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Showing 526 to 550 of 4934 results

526. Simple Faith?

Mark 1:9-15

Sermon

John Jamison

It all sounds so simple. It’s just so nice, so easy, and so straightforward; almost comfortable. And we’ve heard the story told so many times that many of us know it by heart. “This John the Baptist guy was standing in the middle of the Jordan River, yelling at people and baptizing them. He was yelling at some of the priests who didn’t like him, when suddenly Jesus stepped out of the crowd, walked into the water, and stood next to John. At first, John wanted Jesus to baptize him, but finally, he went ahead ...

527. Proper 10

Luke 10:25-37, Colossians 1:1-14, Amos 7:10-17, Psalm 82:1-8

Sermon Aid

William E. Keeney

The Neighborly Samaritan The parable of the neighborly Samaritan demonstrates the enduring and provocative power of a good story. The language and point of the parable have worked their way into our language. People who have never read the New Testament or have no idea whatsoever of who a Samaritan is are influenced by it. Many states have what is referred to as a Good Samaritan law. It relieves persons who give aid to an accident victim of liability. In their attempt to render assistance in an accident ...

528. A Person Approved by Christ

John 1:43-51

Sermon

George Bass

Jesus, according to the information that John gives us in the beginning of his Gospel, had a strange system of recruiting his disciples. Two of John’s disciples left the Baptizer when he identified Jesus for them as "the lamb of God" and spent the rest of the day with Jesus. Andrew was one of the two, and he recruited his brother, Simon, whom Jesus immediately labeled "the Rock." The next day Jesus encountered Philip and said to him, "Follow me!" - and he did. Philip went out and found Nathanael, or ...

529. I Knew You’d Come

John 6:16-24

Sermon

Richard Hoefler

When the unsinkable Titanic struck an iceberg and sank, one reporter wrote, "The tragedy of man is that he cannot build a boat to match his boasts." In many ways we have been able to conquer the sea. When it loomed up as a barrier to our progress across the earth we built boats to sail on it, created atomic submarines to travel through it, and designed jets to fly over it. What’s more, we can even swim in it. But we cannot become master of it. The story which forms the miracle we consider now is about a ...

530. Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

Romans 8:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Have you ever been stuck on a playground merry-go-round? You know how it goes. You start slow, pushing with your feet to gain more speed until you are running. Then you finally jump on to the spinning merry-go-round holding on for dear life. That is when you find yourself stuck. On the one hand, the centrifugal force of the spinning merry-go-round threatens to throw you off. On the other hand, you hold on for dear life to the railing because you are afraid of what might happen to you if you fall off. And ...

531. Easter 2

Jn 20:19-31 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · Ps 16 · Ps 111

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Roman Catholic: Acts 2:42-47 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Episcopal: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 or 1 Pet 1:3-9 or Jn 20:19-31 · Gen 8:6-16; 9:8-16 · Acts 2:14a, 22-32 Lutheran: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 · 1 Pet 1:3-9 · Jn 20:19-31 Theme For The Day: The theme of faith and doubt runs through the lessons for today. In the First Lesson, Peter attempts to elicit faith on the part of his hearers in the risen Christ. In the Second Lesson, Peter points ...

532. Recollections of Reuben, Uncle of a Young Bethlehem Shepherd

Matthew 2:13-18

Drama

Robert A. Morgan

A Dramatic Monologue It's a great time for you to be asking questions now, after all the blood your soldiers spilled and all the pain and misery they brought to nearly every home in Bethlehem! Yes, I understand what you've said - you wouldn't have allowed such widespread killings if you had been King Herod, and not just a captain of his soldiers. You would have asked some questions first, and tried to narrow down the possibilities of which baby it might be that you had to kill. But, of course, if you had ...

533. Wade In The Water

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Frederick C. Edwards

The lives of the rich and famous hold a strange fascination for those of us who do not find ourselves in that category. From a very surface view it is easy to envy their glamorous and opulent lifestyles. How we’d like to be like them. We could really enjoy having their money, or their influence, or the adulation of the people who crowd around them. How nice it would be to have the athletic prowess of Michael Jordan, or the good looks and acting talent of a Tom Cruise or Geena Davis, the voice of Luciano ...

