Sermon and Worship Resources

Showing 526 to 550 of 832 results

526. Full Devotion

John 6:51-58

Illustration

Edwin D. Peterman

Several years ago a couple of reporters conducted an experiment on the streets of Miami, Florida. They printed up a copy of the Bill of Rights in the form of a petition, put it on a clipboard, and then stopped people on the sidewalk and asked them to sign it. As you know, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are the Bill of Rights, and they were adopted ...

527. Ordinary or Extraordinary?

1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Sermon

James Merritt

... us to a man named, Jabez. Have you ever heard about a man named Jabez? Up until about four years ago, most of us had not and then Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book about this man and more specifically about a few words that he prayed and sold 9 million copies. When you think about it that is amazing! His total biography occupies less than 80 words in English. Yet, in those 80 words we learn how to go from the ordinary to the extraordinary. We learn how to become the cream of the crop. If you would like to learn ...

528. Did You Know You Can Know You Have Eternal Life?

1 John 5:11-13

Sermon

James Merritt

... newcomers might find a seat. One time, he asked the entire congregation to get up and leave so that newcomers waiting outside could get in. The newcomers filled every seat in the building. His messages were printed in newspapers all over the world and single copies of his sermons were selling up to 25,000 a week. His collected sermons filled sixty-three thick volumes, the largest set of books by a single author in the history of Christianity. There is no question if you asked evangelical pastors who would ...

529. Decoding the Da Vinci Code (Part One - Exploring the Fiction)

1 Timothy 1:4

Sermon

James Merritt

... Research goes on to estimate that this movie will make more than $300 million which will put it in the top 20 money makers of all time. Since it was published in 2003, the book has been translated into 44 languages and sold more than 65 million copies worldwide making it the best selling adult fictional novel of all time. As I prepared this message, it has been on the New York Times best seller for 154 weeks straight. Time Magazine recently named Dan Brown one of the world's one-hundred most influential ...

530. Name Dropping

Exodus 20:7

Sermon

James Merritt

... 't misuse God's name? I. Be Careful In How You Treat God's Name Without question we don't really take God's name seriously in the 21st century at least not as seriously as it was taken thousands of years ago. When the Jewish scribes were copying the scriptures and they were transcribing God's word from scroll to scroll, when they would come to the name of God (specifically the name of "Yahweh") which we read as "Lord" in our Bible they would put down their pens. They would go and bath themselves. Then they ...

531. Sex and the City

Exodus 20:14

Sermon

James Merritt

... Bible, you read this verse, "Thou Shalt Commit Adultery." King Charles I was so enraged that he fined the printer, 300£ sterling, which in that day was a lifetime worth of income, driving him out of business and ordered the one-thousand copies destroyed, but a handful escaped destruction. The only one for sale is offered at $89,500. Even though that verse may be biblically and theologically incorrect, we are living today in an age where adultery (that is sexual immorality) has become culturally correct ...

532. To Catch a Thief

Exodus 20:15

Sermon

James Merritt

... doesn't tell you that it is leaking oil. How about this? You ask for a student discount at the movies when you flunked out at the University of Georgia three years ago. I still haven't hit any of us yet. Let's try this. How about pirating copies of computer programs, video tapes, CDs or DVDs? I've heard all kinds of rationalizations, but none of them work. God calls it stealing. Did I mention unpaid debts? Have you ever borrowed anything and forgotten to return it? Walk through your home sometime and do an ...

533. Daily Homework

Matthew 28:16-20

Sermon

James Merritt

... Benz television commercial that showed their car colliding with a cement wall during a safety test. Someone then asked the company spokesman why they didn't enforce their patent on the Mercedes Benz energy-absorbing car body, a design that was evidently copied by other companies, because of its successful safety record. The spokesman for Mercedes Benz gave a classic response. He said, "Because some things in life are too important not to share." How true that is. A pastor dressed in a comfortable pair ...

