Sermon and Worship Resources

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1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... holiness Paul prays for is also an eschatological goal. The fact that this is a Christian community, a community of those who have accepted Christ, makes it holy (see 1 Corinthian 7:14). But this same Christian community won't be completed or perfected until the end-times return of Christ. The triune identification of the believer as spirit and soul and body may be theologically complex, yet here seems most obviously Paul's Greek/Christian attempt to identify the totality of each believer. Paul's final ...

552. Epiphany 6

Mt 5:21-37 · 1 Cor 3:1-9 · Ps 119 · Dt 30:15-20

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... it from the Corinthians, because it is not his manner of writing in the other epistles. He turns the words against those who claim such status. As we see in the whole letter, the Corinthians value "spiritual things" like wisdom, freedom, and perfection. But the apostle refutes their claims by saying that they could not even eat a solid Christian diet. Paul's proof of the Corinthians' immaturity is their infantile tendency toward self-centered bragging. Paul says that the Corinthians are all too human ...

553. Trinity Sunday

Genesis 1:1-2:3, Matthew 28:16-20, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Psalm 8:1-9

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... 13:13. Critical editions of the Greek text versify 13:10-13. Significance. Near the beginning of the chapter (vv. 3b -4), Paul makes his argument both relevant and christological by maintaining the christological paradox of weakness and power. The idea of divine power perfected in weakness comes from the heart of Paul's theology. It is a striking and difficult concept, but in essence Paul believes that his human weakness serves as a conduit for the very power of God into the real world. Paul may mean that ...

554. Am I Loved?

2 Timothy 1:5

Illustration

Paul Sweet

I had a professor in Childhood Development who said, "All it would take to have a perfect world is just one generation of perfect parents." I believed that until mid-life, when I saw several nearly perfect parents who had terrible children. But the concept is generally true--we learn to love because we were loved first. We love, according to the Bible, because God loved us first. We all need to be loved. And we grow up testing whether we are indeed loved. One of the ...

555. 2 Corinthians 1: 11-13

2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... is similar to the list of admonitions given by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, which also begins with the command to “rejoice.” The next directive to the Corinthians is expressed in even a greater number of forms, rendered variously as “put things in order,” “aim for perfection,” “work at your restoration,” and “mend your ways.” All these are variations on “katartizesthe.” Whichever wording is preferred, scholars generally agree that the middle voice, not the passive voice (“be made ...

556. 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

557. A Call to Action

Matthew 9:9-13

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... on a real bugle. It’s time to stop offering a “canned” version of the gospel. It’s time to stop following red and green lights which we won’t or can’t let others see, and it’s time to tune our lives to Jesus the Christ, God’s Perfect Pitch, God’s tuning fork to the eternal. “Come thou fount of every blessing, tune our lives to sing Thy praise.” We’ve been singing the praises of those red and green lights for far too long. It’s time to start singing the praises of the Light of the ...

558. What to Do When Life Is the Pits

1 Peter 5:5-11

Sermon

James Merritt

... , establish, strengthen, and settle you." (v.10) Yes, you have to sail through stormy seas, but you do it on the good ship grace. You know what this grace does. It perfects, establishes, strengthens, and settles you. That tells me something about grace. First of all, God's grace is saving grace because it "perfects." God's grace is securing grace because "it establishes." God's grace is strengthening grace because "it strengthens." God's grace is surviving grace because "it settles." Therefore His grace is ...

559. The Truth about Trouble

2 Timothy 4:16-18

Sermon

James Merritt

... , then it is not an evil work. The only thing that is evil to a child of God is that which is outside the will of God. You think about this: Jesus was not delivered from Calvary, but what the devil meant for evil, God meant for good. God's perfect plan and powerful purpose for your life is to deliver you from everything that is contrary to His will for your life. A verse I memorized a long time ago that I lean upon as much as any verse in the Bible, is Ps. 138:8 that says, "The Lord ...

560. It's Not How You Start But How You Finish That Counts

Ephesians 4:1, 11-16

Sermon

James Merritt

... of our church would be in the nursery. Maturity is absolutely necessary to a healthy church because of what it does for the church. Maturity provides unity within the body. "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (v.13) You see, the more we grow in Jesus, the more we become like Jesus. The more we become like Jesus, the closer we get to Jesus. The closer we get to Jesus, the closer we get ...

561. The Surety of Security

Jude 1:1-2

Sermon

James Merritt

... love is immeasurable. The Lord Jesus Himself told us how much God loves us. If He had not said it himself I would not believe it. Listen to what Jesus said about the love God has for us. "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (Jn. 17:23) Did you get that? God loves the saint as much as He loves the Son! Now I want to ask you a question. How can ...

562. Like a Good Neighbor, Jesus Is There

Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

James Merritt

... is your reading of it?'" Jesus tells this man then what I am telling you now. The only place to find not only the answers of earthly life, but the solution for eternal life, is in the Word of God. This lawyer replies to Jesus' question with a perfect answer. "So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and ‘your neighbor as yourself.' And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you ...

563. The Supreme Test

Genesis 22:1-19

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... God unless our sin problem is resolved. That requires someone able and willing to pay for our sin. That requires someone who has no sin problem of his own. That requires someone perfect and full of love for us. Indeed, that requires God himself. And so, Jesus, God in human form, went to a cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of all believers. The saga of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah was a preview of the cross of Calvary. The eternal Christ-Spirit, probably said to God the Father, “Father ...