534. A Goodly Heritage

Psalm 16:1-11

Sermon

Maxie Dunnam

Fred Craddock tells of vacationing in the Smoky Mountains. One evening he and his wife had gone to Black Bear Inn for dinner They were looking over the menu when an old man came over to the table and greeted them and began asking: if on vacation, good time, where from, and what did for living. When Fred said that he was a preacher, the old man pulled up chair and said, “Let me tell you about a preacher.” “I was born back in these hills, my mother wasn’t married, and in those days you didn’t get over a ...

535. It's All Good

Revelation 21:1-27

Sermon

James Merritt

It was Easter Sunday. The Children’s Bible study class was packed. The teacher had talked about Good Friday and Easter. After thinking that she had carefully explained what had happened that weekend she decided to see how much of the story the kids remembered. She said, “Would somebody like to tell me something they remember about either Good Friday or Easter? One little boy said, “The cross was very heavy and a man had to help Jesus carry it.” Another little boy said, “I remember it got dark as night and ...

536. Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:1-12

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

As a piece of descriptive writing, this story of Paul’s voyage and shipwreck shows Luke at his best and is a classic of its kind in ancient literature. Luke has been accused of inventing the story or at least of adapting an existing tale to his own purpose. But James Smith has long since demonstrated that the accuracy of the narrative in terms of geography, weather conditions, and navigational practice is such that it cannot be other than the record of a real voyage (p. xxxii), whereas the use of the first ...

537. While You Wait

Mark 1:1-8

Sermon

Charley Reeb

I don’t know anyone who likes to wait. Whether it is waiting in line, waiting on a package to be delivered, or waiting for a prayer to be answered, waiting is not something we usually enjoy. What we sometimes forget is that there is a great deal of wisdom in waiting. This is why Advent is so important. Advent is a good time to learn about waiting because this season is all about waiting well. For the next few weeks we sit on the edge of our seats waiting for God to come to us in Christ and transform our ...

538. Epiphany 2

Jn 1:29-42 · 1 Cor 1:1-9 · Is 49:1-7 · Ps 27

Sermon Aid

Russell F. Anderson

COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 49:1-7 The prophet of second Isaiah shares his strong sense of being called by the Lord; he was set aside for his prophetic/servant role while he was still in his mother's womb. He was called to relay some painful truths and feels as if his efforts have met with futility, but then the Spirit of God gives him hope and strength for his mission of restoring the wounded and scattered sheep of the defeated flock of Israel. The Spirit gently chides him for his constricted view of ...

539. About Sex

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sermon

King Duncan

The mother of two daughters, ages 10 and 12, decided it was time to tell them about the birds and the bees. She sent off for a booklet recommended by the PTA and, having read it, called the girls in for a long chat. When she finished, she said, with her heart in her throat, “You may ask me any question you want to.” The oldest said, “Anything?” The mother said, “Yes, anything,” then she took a deep breath, thinking, “Here it comes.” The little girl asked, “Can we have a new baseball bat? It should not ...

540. Israel's Unbelief

Romans 9:30--10:21

Understanding Series

James R. Edwards

Righteousness: Gift or Reward? So far Paul has considered the case of Israel from God’s side. God made choices from among Abraham’s descendants to create a peculiar people for himself. The election of Jacob over Esau was independent of human merit or responsibility, since the choice was made when both were still in Rebekah’s womb. If in subsequent generations God hardened Pharaoh and blessed Israel, it was “in order that [his] purpose in election might stand” (9:11), a purpose rooted in mercy and directed ...

541. Vetted

Luke 3:21-38, Luke 4:1-13

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) Back in 1984, when Sting was with the Police, he had a stalker. So Sting wrote an ode to his stalker called “Every Breath You Take.” For those of you who never heard of Sting, or the Police, or the year 1984, it went like this: [either play a stanza of the song or read out these lyrics] Every ...