534. With The End In Mind

Philippians 3:7-11

Sermon

James Merritt

One of the best selling books written in the twentieth century and one that made a tremendous impact on my life is a book by Stephen Covey, called The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People. That book has sold millions of copies and even to this day sells extremely well. One of the seven habits Covey says of an effective person is beginning with the end in mind. He begins this chapter with this thought provoking scenario. "Picture yourself driving to the funeral parlor or chapel, parking the car and ...

535. In God We Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermon

James Merritt

... don't you just give me your bicycle and you can ask God for another one?" I could give you many reasons why you ought to trust God, but let me just give this one to think about. When we trust God, God guides us. God doesn't make Xerox copies or clones. He only makes originals. Whether you are a plumber or a preacher, an electrician or an evangelist, a mechanic or a missionary, God has a plan for you. God wants to guide every step of your life. The passage we are going to look at today is one ...

536. Leaping from Recognition Point

2 Samuel 11:26—12:13a

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... of his characters, several of the townspeople recognized themselves. What they saw did not please them. Actually, writers of fiction have been inventing characters based on real people for a long time, though often they mix things up enough that the persons copied do not identify themselves as easily as the Clyde people did. But imagine how you would feel if someone you know published a book in which you recognized yourself, with little more than your name and a few circumstances changed — especially if ...

537. April Love

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... her dad was "paying attention" and were her dad's way of saying, "I love you." In fact, later, she wrote an article for her college paper giving thanks "for the pile of newsprint filled with my father's love." For Father's Day, she mailed him a copy of her article, saying, "Now, I finally have a clipping to send him."5 I mentioned earlier that new readers of the Bible are often surprised to discover this book of sensual poetry within the pages of scripture. But when you think about it, why should not the ...

538. Bashful Love

Mark 9:32

Illustration

Stephen M. Crotts

... a distance. Once he rode a bus four blocks past the place where he wanted to get off just so he could be near her a little longer. (She was in the front of the bus. He was at the rear.) He went to the administrative building and got a copy of her class schedule so he could just happen to be where she was. Another time he signed up for zoology because she would be in the class. And, yes, I traded post office boxes with John. But it cost him! For three dollars, a coil of rope, a Spanish ...

539. Cured Cripples and Crabby Critics

Luke 13:10-17

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... 's life has been a remarkable portrait of Christian faith and God's grace in the face of trial and hardship ... Joni is an extraordinary person, yet her real strength and creativity come from a vital relationship with Jesus Christ."1 Over three million copies of her book, Joni, have been sold in over forty languages. She reaches people with all kinds of handicaps and urges them to depend on the Lord to change their attitude. In addition to writing books and giving inspirational and motivational talks around ...

540. What's in a Name?

Isaiah 43:1-7

Sermon

Mary S. Lautensleger

... names we are called frequently become synonymous with our identity. A nineteenth-century governor of Texas, James S. "Big Jim" Hogg, named his baby girl Ima.1 He did not discover the significance of this choice until days later, when he received a copy of her birth certificate, which read "Ima Hogg." I cannot help but wonder if he named his next child "Ura." Many celebrities have been pressured into changing their original names. In earlier days, their studios laid down an ultimatum: no name change meant ...

541. Wisdom's Delight

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Sermon

Stan Purdum

... needed to do something to try to find himself, and so he settled on riding his bicycle across America. To help with his inner exploration, he had decided to try to read the holy books of the world's major religions. In fact, when I met him, he had a copy of a Hindu text with him and was working his way through it. I talked to him some about Christianity as we rode, and he listened respectfully, but without being persuaded. I've stayed in touch with David since then, and it doesn't sound as if he has kept ...

542. Family Matters

Luke 2:41-52

Sermon

King Duncan

... And the answer is, of course, if Isaac had been 15, Abraham may have actually gone through with it. It’s just a joke, of course, but every family has problems, disagreements, conflict. It’s inevitable. Young people should not be carbon copies of their parents. They must find their own identity. Plus society throws them into an adult world while they are still maturing physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some of you are undoubtedly familiar with the research on the adolescent brain which was reported ...

