble

537. Love - The Basic Christian Call

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

... with the eight Yugoslavians. There was a moment of silence, and then the sergeant yelled, "Fire!" Private Schultz died that day, his blood mingled with those of the innocent men and women. Found on his body was an excerpt from Saint Paul: "[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7). This true story from World War II demonstrates the concept of love as articulated by Saint Paul in his famous passage from 1 Corinthians. The many manifestations of ...

538. Enemies of the Cross

Philippians 3:17 - 4:1

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

... we deserve. It is no accident that the cross is the focal point of this worship space. It is at the cross where God does the unthinkable. There God chooses not to give his enemies (enemies of the cross like us) what we deserve. No, instead God chooses to bear what we deserve, paying the price, biting the bullet, for us ... and our salvation. When we gather here to eat and drink, to be washed and "born again," to receive the words of peace and consolation, it is under the cross. For it is here at the foot of ...

539. Put Within Us

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Sermon

R. Kevin Mohr

... So much DNA is packed into the nucleus of a cell, for example, that if it were stretched out it would measure roughly three miles long! Even more amazing is what DNA, the genetic molecule of all living things, is able to do. DNA is the information-bearing molecule that determines everything about the physical make-up of each living thing. The basic code or language for this information is the same for all life, but the combination, location on the double helix, and the length of the molecule makes all the ...

540. What If It's True?

John 20:1-9

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... the Colosseum 2,000 years before." (Carpe Diem: Put a Little Latin in Your Life [2007] by Harry Mount). The seeds fell off the lions as they tore into the Christians in the arena. The lions are long gone. The suffering is over. But those seeds are still bearing fruit, bearing witness to the power of life to win out over death. “I know . . . I KNOW . . . I KNOW . .that my Redeemer liveth.” He lives in us and He lives among us. That’s the proof. The proof is not a point. The proof is a person. Let’s ...

541. Ignite: Fight Fire with Fire

Acts 4:1-22

Sermon

James Merritt

... . They were the religious experts in the law and highly respected. Then, they brought in the Chief Justice of the Jewish Supreme Court – the High Priest. That alone would have told all the people there how serious this matter was and how much power they were bringing to bear. The scene is set in verse 7. “And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’” (Acts 4:7, ESV) In those days, the way an interrogation was held would be that all of the ...

542. Up Close & Personal: Open the Doors

Psalm 100:1-5

Sermon

James Merritt

... reason for this. Acts 17:25 says, “Nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:25, ESV) We are to serve God with gladness, because when we serve Him we are not bearing the burden of meeting His needs; we are rejoicing in a service where He meets our needs.[1] God doesn’t need us serving Him to make Him happy. We need to serve God to make us happy. That is another key that opens the door. A third way we ...

543. The Knot: Tied

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Sermon

James Merritt

... that can’t come untied.” So if my love is real… II. I Will Show How Love Lives Verse 7 makes perfect sense when you understand what real love is in the preceding verses, because if my love is real this is what my love will do. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:7, ESV) Paul uses one Greek noun four times to go with four verbs in this verse. It is the word translated, “all things” which is the Greek word, “panta.” You see it ...

544. An Announcement from the Wilderness

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

King Duncan

... story in a slightly different way. Luke begins with an angel announcing to Zechariah and Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s parents, that a son will be born to them in their advanced age. Then Luke tells about the angel’s announcement to Mary that she will bear a child. Then he tells about a visit Mary makes to Elizabeth’s home where Mary delivers her beautiful hymn of praise which the church has termed the Magnificat. Then Luke tells about Christ’s birth with the angels praising God in the heavens and ...

545. Digging Deeper

Luke 1:1-4

Sermon

James Merritt

... world was designed by a grand designer than there is that something was produced when nothing exploded and produced something. Now we raise the question, “How did we get the Gospels? How did they come into existence? Why should we believe them? Do they bear signs of being historical and does the evidence point to their reliability and their reality?” Thankfully, at least one of the gospel writers lays out exactly how his gospel came to be. He tells us exactly how the events, the sayings, the teachings ...

546. Shall We Take the Escalator?

Mark 6:30-44

Sermon

King Duncan

... got no time to spare. But as you hurry and scurry, ASAP - Always say a prayer. In the midst of family chaos, “Quality time” is rare. Do your best; let God do the rest, ASAP - Always say a prayer. It may seem like your worries Are more than you can bear. Slow down and take a breather, ASAP - Always say a prayer. God knows how stressful life is, He wants to ease our cares. And He’ll respond to all your needs, ASAP - Always say a prayer. (7) When was the last time you stole away just to spend time with ...

547. Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:1-11

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... that basis, it has been suggested that Ananias’ death was simply a chance occurrence and this story a legend that grew out of the attempt to explain it. Nearer the truth, perhaps, is the suggestion that Ananias died of shock caused by the disclosure of his deception, bearing in mind that this was a society in which it was consciously felt to be “a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31) and that, until Peter had spoken, Ananias may not have seen the full import of what he ...

548. The Council at Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... apostles and, second, that they were in agreement with him regarding the gospel. And because the famine visit of Acts 11:30 had no bearing on either of these matters, he might well have omitted it. Galatians 1:20 is often appealed to in support of the proposition that ... yoke (that is, of the law; see Sir. 51:26; Ps. Sol. 7:8; 17:32) that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? (v. 10)—Peter, no less than Paul, endorsed the charge laid by Stephen (7:53; cf 13:39; Gal. 6:13; see also Matt. 11:28ff ...

549. Freedom In Christ

Galatians 5:1-15, Galatians 5:16-26

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... was equated with being a Jew (cf. 2:7–8). Therefore Paul considers that in the context of belief in Christ, circumcision bears a different meaning depending on whether or not one came into the faith already circumcised. If one was already a Jew, then ... Galatians, p. 307); the word for fits of rage connotes intense anger. Selfish ambition is a difficult word to translate but bears the sense of self-seeking, strife, and contentiousness. Dissensions refer to divisiveness in a group (cf. Rom. 16:17); and ...

550. Doing Good to All

Galatians 6:1-10

Understanding Series

L. Ann Jervis

... to give the umbrella instruction to carry each other’s burdens (see also 5:13–14). This disposition allows fulfillment of the law of Christ. The way of Christ, as demonstrated in his life and death (“he loved and gave himself” Gal. 2:20), is to bear the burdens of others. Even the transgressor’s burdens are to be borne (cf. Rom. 15:1). It may be that the troublemakers had been using the phrase “law of Christ” when arguing that faith included the requirement of circumcision, in which case Paul ...

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