542. God Sees Right Through

Hebrews 4:13

Children's Sermon

Wesley T. Runk

Object: A big piece of clear plastic used to cover many or all of the children. Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to find something out about God and something about ourselves. Have you ever done something that you were really ashamed of? (Let them answer.) You don't have to tell me what it was, but I want you to think about it. When you have thought about his awful thing that you did or the stupid thing that you did that makes you ashamed, then just raise your hand. (Wait for a few hands to ...

543. The Turnstile at the Pearly Gate

Luke 13:22-30

Sermon

Carveth Mitchell

Have you ever been among the great crowd moving toward the entrance to a big time football game? At first the entrance seems wide and open to all; but once you begin seriously pushing and struggling to go in you discover that the gate is not wide at all. The broad gate narrows down to a turnstile where you enter one by one, and the keeper says, "Hold your own ticket, please." So Jesus describes the door to the Kingdom. It begins wide and open to all - but then comes the struggle to go through the narrow ...

544. Morning Has Broken

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

Some years ago, popular singer Cat Stevens (who has become a convert to Islam and now spends his time in meditation) popularized Eleanor Farjeon's hymn, "Morning Has Broken." Pop stations played Steven's rendition all over the United States. People found themselves fascinated by the tune and also by the words. The hymn aptly depicts Genesis 1:1-5. Farjeon wrote: Morning has broken Like the first morning Blackbird has spoken Like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for ...

545. How Can God Know All About Us?

Luke 13:1-9

Illustration

Unknown

A man named Gerhard Dirks, the "father of the modern computer," was one who had to face up to life's most important question. During the years of the Second World War he made many inventions that led to the development of the first computers. He and his family escaped from Hitler's Germany and later Russian occupation to the west. He was a brilliant man, reported to have an IQ of 208. He had over 140 patents with IBM and even attempted theoretically to reconstruct the human brain. But he became completely ...

546. Unusual Joy

Psalm 126:1-6

Sermon

J. Howard Olds

In a Dr. Seuss Christmas story, the small-hearted Grinch steals food and toys from all the Who's of Whosville in an effort to curb their Christmas joy. Yet on Christmas morn, the tall and the small sang without any presents at all. And the Grinch with his grinch-feet, ice cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags! And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of ...

547. Remember the Rooster

John 18:25-27

Sermon

King Duncan

There’s an old story that many of you may remember. It’s about a little boy who was visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced many times with his slingshot, but he could never hit any of the targets he aimed at. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for lunch. As he was walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let fly with a rock from his slingshot. As luck would have it, he hit the duck square in the head, ...

548. You Are God's Handiwork

Ephesians 2:10

Sermon

King Duncan

Is there anyone here who doesn’t appreciate a nice compliment from time to time? A compliment truly is oxygen for the soul. Let me tell you about a service on the web that is designed to lift you up when you are down. It is called “Emergency compliment.com.” You can go there and see brief messages to feed your ego and boost your mood. Who wouldn’t like to be told things like “Your prom date still thinks about you all the time”? Or “You are someone’s ‘the one that got away.’” (1) You’ll find it there: “ ...

549. Week Five Of Lent

Sermon

Richard Gribble

Monday Week FiveDaniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62John 8:1-11 The God Of Forgiveness Humans love to tell stories about others. We tell many humorous stories which bring out the beauty of one's personality. We tell stories of heroism, bravery and significant accomplishments. Sometimes we even hear and tell stories of unconditional love and kindness shown to another. These are the types of stories we like to hear, ones that pick us up and make us feel good. Humans are far from perfect and thus there are ...

550. Love Without Limits

Matthew 15:21-28

Sermon

Roger G. Talbott

The epitaph on the grave of Albert Camus, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957, reads: "Here I understand what they call glory: the right to love without limits." In our gospel lesson we see two people who love without limits. Neither of them seem very glorious. One is a tired itinerant preacher named Jesus. The other is a woman who has no name -- only a racial designation: a Canaanite woman. "Canaanite" was to the Jews of Jesus' time what "Native American" is to the majority of North Americans. ...

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