543. Encouragement from a Friend

Luke 1:39-45

Illustration

Keith Wagner

... -selling children's author of all time, Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. In addition to winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1984, he was also awarded eight honorary degrees. When Dr. Seuss died at the age of 87, his books had sold more than 200 million copies. What made the difference was a kind suggestion and little encouragement from an old friend.

544. Joshua People Study

Joshua 1:7-8, Psalm 119:10-18

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... of Achan. Once their relationship was re-established, they are successful. Joshua gathers the entire nation in the valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal with the Ark of the Covenant in the middle. With half the people on either side, Joshua not only made a copy of the law, but he read all of Scripture for the people to hear. He read every word so they would know and remember. Christ Jesus is the foundation of both our faith and our discipleship. Scripture helps us build that foundation of faith in ...

545. That's All I Want

Psalm 23:1

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... Singapore, the convict Neivelle Tan was set free. Prison walls had given way to the power of this marvelous writing. He trusted God and God did provide. Today, this man, Rev. Neivelle Tan, is the pastor of a church in Singapore. All this happened because someone gave him a copy of the 23rd Psalm. (3) He was able to get beyond the rote understanding of this Psalm. He was able to dig deeper. He was able to listen to what God was saying to him through the words of this Psalm let the Word of God dig deeper into ...

546. The Wedding Was Saved, but the Marriage?

John 2:1-11

Sermon

King Duncan

... pond in Amelia county, Virginia. To his surprise, on the night before the wedding the bride (we’ll call her Pamela) called to ask him to read a special set of marriage vows to her new husband after the formal ceremony was through. She would give him a copy of the vows just before the service started. The next morning, the groom (we’ll call him Paul) also pulled Davies aside and handed him a set of vows to be read to his new wife. This was going to be interesting. The people were in place and the ...

547. Cross Eyed: Glory

John 12:20-33

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

The movie, Cinderella Man, takes place in the depths of the Great Depression. Boxer Jim Braddock's family, like so many others, is living in poverty. He gets up early one morning hoping to get a shift at the dock. He gets ready to sit down and eat a meager breakfast, prepared by his wife, Mae. Jim gets up and wonders where his wife has put his socks. Mae tells Jim that she "washed them last night. Took them right off your feet." She pulls them from the oven where they have been drying. Little Rosie, ...

548. Put It In A Sack, Swing it Over Your Head and Scream Like A Chicken

2 Kings 5:1-14

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... panic. Rob finally gets Handlebuck to come back. Buddy is ready to do anything. Anything at all. He apologizes and asks what he should do. Handlebuck says: "This shouldn't be too complicated, take this form, tape it together, then you make out a new form, copying this form exactly. Then put both forms in a paperbag, wave it over your head and scream like a chicken." When I read the passage for the message this morning, I immediately thought of that scene. You see, Buddy was ready to do anything, anything at ...

549. Are You Plugged In?

Mark 1:29-39

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

Sue Buchanan tells the story about her father, a pastor in a small Southern town. It seems his granddaughter, Dana, for whatever reason, was afraid of the siren. In this small town, a siren went off every day at noon. It was installed generations ago in order to let factory workers know it was time to go home for lunch. Every time little Dana visited Grandpa, the siren scared her silly. So, Grandpa suggested that, since it was a lunchtime siren, whenever Dana heard it, she should stand up and yell, "Go ...

550. Do You Have Beautiful Feet?

Romans 10:5-15

Sermon

Billy D. Strayhorn

... the names of five different people you know who aren't going to church anywhere. It might be a neighbor, a friend, a relative, a co-worker, or someone who used to attend but for some reason has quit; just five people you know who aren't attending church. 2. Copy those five names onto the other 2 cards. 3. Turn to the person on your left (you can walk across the aisle if you need to or turn to the pew behind you) and give that person one of your cards with the five names on it. Trade, take one ...

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