564. Saints By Faith: Good to the Last Drop

Revelation 7:9-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... communion of the saints, the fellowship of God's people, the believers and disciples of Jesus Christ, here and now. Peter Gomes, chaplain at Harvard and one of the great preachers of our day, admits that: The word "saint" gives us trouble in our day, suggesting perfection and virtue. The saints of the Roman Catholic canon are people who have been attested to as holy, with miracles and mighty works. They are in stained glass and on marble pedestals. But (he says) a saint in the early church was one who was ...

565. What Are You Looking For?

Acts 1:1-13

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... school teachers like Emma Traister brought Kool-Aid and Ritz crackers and made me feel special. My pastors encouraged and praised me. Other adults seemed to tolerate me. And in that world, I was somebody, I was accepted, and I was loved. It wasn't a perfect church, but then I wasn't a perfect kid. And in the circle of grace, I came to where I could even accept myself. Do you see why I believe in the body, the loving care and nurture of the family of faith; why it is so important for the church to be a ...

566. What Ever Happened to Norman Rockwell?

Colossians 3:1-17

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... there with Ozzie and Harriet, I Love Lucy and Father Knows Best. So what ever happened to Norman Rockwell? The truth is, the world has changed and our experience of family has changed with it. The other truth is that even Rockwell's world wasn't as perfect as we wanted it to be. Ozzie, as we later learned, ruled the Nelson family like a tyrant, Ricky and Lucy's marriage ended in divorce, and we learned that father didn't always know best. What ever happened to Norman Rockwell? What ever happened to "family ...

567. Worship Like A Wesley

Philippians 4:4-9

Sermon

John E. Harnish

... attendance. And if you were going to miss, you would visit another church and get a visitor's card to turn in the next Sunday. I remember an old man in my first church who was proud of his long string of pins for thirty years of perfect attendance. That love of the fellowship, that commitment to the gathering, the promise to be there is part of what it means to worship like a Wesley. My mother came up from Florida this week so we could go to a family reunion back in Clarion, Pennsylvania with over fifty ...

568. A Cup Of Cold Water

Mark 9:38-50

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

Call To Worship One: God's kingdom will come in a perfect future. All: God's will shall be done in a perfect time. One: God reigns now, and his kingdom is perfectly in our midst. All: May God's will be our will in all we do. One: Let us seek this kingdom, and God's righteousness, that all things may be added to us. All: Let the peace of God dwell richly in us today and always. Collect Lord, grant us ...

569. Over And Over Again

Hebrews 10:11-18

Bulletin Aid

Frank Ramirez

... of God and God's people is the fullness of joy. And if that were not enough, in God's right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Based on Psalm 16) Collect Perfect God, Perfect Priest, we praise your name this day! Amen. Prayer Of Confession Lord, we have failed to take advantage of the boundless grace you have given us, the fruit of your perfect sacrifice, given once for all. Today we pray that you will set our hearts and our minds on first things, only things, best things. Amen. Hymns Marvelous Grace Of Our ...

570. Floating on Your Back

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

King Duncan

... over New England combined with the remains of a hurricane coming up the eastern seaboard to form what has become known as the Perfect Storm. A small boat, the Andrea Gail, carrying a father named John and his six‑year‑old daughter named Mary were caught in ... of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Dr. James C. Brown tells the story of a little girl named Mary who faced her own perfect storm. As they rolled 5‑year‑old Mary in for an MRI, Dr. Brown tried to imagine what she must be feeling. Little Mary ...

571. Body Sculpting and Self Shaping

Mark 1:21-28

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... magic. They see nutrition as a religion, not a science." The drive to shape our own bodies, sculpt our own selves, denies the existence of an intimate dependent relationship on the One who created us. The more we seek to re-create ourselves in Madison Avenue's perfect image, the less chance we will discover the true shape God intended for our bodies and our souls. There are a lot of bodies beautiful walking around who don't feel as good as they look. Body and soul formation are the work of the Spirit - we ...

572. On Time

Matthew 24:36-44

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... seemingly insignificant parents, in an unremarkable tiny village, located in a foreign-occupied, agriculturally barren, politically incorrect country, during a pre-technological, indeed barely civilized period in human history. But in the divine plan, it was the perfect time, the perfect place, in the perfect circumstances. It was God's sense of timing that divided Jesus' earthly life into 30 years of preparation for three years of public ministry. It was God's sense of timing that kept Jesus always moving ...

573. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... we call "The Lord's Prayer" is really "The Disciples' Prayer." In John 17:11 Jesus prays that those who believe may be one. Not one in some metaphorical sense. Not one in some ecclesiastical sense. But "perfectly one." "Perfectly one" in the same oneness that unites God the Father and God the Son. "Perfectly one" in the same oneness that brings about on earth what happens in heaven, what goes on in God. It is characteristic of Jesus, who knew the bickering, boasting ways of his disciples, and who deeply ...

574. Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

575. The Darkness of a Youniverse

John 3:1-21

Sermon

Leonard Sweet

... test: the things that we do that are “true,” and “good” and “beautiful,” those things “have been done in God.” Do you hear it? Do you get it? Who doesn’t love John 3:16. Who doesn’t know by heart John 3:16? It is, we think, the most perfect encapsulation of the good news of the gospel: For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. It is “good news.” It is the “best news.” But it is not the only ...

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